By EVA HANEGRAAFF
NORTH READING — The environment remains a pressing concern in the world today. While everyone knows about the worsening condition of the world around them, it is difficult to know what one individual can do to help.
North Reading High School’s Eco Team seems to have a solution that could both help to reduce carbon emissions as well as make North Reading residents more mindful about the environment in general.
On Sunday, April 13, the club and volunteers will plant donated saplings throughout town. Their goal is to get 200 saplings donated to offset the 240 tons of carbon emitted annually by NRHS. They were collecting donations through their website through March 13. Supporters were given a choice of three types of trees: eastern redbud, flowering dogwood, or red maple. Supporters also had the option to plant them themselves or have them be planted by a volunteer.
On the topic of the project as a whole, Eco Team officer Riley Maibor states, “It’s a fundraiser we did a couple of years ago and was very successful and we wanted to bring it back.” The sapling planting is done through the non-profit organization, Tree-Plenish which is involved in sapling plantings around the country.
Along with the major economic benefit, the sapling planting is also going to help to offset the cost of the school’s energy bills as well, as all sales go directly to the energy consumption bills of the school.
“We’ve had a lot of issues with budgets and especially last year and this (year), while it would be a cost for the community, it would help get the school and the district back on track and to a better place, and also helping the environment that could use it,” Maibor explains.
Volunteer to plant the trees!
Volunteering to plant trees is still open to anyone and the Eco Team is willing to give community service hours to any junior or senior who participates in the planting. For anyone interested, signing up to volunteer can be found on the website at: https://www.tpevents.org/school/4063. All are encouraged to volunteer and do their part to help the environment and make North Reading more sustainable!