Setting Up a K-12 Ecology/Environmental Club
that Pulls in Students
A few days after I first started teaching high school biology, three students approached me and told me that they had been trying to start an Environmental Club at the school, but had been frustrated by the lack of interest. They asked me if I would help them. I enthusiastically agreed and became the Club's moderator. We started with two key ingredients for developing a good Ecology/Environmental Club - a core of dedicated students (albeit a very small core) and a moderator who was willing to devote the time and energy to help the Club become a radical success. Two years and a lot of hard work later the Club had 125 actively involved students engaged in an array of environmental projects - recycling campaigns, community educational outreach projects with local elementary schools, cleanup activities…. Many students joined mainly because the projects were very meaningful to them. They knew that they were making a difference in improving the quality of their environment for themselves, as well as their families, friends and neighbors. For the moderator, you can’t have a more rewarding educational and personal experience.
Frequently, a school's curriculum lacks the opportunity for students to express their desire to become engaged in meaningful environmental stewardship. An Ecology/Environmental Club (which can be called by many other names) is an excellent vehicle to accomplish what a content-laden curriculum often does not promote.
A successful club can be run at the elementary, middle or high school level.
If you are interested in forming such a club, or if you are looking for ideas to improve an existing one, here are some recommendations (although the list is not meant to be complete):
1. First, discuss the concept of a new club or upgrades with the school's chief administrative officer in order to gain their approval, insights and support.
2. Someone has to supervise the club, but this person does NOT have to be an environmental activist or even a scientist. However, you do need to be someone who cares about the environment. Your enthusiasm needs to be contagious! You must be willing to devote the time and energy to help the club members channel their energy into improving their environment.
3. Have a clear statement of the PURPOSE for the club and develop ways to articulate this purpose in order to recruit members. I took pictures of every club activity and each year the officers presented a slide show to interested students. We wanted new recruits to see what the club was all about.
4. If having officers is appropriate, then have GOOD student officers. When I started my club, I obtained the principal's permission to appoint students as officers until we acquired a large enough pool of students to hold elections. I also viewed it as part of my moderator responsibility to help the officers improve their management and leadership skills.
5. Establish rules for the club. Early on my students wrote a constitution which was modified (by them) each year. It spelled out clearly and succinctly Club policies and procedures (e.g., when and where meetings would occur, attendance requirements, codes of conduct for activities and field trips). In fact, my officers required each new member to sign a form (essentially a contract) stating that they had read the constitution and were willing to abide by it.
While it may be too structured for some, in my environmental club, the officers wanted to enforce the constitution's rules. Their decision was based on the fact that they felt many clubs at the school were loosely structured and not taken seriously by students who joined them. As a result, almost every month someone was removed from the club for not abiding by the club's constitution. However, their strong application of the rules never deterred students from joining. In fact, many students commented to us that they were drawn to the club by hearing about its no-nonsense mentality, and its dedication to high standards of performance and achievement.
Always make certain that your school's administrative officer has seen and approved the club's rules and will support their enforcement.
6. Of course your Ecology/Environmental Club is going to need MEANINGFUL PROJECTS if it is going to succeed. The purpose of the club should guide the selection of projects.
✓ Make certain that there is something for everyone. Depending on the grade level, the number of students involved and your capabilities, consider keeping several projects going at once. My club usually had three - four different activities operating at all times. While a few students wanted to be involved in everything, most opted to focus on just on one or two projects that interested them.
Frequently, a school's curriculum lacks the opportunity for students to express their desire to become engaged in meaningful environmental stewardship. An Ecology/Environmental Club (which can be called by many other names) is an excellent vehicle to accomplish what a content-laden curriculum often does not promote.
A successful club can be run at the elementary, middle or high school level.
If you are interested in forming such a club, or if you are looking for ideas to improve an existing one, here are some recommendations (although the list is not meant to be complete):
1. First, discuss the concept of a new club or upgrades with the school's chief administrative officer in order to gain their approval, insights and support.
2. Someone has to supervise the club, but this person does NOT have to be an environmental activist or even a scientist. However, you do need to be someone who cares about the environment. Your enthusiasm needs to be contagious! You must be willing to devote the time and energy to help the club members channel their energy into improving their environment.
3. Have a clear statement of the PURPOSE for the club and develop ways to articulate this purpose in order to recruit members. I took pictures of every club activity and each year the officers presented a slide show to interested students. We wanted new recruits to see what the club was all about.
4. If having officers is appropriate, then have GOOD student officers. When I started my club, I obtained the principal's permission to appoint students as officers until we acquired a large enough pool of students to hold elections. I also viewed it as part of my moderator responsibility to help the officers improve their management and leadership skills.
5. Establish rules for the club. Early on my students wrote a constitution which was modified (by them) each year. It spelled out clearly and succinctly Club policies and procedures (e.g., when and where meetings would occur, attendance requirements, codes of conduct for activities and field trips). In fact, my officers required each new member to sign a form (essentially a contract) stating that they had read the constitution and were willing to abide by it.
While it may be too structured for some, in my environmental club, the officers wanted to enforce the constitution's rules. Their decision was based on the fact that they felt many clubs at the school were loosely structured and not taken seriously by students who joined them. As a result, almost every month someone was removed from the club for not abiding by the club's constitution. However, their strong application of the rules never deterred students from joining. In fact, many students commented to us that they were drawn to the club by hearing about its no-nonsense mentality, and its dedication to high standards of performance and achievement.
Always make certain that your school's administrative officer has seen and approved the club's rules and will support their enforcement.
6. Of course your Ecology/Environmental Club is going to need MEANINGFUL PROJECTS if it is going to succeed. The purpose of the club should guide the selection of projects.
✓ Make certain that there is something for everyone. Depending on the grade level, the number of students involved and your capabilities, consider keeping several projects going at once. My club usually had three - four different activities operating at all times. While a few students wanted to be involved in everything, most opted to focus on just on one or two projects that interested them.
This scene shows some of the 30 students who spent an entire Saturday cleaning up a park.
✓ Fund raising was an ongoing effort since we needed money to operate different projects and defray field trip expenses. Business majors who joined the club often preferred to focus their energy solely on generating money rather than directly becoming involved in environmental stewardship projects. Their organization and dedication literally brought in several thousand dollars a year! The take home message is that there are many good ways to participate productively in an Ecology/Environmental Club!
✓ Guide the students in making decisions about what THEY want to do. Their commitment and productivity will be far greater if they feel that they have ownership of the project.
✓ Keep everyone who matters in the loop! For example, if you are conducting activities inside of or around the school, make certain that you inform and obtain the support of the maintenance staff. Suppose for example, the club planted a variety of shrubs at the school and then left shortly thereafter for summer vacation. If no one did any follow-up watering of the vegetation until it established itself, then what the students see when they return in the fall might be very disheartening. Additionally, I made it a point to confer with other club moderators in order to try to reduce competition with their club's schedule. Club meeting times can be a big problem especially if your school has a lot of clubs and your members are involved in a number of them.
✓ Consider having some type of awards event for students who have worked hard at making the club a success. I held a yearly weekend campout at a National Park. It could be a party or trip to the
zoo/aquarium. With respect to the latter, you could possibly set up a behind the scenes tour which would make the trip even more memorable.
✓ If you are searching for specific ideas, then here is a really wonderful resource for any teacher wanting to start up or revitalize an Environmental Club:
School Environmental Clubs in Wisconsin
Additional Resources for Acquiring Ideas for Environmental Club
1. A Child's Place in the Environment – Achieving a Sustainable Society (Unit 6). Lesson 19 entitled What Projects can Students Implement to Make Their Classroom and School or Community More Sustainable? offers an excellent selection of projects that can be used for Ecology/Environmental Club projects. The ACPE book is a California Department of Education Environmental Education curriculum, therefore you may have to have your library request it through an interlibrary loan.
2. Kid Heroes of the Environment by The EarthWorks Group 1991 96 pp.
3. Save the Earth – An Action Handbook for Kids by Betty Miles 1991 Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. NY 118 pp.
4. 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth by The EarthWorks Group 1990 156 pp.
5. Going Green – A Kid's Handbook to Saving the Planet by J. Elkington, J. Hailes, D. Hill and J. Makower 1990 Penguin Books, NY 112 pp.
In summary, an Ecology/Environmental Club can offer your students a wonderful vehicle for gaining positive feelings about the environment and their place in it. This, along with the knowledge and skills that they acquire, can not only give them a tremendous sense of fulfillment but also foster personal qualities that will stay with them all of their life.
✓ Guide the students in making decisions about what THEY want to do. Their commitment and productivity will be far greater if they feel that they have ownership of the project.
✓ Keep everyone who matters in the loop! For example, if you are conducting activities inside of or around the school, make certain that you inform and obtain the support of the maintenance staff. Suppose for example, the club planted a variety of shrubs at the school and then left shortly thereafter for summer vacation. If no one did any follow-up watering of the vegetation until it established itself, then what the students see when they return in the fall might be very disheartening. Additionally, I made it a point to confer with other club moderators in order to try to reduce competition with their club's schedule. Club meeting times can be a big problem especially if your school has a lot of clubs and your members are involved in a number of them.
✓ Consider having some type of awards event for students who have worked hard at making the club a success. I held a yearly weekend campout at a National Park. It could be a party or trip to the
zoo/aquarium. With respect to the latter, you could possibly set up a behind the scenes tour which would make the trip even more memorable.
✓ If you are searching for specific ideas, then here is a really wonderful resource for any teacher wanting to start up or revitalize an Environmental Club:
School Environmental Clubs in Wisconsin
Additional Resources for Acquiring Ideas for Environmental Club
1. A Child's Place in the Environment – Achieving a Sustainable Society (Unit 6). Lesson 19 entitled What Projects can Students Implement to Make Their Classroom and School or Community More Sustainable? offers an excellent selection of projects that can be used for Ecology/Environmental Club projects. The ACPE book is a California Department of Education Environmental Education curriculum, therefore you may have to have your library request it through an interlibrary loan.
2. Kid Heroes of the Environment by The EarthWorks Group 1991 96 pp.
3. Save the Earth – An Action Handbook for Kids by Betty Miles 1991 Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. NY 118 pp.
4. 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth by The EarthWorks Group 1990 156 pp.
5. Going Green – A Kid's Handbook to Saving the Planet by J. Elkington, J. Hailes, D. Hill and J. Makower 1990 Penguin Books, NY 112 pp.
In summary, an Ecology/Environmental Club can offer your students a wonderful vehicle for gaining positive feelings about the environment and their place in it. This, along with the knowledge and skills that they acquire, can not only give them a tremendous sense of fulfillment but also foster personal qualities that will stay with them all of their life.
Credits: Students Cleaning Up Trash (Dennis J. Gemmell)