Twenty-three percent of American adults say they never recycle. The Fossil Ridge Environment Sustainable High, or FRESH Club, works to make sure that Fossil students are not included in that statistic.

FRESH Club’s main goal is to promote environmental sustainability and create projects that have positive, lasting impacts within the school. A large focus this year is on the recycling and composting options that the club brought to FRHS six years ago for student use. Members of FRESH Club are noticing more and more water bottles, papers, and food tossed carelessly into the trashcans instead of the specific bins provided in the commons. This year, they aim to educate the student body on the importance of properly disposing of waste, and give students more places to recycle.

Over the years, FRESH Club has made many changes to school culture that now often go unnoticed. The first hydration station was implemented three years ago, and there are currently five around the school, many of which students use on a daily basis. They also sell reusable water bottles, to promote the non-use of plastic and raise money for their other projects. FRESH Club puts on the annual E-Waste drive, which allows families to bring in their old electronics to prevent them from going into the landfill, and spread awareness of the dangers E-Waste presents to the environment. When E-Waste goes through incinerators and burns, the plastic emits hazardous chemicals which can leak from landfills into towns and rivers, harming people and the ecosystem.

During Earth Week, the club promotes many activities including hosting a bike to school day, where they provide breakfast, such as free bagels or doughnuts, to students who walk or ride their bikes to school rather than taking a car or a bus. They also hope to educate students on different aspects of sustainability during this time by presenting information to different classes and creating posters to hang in the school hallways.

In celebration of America Recycles Day, which nationally takes place on November 15 and observed at Fossil this year on November 13, FRESH Club is getting many new recycling bins for classrooms and hallways. Poudre School District celebrates FRHS as one of the best high schools in terms of efficiency and recycling efforts, but there could also be much improvement. One of the best ways to get more students to recycle is by providing them with more places to recycle. FRESH Club board members met with Mr. Allen earlier the school year and proposed a plan to purchase new recycling bins for the school. Mr. Allen gave them a generous donation for this project, and soon there will not only be trashcans in the locker bays and flex labs, but also recycling containers.

FRESH Club members also visit elementary and middle schools in the areas surrounding Fossil and give younger students presentations regarding sustainability and composting. Members also seek opportunities to educate themselves by inviting speakers to their meetings and finding environmental activities outside of school.

FRESH Club meets on Fridays during A lunch in room N102 and B lunch in W111.

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