By Mari Kanagy, Reporter
The name ‘Green Team’ has been floating around the school lately because of the club’s cap and gown rental fundraiser. However, that is not the only project they are working on.
In a recent meeting, the Green Team began plans to install solar panels on the roof of VHS and to testify against Puget Sound Energy’s (PSE) plans to build a natural gas plant.
“[The Green Team’s] general goal is to promote sustainability at the high school and even within the larger community,” Green Team adviser Jordan Browning said.
The club installed the roof garden outside the library as well as raised the school’s Green Schools rating.
“[Green Schools] is a program put together through King County,” Browning said. “It is a way for schools to get rated based on what they’ve done to achieve sustainability at their high school.”
Of the four levels of the Green Schools rating, the Green Team has helped the school to achieve both level one and level two qualifications by improving waste management and energy consumption at the school.
Currently, the Green Team is looking into the idea of installing solar panels on the roof of the school.
“Soon we’ll be meeting with a contracting company and … finding out about pricing,” Browning said. “We’ll be putting together a plan that the school board could potentially approve.”
The Green Team also plans to take action against PSE’s preposition to replace some of their coal-powered plants with natural-gas plants. Though natural gas is cleaner to burn than coal, it still produces carbon dioxide.
The Green Team also wants to promote the use of renewable energy resources rather than relying on nonrenewable sources.
“If PSE opens [a natural gas plant], it’ll be running for another 40 years,” Green Team member senior Bella Bedard said. “This is the only opportunity [to take action] for the next 40 years.”
Green Team will be partnering with the Vashon Climate Action Group (VCAG) in order to move toward their goal.
“[VCAG has] been lobbying PSE and some of the officials for the state who approve business plans that PSE is going to put in place,” Browning said.
The Green Team will begin to educate students on the decisions that PSE is making and reach out to community businesses to sign a petition in opposition of the natural gas plant. Students will also have the opportunity to appear in hearings to testify against PSE and to promote renewable energy over unsustainable options.
Students who are interested in promoting sustainability at VHS can join the Green Team, which meets every Monday at lunch in Mr. Browning’s room, room 1111.