Earlier this year 40 members of Hudsonville’s Green Team, a club that focuses on recycling and environmental efforts within the community, visited Holland State Park. At the beach, the students collected six and a half pounds of trash which consisted of 32 pieces of metal, 84 plastic plates and cups,

206 food wrappers, 141 cigarette butts, and countless other items. The group also collected 871 pieces of small plastics. “You find interesting stuff,” said Carter DeYoung, a senior member of the team. “Those

little plastic pieces are the most common though.” said senior Eva Preuitt.

Despite the work put into cleaning the beach, it wasn’t all business. “If you didn’t go to this cleanup, definitely go to the next one,” said senior Jenna Orrell, “It’s a lot of fun, and you get to support our local beaches.” The annual beach cleanup is not the only activity that the Green Team puts on. At each weekly meeting, they collect trash, return bottles, and recycle old waste. This waste is collected from classes around the school, and without the Green Team tens of hundreds of pounds of recyclable materials would be sent to the landfill. Besides collecting recyclables, and cleaning beaches the Green Team is also an active part of the local environmental community. Recently they took a trip the water treatment plant in Grandville to explore clean water conservation.

For those that missed this cleanup, a second cleanup may be in the works for this spring. The National Honor Society, a group that helps organize volunteer opportunities within the school, is looking to provide another opportunity for a local cleanup, in which students may split up further and clean up even more beaches. Participating in this event is a great way to get involved with the community, have fun with friends, and do your part to save the earth one piece of plastic at a time.