SHELBY — A group of Shelby middle school students are proving you’re never too young to be an advocate for the earth.
The Shelby Eco-Whippets are an afterschool club that promotes environmentally-friendly habits throughout their school.
The group of about 25 kids reads books about earth stewardship to younger students, creates educational posters to display around the school and coordinates recycling efforts throughout building.
“We recycle cardboard aluminum, paper. We also recycle bottles,” said Amery Sexton, one of the club’s officers.
“Sometimes (students) get the trash confused with the recycling, so we have to sort out tissues and other yucky things.”
The club also runs a yearly electronic recycling drive. Students volunteered during an all-day Saturday event in April to collect discarded electronics from the public, advisor Mindy Rowlands said.
This year, the club’s drive got a boost when a supporter contacted local news organizations to let them know about the event.
“Our average is 9,000 pounds of electronics and this year we (collected) 15,000 pounds,” Rowlands said. “The semi truck that was there had to leave halfway through and bring another truck in.”
Prior Coverage
Those efforts gave the Shelby Eco-Whippets a second-place award this week during the 13th annual Take Pride! Earth Stewardship Awards presented on Friday at the Central Park Gazebo in Mansfield.
In addition to that honor, the Eco-Whippets also won the People’s Choice Award.
Sexton said she felt special gratitude the club was chosen by the public. Kate Carr, a fellow 8th grader and club officer, agreed.
“It’s definitely a story to be proud of for the rest of the club, especially for the new people that joined this year,” Carr said.
In addition to collecting recycling throughout the K-8 building and board office, Eco-Whippets learn about a different environmental topic each year during their twice monthly meetings.
“Last year, we learned about carbon footprints and what they do and we took trips to places that are reducing their carbon footprint,” Rowlands said.
This year, the group is learning about icebergs.
Rowlands, a sixth grade science and social studies teacher, described the group as role models for their peers.
“They are the environmental ambassadors for our school. If anyone has questions about the environment, they go to these kids,” she said.
“They do so much, and they’re very humble. So I’m really happy to be able to bring the officers out today to to see what impact they’re actually making on the world.”
Richland County residents donated more than 6,500 hours to earth stewardship
Friday’s awards were presented as part of the 28th annual Earth Stewardship Celebration in Mansfield Central Park.
The contest recognized local groups, organizations, businesses and individuals for efforts like litter clean ups, tree plantings, beautification projects, community gardens and recycling programs throughout Richland County.
This year, applicants included 31 groups who completed more than 50 projects. Those projects constituted more than 6,500 volunteers and 4,500 service hours, according Eddie Hale, executive director of the Richland County Regional Solid Waste Management Authority.
The full roster of honorees is listed below.
Businesses
1st Place – Mechanics Bank for it beautification project planting flowers in the downtown square
2nd Place – Park National Bank for its beautification and clean up of the downtown area
3rd Place – BlueScope Recycling & Materials for its beautification and clean up projects at the Gorman Nature Center & Bike Trail
Schools
1st Place – Discovery School for its bee habitat creation
2nd Place – Shelby Middle School Eco Whippets for their electronic recycling drive
Churchs, non-profits
1st Place – Kingwood Center Gardens for its clean-up of Toby Run & the bike trail
2nd Place – Mansfield Arts & Culture Sector for its beautification and clean-up at Burton Park
3rd Place – Downtown Mansfield Inc. for its downtown Mansfield flower planting
Honorable Mention – New Edition 4-H Club for its litter clean up in Plymouth Township
Neighborhood
1st Place – Bruce & Pam Beekman for their eco-friendly rain fall collection and pollinator garden
2nd Place – Buckeye Imagination Museum & Mansfield Ward 5 Constituents for a litter clean-up of Ward 5
3rd Place – Roseland Community Garden for beautification at Foundation Academy
Honorable Mention – Four Seasons Garden Club for beautification efforts at Crestview Elementary School Grounds
Government
1st Place – Richland County Engineer’s Office for clean up and Beautification
2nd Place – City of Ontario and Ontario High School Leadership Team for litter clean up
3rd Place – Richland County Regional Planning for a litter clean up on North Main Street
Star Awards
Bellville – All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church
Lexington – Charter Next Generation
Mansfield – Mechanics Bank
Ontario – City of Ontario and Ontario High School Leadership Group
Shiloh – Four Seasons Garden Club
Shelby – New Edition 4-H Club
