Student Perspective: Lakeland Students Go Green

At Lakeland High School, the colors of green and gold are almost inescapable. Since 1954, they have been donned by Lakeland's student athletes on the field, toted by the Hornets' fans in the stands, and adorned the gymnasium, athletic fields, and hallways.

But now, almost six decades later, the focus is slowly shifting more toward the "green" than the gold with the help of Lakeland's "Students for Environmental Action," or SEA.

The SEA, led by President Meaghan Pogue, is an extracurricular club at Lakeland consisting of students focused on making Lakeland High School "greener," or more environmentally friendly, through actions that not only protect and preserve the Earth's resources, but limit Lakeland's energy consumption. Through these measures, the SEA can effectively decrease the size of Lakeland's "ecological footprint," or how much of an impact the school has on our environment.

"Some of the things we have been working on this year are acquiring motion sensors for lights in every room and building a school garden," said Pogue, a senior.

The goals of the SEA reach beyond just Lakeland High School.

"We also plan on reaching out to younger kids in elementary schools to teach them the importance of plants and recycling," Pogue said. "This, plus the improvements in our own school, makes up our main mission for this year."

Pogue, who originally attended Walter Panas High School, joined the SEA shortly after transferring to Lakeland early in her freshman year.

Angered by the lack of recycling bins at her new school, a simple yet environmentally crucial measure Panas had already taken, she began searching for an answer as to why this was not in place at Lakeland.

"I was furious about this, so I emailed around and everyone directed me towards SEA," she recalled. "Despite being the only freshman, and really intimidated by the super cool, smart seniors in the club, I was really happy to finally be surrounded by mature people who shared my interests. I was hooked and went to every meeting for three years."

Lakeland adapted recycling bins later that year.

Now, with three years of experience under her belt, Pogue leads the SEA through adversity and obstacles, which include a lack of money and enigmatic restrictions imposed by the district.

"A big issue we face is the deadly combination of our lack of funds and the abundance of regulations in our district," she said. "No one really communicates with us to tell us what we should and shouldn't focus on and what we simply can't do. It seems as though every time we try to execute something, someone tells us we can't do it."

"Also, going green takes cash…something that we don't have much of," she added.

To raise money, the SEA hosts a "Battle of the Bands" in February, a popular event that not only funds a great cause but also showcases the musical talents of Lakeland's students.

In addition, members of the club sell products that spread the word of their mission, while helping enact the environmentally conscious change they seek amongst the students and faculty of Lakeland. Such products include reusable water bottles (to cut down on the ecologically harmful process of plastic production) and reusable grocery bags (that both limit paper and plastic usage).

Last year, the SEA partnered with Lakeland's Principal's Advisory Council (PAC) to provide a discounted package of goods as a reward through the PAC's "Spirit Card" program. The program, which is intended to increase school spirit, handed out rewards cards that students could fill up by attending Lakeland sports games, concerts, plays, or other showcases of student talent.

During the event, the student would ask a staff member to confirm his or her attendance by signing the card and after ten signatures the student would receive a prize voucher. The voucher could be used to acquire a variety of rewards provided by Lakeland's clubs and organizations. Despite the efforts of the Lakeland administration, the PAC, and the participating clubs, the program fell flat.

"It's simply the fact that kids our age just don't care anymore," Pogue said. "I find myself disappointed with my peers… maybe even angry. Everyone's priorities are skewed and it makes it hard to make a difference in our school because everyone chooses to ignore our presence."

While conceding that environmentally friendly action may not be the most convenient or expedient, Pogue said the process is not terribly complex.

"Going green isn't hard," she said. "It's having the will to make small and sometimes inconvenient changes. There's no dedication within our generation to change. We love to complain and we think it's "cool" to care about the environment, but we hate to take action."

Despite the critical nature of environmental protection, some students disregard the actions of the SEA, including the large recycling bins added to the halls and cafeteria of Lakeland. These bins, designed to help the SEA recycle water bottles and iced tea cans, are ignored by a large amount of students who choose to deposit their recyclables in a garbage can if it is closer.

Pogue works tirelessly to lead the organization in its mission to instill the values of ecological preservation within the entire Lakeland community.

"If I don't care, then SEA goes nowhere," she said. "I have to communicate with janitors, teachers, students, principals, boards, politicians, companies, grant-writers, people who are critical to not only our success as an organization, but also critical to the success of what we try to do."

The students of the SEA continue to act towards widespread ecologically conscious change even in the face of financial adversity and an underwhelming lack of support from the student body.

Yet for Pogue, the mission is more than just about going green and recycling, it's about putting effort toward a worthy cause. She is living proof that when teenagers are passionate about something, they can do more than just complain and sit on their hands.

"To me, caring about the environment is much deeper than it appears," she said. "It means we care about something bigger than what the world expects us to. I want to surprise the world and have people think, "See, those kids have it right; they know what's important."

Even though not every student embraces the actions of the SEA members, their efforts have not gone to waste, as some students do embrace the changes the SEA has helped bring to Lakeland.

While it may take some more time and effort, Lakeland students are gradually learning the golden value of going green.