ECO Team helps clean up HPU area
Caption; ECO-Team President Olivia Waterman helps to clean up High Point. Photo submitted
By Julie Burkett
Organizations Editor
On Feb. 22, the ECO Team at HPU held a trash pick-up event on the outskirts of High Point. The ECO Team was established in the fall of 2019 to help High Point University students become more eco-conscious, reduce their everyday waste and meet with like-minded individuals. The ECO-team also plans to host future events for Earth Day, water bottle petitions and selling plants to raise funds to help deal with Australia’s wildfires. The ECO team even painted their own pots. This gave their customers a unique way to help the animals and wildlife after the devastating Australia wildfires.
Their petitions on campus have helped HPU make changes to their everyday waste management. For example, the silverware and take-out containers changing were influenced by the ECO Team. They helped HPU form the “High Point University Green Team,” which now makes environmentally conscious decisions for HPU.
The latest ECO team trash pick-up was a huge success and brought new members to the ECO-Team. Each person who attended was given a grabber and bucket to walk around the streets of High Point collecting trash. The team was able to walk around together with safety vests and explore the neighborhoods while making a difference.
One section of the group was able to find a cluttered river bank. The bank was covered in plastic bags and cans that were able to be cleaned by the team. It made a huge impact on the river bank as it was now able to flow freely without trash getting in the way. The lack of trash helped make the small bank beautiful again and to protect the environment that was growing there. The trash was later separated into recyclable materials and waste. The recyclable materials were later washed so they will be correctly recycled.
The ECO Team provides a fun and friendly environment where new members can easily get involved in helping the environment and the community. The ECO Team’s mission is to help the HPU community be more informed about Global Warming and get involved with the environment. If you want to join the ECO Team or want information for how to reduce waste, contact the president Olivia Waterman at owaterma@highpoint.edu.