The C.K. McClatchy High School Eco Club is on a mission to battle climate change.

The club has been fighting the environmental crisis in their own community by picking up trash around the school and informing students about the harmful effects of climate change, which include melting ice caps, rising oceans and increased poverty. Members also are teaming up with the Sacramento Tree Foundation to plant as many trees as possible around Sacramento.

One way they want to inform students about the climate crisis is through Jam-earth, a celebration in which students can participate in games that raise awareness about environmental issues.

Eco Club Secretary Sarah McEvilly, a senior, said, “I think the general attitude of the club is just doing what we can, to be eco friendly, whatever that means for you. I mean not all solutions are realistic for everyone, but I think we have more of a discussion of what we can do.”

Junior Juliette Allayaud, the club’s vice president, said, “There is kind of like a perception of what being eco-friendly is. A lot of people think it’s being vegetarian or recycling, ya know, that kind of stuff. Anyone that cares about the earth and wants to do something to save it is eco-friendly.”

“It’s like we are forming a community at McClatchy to get people who care about the environment and to take note of the state of things,” added club president and senior Monica McCallin. “How we can have  ideas about how we as a school can make a difference, or just to spread ideas and talk with like discussions or guest speakers.”

Regarding what McClatchy High itself does to stay eco-friendly, the club as a whole says, “The school has water bottle refilling stations, as a way to reduce single use plastics, but the school does not have a good trash system. There is no school-wide composting, even though the school waste is extremely high.”

“Taking small actions and taking small steps is how we try and make sure that being eco-friendly is something everyone can do regardless of their socio-economic status because a lot of the time it is portrayed as ‘Oh you have to buy all these things,’” said McEvilly.  ‘Oh you have to be on this diet that is kind of expensive.’ Just small things like recycling, water saving, stuff like that, that is really easy to do and encouraged.”

The school announced in early November that in 2023-2024 there will be a new AP Environmental Studies course offered to students. Eco Club members express their excitement and their opinions about the new class.

“I think that could be a potential major for a lot of people in this club or just a potential interest so just having that class as an option is important because people are going to be able to learn more than what they care about,” said McCallin  “So it is just more opportunity for people in McClatchy to learn more and get informed more.”

Allayaud said, “With AP classes, the learning get’s lost and it’s more focused on the test and stuff, so I really hope that is not what happens with that class, because it is so much more important than that.”

“Maybe it will give future eco-club things to talk about and more things to address,” said Johnson. “It gives a formal setting to what we do and it will give people more knowledge so they can be more focused club members.”