Environmental Club is back this year, and they’re making changes. In addition to raising awareness on environmental issues, they are also collecting and managing the recycling process.

President of environmental club, senior Rachel Newman, was inspired to bring recycling back to Harding when it lapsed in the middle of last year.

“I think it’s really important because if we don’t have a place to live then all the other things don’t matter,” Newman said.

With their growing membership they are able to collect the recycling in a matter of minutes, leaving time for things like documentaries and guest speakers.

“There’s a recycling facility up in Tulsa that burns various types of trash and sells the energy to the petroleum plant next door. I’d like to have their director as a guest speaker,” Adams said.

“They want to make sure the club stays in place even after the senior officers have left,” Adams said. “The recycling program, or potentially a hydroponic gardening program aren’t going to help the school at all if it just ends in May.”

Both Adams and Newman are hopeful the club’s membership will continue to grow.

“Membership has about doubled from the first meeting of the year,” Adams said. “When the recycling kids come by on Friday afternoons they can just race down the hall and be done in 15 minutes. Then they sort everything and they’re out by 3:30 p.m.”

Although the time commitment is small, to Newman, the impact could be great.

“It’s hard for people to have that frame of mind, but I feel like it’s something that needs to be addressed. It’s something small in my community that I can do that makes a difference,” Newman said.