Out of a random poll of 50 students, only three said that they had heard of Langley’s Eco Team. Despite this lack of recognition, the Eco Team has been working hard to improve Langley’s environment and raise awareness for environmental issues.
This year, the members of the Eco Team have participated in many environmentally-friendly projects and trips such as a December exploration of the Chesapeake Bay and a used cell phone drive. Because this is the Eco Team’s first year being an “Eco School”–which requires certification from the National Wildlife Federation–the team wants to expand their efforts by improving our school’s outdoor spaces.
On Apr. 30 the members created two gardens made up of native plants in the Langley courtyard. The transition to native plants is beneficial to the environment because they require less water use, fertilizer and maintenance, whereas regular plant life often dominates a habitat and drives out energy sources.
The project was also a community involvement because of the combined effort from Eco Team members, parents, art and technology students, teachers, the Langley landscape committee and local landscaper, Potomac Flower and Landscape Design. Ms. Jill Baker, who began the Eco School program at Langley with her daughter Amanda, explained that moving forward “the Eco Team hopes to get the students involved in maintaining, improving and appreciating what is in these gardens from a learning perspective.”
This project was made possible with the help of the Schoolyard Stewardship Mini Grant, a $2,000 grant generously given by Fairfax County Public Schools. “The money we raised from the cell phone collection ($450) would not have been nearly enough to make this project happen,” said Ms. Michele Sambiase, an Eco Team advisor.
So far students have enjoyed the new courtyard during lunch. Sophomore Hannah Engler says, “I’m glad that someone is taking steps to beautify Langley.”
The Eco Team hopes to do other environmental projects in the future. “Our goal is to take on projects like a compost station in the cafeteria and to do something with the areas of just grass around the school,” said Ms. Sambiase.