by Sonya M. Shull

Operation Green is the Environment Club for RACC. The members dedicate themselves to educate the college community as well as the city of Reading on ways to change their lifestyle. The changes allow an individual to reduce their carbon footprint, which is the impact one person has on the environment.

Operation Green has already made a positive impact by hosting rain barrel workshops. Their success in selling the barrels to home owners in the greater Reading area brought a lot of attention from organizations such as the PA Department of Environmental Protection and the Schuylkill Action Network. The Schuylkill Action Network presented the Schuylkill Scholastic Drinking Water Award to Reading Area Community College and the members of Operation Green on May 7, 2015. The students of Operation Green impressed many people with this outstanding accomplishment.

This year the theme for Operation Green is “Environmental Stewardship.” As part of this year’s work, Operation Green plans to participate in multiple community projects, such as assisting in the continued development of the Reading Rising Park, collecting seeds from wildflowers, hosting a rain barrel workshop, sponsoring an Earth Day event, and supporting educational trips to Longwood Gardens and Red Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. Additionally, the club aims to provide the FSJ readers with ways to reduce their carbon footprints.

To start, Operation Green would like to know a little information about the reader. They would like you to answer five questions, provided at the end. The club will offer ways to reduce your environmental footprint with a regular column in FSJ. If you would like to join the club, you can contact one of the club advisors Kristie Hudzik at khudzik@racc.edu, or Patricia Rhine-Catucci at pcatucci@racc.edu.

Please submit your answers for the poll to Mrs. Hudzik or Mrs. Catucci. The club can’t wait to hear from you. Also, share your thoughts in the comment section!

Poll

1. Did you know that plastic bottles or jugs, metal cans, the plastic rings that your bottles or cans of soda are packaged with, and other plastic or metal items can be recycled in another way, not just at a recycling plant? Y   N
2. Do you know where all the trash, leaves, and chemicals (like motor oil or anti-freeze) go when the rain washes them down into the sewer? Y   N
3. Do you care about the land, livestock, plants, and trees, which provides the food you eat and nourishes wildlife also? Y   N
4. Do you ever wonder about what the planet will be like a thousand years from now, and the impact it would have on future generations? Y   N
5. Are you interested in ways to conserve natural resources and reduce utility bills at the same time? Y   N

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