Green Earth Club was created by sophomores Ben Westphal and Nick Haugen to focus on changing the way we deal with our trash at Algonquin and within the local community.

“We have four main goals: participate in as much community service as possible, inform the students of Algonquin about environmental awareness, support our local community and to donate to organizations that can do more than we can,” Westphal said.

Green Earth Club works on helping to improve problems in the environment. By starting with cleaning up Algonquin and the local community, they believe they can make a positive impact on the planet. The club focuses on community service and trying to promote the ideas of making small changes to help the earth.

“Community service is a huge part of the club,” Westphal said. “Our big event this year is the Charles River clean up.”

The Charles River clean up was on April 27. The group went to Boston to help clean up the garbage along the banks of the river. This large-scale cleanup happens annually, with the goals of creating a cleaner river and hopefully a cleaner community.

The Charles River Watershed Association organizes this community service event and provided the club with t-shirts.

“Not only is this club a great way to help the planet, but a great way to fulfill your community service needs,” Haugen said.

Apart from the Charles River clean up, the club is helping the community in other ways, like by picking up the trash in Algonquin’s bleachers and on the fields. Hopkinton State Park is another destination the group is eager to help clean.

Green Earth Club meets in D210, every other Thursday right after school. Westphal and Haugen are eager for the future of the club and are hoping to expand the group. Students from all grades are encouraged to join.

“You get a good feeling when doing something nice [for the environment],” Haugen said.