Project Green Teens encourages environmental awareness throughout the school and community of Ocean Lakes.

“I am sure there are many ways to describe what it means to go green, but I would say that it is being aware of what you can do to reduce your carbon footprint on the environment,” said Project Green Teens advisor Michelle Bailey-Hennessey. 

Going green positively impacts self-health and the environment in ways such as reducing air pollution and carbon emission, saving wildlife habitats, and creating more sustainable, safe water systems and a cleaner breathing environment.

“I have followed a plant-based diet all my life which contributes to the health of myself and the environment around me. I use little to no plastic and always use recyclable substitutes if available which can reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in the oceans every year,” said sophomore Ava Badach. “I also make it a priority to do my best to avoid buying from fashion companies that destroy the planet with their fast-moving plants and factories that release tons of pollutants into the air every day.” 

Students can help the environment by buying locally grown products rather than products that are shipped from other countries. This significantly lowers the air pollutants emitted from trucks and ships carrying fruits and vegetables. 

“Students at Ocean Lakes can help the environment by bringing a refillable water bottle to school instead of purchasing a bottle of water. The school has two filling stations for their convenience. I am hoping that there will be a water filling station at every water fountain in the near future,” said Bailey-Hennessey. 

Project Green Teens is a club that hopes to create a more clean and sustainable environment. They are active in Fin Fest, HRSD Atlantic Plant, and Fall Fest. 

“If students want to join the Project Green Teens Club, I have it posted for our meetings. All students are welcome to join. They can join the virtual meeting on https://meet.google.com/ olhsgreenteens as the login code. There is also a Schoology page that we use. The join code is GW7SN-JGSGJ,” said Bailey-Hennessey.