Going green recently took on a new hue at Thomas County Central High School.
For three weeks, the TCCHS Environmental Ambassadors held a special “Blue Jeans Go Green” drive named after the organization that takes old jeans and upcycles them into insulation.
“We wanted to hold this drive to encourage recycling through a more modern approach, so that our classmates and teachers can actually see how their jeans will be recycled and used in the future,” member Hailey Ferrel, who came up with the idea, said.
This means jeans are turned into useful product rather than being dumped in landfills, TCCHS Environmental Ambassadors sponsor Laura Kornegay explains.
“Organizations like Habitat for Humanity can request the insulation from this organization,” she said.
The drive, which wrapped May 4, was a way to encourage students to both celebrate and get involved in conservation efforts for Earth Day.
“When something is recycled, it can be turned into different material without using more raw material and uses less energy,” member James Gay says. “It’s our job to preserve Earth and the best way to do that is to reduce, reuse and recycle.”
Getting teens involved in preserving the planet is important, these young conservationists say.
“Teens should take part in these opportunities because it is our generation that will be able to change the next,” Ferrel said.
C’lee Kornegay says the planet has limited resources and humanity is not currently living for the future.
“We need to use resources more efficiently for our future generations,” she said. “Teens should take special interest in this because it is in our future that we are likely to see some effects of inefficient resource usage.”
More than 25 pairs were collected.
“Overall, the drive went well,” member C’lee Kornegay said. “We were able to excite several students and teachers to become more environmentally active which is really what it's all about.”
Though the TCCHS drive is over, Laura Kornegay adds that it’s not too late to donate to this worthy cause.
“If anyone would like to donate jeans, they can either send them to Blue Jeans Go Green themselves or drop them off at the high school and we will send them in to be upcycled into something that will benefit others,” she said.