Students and teachers participating in Environmental Club at Oak Park and River Forest High School are working to promote their latest sustainability project: a thrift shop.

The thrift shop will operate from April 22 to 23 in the East Gym from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., according to club members. The goal: to show how recycling clothes and connecting with fellow classmates is not only fun but climate conscious, as it prevents clothing waste from going into landfills.

Our declining environment has become an increasingly prevalent issue in recent years, resulting from waste outputs exceeding the earth’s tolerance. At OPRF, students and teachers gather weekly to discuss and create projects towards becoming more sustainable.

OPRF offers many outlets for Environmental Club’s ideas, and new projects take place almost every week.

Cindy Wong, a teacher at OPRF and leader of Environmental Club, said sustainability is “something that I think everyone should know about and be proactive in.”

Junior Emmy Amstutz, who said she has thoroughly enjoyed participating in this club since starting two months ago, said, “I loved when we decorated the garden, and I’m super excited for the thrift store we are doing now.”

If you are passionate about the environment, but you don’t want to or just can’t find the time to join this specific club, you can still work on climate issues. Senior Ellie Raidt is an example of how to be proactive in your community.

Raidt, 18, works with the village to address climate issues and their solutions. They have “…done some cleanups at Thatcher Woods, we’ve gotten composting implemented into the high school, and right now I’m trying to get like this panel thing going for ways people can be more sustainable and how to improve and learn from each other,” she said.