By Mary O’KEEFE

Rosemont Middle School students from the Lightening Green Club spent their Saturday morning saving the Earth.

The students sponsored an e-waste collection in the parking lot of their school. Thanks to these environmentally conscious students there will be less electronic waste polluting local landfills.

“We have been doing pretty well,” said club secretary Liam Huber of the collection. Several cars pulled through the parking lot stopping long enough to open their vehicle’s trunk so workers could take the e-waste away.

The club was started two years ago and is mentored by the Rosemont science teacher Erin Lynch.  Lynch found support from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works sponsored program Generation Earth.

“I went to one of the DWP-Generation Earth [seminars],” Lynch said.

She walked away with information on how to do Earth-friendly fundraisers like e-waste collection.

“They [Generation Earth program] have been so helpful,” she said.

In addition to collecting e-waste the club has also helped clean Santa Monica beach. Students picked up a lot of cigarette butts and other trash. What they learn, Lynch said, was that the trash is not just thrown by people who visit the beach but by those as far away as the foothills.

“The trash travels down the storm drains,” Huber explained.

Members of the club understood the importance of making it easy for residents to drop off their computers, televisions and old printers.

“The chemicals [like mercury] that are in the [old computers] and batteries would go into the water,” said student Andrew Aguero.

There was a steady stream of large and small electronic items dropped off, conveniently, at the school. The event
was so successful the club
plans on making it an annual event.

For more information on the Lightening Green Club or for those who would like to donate to their clean cause contact Erin Lynch at ELynch@gusd.net For information on Generation Earth visit www.generationearth.com.

  green, rosemont