For years, the White Station Green Team has helped set Sparta on the path to a cleaner Earth. The start of the 2019-2020 school year, however, was a different story. Members struggled to secure a sponsor and company to collect the weekly recycling, and the club was on the verge of disbandment.  

“Not only was the city of Memphis considering not recycling, our club stood in a sort of limbo with what to do about if it would be worth the time and money to keep the club running if our efforts would only result in recycling ending up in landfills,” club co-president Karoline Larsen (12) said. 

As of the start of Semester 2, however, Green Team is back in full swing with a new sponsor and company committed to assisting the club.

“Though we’ve had a company lined up and ready to go since about September, without funding to pay them weekly we couldn’t conduct club activities regularly and efficiently,” co-president Sarah Ding (12) said.

In addition to the modification in funding, the co-presidents also hope to see a change in the overall operation of the group. 

“I want to improve our accountability this year while enforcing more stringent sorting rules,” Ding said. “I guess one major goal would be to reduce complaints of a messy recycling deposit area as well as complaints of contaminated recycling.” 

In light of the recent changes, club leadership hopes to get back to the roots of Green Team’s mission. 

“Not much [is known about the new sponsor], but I know that they see Green Team as a worthy investment since so many high schoolers our age care about our environment at school and keeping campus as clean and green as possible,” Larsen said. 

With new prospects ahead, Green Team will once again follow through with its regular Monday collection schedule with meetings held in Mrs. Kirby’s room.