WEB EXCLUSIVE The school community is celebrating Earth Day by participating in a week of challenges created by the Eco Friends club and still following the social distancing protocol.

The challenge, which began on Monday, consists of daily posts to the Eco Friends Instagram  encouraging participants to think about the planet and promote its wellbeing. Participants are eligible to win a Starbucks or Posmates gift card. 

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Roya Meykahdey | Special to The Broadview

The Eco Friends club challenged the community to go on walks in celebration of Earth Day and post their pictures to instagram. “The environment feels a lot cleaner now and I have noticed a lot less trash on the beaches and clearer skies which is all a result of people staying home not driving as much,” sophomore Roya Meykahdey said about her walk near Sea Cliff.

 “For today’s challenge we wanted people to go and take a walk and spend time with nature around them,” junior Emily Ternynck said, emphasizing the need for the community to appreciate nature and planet Earth.

The day was originally supposed to be “Walk to School Wednesday” but it was modified to “Walking Wednesday” due to school closure. 

“It’s important to go outside and remind ourselves how beautiful the world is especially during stressful times like this,” sophomore Kelly Cronan said. “Going on a hike today and seeing fewer cars and a clearer sky made me realize that you can always find something positive come out of an unfortunate situation.” 

With fewer people driving during the coronavirus pandemic, cities worldwide are reporting increased air quality. 

“We chose walking because there are many benefits to it,” junior Madi Lerseth said. “Walking provides added health benefits and also means less cars on the street, which in turn creates cleaner air.” 

The Eco Friends challenge is also helping students take a break from online learning and isolation during the shelter in place order. 

“There are still a lot of things we can do from home so as members of Eco Friends, we are really trying to encourage people to do these challenges,” said Ternyck.

Today’s Thrifting Thursday challenge encourages recycling and repurposing items that are no longer being used rather than throwing them away. Friday’s challenge will be posted on the club’s Instagram.