Students go folfing for the planet

Environmental club hosts tournament to raise funds and awareness

By DAVID ERICKSON / Whitefish Pilot

A group of students at Whitefish High School is trying to raise awareness about energy conservation and environmental issues and have fun at the same time.

The Environmental Club held their second bi-annual community disc golf (known as "folf") tournament over the weekend on school grounds to raise money for some of their upcoming projects.

"We brainstormed and we decided folf was a good way to get people involved," said founding member Jimmy Millard. "We enjoy folf, and there is a large amount of folfers in the community."

"It's something we're all interested in," said senior member Hannah Pearce. "It's a really good way to raise money and get the word out that we exist. We'll use it to educate our community."

The club, in its second year under the direction of advisor Matt Holloway, has around 20 involved students.

Holloway, who teaches English and journalism at the high school, said the club's success is due in part to its democratic structure.

"We've never had a problem with membership," said Holloway, who teaches English and journalism at the high school. "It's student-led, I just direct them. The ideas are theirs, I just facilitate and steer them."

The club, through a small entrance fee and an organic bake sale, raised money to go toward future projects such as a Lights Out Day and an Adopt-a-Wilderness clean-up program.

They also hope to start something similar to the Missoula In Motion program, which advocates for alternative transportation in that city.

The club has already undertaken several successful enterprises for the environment, such as a phone book recycling program and a bike-to-school day.

"I biked all the way from Columbia Falls in the dark," Holloway said.

The environmental club also puts out a tip of the week in the high school bulletin, which has been one of their mainstays since forming last year.

For example, the club reminds students that leaving a PC monitor on overnight wastes enough energy to print 800 sheets of paper. They tell their fellow students that cell phone chargers leak power when they are left plugged in without a phone. Also, they discovered that from 1980 to 2001, the U.S. population grew by 26 percent while electrical generation increased 62 percent.

It is these figures that have young leaders of the club such as Pearce concerned for the future of the planet.

"Awareness about the environment should start at a young age," she said. "The environment is important for young people because we don't want the world to think these problems will just solve themselves."

Pearce said because her father was an organic farmer, she recognized early on that the health of the planet is directly related to the health of people.

"We have to be conscious of our affects on the environment," she said. "The tournament was fun, considering the weather, so hopefully next time it will be bigger."

The Environmental Club will be hosting another folf tournament in the spring. For more information, contact Holloway at 862-8600.