top of page

Let Yourself Blossom!

Special thanks to the Fayette County Master Gardeners, Farm Bureau Women, Tennessee Farm Bureau, Baker's Heirloom Seeds, Heirloomseeds.com, 

​

The mission of the Ecology Club is to get outside and enjoy nature while establishing annual goals that promote environmental sustainability.In honor of Mary Margaret's Garden's tenth anniverary we have declared the 2015-2016 school year the "Year of the Garden." The garden is our school's outdoor classroom

take control of

Sustainability.

 

We encourage ourselves and our community to take a close look at environmental sustainability and take an active role in promoting a new way of thinking about sustaining our environment.  We acknowledge that there are limited resources on this wonderful planet and we all must take a look at our use and consumption of these resources. The 3 R's: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. 

Enjoy Nature.

 

Every year we take our fall break to visit the US Forest Service's Land Between the Lakes.  We stay at Brandon Springs Environmental Learning Center where Richard and Patrick take great care of us and help us learn about the environment.  We conduct macro-invertebrate water quality studies, learn survival skills, and participate in many teambuilding exercises.  One of our favorite challenges is the Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience (COPE) course where we are presented challenges that require teamwork to complete.  LBL is our favorite place to visit.  

 

We mentor one elementary class every school year and are eager to join them on our mentoring trip to the Memphis Zoo. 

stop talking
START LIVING.

 

We promote getting outside and enjoying nature.  We embrace the wonder and learn to nurture all life that abounds in nature.  We acknowledge the value of all parts of nature.  It is up to each of us to learn how all creatures and plants along with the planet's hardscape are all part of the web of life.  We are all responsible for taking care of this amazing creation and have a responsibilty to evaluate how we contribute to human being impact, good or bad, on this fragile miracle.  

 

All of us have a responsibilty to evaluate our lives and look for sustainable practices that ensure the health of the environment. We can do many things like turning off the lights when we leave a room, turning up the thermostat in the summer and down in the winter, and we can use LED lighting.  These simple adjustments will help reduce energy consumption.  We can promote green energy technologies like solar, wind and hydro power generation.  These energy sources are renewable and they do not pollute the environment. 

 

We acknowlege that 400ppm of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is partly due to the industrial revolution and how we use coal and other nonrenewables to produce electricity.  Coal is the number one source of power generation in the South which leads to more childhood breathing issues, mercury in our fish and poor air quality.  Mercury has been linked to childhood learning problems and one out of every eight pregant women in the South have toxic levels of mercury in their blood.  We encourage people to visit the Tennessee Department of Health web site for detailed information and to eat wild caught fish which have lower mercury levels.  

2016 Winning NEED Project Video

"Every single person in the Ecology Club is striving towards one goal throughout the year, whether it's planting trees or cleaning up the garden. So through these work days and moments you gain people who you can call friends. You can finally connect names and faces and share memories that make you laugh and realize how much this club means to you."     Addison Bray

"We may not all have to agree to the same things but agreeing to disagree respectfully is a valuable lesson and one, looking back, that has had a profound effect on me."

Matthew Boozer

"From the small clubs to the Oval Office, teamwork is vital."

Jake Cocke

Colossians 3:17

And whatever you do, whether by speech or action, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus..."

PastPresident
 Melissa Rinks
letter to the club below is a MUST read!

To the "Eco Freakos":

As your outgoing president I would like to give a big thank-you to the Ecology Club.  I know that some of you do not wish to dwell on sentimentality but I believe that everyone appreciates a thank-you.  This club will always have a special place in my heart because it has led and introduced me and many others to ongoing friendships, innovative leadership styles, and a love for the environment.  It was the little memories at LBL that first introduced you to the norms like the late night game of Wolf, the inside jokes at LBL (#cheesegrater #communisduck #MR. DUDE # the girl's cabin is haunted), and our giant prayer circles full of confessions and thanksgiving for God.  The many hours I spent with different members during and after school to finish last minute competitions or to even seek advice from Mrs. Donna and/or older members showed me how important delegating time can become.  Learning the great many personality types helped us all to further understand the importance of compromise.  Becoming an officer has come with many challenges and opportunities, of which I can only hope that I have taken full advantage of all that I was able.  Furthermore, these years have been extremely important to my education through leadership, academic, and social skills.  Friendship has been given to me in places I never could have imagined, and so I thank-you and hope that you will give Caleb and the future officers the respect and love that is needed to bring one through this experience.  That has brought me through this journey.  Thank-you.

 

Wishing you all the best,

Melissa Rinks

2015-16 President

bottom of page