Beginning on Monday, Feb. 3, the Menlo Climate Coalition kicks off their EcoAct Week, the most recent of several sustainability projects spearheaded by the Coalition.  

Every day of EcoAct Week has a theme and goal, with activities at student life, lunch, and after school that correspond with the theme. The themes include awareness, solutions, food, politics, fun, and action. There will be hot chocolate in the mornings with reusable mugs, zero-waste snacks, a farmers market, a planting activity in advocacy, and a movie night. In addition, EcoAct Week will also include lunchtime talks. The Sea Hugger foundation, which is a non-profit focused on protecting marine environments from plastic, will be speaking at lunch on Monday, Feb. 3. On Tuesday, Feb. 4, there will be a lunchtime talk about electrification and solar panels.  

EcoAct Week has been mainly planned by junior Alix Borton, who works on the Climate Coalition’s transportation branch, and senior Angel More, who works on the energy branch. Borton and More have been planning EcoAct week since August. They are working with the administration and partnering with nonprofits and companies in the area. “What’s been cool is that it’s a whole school effort,” More said. “We’re also having the middle school be a part of it, so it’s everyone together.” 

The overall goal of EcoWeek is to educate the Menlo community about climate change and sustainability. “The biggest goal is to put it on everyone’s radar,” Borton said. “Climate change is something that is not as scary or intimidating as it sounds and we want to make climate action more of a friendly thing.” Students don’t always have all of the information about what climate change is and how they can help. “When I was learning about climate change is I knew it existed but I didn’t know what it was,” More said. “[EcoAct Week] is teaching students at Menlo [what climate change is] and also how they can take action in their own lives. 

More and Borton are particularly excited about the assembly that they have planned for the student life block on Tuesday, Feb. 4. The assembly will include a video from Menlo students talking about what they do to live sustainably and a panel on Sustainability. The members of the panel will include Pat Brown, the CEO of Impossible™ Foods, and zero-waste chef Anne Marie Bonneau. “I’m excited because there will be time for students to ask questions,” More said. “I’m hoping that students will be able to take a lot away from that.”