For the 2019-2020 school year, DGS’s philanthropy project is taking a green approach with the ‘Think Globally, Act Locally’ campaign. The school-wide operation will give students and staff a plethora of ways to help their environment for the remainder of the school year.

This year’s project is aimed at protecting the Earth at the community level as well as at the international level. Student Activities Director Jennifer Martinez explained the two charitable organizations selected for the school year.

“We’re supporting SCARCE, a local organization in Glen Ellyn committed to promoting education around reducing, reusing and recycling. The Rainforest Trust [is] a national organization with their headquarters in Washington DC. They’re focusing on purchasing the land from the rainforest in order to protect the species that live there and prevent deforestation,” Martinez said.

Similar to previous philanthropy projects, the ‘Think Globally, Act Locally’ campaign has numerous ways in which students can participate. Partnering with SCARCE, Mustangs can participate in Super Crayons, in which broken crayons are melted down and molded into new ones for kids with special needs.

Additionally, SCARCE collects used gift cards with the aim of repurposing them into guitar picks. Students will have the opportunity to punch guitar pick designs out of old cards. The finished products will be donated to Guitars for Vets, a nonprofit giving free guitar lessons to veterans with PTSD.

Contributions to the project can be made in many ways. From donating used books to participating in the “Green Challenge”, Martinez hopes that every individual will find their own way to give back to the planet.

“We have some actionable steps we can think about this year. Earth Action Club, the science department and SCARCE helped come up with an eight-week challenge, pushing students to not use plastic bottles for the week and finalizing a way for students to share their participation,” Martinez said.

In order to fundraise, the Mustangs will be able to purchase a shirt for $10, with the proceeds going toward the two charitable organizations. For an extra dollar, students can get a reusable straw along with their philanthropy gear to encourage eliminating single-use plastic.

The project’s launch will be on Feb. 3 during a Mustang Way Lesson in which students will get the full itinerary of what’s to come over the remainder of the semester. Although this campaign is a school event, Martinez believes its meaning should run deeper for staff and students.

“The goal this year is to encourage DGS students and staff to participate in small actionable steps to make a large impact and positively help our environment and others. It’s the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, so it’s even more important to engage in the conversation around conservation. It’s something we need to have at the forefront of our mind, thinking ‘what is my part, and how can I help,’” Martinez said.