Two years ago, senior Christina Spicher knew she wanted to do something about the impending climate crisis, but she just didn’t know what. That’s when she joined Tree Huggers.

With the club, she traveled to her first climate strike at the capitol. “That was my first introduction to climate activism,” she recalls. Now a senior and co-leader of the club, Spicher plans to give other climate-concerned students the same experience.

In the past, Tree Huggers has always encouraged or organized students to go and take part in protests. This year especially they’ll be exploring connections with other environmental organizations. The group will hopefully be able to participate in different virtual events and keep members up to date with climate activism. 

“The goal is to spark more people’s interest in climate activism because it’s not a hard thing to participate in. You can go to just one event and you’re already making a huge difference,” says Spicher. “If you’re somebody who cares about the climate crisis but you don’t know how to get involved, Tree Huggers is a great way to start.”

Activism isn’t the only way to get involved in the climate for Tree Huggers. They also hold community service events like trash-pickups and tree-planting. These activities give students the chance to get some fresh air and volunteer hours at the same time. Sadly, mother nature doesn’t always return kindness with the weather, so this year, expect more virtual events than anything.

Along with that, Tree Huggers has overall educated its members about the dangers the climate faces. They’ve hosted professional climate experts in meetings before school, and in the past brought different discussion topics to monthly meetings. That’s something that might change this year, however.

This change is because Spicher plans for the club to ditch regular meetings and focus on events. That means the club will be keeping members updated with new events, and they can simply choose to do what they have time for. That way the impact a student can have through the club is prioritized above commitment. So if you’ve joined in the past but had difficulty committing to morning meetings, (mornings are tough), this would be a good year to rejoin.

Even though the majority of whoever wants to take part in the club does not need to be committed, they are looking for a few dedicated members. This is because both leaders are graduating this year. The club has been around for at least fourteen years to Spicher’s knowledge, but it won’t be able to continue unless someone takes up the leadership position for next year. 

To Spicher, the changes brought by Covid-19 mean even more of a reason to join. “We have, for the past couple months, definitely focused on what we can’t do. I think that even though you can’t do these things, there are still a lot of things you can do and can participate in,” she encourages. “Come to anything you can, I think that it’s a great way to get started.”

Want to be part of the events they have in store? Fill out the Tree Huggers google form to join under “Environmental Club” on the activities page: https://www.edenpr.org/eden-prairie-high-school/activitiesathletics/co-curricular-clubs