To wrap up this semester and look forward to the holiday season, the Environmental Council at DHS made sustainable and reusable gifts to sell as gifts. The money they raised will go to future projects for the club.

     “[The gift included] coffee beans, homemade, vegan cocoa powder, all in glass jars with reusable beeswax wraps on top that once you buy it, you can reuse it for a number of things,” said senior Environmental Council member Erin Pickert.

     The beeswax wraps were one of the main selling points because of its reusable aspect.

     “So me and Sydney Ames got a huge block of beeswax from a local farmer, and we shredded it up and ironed it onto the fabric. You can then wash it and you can wrap food like sandwiches and snacks in it, instead of a Ziploc bag or some type of wrap. It’s less waste,” Pickert said.

     The point of the project was to create as little waste as possible, something that a lot of people tend to forget during the holiday shopping season.

     “More than anything, we are aiming to increase awareness of sustainable shopping during the holiday season,” said senior Environmental Council member Sydeny Ames. “We want to show students that locally produced, handmade products can make better gifts than a generic purchase at Target or on Amazon.”

     All of the materials they used for these gifts were low-waste and sustainable.

     “We bought our ingredients in bulk and used beeswax donated from a local bee farmer to make the beeswax wraps. The jars were all donated by Environmental Council members, and we purchased the twine and fabric at the thrift store,” Ames said. “We used second-hand, low-waste materials to create a meaningful product that can be genuinely beneficial to the recipient.”

     The funds that Environmental Council raised from this fundraiser will go to a multitude of projects.

     “The funds made in this fundraiser will go towards supporting future Environmental Council initiatives. Whether they are used for purchasing reusable gloves to wear when sorting recycling, or a bigger project like establishing a system for compost at DHS, rest assured knowing the purchase of these jars helps the Environmental Council practice sustainability within our school,” Ames said.

     This will not be the last time the club makes products to sell. They plan to have another similar fundraiser in the spring.

     “We’re doing another fundraiser in the spring. We’re planning on selling propagated house plants, along with a few handmade products” Ames said. “We haven’t worked out an exact date, but it will definitely be before graduation.”

     The Environmental Council looks forward to this being their first of many sustainable fundraisers.