<p>Currently, I volunteer at my local nature center and I run my high school's sierra club.</p>
<p>I want to participate in more extracurricular activities related to outdoors/nature/environmental preservation/etc. but I can't seem to find anything worth my while.</p>
<p>Any suggestions? (If it matters, I live in Northeastern New Jersey)</p>
<p>Would you be interested in raising monarch butterflies for release
and tagging them?? Look at monarchwatch.org, the U of Kansas
uses volunteers all over the country.</p>
<p>Of course, you can do the same and not tag them. Just grow
a few milkweed species in your yard and some nectar sources
like buddleia, cosmos, etc. You find the monarch eggs on the
milkweed plants in your yard.</p>
<p>Why do you need to participate in more activities when you can simply do much more with the environmentally-related ECs you already are in? Surely there are many more things you could do as a volunteer and with your Sierra Club. </p>
<p>If you're trying to impress colleges or explore your interests, having a laundry list of environmental activities isn't what will matter most. What will matter most is the depth of your involvement.</p>
<p>I'm not trying to impress colleges, I'm just trying to find something both helpful and enjoyable to do with my free time because the Nature Center doesn't allow me to work weekdays.</p>
<p>A job with a nursery? Helping out with or starting a community garden? Taking a community college class related to the environment? Self study on an issue related to the environment? Launching some kind of service project to benefit the environment?</p>
<p>Organize a walk to school and/or a bike to school day, for your school district.</p>
<p>How 'bout adopt an elementary school class/grade, teaching them how to be good environmentalists? Would demonstrate initiative as well as create a legacy as they grow up with a new appreciation of resources. You could find a teacher who'd let you plant a small food garden (teaching sustainability) or butterfly garden. Teach lessons in recycling and composting.</p>
<p>Gosh, this sounds like a good idea! Maybe I'll get my environmentally minded kid going on this!</p>
<p>Are there volunteer projects during the summer where you could work at an organic farm, for instance? That's what I did during the summer, and I enjoyed it a lot, except for one day when it was like 90 degrees and I was pulling out weeds--NOT fun.</p>
<p>In Seattle we're pretty environmental, and here are some of the things that we have at our school that might give you some ideas:
- Bike to school day--if you bike to school, you get bagels, etc. or a gift card to Jamba Juice (and I still don't know why Jamba Juice uses styrofoam for their cups).
- Our school has an outdoors program that a lot of people are involved in, and it has lots of wilderness camps and hiking and backpacking trips.
- Earth Club.</p>
<p>It's great that you're looking at spending your free time in a service project that's personally meaningful! A few ideas: Volunteer at a farmers' market. Or get really ambitious and create a program that finds sources of fresh or organic vegies for your local food bank. Get an internship with a green builder. Volunteer for a trail maintenance crew this summer. Work with a local political organization or campaign that advocates for the environment.</p>
<p>That's what I like about the butterfly thing...you can do it
without affecting your regular schedule.</p>