Students Adopt-a-Highway During Eco Week

During Eco week, the RVCC community adopted a one-mile stretch of Route 28, the road directly in front of campus, in one small step toward making the campus a "greener" place. Adopt-A-Highway is a volunteer program in which organizations pledge to keep small portions of American highways litter-free by organizing cleanup days throughout the year.

April 23 marked the first student cleanup day, an event that organizer and Student Body President Dave Evers plans to repeat quarterly.

Student participants met at 1 pm in the Girl Scout parking lot at the intersection of Route 28 and Lamington Road. Once the group came together, they jumped into a van and were taken to the first of several spots along the one-mile stretch of road.

Armed with a bright orange vest, a bright orange bag and a long stick with a point on the end, the students looked like a group of convicts on work release, a fact that organizers and volunteers had quite a laugh at. The instructions were simple: poke a piece of garbage and place it in the bag.

“This does not include road kill,” said Mary Sullivan, one of the group’s organizers.

In order to participate, students must attend a quick meeting to view a short old school safety video detailing proper technique in the art of garbage removal. The video’s quality and overly scripted dialogue provides much more entertainment than information, but Evers fills students in on the important stuff, giving a brief display of equipment and the safest way to use it.

In order to protect participants from oncoming traffic, large neon-orange signs are set up along the roadside to warn motorists. In addition, the shoulder of the one mile stretch is protected with large cones.

Students had different reasons for helping out, but all had a desire to make the planet a greener place.

Lindsey Troyer said, “I always want to lead by example, Gandhi once said you have to be the change you want to see in this world.”

Interested in taking part in the next cleanup? Contact Mary Sullivan in the student activities office.

Want to make a difference now? Contact Mike Masley in student activities office to join the Campus Cleanup Crew. Fill five garbage bags with litter and receive a free school T-shirt.