By Blair Foy
Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN 

Craig Walz takes Earth Day personally.

As a science teacher at St. Charles High School, Walz makes Earth Day an annual opportunity to teach his students about the importance of taking care of their environment by having them pick up the school grounds.

"Cleaning up the town is a simple project that just might become a life habit for hopefully many of the students," he said.

With the record being 121 pounds of garbage collected in a 90-minute class period, Walz said each year his classes see the direct effects of pollution on their environment.

"The students learn about the dangers of pollution in our environment from a chemistry perspective, but moreover they learn the importance of civic duty and taking care of their community with nothing asked in return," he said.

As the head coach for the football program, Walz also introduces a little competition into the class project.

"We break up into teams and have a competition to see which team can bring in the most garbage during their 90-minute class period," he said. "We usually pick up around three or four large garbage bags full in the 90 minutes."

Along with making a difference outside, Walz said his students often take the lessons they learn on Earth Day and apply them to other aspects of their daily life.

"As I watch the hallways for the remainder of the year, I will regularly see these students stopping to pick up a can or wrapper and throw it away or recycle it," he said. "The kids are great recycle police."

While his Earth Day classroom activity teaches the students about the importance of cleaning their environment, the kids are not the only ones who learn something every year.

"I have learned that the majority of my students care about the environment more than we probably give them credit," Walz said. "They really enjoy seeing the community being cleaned up and when asked, they said they would like to see it stay that way."

On a personal level, Walz said it is fulfilling to see his students take on a cause that is important to him.

"As a science teacher, I enjoy nature and the outdoors," he said. "I understand the dangers of plastics and garbage in the environment and wanted to share that knowledge with my students in a way they might remember."

Although Earth Day only comes around every April 22, Walz said he hopes his efforts resonate with his students for years to come.

"This is something the students will remember and hopefully make part of their daily routines," he said. "The hope is that they will feel strongly about keeping their environment clean and one day pass that on to the next generation."

Blair Foy is a St. Charles freelance writer. .

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