A mural with a mission: River's Green Team is giving plastic bottle caps a new purpose

By Emmy McGill

After school on Monday, members gathered in the upper commons for the first phase of the project—painting the bottle caps in various shades of green and blue. The next phase, glueing everything together, is set to begin on Friday.

Jacob McManus, the club’s president, says the motivation behind the project is “inspiring change.” While the mural itself doesn’t change much, he says those who it inspires will. 

Students who decide to take action could be the positive impact River needs for its sustainability efforts. With the mural being in the spotlight—its future home near the main entrance to the school—almost every student will see it. 

McManus is hopeful about Green Team’s future, which aims to inspire people to take action. The first step any student can take is joining. The club will meet again this Friday after school in the upper commons, where they will continue their work of assembling the project, which they aim to complete sometime next month. 

Their efforts come as the recycling process at River is drawing speculation. With a handful of recycling bins in the school, recycling frequently gets mixed in with trash as well. A lack of accountability from River and its students has been a setback for River’s sustainability efforts. That’s why Green Team is leading the way with its efforts to not only clean up River, but to make use of the ‘trash’ and give plastic a new purpose.