The Shaler Area Sustainability Club and classes have been busy with big goals and projects that they have set for over the next few years. Here’s some of the things that they have been working on…
Pine Creek Sustainability Fair
The Shaler Area Sustainability Club has been working on putting together a sustainability fair on March 21 at Fugh Hall in Etna. There will be around twenty tables of different organizations such as the Marine Corps, Reimagined Recycling, and the Shaler Sustainability Club. These groups will all have tables that are focused on helping the environment and teaching the community about how to create a sustainable lifestyle. Although the event is not fully planned yet, it surely will be a fun afternoon full of demonstrations and informational activities.
Furniture of the Future
A small group of Sustainability students have recently presented a project titled “Furniture of the Future” at an event with Penn State. The students partnered with Reimagined Bristol Calling to obtain a sheet of recycled plastic. They then cut the plastic into different shapes, and attached them to old lamp stands that are unable to be used, to make little tables.
The students not only presented this at Penn State’s event, but they were also part of an art show with Pittsburgh Glass and are currently involved with a design challenge at The Consortium for Public Education. The students sold three of these tables at the Pittsburgh Glass art show, and are working on selling the fourth. The group of students are planning on obtaining another sheet of plastic to keep creating and expanding on their project.
Girty’s Woods
In 2021, Shaler Area Sustainability purchased a 155-acre plot of land that is known as Girty’s Woods. Students are currently working on protecting and inviting different native pollinators into the land.
The Sustainability Club applied and received a $5,000 grant from the state in 2025 that has helped students identify and inventory a bunch of different plants that are found in Girty’s Woods. This has helped the group figure out what species are invasive and are harming the land. The students will be going back to Girty’s Woods this spring to help remove invasive plants and put in new plants that are native to the area.
Some of these plants will be the swamp milkweed, Virginia bluebell, and golden ragwort. This will help to protect the current pollinators and invite more good pollinators into the area. The Club is currently working with the Department of Environmental Protection, Allegheny Land Trust, and CoNectar Flora to make this project possible and keep it going.
Recycled Benches
The Sustainability Club has continued to help collect bottle caps in efforts to create more bottle cap benches for the community. Last year, the club collected hundreds of pounds of bottle caps to create two benches for Rainbow Raccoon Park in Millvale. The club is currently cleaning and sorting the remaining bottle caps in preparation for two more benches that will be placed in the area of the Etna Borough Pool.
Succulent Sale
On February 12-13 the Sustainability Club sold succulents in the high school library in efforts to collect money for the production of the bottle cap benches. The sale was a great success. The club sold all of the succulents, and raised $500 to help continue its projects.
Rainbow Raccoon Park
Sustainability students have been working in partnership with The Millvale Community Development Corporation to continue shaping Rainbow Raccoon Park in Millvale. In 2025 a 12-foot-steel raccoon was installed into the park, along with a temporary basketball court and rain gardens.
The club has been working towards adding permanent basketball hoops and painting the court, improving the fencing, planting trees and eventually adding a playground. The group plans to continue applying for grants to keep this project moving towards their goals.
