Club Highlight: Environmental Club and Earth Day Event

Interview conducted by Emely Antunes Otsuka, Chief Newsletter Senator

Edited by Braxton Nguyen, Associated Newsletter Senator

As we approach April 22nd, also known as Earth Day, we thought it would be best to share a very special interview with the president of the Environmental Club, David Tanoko. This Thursday, David and the Club will hold the "Restore Our Earth Conference", at 6 PM. By reading this interview, you can get a look into the club events and mission, as well as learning why it is important for us to care about the environment and the world we live in. Enjoy!

The Wild West : So David, how would you describe the environmental club?

David Tanoko: Environmental Club...Well, the environmental club works in the environment. We,

especially during the pandemic this year, it has been really hard to stay together and meet up.

We have to stay six feet apart. The environmental club is something we love and we care,

something we need to appreciate. Our family, the trees, the grass, everything! Everything that is

surrounding us right now is the environment. The people we meet are part of it too!

TWW: That’s awesome! So, is that the reason why you joined the environmental club? How

did you discover the environmental club and what made you decide to join?

DT: I came from Indonesia, which is a developing country. I’m surprised how, after moving

to the United States, the country cares about the ecosystem, like not using plastic bags and

supporting the use of reusable bags. In my country, they care about profits and increasing

business. They do not care about what could happen in ten or twenty years. Right now, sea

levels are rising and what will happen to future generations. Say by 2025, 2030, or 2045, we

will never know what the future is. The future is the mystery. If we don’t start action now, it

might be too late. This is why I care about the environmental club. We need to work together to

fight the negative effects coming into the future.

TWW: That’s awesome! What are some things you do in the environmental club? What are

some events you host or what are some activities you and the members participate in?

David : I’m so happy you are asking this question! A lot of people joining the environmental

club know a lot about the environment, like the plants and the ecosystems. Those joining have

previous knowledge about the plants, what the characteristics are and their effects in the

ecosystem. Some students talk about underwater plants and biospheres. In person, we would

learn about kitchen products and how to utilize excess plants such a skins of fruits. Dumping

these excess plants will only harm the environment. Focusing on our mental health is

something that should be a focus. Having hang outs and someone to talk to is important,

which is what we are trying to do during the pandemic.

TWW: Do you have any plans for the next few months?

DT: We do have plans for the upcoming months! April 22th is Earth Day, and we are

planning to have activities for every environmentalist. Every member has been talking together

and how to create a fun full day of activities. We could watch movies together or do something

fun depending on the number of people joining that day. Everyone is welcome to join the club

regardless of their background in environmental studies and can talk about anything. We are

together in this pandemic, so we can talk about pets, foods, or anything and relate it to the

environment. After all, we are all living organisms, right?

TWW: Yes we are.

DT: So on April 22th, I hope everyone can join. I hope we can learn and model from the

discussions we will have on the movies and activities we will be participating in.

TWW: So would you say that learning about the environment or just having small discussions

is the benefit of joining the environmental club or any club? Like what would you say is the

benefit of joining campus organizations?

DT: Good question! Thank you for bringing that up. Since the pandemic has limited

people’s mobility, we can’t go onto campus or have in person activities. Personally, I have been

in my room, I don’t really contact anyone and I live by myself. So it would be hard to meet

someone new and have a normal discussion. Other members in the club are from multiple

parts of the world, including Honduras, Canada and parts of Europe like France. Interestingly,

every person has their own uniqueness and culture. To learn that Canada has their own way of

caring about the environment compared to Indonesia’s routine is really new and interesting. I

really miss talking to everyone and learning about new backgrounds. I think it’s not just the

environmental club, but it would be every club that can create this connection. We can all share

the same interests and have differences to create new knowledge.

TWW: Absolutely! If I didn’t have ASO and opportunities to talk with members of the clubs, I wouldn’t really be talking to anyone. I wouldn’t be connecting with people. So let’s see, what’s something that you wish people knew more about the environment or just about the planet in general?

DT: So with the environmental club, we don’t just talk about plants. When people hear

about the environmental club, their first impression would be something about plants and

greens. But what I really want is something beyond that, appreciation and respect to everything

and everyone. Appreciation and respect to men, women, children, elders, plants. It might be

weird to appreciate an object like a table or a book. But c’mon, with this book we are able to

write all of our knowledge here. Sometimes, we need to be grateful and thankful. The book is

made from a tree! C’mon, just because we live in the 21st century and we don’t know what

they did before books and the internet, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be grateful. So what

I’m trying to say is to be appreciative, respectful, grateful and mindful of the objects and living

things around us.

TWW: That’s really beautiful, what you just said. So, I have two last questions. The first one is

how can students join the club?

DT: How can new students join the club? So as a club, students are

required to have a student ID. Since our student is under West LA, our college is under a

district with nine other colleges. Which means we welcome all students from all nine colleges.

There are a bunch of students from other colleges, such as LATC and Valley. I’m really happy to

have them because they all bring new information to the club. There are some advantages to

the pandemic because the clubs are now available to all students from every school in the

district. So having a student ID from any campus within the district can join the club.

TWW: So do they apply online, fill out a form or do they contact you on Instagram?

DT: So yes, we have Instagram and an email. Students can also join the zoom meeting with

the meeting ID and passcode provided on the Instagram and website. There, we can introduce

students to one another and become more involved in the club. Another way students can join

the club is through email. I have received a lot of emails from students asking me about the

club. Some students need information about the meeting times and dates, but some students

cannot join due to conflicts. So I made discord channels for students who cannot join the

meeting to meet there and learn and be more involved in the club. Even during the pandemic,

everyone is still really active in the discord, which was surprising!

TWW: So last question, what is something that you want to say to students, especially new

students?

DT: Oh wow, thank you! I would say, don’t stop learning. Learning does not have to be

school related. Learning could be from your mother, your father, from your friends, learning

could be everything. I have been to Sequoia National Park, and remember the introduction. It

said they live for nearly one hundred years. What surprised me is that the trees were extremely

big and they continue to growing bigger. I applied that to my life, where I could keep growing

and nurture myself mentally and make the right decisions. I’m still learning. So what I would

say to every student, and it doesn’t have to be environmentally related, but don’t stop learning.

Learning could be anything. It’s not always education or about school.

TWW: Wow, I completely agree with what you said. When you said don’t stop learning, I was

like, Oh wow!

David : Yeah, it’s not just school. School is important because as learned a lot about basic

anatomy, calculus, etc, but learning is beyond that. Learning had no limitations, right? So we

can learn anything from any environment. As a tutor, I learn from kids. I recently learned that

my one of my coworkers is a teacher. I was surprised to learn that they were a staff member

and a teacher! Like, how do you manage your time?

TWW: Yeah!

DT: When I was communicating with him, I was learning from him. I was grateful to learn

from him and continue to learn from my surroundings.

TWW: Well, thank you David for being here and attending this interview. I’m glad I was able to learn more about your experience in the Environmental Club and how you made it more

inclusive for every student!

To get information on the Environmental Club's activities or if you want to be a member, check out their Instagram account at @wlacenvironmentalclub