The Earth Club is asking Atascadero residents to join in the fun to counteract the school’s CO2 emissions

ATASCADERO — This year, Atascadero High School’s (AHS) Earth Club is teaming up with the nonprofit Tree-Plenish to host a community-wide tree-planting event on April 20, just in time for Earth Day. They plan to plant 150 saplings throughout Atascadero to counteract the high school’s energy consumption. 

“Our goal is to plant 150 trees in April. This number comes directly from a Tree-Plenish Carbon Calculator that combines the square footage of the school and the community’s CO2 emission rate to find a goal,” said AHS Earth Club President Tilly Ralston. 

Cal Poly student and Tree-Plenish intern Cali Carson reached out to the club via Instagram to see if AHS would be interested in teaming up with the nonprofit. She had participated when she was in high school.

“I found out about Tree-Plenish when Cali contacted me, but after I saw her messages I spent some time researching what their [Tree-Plenish] mission is and if it aligned with our club,” added Ralston.

Tree-Plenish’s mission combines its love of the environment with giving students a chance to experience the power of their local community. They seek to help students make their campuses more sustainable with the help of planting trees to replenish the resources the school uses each year. So, it’s no surprise that the Earth Club, which is made up of students ranging from freshmen to seniors, decided to host its event in April, so close to Earth Day.

“It means a lot to me that I was able to bring this event to our school because sustainability and helping the Earth is so important to me, which is why I joined Earth Club, so to be able to bring new opportunities like this to our club and town is really special,” Ralston continued.

Sapplings are currently on sale and will be available for Atascadero residents to order until March 20. There are three tree varieties that you can choose from: Santina Cherry, Royal Blenheim Apricot, and Picual Olive. 

“For $5, they [the community] can buy a sapling that will be either taken to their home and planted, or they can pick it up at the high school on April 20. Their purchase will help to to help offset Atascadero High School’s energy consumption,” said Ralston.

The saplings are bareroot saplings and will remain dormant until you plant them. In four to six weeks you should have beautiful blooms, and your fruit will be on the way. The community can participate by buying saplings, volunteering to help plant them or spreading the word about the tree-planting event.

“I would like to thank all of the people who decide to purchase a sapling or volunteer to help, because they are very appreciated,” concluded Ralston.

To find out more about the AHS Earth Club’s tree planting event, purchase a sapling, or volunteer, head to tpevents.org/school/4123.

Feature Image: (Front, from left) Anise Ralston, Jessica Nonato, Tilly Ralston, Samantha Coloma, Annie Uceda, Liam Lilly (Back, from left) Miara Wooten, Anna Lilly, Trisanee Siharath, Gabrielle Ramsey, and Sebastian Marano are all part of Atascadero High School’s Earth Club and part of the upcoming tree planting event. Photo provided by Tilly Ralston.