Along with participating in clubs like Environmental Club or Animal Protection Club, there are plenty of opportunities for students to volunteer with organizations in and around the township that give back to the environment.

BackYard Nature Center, located in Winnetka, works to integrate the environment into the lives of families of the township through volunteering and education.

According to their website, “BackYard Nature Center works with personnel from the local park districts, the master stewards of the Skokie Lagoons, and community service groups to assemble and organize a diverse set of stewardship activities.”

Another organization that accepts volunteers is the Historic Wagner Farm. As volunteers, students can help with special events, work at the farmer’s market, or on the farm.

The 18.6-acre farm and heritage center has been in continual operation since the 1850s and has been open to the public since the Glenview Park District acquired it in 2000. Today it produces various corn, honey and animal products and educates the public.

The Glenview Park District Website explains, “[The Historic Wagner Farm’s] mission is to help people connect with their food, their farmers, and how food gets from the farm to their table.”

Along with Wagner Farm, the Glencoe Community Garden gives students the opportunity to help produce food. The Glencoe Garden is a non-profit mini-farm and garden that donates its harvest to organizations like local food kitchens and pantries. Students can volunteer doing various tasks from weeding to harvesting crops.

There is also a plethora of opportunities offered through various municipalities’ websites. For instance, Wilmette has a website called Go Green Wilmette.

On the website, they list different opportunities from Wilmette Beach Clean-up to different meetings pertaining to the town’s sustainability.

According to their website, “[Go Green Wilmette’s] mission is to raise environmental awareness in the Wilmette community and to inspire residents to take action to make a difference.”

All of these opportunities and more are also advertised through different volunteering matching service websites. Through Volunteer Match, The Volunteer Center, or the Chicagoland Environment Network, students can volunteer with the click of a button.