Salvaging used cooking oil to create biodiesel may seem an unusual activity to do on a Wednesday lunch, but it is just one of many projects that the Renewable Energy Club (REC) executed in order to promote going green at Redwood.

Neeka Mashouf, founder of the REC, explained that the process behind projects are supervised during club meetings. This process includes planning, organizing, and executing the experiments, which include constructing a solar oven to melt chocolate and building magnesium fuel cells to run toy cars.

“[The purpose of] the REC is to show how renewable energy can be used today and how science can solve renewable energy’s issues,” Mashouf said.

Although the club is new, Mashouf said that the current club members are passionate about protecting the environment.

While Marin County may be well known as an environmentally friendly area, Mashouf

said she feels that environmental activism at Redwood is declining.

“I feel like there’s always more that we can do,” Mashouf said.

The REC is not the only club to promote environmental activism at Redwood. The Environmental Action Club (EAC), advised by Jessica Skiersz and Joe Stewart in Rm. 211, also actively promotes going green at Redwood.

“If students feel inspired to become active, I think there are a lot of opportunities in Marin to do so,” REC adviser Mitch Cohen said.

While students and teachers take steps to promote the environment at Redwood, the club’s request for solar panels was declined this year due to budget constraints, according to the REC.

“A couple years ago, there was a club similar to this that tried to get solar panels,” Mashouf said. “With solar panels, the school can put in an initial investment and get their money back. It’s not like the school is going to be gone in 10 years. It’s going to be here for a long time.”

Mashouf is not the only member of the REC who agrees with installing solar panels for Redwood.

“I think [installing solar panels] is more viable now than it was a couple years ago,” REC member Skyler Laston-Gaeta said.

While solar panels may return their expensive starting cost in time, the initial investment in solar panels is costly.

The average net cost of solar panel installation is $35,967, and establishments owning solar panels are able to recover approximately 97% of their investment within 7 years, according to Forbes online, an American business magazine.

To get involved, contact Mr. Cohen in Rm. 215  to join the REC, or contact Ms. Skieresz or Mr. Stewart in Rm. 211 to join the EAC.