Des Plaines Student Creates Environmental Coalition, Earns Scholarship

DES PLAINES, IL — Natalia Barna is concerned about the environment and our future on this planet. The Northwestern University freshman is the recipient of the Your Personal Purpose Scholarship and also the founder of the Maine Township Environmental Coalition.

"Environmental causes are important to me because environmental degradation is increasingly impacting us in our daily lives," Barna recently told Patch. "It is important that we educate each other about the state of the environment and do everything we can to preserve the natural beauty of our local communities. If we each did our part to mitigate pollution as much as possible, our cities and forests would stay beautiful."

Barna was one of 10 students to be selected for the $2,500 scholarship, which is renewable for four years, totaling $10,000. The scholarship is awarded by the National Society of High School Scholars Foundation and funded by Abercrombie & Fitch Co. It recognizes students for their personal purpose statements on the positive impact they make on their communities and in the lives of others.

Barna, who is studying chemical engineering at NU, is a graduate of Maine East High School. While at Maine East, she led tree-planting efforts on campus, while also advocating for the introduction of composting in the district. She spent months meeting with building administration officials and school board members, applying for grants and networking with local environmental organizations.

Both endeavors proved successful as she planted eight trees through Maine East's Lyceum Program and Maine Township High School District 207 began implementing commercial composting in the cafeteria and culinary spaces this school year.

In addition, during her junior year at Maine East, Barna founded MTEC, a school-district-wide organization she says is filled with leaders and volunteers from her former school, as well as Maine South and Maine West. As a chapter of the nonprofit, Clean Up - Give Back, MTEC conducts environmental cleanups and upcycling/donation drives, according to Barna. Clean Up - Give Back is based in Des Plaines.

"Before I started conducting environmental cleanups, I never really realized how much litter was lying around in our forest preserves," Barna said. "Hosting these types of events exposed a lot of people, including myself, to the unfortunate state of our environment, which was an important first step to enacting positive change."

To date, MTEC has collected more than 1,000 pounds of trash and also held successful events like the Plastic Bag Drive, Gently Used Toy and Book Drive, Goodwill Drive, and Turkey/Syria Earthquake Relief Clothing Drive.

Barna said MTEC is always looking for help, with plenty of volunteer opportunities available and events through Clean Up - Give Back always happening. She also suggests those concerned with the environment to join the Forest Preserves of Cook County for ecological restoration days.

"If you see a problem in your community, don't be afraid to take the initiative to address it," Barna said. "You have the power to contribute to positive change."