Ben Pifher/MDN Members of Greener Tomorrow pose next to a sign showing their adoption of the U.S. Highway 83 Bypass on the west side of Minot earlier this month during a routine Saturday litter clean up. Back row, from left, are Drew Hunskor, Adam Mrozik, Lincoln Brooks, Jacob Jackson, Bolutife Omole, Mikiyas Asmamaw, Samantha Lentz, Waya Wood; front row, from left, are Cayden Schwede, Dylan Jackson, Cooper Fjeld, Piper Erickson and Coen Schmeichel.

Minot High student Cooper Fjeld starts his weekends at sunrise, cleaning up litter around Minot. Fjeld isn’t paid to do this, and no one asked him to. He’s the mind behind Greener Tomorrow, a student-led organization with the mission of making the environment better.

Greener Tomorrow welcomes students from any area high school, public or private. The students get together weekly to work, gathering in areas around town they notice litter accumulating. Not long ago, they worked near the airport, and more recently they worked next to the U.S. Highway 83 Bypass, west of Minot. A group of 13 Greener Tomorrow members wore yellow vests and cleared litter from several miles of roadside.

“I like to take pride in where I’m from and where I live, and I think other people should too,” said Fjeld, who hopes to inspire others to get outside and help clean their communities. “I’m just trying to make the community a better place, and as challenging as it may seem being outside for 10 hours, it’s completely worth it for this cause.”

Greener Tomorrow, with Fjeld’s leadership, is not only clearing litter. It is starting pollinator gardens, initiatives for sustainable practices at their schools and teaching others how to properly recycle. One student who helped clear the bypass, Bolutife Omole, said he helps educate his parents and friends on how to properly recycle.

“It’s just something I already do, so why not help here?” he said.

This upcoming winter, Fjeld said, the main goal of the group will be to encourage recycling and spread awareness on how to do it properly. He said it’s important to teach people how while they are young, so they can have a “waterfall effect,” and share their knowledge. He said the group plans to host meetings, post educational flyers and raise funds.

Fjeld said the group has big dreams, and members see it growing into something people will want to be a part of.

“I’m trying to get college kids involved and make it a bigger deal than just high schoolers. It’s young kids taking initiative in their community and showing it’s important to take care of their communities,” Fjeld said.

Fjeld said if people are seen cleaning up litter, it will bring awareness to the issue. According to Fjeld, most students who work with him didn’t realize the problem of litter was as severe as it is until they started helping.

Mikiyas Asmamaw, one student helping clean the bypass, said Fjeld’s ability to motivate students so quickly and at such a scale has been inspiring. He said the students have been working hard around the community and around their schools, advocating for the likes of reusable lunch trays in schools and other positive environmental changes.

According to Asmamaw, Greener Tomorrow’s goal when starting was to get as many stakeholders involved as possible, gain visibility and make as much of an impact to clean up the environment as possible.

“There’s always something you can do. Start small by identifying problems within your home and within your school, and there’s always a way to expand that,” Asmamaw said. He hopes to push others to build a greener tomorrow.

“We started out small, working at the school, but look where we are now, cleaning up the bypass,” he said.

Regarding the goal to remove styrofoam lunch trays from the Minot Public School District, Fjeld said, “It’s definitely going to be a fun challenge to tackle this winter.” said Fjeld. He has been brainstorming ways to transition the district to reusable trays. Two schools in the district use styrofoam trays, Ramstad Elementary and John Hoeven Elementary.

Greener Tomorrow members also will have the opportunity to show off their green thumbs in the pollinator garden near the flagpole at Minot High School, which the group had a hand in making a reality, according to Tim Baumann. Baumann, coordinator for the Minot Pollinator Project, said the next garden will likely be at Minot North. The Minot Pollinator Project has planted 10 gardens around Minot, and Baumann said other organizations are doing the same.

Fjeld said Baumann as well as other Minot residents have been helping him get Greener Tomorrow off the ground, Baumann said Greener Tomorrow has been doing its own work and seeking advice when needed.

“Access to water and long term maintenance and care are always the toughest things about doing a public garden like this,” Baumann said. “Having a group of students at Minot High who will be there every day makes it easy to put a garden there, because they’ll see if it needs to be watered or weeded or cleaned. They’ll be able to take care of all the things it needs on a day-to-day basis.”

The Minot Pollinator Project is supporting the Greener Tomorrow by providing seed mix and plant materials for the students to use.

Greener Tomorrow asks members of the community to reconsider how they treat their trash. They are asking for everyone to take a step toward building a greener tomorrow and care for the environment.