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The Children Are Our Future
SCHOOLS AND YOUTH GROUPS BUILD A SUSTAINABILITY ARMY
By Kristen Morales news@flagpole.com
One of my most vivid memories from my
childhood is my mother, returning from the
town dump, upset that the man who ran it
refused to start recycling. It was the 1990s,
and we lived in a small town, so recycling
was a thing but not too common in our
parts. She pushed and fought and eventu
ally, lo and behold, our tiny town started
recycling.
I’m still drawn to that memory today
because of the sea change that’s taken place.
Today, my daughter is about the same age I
was when my mother waged her recycling
war, and recycling for my daughter is so
well folded into everyday life that
it’s considered odd not to recycle. In
fact, in her school and most
others in our area, both recy
cling and composting are
as natural a part of lunch
as picking up a tray.
As I and other Gen Xers
grew up amid increasing
awareness of our environmental
issues, the task of righting the wrongs
seemed—and still seems—overwhelming.
It’s easy to feel discouraged. And yet, we’ve
managed to infuse environmental aware
ness and sustainability into our children’s
lives. Things might have been messed up
when we came into this world, but gosh
darn it, we can at least do our part to
improve it through our children.
When I had the chance to walk around
Rocky Branch Elementary School in Bogart,
I found a renewed sense of hope. Here,
third grade teacher Shawna McGrath
began gardening with her students about
a decade ago (third grade includes lessons
about plant biology), and the project has
since turned into a schoolwide effort that
includes chickens, a fruit orchard and a rain
garden filled with milkweed for pollinators.
Kindergarteners recycle plastic bags—
weighing and measuring them before they
are shipped off—and in return, the school
gets benches made out of them. First grad
ers plant flowers with high schoolers, while
kids in all grades compost for the gardens,
recycle and learn about the issues facing
monarch butterflies through their newest
garden in a stormwater detention area of
the property.
Oh, and the school’s garden club tends to
the raised-bed gardens throughout the year,
and the produce they harvest is used by the
school’s cooking club to prepare weekly
meals for five local families in need.
While Rocky Branch’s sustain
ability efforts go above and beyond,
it’s also an example of how
teachers and students can
help move the needle in
schools and have a large
impact. Here in Clarke
County, recycling and com
posting are the baseline.
From there, you’ve got gardens,
clubs and student-led projects. Often,
students take on projects—like improving
watersheds on school property at H.B.
Stroud Elementary and St. Joseph Catholic
School—that are folded into what they’re
learning in the classroom. A garden project,
for example, incorporates mathematics
(counting seeds, calculating soil volume and
percentages of its components, time for
growing, etc.), science and even language
arts (students at Rocky Branch keep jour
nals about their plants, for example). The
latest project at Rocky Branch takes it a step
further to involve STEAM components, as
the students use an online tool to create 3D
models of a new rocket ship-shaped garden
bed.
It’s not just schools where kids are think
ing about sustainability. In 4-H, FFA, scout
groups and others, our kids are thinking
Third graders in Shawna McGrath's class at Rocky Branch Elementary show off one of their garden journals.
about the environment and creating proj
ects to make a difference, even if it’s just
among the people they know.
For example, members of Girl Scout
Troop 12199 were concerned about the
amount of plastic in the ocean. So, they
did some research and discovered a way to
help people remember to take reusable bags
to the grocery store. Now, throughout the
year, troop members get together to add
beads to large wire rings (generously shaped
by the husband of troop leader Natalie
Peterson) and sell them as a fundraiser.
The rings—dubbed “baglets” by the troop
members—have helped fund a trip for the
girls to visit the Galapagos Islands later this
year, so they can see firsthand the benefits
of clean oceans.
Peterson says it’s about more than
making baglets, though. The project has
spawned a variety of ways for the girls to
learn—and teach—about environmental
responsibility and sustainability. Troop
members have taken part in cleanups
hosted by Rivers Alive, hosted a booth at
the Athens Water Festival to show how
plastic bags can be woven into portable
seats, visited the county’s water recla
mation center and created movies for
Athens-Clarke County’s Ripple Effect film
competition. “They understand why, and
they come up with ideas,” says Peterson.
“They notice it everywhere.”
When they meet at Jittery Joes, they
even make a point to skip the straws.
It’s been driven into my head over the
years that the only way to make headway
on environmental issues is to get large
corporations to sign on to sustainability
solutions—for Walmart to switch to solar
power, for example, or for manufacturing
plants to commit to zero waste. But upon
learning Rocky Branch’s school-wide theme,
“One Child, One Class, One School,” it’s
helped me reframe the point. Sure, it would
be great if all our industries switched to
solar power. But that takes time. And while
time clicks by, our kids are getting older and
wiser to the ways of sustainability.
It might take longer, but I can see future
generations sitting in board rooms not
asking but full-on expecting their company
to be more green. We’re creating an army
of sustainability experts, which is probably
the army we need for the challenges we’ll be
facing in the future. ©
Conserving 42,000 acres Si
176 miles of rivers and
■streams (and counting) in
£ Geulyia ,
OCONEE RIVER
LAND TRUST
, cjcoriBQr tver land trust-org
\ for more Information on
our events and how to
permanent. 1 y protect your
own land!
SAVE THE DATE
OCONEE RIVER BELLES
BENEFIT CDNCfRF
FEATURINQ ALilSDH BROWK
Visit
MARCH 26THJPM
BRIGHTEN UP
YOUR SPRING
The Athens Land Trust Farm-Share program provides a convenient
way of obtaining fresh, high quality, locally grown and produced
foods. We select the best in-season produce, pack it into a box and
have it available for pick-up or workplace delivery.
/tirm Uncdtort;
The Spring Farm-Share Season runs for 12 weeks, April 8 - June 27
• Small Share (4-5 produce items/week) costs $204 for the 12 week season
• Large Share (6-8 produce items/week) costs $300 for the 12 week season
Add-On Items from Local Vendors:
Eggs, Bread, Roasted Coffee Beans, Jam,
Mixed Flower Bouquets and Honey Get Your Share
We have multiple pick-up days and locations.
Worksite delivery available Wednesday 3 - 4:30pm*
*(with 5 or more orders per workplace)
Traditional or Flexible Payment Options offered.
To learn more or sign up visit: https://athenslandtrust.org/farm-share
or contact Rita at rita@athenslandtrust.org
FEBRUARY 5, 2020 | FLAGPOLE.COM 17
KRISTEN MORALES