At the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year, Metropolitan Water District provided a grant to Grades of Green which helped our Youth Corps Eco-Leaders install a native garden on campus to save water! You can read the Manhattan Beach Sun article about their garden by clicking here, or you can view the PDF version here.
Interested in joining our Youth Corps Eco-Leadership Program and taking on an environmental activity of your own? Email us at info@gradesofgreen.org or call our office at (310) 607-0175 for more information! Applications for the 2017-2018 program are open until September 15, 2017.
6th graders Maxine and Elise started the 2016-2017 school year with a vision to create a drought tolerant garden at their middle school. The girls joined the Grades of Green Youth Corps Eco-Leadership program, and made their dream come to life! The power team worked with their administration for approval and to select a location on campus for the garden. After months of fundraising, creating a plan, meeting with district maintenance members to get the garden up and running, and researching the best plants to include in their garden, the M.E. Garden was born! The M.E. Garden stands for mindfulness and education. The drought tolerant garden was created to compliment the science teacher’s curriculum, and includes a variety of drought resistant plants that serve as pollinators, while being native to the area. Maxine and Elise followed the National Wildlife guidelines on creating a drought tolerant garden, and received a National Wildlife Certification for the garden! Interested in leading an environmental activity at your school like Elise and Maxine? Applications are now open for the 2017-2018 Youth Corps Eco-Leadership Program – click here to learn more!
Grades of Green celebrated Earth Day by attending the 25th annual Earth Day Celebration at Polliwog Park in Manhattan Beach! The event featured booths with aquarium touch tanks, soy candles, and just about everything in between. Thanks to volunteers from the Manhattan-Hermosa Chapter of the National Charity League and Youth Corps Eco-Leadership students Rylee G., Noah S. Carter C., Elise Y., Nadia W., Johanna J., guests at the Grades of Green booth had the chance to either spin the Grades of Green Jeopardy Wheel and learn fun facts about the environment or take a pledge to help the environment.
Youth Corps Eco-Leadership students were even invited to give presentations on the Eco-Education stage! Johanna J. spoke about her research on vegan diets and how they impact the environment, Emily H. spoke about the Green King and Queen competition she set up at her school, Nathalie A. spoke about her earth hour event, Nadia W. spoke about her lesson on ocean pollution, and Elise Y. spoke about her work on installing a native garden on campus. To top it all off, Grades of Green Youth Corps Eco-Leadership students Allie K., Elise Y., and Maxine F. even received Environmental Hero awards from V.O.I.C.E.! Interested in becoming an eco-leader? Click here to learn more about Grades of Green’s Youth Corps Eco-Leadership program. Interested in keeping the spirit of Earth Day going all year long? Click here to register and unlock Grades of Green’s 40+ Activities to see ways you can make your school community more green!