b'Cultivating our Youngest Earth KeepersTeaching grade-school students (and their parents) sustainable practicesBY MALIA RULON HERMANDuring an Eco Star Assembly on Zero Waste, students were asked to decide which of the two actors on stage was not making waste doing everyday activities. Photo credit: South Mountain Elementary PTAL iving a sustainable life is not just forpact. After attracting the support of several teachersFuturetopicscouldincludestormdrainsand grown-ups.and the administration, it transformed into a serieswherethewaterfrommeltingsnowgoes,orthe JustaskthestudentsatSouthofschoolassembliesdesignedtopresentcomplexenvironmental impact of eating a banana from Ec-Mountain Elementary School, whereenvironmental topics to children through student- uador. Madiba, who has a second grader at South a new program called Eco Star has be- acted skits and engaging flyers.Mountain, said she hasnt seen these kinds of envi-gun teaching students concepts suchThe goal is to inspire awareness, classroom dis- ronmental topics taught to young children in an in-as zero waste and energy conservation.cussions,conversationswithfamilymembersandstitutionalized wayand shed like to change that.I used to use plastic juice boxes, wrote a second- neighborsand change.Shesnotalone.Environmentally-mindedpar-grader, Pacey. When I saw the Eco Star assembly, IAt present, says Eco Star co-founder and parentents across the district have been meeting to share felt bad for the planet. I started to use my reusablevolunteer Georgia Madiba, The focus around beingideas, strategies and plans for how to introduce these water bottle. green seems to be teaching the kids to pick up trashconcepts into their childrens education. The idea is The Eco Star program, now in its second year, be- and recycle. We wanted to move beyond that. Weto work together to promote positive environmental gan with a few parents and a take-home journal thatwant to teach the kids what we can do so that wepracticesand teachingin district schools.detailed ways to make a positive environmental im- dont have so much trash to begin with. I thought there must have been other parents 28/ matters magazine / hearth & home 2020'