We hear it almost every day: Our kids are our future. But what does that mean? What does that look like? And when does a common phrase become a sign of action?
For our TREES (Teens Representing Environmental Excellency and Stewardship) students, that phrase is just one of the many ways to describe what they do during this after-school program at Lowell High School.
On Saturday, March 11, TREES students hosted their first-ever Youth Environmental Conference, inviting teens from the Merrimack River Watershed in Massachusetts to meet, talk, learn, and share ideas about how they can work together to protect the Merrimack River watershed.
“We felt that a conference would be the best setting, giving students an opportunity to meet, share their work, and learn more about our watershed,” said Sarah Silva, TREES student and Lowell High School senior.
Sally Farrow, Drumlin Farm Teacher Naturalist and TREES coordinator, has watched these students grow and learn over the last four years.
“From start to finish, the students led the Youth Environmental Conference,” she said. “We’ve had them since they were freshmen, so we’re witnessing this growth—and that was so inspiring to see. This is what gives me hope.”
To open the conference, TREES students hosted a Jeopardy game to get everyone in the mood for the day’s workshops: Urban Open Spaces, Environmental Careers, Pollution, and Water Testing. Among the workshop leaders was Dai Kim of Mill City Grows, who shared his experience with us:
“The world needs more educators, believers, dreamers, and leaders, and what the Youth Environmental Conference did for me has reinstated my believe that we’re going to be all right.”
Participating in the conference was Concord Carlisle High School, Groundwork Lawrence Green Team, Lowell High School Compass W.I.L.D. program, and Girls Go Green from YWCA Lowell.
They began with a service project: Find straw wrappers and clean up the farm! They didn’t have to look very far—they found 37 abandoned wrappers in the picnic area alone. After their cleanup efforts, the students met with our property staff to learn about how trash is handled at the farm, from the trash can to the Lincoln town transfer station. They were amazed at both the volume of trash produced each week, as well as how much can be recycled. They also learned the challenges of waste management at a large facility like Drumlin Farm, especially the problems that result from contamination during the recycling process.
Armed with this information, the boys set about to create a solution, starting with brainstorming and rapid prototyping in Renata’s office and continuing over the next two months. Their final design, “Wrapperz Be Gone,” completely eliminates the plastic straw wrapper in favor of a secure sleeve that keeps the straw clean and can hold the straw after use. Our staff admired the design for its potential to significantly reduce the amount of litter generated by the many school groups and visitors that come to the farm each year, free up time from the property staff in charge of clean up, and keep litter away from wildlife.
In the United States, Flavio switched his pursuits to wildlife education, working as a teacher and raptor rehabilitation assistant at Antioch College’s Glen Helen Raptor Center in Ohio. But the call of New England was growing louder, so after teaching and researching at his alma mater, the University of Vermont, Flavio joined Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary’s Wildlife Care team.