 Cop30: Helping the Protectors of the Rainforests. How do we know if we are eating rainforest beef or filling up our tank with fallen trees or mangroves? by Natalie Pace On Nov. 12, 2025, dozens of indigenous protesters forced their way into the COP30 climate summit venue. Why? According to the ANMIGA organization, “There is no climate justice without the participation of guardians of the territories and life on the planet.” Indigenous leaders and warriors are actively protecting the lungs of our planet on the ground and want to be a part of the decisions that are made at the COP conferences. While they are far away in geography from us, the reasons rainforests and mangrove wetlands are being destroyed lie very close to home – in our refrigerators and gas tanks. There is a lot of power in the people, once we understand how our consumer choices ripple around the world. Here are the things I’ll cover in this blog. What is causing the destruction of rainforests? Why are they being burned? How can we best support the people who are protecting the rainforests? How can we make sure we are not eating rainforest beef or destroying the lungs of our planet with our way of life? Which companies are destroying rainforests and mangroves or distributing products that are not sustainably sourced? What is the difference between grass-fed vs. soybean and grain-fed cattle? Won’t doing the right thing cost more? And here is more information on each topic. What is causing the destruction of rainforests? Why are they being burned? National Geographic’s 2022 film The Territory offers a behind-the-scenes look at the struggle between indigenous people who protect the Amazon Rainforest and live a sustainable existence there from the opportunists who burn down the trees to raise soybean and grain-fed cattle to sell to the world. The U.S. is the 2nd largest importer of Rainforest (Brazilian) beef, after China. Much of Brazilian imported cattle is used for burgers at fast food joints and ground beef at the grocery store. However, rainforests and mangroves are also threatened for other reasons. According to the investigative reporters at the Pulitzer Center, collagen, predatory fishing and fossil fuel extraction are also first-world obsessions that are root causes of deforestation. You can watch a 3-part docuseries on the mangroves and rainforests of Brazil and the Congo Basin at EARTHDAY’s Tree Tales playlist. There will also be a livestream Nov. 17-19, 2025, on EARTHDAY’s YouTube, Facebook and X accounts. How can we best support the people who are protecting the rainforests? Awareness starts the journey. Do we know:
The Pachamama Alliance is a great source of information. Get more informed on how we can be the change (since the top-down approach isn’t working), by reading my book, The Power of 8 Billion: It’s Up to Us. The added upside of getting eco-smart is that we can save thousands annually and spend it on things we like a lot more than gas stations. Let’s spark the Power of the People.  How can we make sure we are not eating rainforest beef or destroying the lungs of our planet with our way of life? Once we understand how our choices drive the demand that fuels the destruction, we can embrace more-informed habits that support the solutions and conservation. We can choose:
As an example, I’m taking a few days off for a local staycation for my birthday. It’s an hour-and-a-half drive or a 2.5-hour train ride away. I’m taking the train because in addition to being CO2 smart, I can work, instead of navigating freeways, gridlock, rain and road rage. It requires a little more planning but will likely be more enjoyable and will definitely be more productive. Which companies are destroying rainforests and mangroves or buying products that are not sustainably sourced? According to Forest500.org and Earth.org, here are some of the companies that are the most responsible for deforestation, along with some of the partners that buy and distribute their products. The companies include Cargill, Wilmar International, JBS, McDonald’s, Burger King, Walmart, Ikea, Korindo Group, Yakult Honsha Co. Ltd, Starbucks, Yum Brands and Ahold Delhaize. When we think about oil and fossil fuels, any company that is manufacturing or using single-use plastics is a problem. All the major oil companies either make plastic or profit some way from plastic, rubber, asphalt and polyester, in addition to the sales of gasoline and natural gas. According to the Minderoo Foundation, and the Plastic Pollution Coalition, the top plastic polluters include ExxonMobil, Dow Inc., Sinopec, Aramco, LyondellBasell, Reliance, Chevron, Coca-Cola and Pepsico. Have you kicked your own single-use habit? Can we pressure our celebrities to stop normalizing the daily drink and toss coffee fix? Learn more about reducing plastic in my Earth Gratitude Plastic blog.  What is the difference between grass-fed vs. soybean and grain-fed cattle? According to WebMD.com, grass-fed beef has up to six-times more heart-healthy Omega-3 fatty acids, with fewer calories and fat per gram, than conventionally raised cattle. Other more significant nutrient concentration includes CLA, vitamins and antioxidants, without the antibiotics and hormones that are typically needed to raise conventionally grown feedlot beef. Pasture-raised livestock is also considered to be the more humane option. Regenerative agriculture incorporates livestock in a holistic, organic system that draws down CO2 and stores it in healthy soil, in addition to the nutrient-dense produce that can be grown. Watch the Common Ground film on Amazon Prime to learn more about this exciting solution. Won’t doing the right thing cost more? Health is the best health insurance. Most of us are spending thousands (if not tens of thousands) annually on health insurance premiums. When we factor in the health costs of fast food and environmental toxins, compared to eating nutrient-dense, clean food combined with exercise, fast food can be one of the most expensive choices that we make. It’s a classic example of being penny wise and pound foolish. There are ways to save thousands annually on life insurance premiums, while leaning into a healthier lifestyle. I encourage you to read my blog on Health Savings Accounts. Some of the savings that would have gone to make the health insurance company executives rich can instead be invested in food as medicine that will pay dividends in a better quality of life, with fewer doctor visits. There are also ways to save on food costs and promote nutrition in our kids through community and student gardens. Read my blog, “Gardens, Not Grass,” for more information, including links to organizations that make this easy for us. We also link to many green orgs and NGOs on the Contributors page at EarthGratitude.org. Bottom Line Eat Local, Organic Food Rainforests are burned down in Brazil to make way for industrialized, soybean and grain-fed cattle production. About 1/10th of the beef currently imported into the U.S. is from Brazil, with China being the top importer of Brazilian beef. If we are not eating local and organic, we are very likely eating rainforest beef and Cancer Alley chicken. In addition to razing rainforests for cattle, the worldwide shipping culture creates more demand for fossil fuel extraction. If you haven’t heard about Cancer Alley, that’s worth researching more about. The chemicals used in industrial chicken and pork farms flow into the Gulf of Mexico creating an enormous Dead Zone where little to nothing can survive. If the toxins are that bad for sea life, how can it possibly be good for humans? Can we grow our own food to save money? At Compton Community Garden, families rent a garden box and grow most of the produce that a family of 4 needs for a few hundred dollars each year. (Click to read a blog on that project.) A lot of community gardens have a master gardener who offers free or low-cost courses. Student garden curriculum can be found at the Edible Schoolyard project and in Edd Moore’s 100 Ideas for Primary School Teachers.  H.M. King Charles III with children from Damers First School in Poundbury, England. The gardens were planted by eco coordinator and author Edd Moore. Learn more about eco schools in the Earth Gratitude docuseries. Email [email protected] if you have any questions. Please use #EarthGratitude and tag us on Instagram.com/Earth_Gratitude and Instagram.com/NatalieWynnePace, so that we can like and share your green posts. Read my book The Power of 8 Billion: It’s Up to Us to learn more ways to live a rich and green life. Check out the 5-part docuseries at EarthGratitude.org for information on:
Watch our Earth Gratitude videos and download your free e-books featuring the world's most respected experts on conseration and sustainability, including H.M. King Charles III (when he was The Prince of Wales), H.H. The Dalai Lama, H.M. Queen Diambi, Sia, Ed Begley Jr., XPRIZE, Wangari Maathai, Elon Musk, Arianna Huffington, The Duchess of Northumberland, Deepak Chopra,EARTHDAY.ORG, Ron Finley, the NRDC, Global Green, Lynne Twist, Green Our Planet, Life is Good, Master Sha, Leon Krier, Kiss the Ground, Nathalie Kelley, Alice Waters, The Edible Schoolyard Project, The Pachamama Alliance, WildlifeDirect and more.  Natalie Pace in a green silk blouse. Photo by Marie Commiskey.
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 Gardens, Not Grass. 8 Compelling Reasons to Make the Switch By Natalie Wynne Pace In regions suffering from persistent droughts, like Southern California, there is a new movement that offers greater beauty, budget savings, organic food, pollinator havens and even your own personal Eden – turning your grass into a garden. With water scarcity issues challenging how states will share their rivers, aquifers and fresh water sources, creating resilient gardens isn't just smart—it's essential. Gardens featuring native plants, vegetables, and drought-tolerant species can even offer fire resilience, in addition to lower costs of food, maintenance and utility bills. The benefits of planting a garden and native plants also apply to areas that get a lot of rainfall. Free produce, less mowing and pruning, no toxic chemicals — all of these benefit us as humans, as well as the pollinators and other animals that are so important to our food supply. Here are eight key reasons why gardens are more beautiful than grass. 1. Massive Water Savings to Combat Drought Grass lawns guzzle water, often accounting for up to 60-70% of household outdoor use in arid areas. Replacing them with gardens can slash that dramatically: for every square foot of turf removed, you save about 44 gallons of water annually. Native or drought-tolerant gardens use up to 85% less water than traditional landscapes, once established. In Southern California, where rebates incentivize turf removal ($3-7 per square foot in some districts), this shift directly eases pressure on strained supplies. Learn more in The Regenerative Landscaper by Erik Ohlsen.  2. Financial Relief on Water Bills and Beyond The monetary perks are tangible. Watering a typical lawn can cost $8-16 monthly for a modest yard, but a native garden might drop that to just $0.20-0.40. (If you capture your grey water, such as with a simple hose from your washing machine to the yard, the costs are even less.) Add in the labor and maintenance savings, as you’ll have no need of anyone mowing the lawn, no reason to purchase expensive and toxic pesticides and herbicides, and less time will be required for pruning and irrigation. Broader rebates from programs like California's Water$mart can reimburse thousands for conversions, turning upfront effort into long-term savings. 3. Fresh Produce to Offset Family Grocery Costs Home gardens yield organic vegetables, saving hundreds each month on food bills. US families of four often spend around $100-200 monthly on fresh fruits and vegetables alone, part of broader grocery outlays nearing $1,000. Edible gardens provide nutrient-rich harvests like tomatoes, herbs, and greens, potentially saving hundreds annually while promoting healthier eating, without all the single-use plastic associated with grocery shopping. In drought areas, drought-resistant veggie varieties thrive with minimal input, turning your yard into a cost-saving asset. Whether you plant gardens at home, at school, at church or in an empty community lot, “growing your own food is like printing your own money,” according to the Gangsta Gardener Ron Finley. Learn more about growing your own food from: The Edible Schoolyard Project The Ron Finley Project Compton Community Garden (free gardening classes from master gardener Dr. Sherridan Ross)  H.M. King Charles III with children from Damers First School in Poundbury, England. The gardens were planted by eco coordinator and author Edd Moore. 4. Native Plants: Tailored for Local Resilience Southern California's native plants, like sages, buckwheats, and ceanothus, evolved in the region's dry climate, requiring little irrigation after establishment. They boast deep roots that access groundwater efficiently, preventing erosion and thriving without chemicals. Unlike imported grass, which struggles in heat and demands constant care, natives create low-maintenance oases that enhance biodiversity and adapt to erratic weather. 5. Boosting Pollinators and Wildlife Native gardens are pollinator havens, attracting bees, butterflies, and birds with nectar-rich blooms year-round. California's 1,600+ native bee species prefer these plants, improving fruit set in edible gardens and controlling pests naturally. Grass offers no such habitat, but a diverse garden supports the food web—from insects to birds—fostering resilient ecosystems amid habitat loss. 6. Navigating the Colorado River Water Wars The Colorado River, lifeline for Southern California, faces dire shortages: Lakes Mead and Powell are critically low, with snowpack at just 23% of median in early 2025. A 22-year megadrought, worsened by climate change, has sparked "water wars" among seven states, with allocations cut by millions of acre-feet and negotiations tense. Gardens reduce water demand, easing interstate conflicts (hopefully) and preventing federal interventions (potentially) that could further restrict supplies. 7. Environmental, Financial and Aesthetic Superiority Beyond utility, gardens cool urban heat islands, filter stormwater, and sequester carbon—benefits grass can't match. They offer vibrant, varied landscapes that evolve with seasons, unlike monotonous lawns. In drought zones, this shift promotes sustainability, supports local economies through rebates, and builds community resilience. Some areas are promoting food security through gleaning programs that distribute organically grown produce to those in need. 8. Native Trees The color green is a mood enhancer, as is walking in nature. City temperatures can be reduced on average at least 10°F by having more trees and green space and less concrete and asphalt. Trees provide shade, reflect sunlight (instead of absorbing the heat as urban jungles do) and cool the air through evapotranspiration. They also provide homes and sanctuaries for birds. Bottom Line Embracing gardens over grass isn't about sacrifice. It's about thriving in harmony with our home planet, while also having a lot more money in our budget that we can invest and spend on things we like a lot more than bills. With birdsong, butterflies and organic food dancing in our yard, chances are we’ll even have more of a lilt in our step. This will inspire our neighbors and community and transform our world. Email [email protected] if you have any questions. Please use #EarthGratitude and tag us on Instagram.com/Earth_Gratitude and Instagram.com/NatalieWynnePace, so that we can like and share the progress you are making on turning grass into gardens in your own yard and community. Read my book The Power of 8 Billion: It’s Up to Us to learn more ways to live a rich and green life. Check out the 5-part docuseries at EarthGratitude.org for information on:
Watch our Earth Gratitude videos and download your free e-books featuring the world's most respected experts on conseration and sustainability, including H.M. King Charles III (when he was The Prince of Wales), H.H. The Dalai Lama, H.M. Queen Diambi, Sia, Ed Begley Jr., XPRIZE, Wangari Maathai, Elon Musk, Arianna Huffington, The Duchess of Northumberland, Deepak Chopra,EARTHDAY.ORG, Ron Finley, the NRDC, Global Green, Lynne Twist, Green Our Planet, Life is Good, Master Sha, Leon Krier, Kiss the Ground, Nathalie Kelley, Alice Waters, The Edible Schoolyard Project, The Pachamama Alliance, WildlifeDirect and more.   Li & Jonathan Watkins in Poundbury, England. Photo by Natalie Wynne Pace. World Car-Free Day, September 22. On Monday, September 22, 2025, people around the world will leave the car in the garage and get around on bikes, public transportation and by walking. So, can you go a day without a car? A week? The great news about doing this on September 22 each year is that it gives us a visceral understanding of the physical health benefits of walking and biking, including improved air quality and even mood enhancement. Perhaps the best upside is that we can save thousands in transportation costs if we are able to make our lives less dependent on single-occupancy vehicles. Have you ever taken the time to add up just how much you are spending on your car? 7 Benefits of Walking or Biking to Errands (Including Saving Thousands in Our Budget) Save $10,000 or More Every Year Transportation is The Biggest CO2 Contributor Health & Obesity Why Our CO2 Footprint is 3X as Large as Many Europeans and 10X That of Africans Air Quality Pollinators, Parks & Trees Cooler Summers And here is more information on each point. Save $10,000 or More Every Year The average person could save up to $10,000 or more, simply by getting rid of their car. When you add up the cost of the car payment, the fuel, the car insurance, maintenance, parking and parking tickets, many of us are spending a lot more than we might realize on transportation. Many cities are making it easier and safer to get around by biking or walking, especially for local errands. In Santa Monica, California, former Santa Monica Mayor Ted Winterer had 5 bikes and only 1 car for 4 adults in the family. The savings were dramatic, even though they took rideshare or rented cars for destinations that they couldn’t get to easily on public transportation, or by walking or biking. Learn more in my interview with Ted Winterer. What would you do with an extra $10,000 more each year in your budget? Surely there is something we love more than visiting the gas pump. Transportation is The Biggest CO2 Contributor Transportation is the biggest CO2 contributor, and is why Americans, Australians, Canadians and people living in the Middle East have a CO2 footprint that is 3X more than most Europeans and over 10X more than most Africans.  Source: EPA.gov Electric vehicles can reduce CO2 emissions, if they are powered by solar, or if the car owner lives in a green state that is powered by renewables rather than natural gas or coal. Visit SpotForCleanEnergy.org to check out the power generation sources of your state.
However, electric vehicles do not solve the problem of gridlock (waste of time) or traffic accidents. Vehicular accidents are the largest contributors to teen deaths. Amsterdam wanted better air quality and safer roads back in the 1970s. The movement was led by mothers who were grief-stricken and horrified at the number of children who were being killed by frustrated, aggressive drivers.  Amsterdam gridlock in the 1970s. By making biking the main mode of transportation in Amsterdam, the air is cleaner, roads are safer, and citizens are healthier, as a result of getting more exercise. In 2023, about 16% of adults were obese in the Netherlands.  A mother commuting with her kids in Amsterdam. Health & Obesity In the US, obesity is an epidemic. According to the CDC, 73.6% of American adults are overweight and 40.3% are obese. The U.S. spent $3.8 trillion on health care in 2019 – 17.7% of our GDP. This is far higher than any other country – with worse outcomes. Exercise is an antidote to so much. Active individuals are less likely to suffer from many of the diseases that plague people who struggle with obesity. Physical activity also reduces the risk of depression. Why Our CO2 Footprint is 3X as Large as Many Europeans (and 10X That of Africans) Africans have the lowest CO2 footprint per capita, followed by Europeans. China gets a lot of flak for having the highest total CO2 emissions in the world, but on a per capita basis it’s lower than the United States, Australia, Canada and the Middle East. In 2022, China's per capita CO2 emissions were 8.89 tons per person, which is significantly less than the 14.21 tons per person in the United States, 14.99 tons in Canada, 15.01 tons in Australia, 18.89 tons per person in Saudi Arabia and 35.48 tons/pp in Qatar. China is also the factory to the world. So, our consumption choices are part of their CO2 problem. Trucking goods around the world is also a major CO2 contributor. If we look at a map of all the trains that are available to Europeans for travel, it’s easy to see why many Europeans have such a low CO2 footprint. Many European cities are walkable and increasingly available to bikes. Most have a very popular and affordable metro system, as well.  Air Quality Milan, Italy was recently named the most walkable city in the world. However, in my recent trip to Milan, which is a city anybody would love, the air quality was one of the worst in the world – registering unhealthful for all three days that I was there in March of 2025. Why is that? Milan is surrounded by many factories and livestock farms, in addition to being in a valley, which traps the pollutants. Trucks, tractors, and Perelli tires are manufactured near Milan, among other auto parts. Any city with a lot of ICE* vehicles, factories, or conventional livestock farms, is going to have poor air quality. The more that we can make it easy for people to shop for local errands close to home without jumping in a car, the better air quality we’re going to have. Working from home also has the advantage of lowering CO2 emissions on the commute, as well as giving workers extra time in their day. Finally, whenever we purchase anything, it is a good idea to think of the product from cradle to grave. How much CO2 did it require to make the product? What communities are suffering as a result of that? How far did the product travel before showing up on our doorstep? Can we extend our notion of car-free on Sept. 22nd to not having anything delivered to us? *Internal combustion engine Pollinators, Parks & Trees Creating walkable communities often leads to planting more trees and native vegetation. The color green is a mood enhancer, as is walking in nature. Plants and trees absorb CO2 and provide more oxygen. Pollinators and birds can thrive when their shelters and food sources are prolific. (We need them for our food.) And there is one other huge advantage to having more green space in our community. (See below.) Cooler Summers City temperatures can be reduced on average at least 10°F by having more trees and green space and less concrete and asphalt. Trees provide shade, reflect sunlight (instead of absorbing the heat as urban jungles do) and cool the air through evapotranspiration. Bottom Line If we can all go one day without a car, maybe that will inspire us to make it easier and safer for us to walk and bike, at least for local errands, in our own communities. Once we start enjoying the extra money in our budget, the cooler summers and the cleaner air, we might find ways to champion cleaner transportation options. Will you go one day without a car on World Car-Free Day on September 22? Please use #EarthGratitude and tag us on Instagram.com/Earth_Gratitude and Instagram.com/NatalieWynnePace, so that we can like and share your reel! Read my book The Power of 8 Billion: It’s Up to Us to learn more ways to live a rich and green life. Check out the 5-part docuseries at EarthGratitude.org for information on:
Watch our Earth Gratitude videos and download your free e-books featuring the world's most respected experts on conseration and sustainability, including H.M. King Charles III (when he was The Prince of Wales), H.H. The Dalai Lama, H.M. Queen Diambi, Sia, Ed Begley Jr., XPRIZE, Wangari Maathai, Elon Musk, Arianna Huffington, The Duchess of Northumberland, Deepak Chopra,EARTHDAY.ORG, Ron Finley, the NRDC, Global Green, Lynne Twist, Green Our Planet, Life is Good, Master Sha, Leon Krier, Kiss the Ground, Nathalie Kelley, Alice Waters, The Edible Schoolyard Project, The Pachamama Alliance, WildlifeDirect and more.   Plastic Free July Tips What are you doing to celebrate #PlasticFreeJuly? Are you aware that less than 9% of plastic gets recycled, or that the process is highly toxic from cradle to grave, from extracting oil, leeching microplastics, plastic pollution, forever chemicals, et al.? Did you know that plastic and polyester (and vinyl, asphalt, rubber, etc.) are all oil products? The more we know, the more we can make meaningful change. Adjusting our habits is easier than we might realize, and so much healthier for us personally, for our families and Mother Nature (upon whom we depend for our lives, nutrition, adventure, etc.). Here are a few tips you might consider.
Use #EarthGratitude and tag us on Instagram, X and Facebook with your tips and suggestions. Also, check out our 5-part docuseries at EarthGratitude.org with the following episodes:
       Queen Elizabeth II greets students from Damers First School in Poundbury, England, which is one of the greenest schools in the world. 11-Point Green Checklist for Schools Written by Natalie Pace and Edd Moore. With a special shout-out to former Damers Head Teacher Catherine Smith, who is now with The Harmony Project. Catherine always found a way to support sustainability, including making room in the site plan for a kitchen, where the children can cook food they've grown and eggs they've gathered in their hen house. There are so many upsides to going green at school. The students will be more engaged, and eat healthier food. Many schools can save hundreds of thousands of dollars annually, which can go for enhancing the curriculum, such as adding instruments and a music program, and other resources that make learning more fun. Some schools create and sell sustainable products to raise funds for their next green goal. The children at Damers First School in Poundbury, England used proceeds from their compost and Waxtastic No Plastic product to put in a pond and nature area. Even better, there are organizations that have already done the heavy lifting of creating standards-based curriculum, crowdsourcing funding and showing that all of the green tips below can be achieved over a carefully-crafted multi-year plan. Below is the 11-Point Green Checklist for Schools 1. School Garden 2. Nature Area 3. Healthy, Local and Organic Food 4. Plastic Free 5. Recycled Paper 6. #NoExcuseForSingleUse 7. Composting 8. Energy Audit: Energy Efficiency, Human Behavior 9. Walk or Bike to School 10. Integrating Sustainability Throughout the Curriculum 11. Solar Power? And here is more information on each point. School Garden School gardens offer hands-on study that can span the spectrum, from science and math, to cooking and language arts. Kids who grow their own vegetables like eating them. While touring The Edible Schoolyard in Berkeley, California, my middle school guide confessed that her favorite thing to eat was kale pesto! Dr. Sherridan Ross, a co-founder of Compton Community Garden, loves telling the story of a kid who gathered up a t-shirt full of peas to take home with him after sampling one that he was initially unwilling to stick in his mouth. Green Our Planet’s student-run farmer’s market is the largest in the nation, and raised over $22,000 in 2023! Nature Area Does your school have a carpet of grass, or is it xeriscaped with native plants? Green Our Planet taps county funds to eliminate grass in Las Vegas schools, and then uses the proceeds to set up student gardens. According to Ciara Byrne, the co-CEO and co-founder of Green Our Planet, over 50 million gallons of water is being saved each year by 200 schools in the area. Native plants offer important biodiversity lessons in science that fly off the page. Will butterflies visit your native milkweed plants? Identifying native wildflowers and trees is important for children. In learning about nature, they also learn from nature. Year 1 Damers First School students recorded what they discovered from their own Nature Area using a Nature Journal, documenting what they found in drawings, notes and “I wonder” questions. They then used this knowledge to teach their family and friends about what they found in other places around their community. Students also took guests on a tour of the grounds naming and giving facts about what was growing. This was all part of the Nature Premium Trial by the Harmony Project to encourage children to get out into nature. Damers First School was given £1000 to use as part of this project. The findings will be shared with U.K. The Department of Education with the view that all schools across England will get funding to help children get out into nature. Healthy, Local and Organic Food Are you concerned about the nutritional value of your child’s lunch? After ripping up concrete to set up permaculture gardens, Chef Alice Waters, the founder of The Edible Schoolyard, donated recipes that the kids use to cook their own food. While transitioning from heat-and-serve meals that are served on disposable plates will require more than planting a garden, your child’s health is worth the attention, activism and diligence of your PTA. Plastic Free I joke that the most powerful green lobby in England is the 4-9-year-olds at Damers First School in Poundbury, England. Through letter writing to the companies that deliver their food (language arts skills), the students were successful in getting their food delivered without all of the excess plastic covering. Watch the Damers video at YouTube.com/@EarthGratitude, if you’d like to learn more about the awards and stellar success that Damers has had with its Green Checklist. After getting rid of more than 90% of the plastic at their own school, they went out into the community to convince business leaders to do the same. Tom Amery, the CEO of Brace of Butchers, was inspired by the students to create Naked Brace, a shop that sells bulk goods and produce, including milk that is dispensed in your own reusable glass bottle, without plastic. Recycled Paper The NRDC has graded toilet paper companies in the below Report Card.  Using recycled toilet paper is important to preserving our forests and trees (which are some of the best and only CO2 drawdown machines we’ve currently got). Schools go through a lot of paper, which should be recycled at the point of purchase and after use. #NoExcuseForSingleUse Less than 9% of plastic gets recycled. In the U.K., over 16 billion single use paper cups are disposed of each year. That means 6.5 million trees are razed, 4 billion gallons of water is wasted and enough energy to power 54,000 homes has to be drained. Globally, the total is estimated to be a staggering 500 billion cups that are used and tossed annually. Middle and high schoolers should know these facts. Elementary school students (and all of us) should know that there is no excuse for single use.  Composting Food thrown in the garbage ends up as methane in a landfill – a gas more harmful than CO2. Compost is not just green, as in sustainable. It can also raise funds for the school. Whether your school establishes a Compost Row, like The Edible Schoolyard (click to watch a short instructional video), or purchases a compost machine like Poundbury has, there’s a lot to learn and a lot to gain by turning food scraps into a soil enricher that can be used in the Student Garden, in addition to the gardens of the parents, teachers and administrators at the school. Energy Audit: Energy Efficiency, Human Behavior School energy auditors use STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) when they are educating everyone about best energy practices, and holding them accountable. Optimistic, fun and informative signage can also encourage students to do the right thing. Auditors can identify areas to improve every day sustainability, in the quest for saving money, becoming more energy efficient, and getting closer to net zero. 11-year-old Isla Lester (a former student of Edd Moore, the eco coordinator at Damers First School) has become such a respected green youth leader that she opened Earth Day in Poundbury, heads up her own school Waste Warriors eco-club, is the U.K. Ambassador for Funky Kids Radio in Australia, and has been featured on BBC Bite Size Radio. Students that join eco clubs, volunteer to be energy auditors and grow, harvest and prepare their own food and meals become the sustainability experts of tomorrow, while gaining confidence and improving their health. Walk or Bike to School Many students live within walking distance of their local school. Are parents taking advantage of that? The health benefits are profound and important, particularly since obesity has become a crisis in America, with 20% of students obese (and 42% of adults). Additionally, 28% of CO2 emissions come from transportation. So, getting kids out of the car (and the dreaded carpool lineup) and onto their bikes and scooters is a triple win for the planet, the family budget (less gas expenditures), and personal health.  Integrating Sustainability Throughout the Curriculum Creating greater harmony with our home planet is a theme that can weave throughout all of the school curriculum. The Harmony Project, which is based out of the U.K., offers teacher training and standards-based curriculum, with the aim of “putting sustainability and Nature at the heart of learning.” Solar Power? If you live in a sunny place, then consider powering your school with solar. Electricity is expensive and is only going to get more so. The sun has been offering power at the same price for millennia. With the low price of solar panels and the benefit of government incentives, the payback time on solar can be as low as 4-7 years. Thereafter all of the money that would have made the utility company rich can now benefit the teachers and students. Resources There are free ebooks, videos and other resources at EarthGratitude.org. Many of the organizations mentioned in this blog offer outstanding models for your school to adopt. Bottom Line If: * Ron Finley and Compton Community Garden can create Eden in a food desert, * Kids at the Edible Schoolyard can grow, cook and delight in their own kale pesto (Alice Waters’ recipe!), * Damers First School students can eliminate plastic in their school and community, compost their food waste, harvest apples from their trees, build a nature area and power with solar and anaerobic digestion, Imagine what is possible in your neighborhood! Edd Moore and I co-hosted a free videoconference on these 11 Green Tips for Schools. Watch it back at YouTube.com. Feel free to reach out to our team at NataliePace@EarthGratitude.org if you’d like me to speak to your PTA about this School Green Checklist. Please be sure to put School Green Checklist in the subject line. Edd Moore is also available for private consultations. You can reach him directly at any of the ways listed below. Get to Net Zero with Edd Moore https://www.facebook.com/GettoNetZero/ Edd Moore LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/edd-moore-a0369b86 Email: [email protected]
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