Nicodemus Wilderness Project -- Global Registry of Apprentice Ecologists

Wednesday February 27, 2008

I am a junior in high school and I am taking an environmental class which teaches me about the environment and the different reactions which cause global warming, pollution and how our actions can multiply the harmful affects that we cause to our world. I thought of being creative this year, and instead of planting trees, or picking up trash, I decided to get a whole bunch of adult and student volunteers to teach them about the environment and small things to protect the environment while passing on the word to others. It is important to note that knowledge lasts much longer than just cleaning up a park, or planting trees. If we teach students at a young age and show them how the environment works, gets protected, and how our actions as humans affect the environment can have devastating consequences in the future, we can provide a safe environment for years to come because then this crucial piece of knowledge gets passed along to future generations.

First, other adults and I set up a whole bunch of chaperons that had expertise in their field. For example, we had 8 teachers, 5 environmentalists, 15 chaperons, and almost 80 students! The teachers had expertise ranging from biology, chemistry, environmental studies, physics, and even marine biology. We also had 5 adults who worked for our county who were willing to teach the students about the land and the water with the many animals and plants living in them, such as mangroves who one of the environmentalists taught prevents flooding in Florida and also cleans the water, provides homes for plenty of animals, and also puts nutrients into the environment.

In the end, it was a success and we picked up trash and planted a tree but most of the activity was to teach the students about the environment. Lessons were from water safety all the way to recycling. The students, chaperons, and adults learned how to keep the environment safe, clean, and also steps to keep a healthy environment. We also learned that you can teach students, clean trash, and plant a tree while having fun. I provided an example for our community, and now we are thinking of doing this activity for years to come, but also fulfill a deep promise of keeping our environment safe and healthy from pollution, contamination, and deforestation.