As part of the Alcoa W5 project this year, the Green Team at Castle North Middle School in the USA chose to focus on two themes: Waste and Wildlife. Addressing the Wildlife (or Biodiversity) theme, the students decided to collaborate with The Warrick County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) in order to learn about native and invasive species on their school grounds as well as the best ways to transport at and plant new trees. A good example of Environmental Education in action!
The Green Team worked together with SWCD representatives to remove Bradford Pear trees (an invasive species) and replace them with two Red Oak saplings at the front of the school. Oak trees were chosen because they are a source of acorns, a very nutrient rich food for wildlife, unlike the Bradford Pear trees they replaced. The goal of planting these trees was to promote biodiversity and give indigenous plants more room to grow. Only hand tools were used for the planting and the children were allowed to get involved in the manual labor of the planting.
Susan King, the office manager of the SWCD, explained their reasoning for the collaboration:
“The kids are the future of wildlife conservation, and it is important that we keep educating kids and help them find an interest in preserving nature.”
Representatives of the SWCD explained the way that they plant trees and the new system in place for transporting them. The trees planted at Castle North Middle School have a new patented method for growing saplings before planting: they are put into a plastic sleeve that wraps around the tree to help the roots grow vertically rather than tangled up in a bag. They are also easier to remove as there is simply a zip tie holding the sleeve together. When it is removed, the entire sleeve is lifted off and the job is done.
Addressing the theme of Waste, the Green Team at Castle North Middle School has also been hard at work after school two Wednesdays a month collecting the paper, plastic bottles, and aluminum cans to recycle from classrooms and around the school. All the full recycling bins are great proof that the awareness raising activities at the school are paying off! The recycling bins were purchased with the assistance from the National Wildlife Federation and support from the Alcoa Foundation.
The Alcoa W5 project activities at Castle North Middle School support the following SDGs:
