Garibaldi secondary students participated in fun, environmentally focused activities last week to celebrate Earth Day.
The Garibaldi Green Group organized the April 16 event, which included rock painting, planting seeds, a plant sale, face-painting and temporary tattoos, snacks, board games and screening of the enviro-themed movie Over the Hedge.
“It was a successful event,” said teacher Moein Ferdosian, who sponsors the Green Group along with teacher Helen Carelse.
“The Green Team organizes activities to educate and encourage staff and students to make greener choices.”
Some Green Team initiatives include working with cafeteria staff to offer veggie lunches, providing pen/marker recycling boxes for classrooms, transforming the courtyard, and with the help of Keith Stewart and his carpentry class building a greenhouse and planter boxes to start growing veggies.
Ferdosian feels optimistic about the environmentally focused culture they are building at the school.
“I think today’s youth have the opportunity to build personal and collective futures that have the environment as a major focus in daily activity. I think a dedication to saving the planet is the end goal of our group, but the means to get to that end is to, step by step, build habits that are personally, socially and environmentally conscious,” he said.
Garibaldi’s Green Group is already planning for an even bigger Earth Day celebration next year.
“We are hoping to expand our network and to invite other schools to our activities.”
