Episode 22: Plant Based Diet Challenge

In this episode we share our experience with monitoring river water quality and we provide reminders on having a sustainable Thanksgiving. We are so happy to be restarting our club podcast We Root for Earth with our newest members. The Environmentalist are 6th, 7th and 8th graders who care deply about protecting our environment and making a difference in our community. Join us on our mission to improve the environment! Happy Thanksgiving! ReduceFoodWasteThisThanksgiving

Learn about the consumer waste typically produced on this holiday and what you can do differently.  Be an original gift giver and make your valentine feel special.  Check out all the great ideas we found to have a Valentine's Day that shows love to the Earth too.   Here are two of our favorite ideas: The “Slow Flowers” movement encourages people to buy in-season flowers from small, local growers in the United States and Canada. Instead of roses, you’ll find early-season blooms like tulips, lilac, and hyacinth, grown in protective greenhouse environments to ensure they’re looking their best and brightest. The Canopy Project, is a tree-planting campaign, to offer your loved one a bouquet of trees this Valentine’s Day. #sustainablegifts #sustainablevalentine #lovetheearth

This guide was made by our environmentalists to provide you with great gift ideas that are not only good for anyone in your life but also sustainable.  Check out the following companies mentioned in the podcast. Larq Water Bottle 4ocean Ocean Trash Bracelets Zero Waste Starter Kit Kits are set up fby interest such as pet owner, cook, etc.  They also have some great ways to wrap gifts in a eco-friendly way Pela Phone Cases Reveal Speaker - bamboo solar powered speaker Better Beauty United by Blue Habitat Hotels

We are thrilled to begin our third season with a new group of students.  We have been busy working on two projects which we hope will inspire you to get involved with environmental issues.  You are welcome to compete against us in The Purple Plow Challenge.  Check out their webpage for information about the project.  We Root for Earth!

After months of planning, our project is finally happening!  Hear about our first Habitat Hotels workshop which was a great success.  This workshop taught families the importance of pollinators, why non agressive bees need homes and how to build them.  The workshop was made possible by the support of our local library and by the grant money provided from EarthEcho International as part of our 2nd place win in the OurEcho Biodiversity Challenge. This is the last podcast for our first season but dont worry, we will be back in June to start season two.

In this episode we have students from our 9th period Science Class that are here to talk about invasive species and Illinois prairie. 

We hope you try one of our ideas for making Earth Day a meaningful day for you and your family.  If you are in the Aurora area, we are hosting an Earth Day cleanup on April 24 at Bednarcik Junior High School and would love for you to join us. If you have any questions contact us at [email protected] 

In this episode hear from our team of students who tried a plant based diet for the first time.  Check out our blog posts on Instagram We Root for Earth or lookg at the recipes we tried on our website.

World Water Day, held on 22 March every year since 1993, celebrates water and raises awareness of the 2 billion people living without access to safe water. Students are learning about human impact on our natural resources as they investigate communities around the globe facing a water crisis.  As they put together proposals on how to fix these problems, students are tracking their water use and many have made a commitment to reducing water use.  These are their stories of what they hope to change.

In this week's episode, hear about our new challenge of trying to a plant based diet. In addition, we are joined by guest speakers from the 7th grade science class who share their plans to reduce human impact on the environment in order to protect animals.