Plastic Free Challenge: Week Two Update

The following blog post was written by Mary Nieting, Community Engagement Manager.

As we settle into the Plastic Free Challenge, members of our team are still finding unexpected sources of plastic. For team member Grace, it was in her kitchen, specifically with cheese. Grace knew that the cheese she was purchasing was wrapped in plastic, but what she did not realize was that there are very limited options for replacing and reducing her plastic waste when it came to cheese. 

To further complicate matters, some local specialty cheese shops wrap their cheeses in cheese paper, a specialty product made out of paper, wax and a layer of polyethylene. Polyethylene is a type of plastic that renders the paper unrecyclable. Since this wrapper is made out of paper, many people think it can be recycled, which ends up polluting our recycling streams.

Around three weeks into this challenge, Spark-Y staff have found everything from plastic-free deodorant and bathroom goods to plastic-free utensils and coffee cups. But we have yet to find a plastic free cheese. Even the bulk cheese at the local co-op is wrapped in plastic. After a bit of brainstorming, we cut to the chase and asked the cheese monger at Eastside Co-op for recommendations. They recommended purchasing in bulk and putting the cheese into a container or beeswax right away. 

Sometimes it takes a lot of creativity to find ways to reduce plastic. Some ideas our team members have had included buying an entire wheel of parmesan cheese or only eating cheese that comes wrapped in wax. Another team member suggested learning to make your own cheese, and another just wished we could all live in France with a neighborhood cheesemonger. This all got us thinking: sometimes plastic pops up in unsuspecting places, which is becoming more and more apparent to us as the month progresses. Overall it feels like we have made success in many areas, but in others (like with cheese) there doesn’t seem to be a realistic alternative to using plastic. I think that is the general purpose behind the challenge - to push  ourselves to find better paths when possible, even if it is difficult, but not giving up just because we can’t reach our goal 100%.

We know that as a society, if we can reduce our plastic usage, we will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save energy. As we have seen this week, it can be more challenging that we originally knew, but the camaraderie I saw this week amongst my peers as we tried to navigate the unforeseen world of plastic wrapped cheese was heartening. And I know that if enough of us contact our local stores about alternatives, we can make a difference. For me, I have my sights set on that wheel of parmesan that will probably last me for years, but one can dream…

Plastic Free Challenge: Week One Update

The following blog post was written by Mary Nieting, Community Engagement Manager, and Pearl Pusiak, GreenCorps Member.

This February the staff at Spark-Y are participating in a challenge from Hennepin County, to reduce the amount of plastic they use at home and at the office. Organizations and businesses throughout the county signup and compete in challenges designed to bring awareness to how much plastic folks are using in their everyday lives. The challenges range from bringing reusable containers to restaurants for leftovers, to reducing the amount of plastic purchased overall, to finding personal care products made without plastic. Teams receive points for each challenge completed. 

Spark-Y was introduced to the challenge by our GreenCorps member, Pearl Pusiak. Pearl recognized this challenge as an opportunity for Spark-y to further extend our teaching and practicing of sustainability, which is at the core of what we do. We teach our students sustainable practices and want to lead by example. This is also a good opportunity for us to audit our own practices and reflect on our impact, both personally and as an organization. 

We started the plastic-free challenge last week, on the first, with about half of our staff signing up. Follow along after each week to see us reflect on the challenge and how it has impacted our lives at home and at the office. 

Plastic has been found everywhere in our environment, from our bloodstream to the ocean floor. While recycling plastic is a good start, reducing our plastic consumption is shown to have a larger, positive impact on our environment. In the state of MN, there is a law that dictates that if you put a plastic that can be recycled into your recycling bin and it is collected, then the recycle facility must recycle it. 

The recyclable plastics are:

• 1 – Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) – water bottles and plastic trays.

• 2 – High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) – milk cartons and shampoo bottles.

• 5 – Polypropylene (PP) – margarine tubs and ready-meal trays.

But there are exceptions to these. Black plastic is not recycled because it is usually a combination of other recycled plastics and plastic can only be recycled so many times. Additionally, black plastic is most frequently used for microwavable meals and those trays contain an additive to make them microwave safe for our health, but that additive does not get recycled. There are many other exceptions and deterrents that keep our plastic waste from getting recycled. 

The best way to impact this cycle is to stop using plastic as much as possible. And this is where the challenge comes in. Hennepin County has an online platform (check it out - here) where our team members have signed up for a variety of activities and tasks that will help them remove plastic in areas of their life. Each day we report back on the efforts we have made. 

Our Community Engagement Manager Mary signed up to reduce plastic use in the kitchen. She says, “I was finding myself using a lot of plastic in my cooking - purchasing frozen vegetables in plastic bags, buying foods that came in plastic that I could otherwise buy in bulk. I acquainted myself with a few local options for buying in bulk (we have plenty of co-ops and even bulk markets - Tare, Eastside Co-op, Wedge Co-op-  to name a few here in Minneapolis). The first week was rather slow as I have a lot of plastic already in my kitchen cupboards and freezer, but I am bringing more mindfulness to the grocery store when I go out.”

As our team continues in this challenge, we hope to bring awareness to the rest of the office, other organizations we partner with, and with the people around us. While this is called a challenge, it really feels like something that we can strive towards everyday, competition or not, to propel our mission of sustainability. With the community outreach we do, it just makes sense that we work to be an example of sustainability. It starts with us and ends when we have made an impact on our community and the earth. 

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 1. Microplastics Have Been Found In The Human Bloodstream. (2022, April 8). Henry Ford Health - Detroit, MI. https://www.henryford.com/blog/2022/04/microplastics-in-human-bloodstream

Why Sustainable Education Is Crucial for the Next Generation

The following blog post was contributed by
established education blogger, Alyssa Abel.

In today’s changing environmental climate, society needs eco-innovation and a sustainable focus more than ever before. Social movements and innovative initiatives are one way to push environmentalism to the forefront of our world, but we have an even better tool at our fingertips — teaching students how to live sustainably.

Today’s educators have a crucial responsibility in terms of sustainability education. It’s essential to raise the next generation into eco-conscious, self-sufficient world citizens who understand the immediacy of environmental responsibility. Youth programs like Spark-Y are embracing hands-on environmental education — and more need to follow.

Sustainability education encompasses all school subjects and extends far beyond the classroom. It gives students real-world skills they can use to improve the planet. It provides today’s children with the self-sufficiency they need for tomorrow. It offers them a deeply engraved understanding of why the environment is important.

Here’s what sustainability education teaches students — and why educational environments should make it a priority.

1. Interdependence Between Humans and the Environment

The environment provides our nourishment, sustenance and shelter, giving us everything we need to survive — and yet its part in human lives is increasingly ignored.

Trees provide lumber, food sources and oxygen, and they support various ecosystems in addition to humans. The water cycle would fall to disruption without them, causing extremes like droughts and massive flooding. And yet forests have declined by 32% since the rise of the industrial era, with 15 billion cut down every year. Deforestation also accounts for 13% of global fossil fuel emissions.

The ocean also makes our survival possible by regulating weather patterns and producing more than 50% of our planet's oxygen. But it has become increasingly polluted with plastic, oil and toxins, killing off the marine life keeping the world afloat.

While modern society too often strays from nature, humanity and the environment are inextricably intertwined — and to prevent further carelessness and damage to our ecosystem, it’s important to show students that. Teaching theoretical environmental science might be a start, but giving children the chance to experience the concept firsthand is infinitely more effective.

Through sustainability programs like Spark-Y’s Urban Agriculture Lab and school partnership programs, students have the hands-on opportunity to explore how humans and the environment sustain each other. Operations Director Caitlin Barnhart explains how working directly with an edible garden space allows youth to “harvest produce, explore the edible landscape, and often have their very first experience with home-grown food.” This kind of firsthand experience allows students to make a physical, profound connection between the environment and their way of life.

Barnhart with her 2019 Summer Interns

2. The Balance Between Environment and Society

Teaching adolescents how to identify environmentally friendly companies — and develop their own sustainable business endeavors — can lead to a more eco-friendly societal future. Consumers of decades past often didn't know how business and production affected the Earth, but that's changing fast.

Sustainability affects the economy as much as it does ecosystems. In turn, modern society has a marked impact on the environment. When it comes to building a better, greener future, business practices are the place to start — which makes sustainability-focused business education like Spark-Y’s LEEF classes (Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Environment, Future) especially important.

Spark-Y Lead Educator, Sarah Pilato

As sustainability educator Sarah Pilato says, hands-on environmental education encourages students to “explore the real world…outside of their classroom and how they as individuals can have an impact on it.” Programs like these teach current students and future leaders the three pillars of ESG — environment, society and governance — so they learn how to balance and approach them in their own futures.

Already, millennial and generation Z consumers are more willing to spend on eco-friendly products. Three-quarters of millennials have changed their buying habits, looking for sustainable products to support the environment. By offering current youth the opportunity to develop an understanding of sustainable entrepreneurial and agricultural practices, educators can make the upcoming generation even more eco-actionable.

3. Sustainable Life Skills

Environmental programs like agriculture labs and sustainable projects encourage students to re-think their relationship with the environment and develop eco-friendly skills and habits for their futures. Kids will learn to grow their own food, conserve resources and choose sustainable products — but early sustainable education can also have a profound impact on their life pathways.

Many colleges are now offering sustainability degrees and majors in related fields. Students who pursue green majors seek careers as biologists, environmental scientists, researchers and much more. Agriculture, energy and manufacturing are popular fields for sustainability, as they are always looking to integrate eco-friendly processes. Giving kids a head start with early sustainable education will do more than instill sustainable life skills — it may also help prepare them for successful careers.

With an interest and career path in environmental studies, students can open green businesses, join eco-friendly companies or influence existing organizations to revise their current strategies. Sustainable initiatives like Spark-Y’s project-based internships develop leadership abilities, stress the value in collaboration, enhance communication skills and drive sustainable thinking — potentially inspiring students to pursue sustainable careers of their own.

Images: Spark-Y Microgreens grown by youth for sale to local co-ops, restaurants and CSAs. Youth designed and built the timber-frame aqauponic growing tower.

4. Respect for the Planet

Earth is the only home the next generation has — and learning more about it is essential to keeping it alive.

Respect for our planet means learning its history, functions and what it needs to prosper. What children learn in school shapes them for the rest of their lives. Starting early with sustainable education teaches kids why the environment is important, how it should be treated, and how they play a crucial role in the future of its existence.

Increased respect for the planet means less littering, polluting and wasting of resources. It means more sustainable habits and efforts to conserve resources. More than anything, it means a mindset rooted in commitments to environmental change — a mindset that is cultivated and solidified early on.

5. Future Preparation and Adaptation

Today's planet won't be the same only decades from now. Predictions don’t bode well, but education can both prepare students for future changes and give them the tools to prevent further damage. If teachers, professors and parents educate their students now, we'll give them the ability to survive in an unknown future landscape. More importantly, today’s students may go on to become future scientists, researchers and activists who will work to protect our resources.

Environmental education equips students to navigate a changing environment with the proper knowledge of self-sufficiency, science and conservation.

Creating a Better Future

Before their involvement in a Spark-Y program, only 41% of students believed they had the power to affect change. After their experiences with hands-on environmental education, 94% believed they could change the world. Wouldn’t it be something to see that initiative reflected in schools and programs across the nation?

The world is changing — and with it, we need to change our approach to the world. By emphasizing environmental themes and sustainability education in schools, we can do more than give the next generation the tools they need to take on environmental change — we can give them a better future.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alyssa Abel is an established education blogger with a special interest in new learning methodologies. Read more of her work for students and educators of all levels on Syllabusy.

Winter 2018 Program Updates: Tending our Garden

The following blog post was written by Education Director, Cecelia Watkins, on current school programming partnerships and what’s ahead for the second half of the school year:

The 5th graders wait patiently in a circle, eager anticipation painted across their faces. They’ve sat through the introductions and the safety instructions, and they’re ready to get their hands on something. Gabrielle, a Spark-Y Sustainability Educator, numbers them off into five groups and encourages them to hold their group number on their fingers so they won’t forget.

“Group 1 will be with Cece, measuring our lumber. Group 2 will be with Carley, using the chop saw to cut our lumber. Group 3 will be with Andrew to use drills and assemble our system and Group 4 will be with me learning about seeds and aquaponics. Group 5 will be with Sam, also assembling the system. We’ll switch stations every 15 minutes. Okay everyone, go to your station leader!” The circle scatters into five groups, and the room is suddenly transformed from an ordinary classroom into a Spark-Y building zone. Eight hours later, the classroom is equipped with a fully constructed aquaponics system.

The incredible thing about the Community School of Excellence is that this didn’t happen in only one of their 5th grade classrooms: it happened in all of them. All five 5th grade classrooms at CSE now have their own youth-built aquaponics system. Over the course of the school year, this classroom will cycle water through their system, grow food, and connect their work to the broader community. This 3 phase model is where Spark-Y shines: Design/Build, Grow, Connect. There’s no doubt that these CSE students will remember their time with Spark-Y for years to come. In 2018-19, we’re scheduled to build the following brand new, permanent systems with youth:

• 5 aquaponics systems

• 10 raised bed gardens

• 2 vermicomposting systems

• 1 hoop house

• 1 grow tent

• 1 myco-remediation system (spore bank and fruiting chambers)

In the first three months of the school year, we’ve already built 3 aquaponics systems, 7 raised bed gardens, and the grow tent. If we continue cranking out systems at this pace, we could easily double the number of sustainable systems we’ve planned to build this year.

Except for one thing: this year, we don’t want to focus on building as many new systems as possible. Building something new is exciting and honestly, it’s relatively easy to generate funding and resources to support new builds. But what happens to those systems the following year? How about the year after that? And what about the next batch of CSE 5th graders?

The other week I found myself asking a group of students at Prairie View Elementary School if they knew what the word “sustainable” meant. These are especially bright kiddos, and several raised their hands to reply: “It means you can keep it going,” one said. Exactly. What if we were to measure our success not by how many new systems we build each year, but instead by how many we nurture to the point of thriving?

Prairie View students learn about the system they’re inheriting and plant new seeds.

This is our third year at Prairie View Elementary, and they are one of several school programs that we call “Systems Partners.” These are schools where we’ve decided to prioritize the health of existing sustainable systems, and empower the regular school day teachers to integrate the systems into their day to day curriculum. The reality is that it doesn’t make sense for Spark-Y staff to be in every classroom every day or every week. Another reality is that Spark-Y has been cranking out sustainable systems for years now: a lot of our school partners already have aquaponics systems, vermicomposting bins, and school gardens. What message can we send about sustainability if we don’t prioritize taking care of the incredible gifts we’ve inherited?

In 2018-19, we’re planning to empower 1,400+ youth in regularly occurring programs and another 500 in one-time events and workshops. The vast majority of these students won’t be building something new; they’ll be improving and expanding on systems that already exist. The students in Edison High School’s EASYpro (Edible Agriculture Schoolyard Professional) class will be re-building a defunct portion of their aquaponics system to allow them to produce microgreens for their school cafeteria. The students in Roosevelt High School’s Urban Farming class expanded their rain garden and the students at Northeast Middle School will be revitalizing the vermicomposting bins that fell into disuse. Spark-Y staff and Columbia Heights students are working closely with the Blooming Heights garden coordinator to re-shingle the garden shed and repair old cold frames.

Above: Roosevelt students add new perennials to the school rain garden, including American highbush cranberry.

In addition to those daily and weekly Spark-Y programs, this year we are supporting five “Systems Partners” schools, including Prairie View Elementary. Ensuring that the seeds we’ve planted across the Twin Cities are growing and healthy makes Spark-Y a true gardener of sustainable systems. It also gives me hope and energy as we embark on entirely new partnerships, including:

• Leading multiple full day Spark-Y intensive programs through the Columbia Heights Recreation Department during school breaks (piloted this October during MEA days)

• Facilitating an On the Job Training program for youth aged 18-24 with legal history through a partnership with Summit Academy; empowering these students to gain industry-recognized Food Safety certification and supporting them in obtaining meaningful employment

• Working with Edison youth in the DCD (Developmental Cognitive Disabilities) program on the school’s sustainable waste stream management through recycling, composting and bioremediation

Columbia Heights Rec Department student Jacoby and the Hydraulic Arm he built in a 3 day Spark-Y program

This year we’ve decided to invest some time in strengthening Spark-Y’s foundations. In addition to tending existing sustainable systems in 12 schools across the Twin Cities, we’re taking a deep dive into developing and polishing our curriculum and organizational systems. We want to streamline our processes, document best practices and make sure that we do can be replicable. We’re challenging ourselves as a staff team to take the quality of our programming to the next level by integrating restorative practices to our behavior management plan, connecting our curriculum to broader school units, and linking our activities to MN state standards. When the 5th graders at the Community School of Excellence are in the school’s Justice unit, their Spark-Y days will be filled with food justice and watershed protection activities. When they go to take the Science MCA test at the end of the year, they will be equipped with hours of Spark-Y facilitated, hands-on experiments leveraging their in-class aquaponics systems. In the long run, the investments we make in quality and care of our systems--whether they’re meant to produce food, empowered youth, or both--will pay off by allowing us to not only achieve our mission, but keep that impact going.

Northeast Middle School student hangs out at the square foot gardening activity table when he was struggling to follow power tool safety directions during Garden Build Day. Within minutes of beginning this hands-on activity he went from angry to calm and proud of his work.