Growing GreenÂ
Around the World |
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| Grades of Green Students Making an Impact |
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 | | Grades of Green facilitated an international sister school connection in partnership with This Little Light Africa in spring of 2022. During this time, Mary Bragg Elementary in Cerritos, California connected with Government Secondary School Tundunwada located in Abuja, Nigeria. Through videos, emails, and live Zoom meetings, students from both schools were able to create meaningful one-on-one connections while learning about the beauties of each other’s cultures. The students also worked on an environmental project together as they learned from each other and grew. Due to the vast differences in living environments, the students at GSS Tundunwada required desks in order to complete their daily classroom routines, in addition to flora to beautify their school. The students at Mary Bragg Elementary helped their new companions fundraise enough money to purchase 50 desks, 50 chairs, 20 almond trees, and 500 flowers. This partnership is only expected to grow and we cannot wait to connect more students across the world to work towards a greener future. |
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“I cannot express in words how much they make me happy! Those sweet smiles! My kids are proud to help and already can’t wait until next year!”
- Kerry Flores, Mary Bragg Instructor
“I learned about all of you through your video and you are all amazing!”
- Mary Bragg Student |
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“This is quite heartwarming. This act of love exhibited by these children is very humbling.”
- Eucharia, GSS Tundunwada Instructor
“You all have great dreams and you all are great at singing and dancing!”
- Justin, Mary Bragg Student |
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Don't forget – we've teamed up with Jack Johnson on his 2022 Summer Tour as an All At Once Non-Profit Partner! This means that the Johnson Ohana Foundation is matching donations with us up to $2500 and one lucky supporter will score two tickets to Jack Johnson's concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on October 1st or 2nd! Learn more here, and donate by September 1st to be entered into the drawing!
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| All At Once is Jack’s social action network connecting nonprofits with people who want to take action and give back to their community. All At Once promotes sustainable & equitable food systems, plastic free initiatives, healthy watersheds, and more! |
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| Grades of Green is grateful to have wonderful volunteer interns who are passionate about the environment and looking to make real world impact. Let's introduce you all to our newest 2022 summer volunteers! |
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| Allie was born and raised in the South Bay. Participating in Grades of Green Trash Free Lunch Program and Green Team in elementary school kickstarted her passion for sustainability. She’s now a sophomore at UC Berkeley majoring in Society and Environment. She is passionate about food and plastic waste and how we can educate our community about these issues. |
| Jack Joslin is from San Diego, California. Jack loves spending time outdoors in the ocean and the mountains. The time he has spent outside ignited a passion in him for protecting the places he loves and learning about them. He graduated from Montana State University in 2021 with a degree in Environmental Studies and is now keen to begin working towards environmental solutions. Jack is especially passionate about food and water resources and the vital role they play in the health of our planet. |
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| Toolkit of the Month: Tree Planting |
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Grades of Green students were ecstatic to get their hands dirty this year, planting 5,719 trees from California to Kenya. These trees are vital to sequester carbon, produce oxygen, provide an ecosystem for other plants and animals to thrive, and to beautify local schools and communities. Join Grades of Green’s Eco-Leaders and follow our Tree Planting Toolkit to make your neighborhood greener for everyone. |
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| Environmental Issue Spotlight |
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| This month, we want to highlight an issue at the forefront of environmental protection and climate change: deforestation. Home to many of Earth’s living creatures, forests are an important natural resource that not only benefit humans, but also help to protect the environment against climate change. Due to activities such as illegal logging, resource extraction, and large-scale clearing of land for agriculture, forests are shrinking fast. According to the World Bank, we’ve lost about 1.3 million square kilometers in the last 25 years, an area larger than the size of California and Texas put together. Tropical rainforests, one of the most vital and biodiverse ecosystems, are especially at threat. On the bright side, many groups of people are banding together against this issue. Environmental activists have spoken out against the threat of deforestation, and many organizations have dedicated themselves to restoring and reforesting affected areas while protecting vulnerable ones. Our own Grades of Green Eco-Leaders have protected a whopping total of 31 acres of rainforest in Ecuador this year! It’s important to keep up the good fight, and we’re always so proud of our students for their efforts to protect forests, plant trees in their own communities, and work together for a greener environment! |
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| One of our Eco-Leaders who has paved the way for rainforest protection is Justin Sather. He has been protecting the Amazon in Ecuador for the last two years in an effort to save his favorite animal, the Chachi Tree Frog. |
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| Celebrate Global Eco-Leaders with a Donation |
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| Help us continue to support our students as they take action to address the climate crisis in communities across the world! |
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