Brookside Fifth Graders Help Make the World a Cleaner Place
Students Sell More Than 200 Reusable Bags and Donate Proceeds to Oceanic Global
Baldwin students have decided that one can never be too small to make a big difference in the world. During a trip to Ocean Odyssey, the students at Brookside Elementary School saw firsthand the harmful effects of waste on sea life and the ocean. Inspired, the group of fifth graders decided to work together to help make the world a cleaner place by forming Brookside Cares.
Their first mission has been to encourage the use of reusable bags. The students hand painted tote sacks made of recycled fabric and have been selling them for $4 (or 2 for $6). The money raised will be donated to Oceanic Global, a non-profit dedicated to raising awareness about the devastating effects of human consumption on aquatic ecosystems and “working with leading scientists, conservationists, artists, and industry experts to drive positive change.” Additionally, the totes help address the new single-use plastic bag ban for New York State, effective March 1, 2020.
The students of Brookside Cares, led by their advisor Ms. Morgan Canarick and supported by the Student Council as well as other staff and parents, recently spent a Saturday afternoon at the local Fruit Tree Farm where they successfully sold 200 of the tote bags to customers. This group of environmental activists won’t stop there. They are currently writing letters to local businesses to further raise awareness about the detrimental impact of plastic use and will continue to come up with additional ways to help the environment.