By Kara Patman
Staff Writer
Two Costa seniors planted a seed in a local environmental program by creating a greener campus community.
Manhattan Beach parents founded Grades of Green in 2009, a program of youth corps and advisors who promote environmental awareness. Grades of Green has spread to all Manhattan Beach Unified School District schools after having a successful impact on Grand View Elementary.
Fueling the initiative at Costa, seniors Natalie Hoag and Riley MacDonald use their positions as historian and co-chair of Grades of Green to implement changes.
“As members of the youth corps, we were tasked with creating a project to work on throughout the year,” Hoag said. “We noticed that Costa was the perfect place to focus our efforts.”
The organization has an interactive online program that provides students, schools and parent volunteers with instructions to over 40 hands-on recycling activities they can implement at their schools. Grades of Green also sends advisors to coach schools and mentor select students to become environmental leaders.
“This is the second year of our two-year Comprehensive Waste Reduction program through recycling,” Grades of Green advisor Jan Dunbar said. “Riley and Natalie have done a wonderful job implementing the program and have made an impact in our community. I love the passion and goal of Grades of Green to make environmental protection second nature in kids’ minds. ”
Last year, Hoag and MacDonald organized the installation of new recycling bins at Costa. Now, over 60 percent of lunchtime trash from Costa’s 2,500 students is being recycled on a daily basis, although the ultimate goal of 100 percent effective recycling has yet to be reached.
Hoag and MacDonald have also been working to recruit new members to the program. To join the initiative, students can complete an application for Grades of Green to become youth corps.
“I’m very pleased knowing that we make a difference at Costa,” Hoag said. “I hope we inspire other students so the program grows even after we graduate. For now, we mentor younger students at the elementary level. It’s super fun to see their excitment for helping our environment.”
Both Hoag and MacDonald look forward to Grades of Green’s annual fundraiser, “Verte,” which not only raises funds but also awareness. They had the opportunity to be red carpet hosts, interviewing celebrity guests including Suzy Cameron, John Landau and Zooey Deschanel.
After, they created short videos for the Grades of Green website to show how these celebrities help the environment. The film will air at the next “Verte” event this Spring.
“Our activities inspire and empower students as we work to make a difference in our community and even the world,” MacDonald said. “I hope Grades of Green continues for generations to come and that we can make our community cleaner and greener.”
Leave a Reply