Willow kids are making a difference in environment
By Stephanie Bertholdo bertholdo@theacorn.com

Students at Willow Elementary School in Agoura Hills are saving the planet, one cloth grocery bag at a time. About 40 fourth- and fifth-grade students participate in the school's Kids FACE (Kids For A Clean Environment) Club.

The students grapple with a variety of environmental issues, but a signature project seems to be gaining steam. This is the third year students will sponsor a grocery bag design contest. Students compete in spring to have their winning designs emblazoned on cloth tote bags, which are sold for $5 apiece.

The cloth totes are reusable, unlike plastic grocery bags that take up space in landfills, having never made it to a recycling plant.

"The tote bags are great," said Lauren Smith, a parent representative for the club. "They are really strong and can hold a lot of food. I use seven to 10 every time I go to the grocery store."

Last school year, 225 cloth grocery totes were sold, raising more than $800, Smith said. Seventy-five bags are still available for purchase.

"Most people use paper or plastic (bags), but the real answer is neither should be used," said Jackie Paul, president of the club. "The bag to use is a cloth bag. You can reuse it and it doesn't harm the environment."

Maddie Dingman, the club's secretary, agrees. "I joined . . . because I wanted to help save the earth and the things that live on it," she said. "There are a lot of animals, such as the polar bear, that are becoming extinct because the ice they live on is melting. But we can help save them by using our resources wisely."

Money earned from the bag sale and other environmental programs at the school is used for field trips to the Thousand Oaks Botanical Gardens, Ballona Wetlands, aquariums and other destinations.

Donations are made to organizations that club members find worthy. Last year Kids FACE gave funds to the California Wildlife Center, Heal the Bay, the Cornell Preservation Organization and Heifer International, a nonprofit group that helps communities purchase farm animals for sustainable living.

"If anything (sold by the students) goes into the ocean, it won't kill the fish," said Arianna Ghovanlo, a fifthgrader who, along with Taylor D'Ambrosio, serves the club as covice president. Marine creatures sometimes mistake plastic bags for food and many die from ingesting them.

Kids FACE also runs a recycling program. According to Principal Garry Galvan, recycling bins are located throughout the school. Last year, more than 1,600 pounds of recyclable material was collected, which earned about $100 each month, Galvan said.

The money was donated to Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and a fund to assist the family of Hodari Bowen. Bowen, who worked in maintenance at the school, was killed last year in a car accident.

The school's environmental efforts also fund the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium program for fifth-graders.

Club members have discussed topics such as plastic versus paper, global warming, energy-efficient light bulbs, and substances that shouldn't be allowed to go down the drain, Smith said.

"Kids FACE is a good club because it teaches that kids can help the environment all by ourselves . . . it teaches us to recycle," said Tyler Smith, a fifth-grade officer with the club. Tyler's design was one of three chosen for the last batch of cloth totes. His slogan was, "We're all a part of this world . . . keep it clean."

Designs by students Lindsey Herbert and Jackie Paul also adorned last year's grocery bags. Lindsey's winning entry said, "Have a heart . . . recycle," and Jackie's bag sports the message, "We love the Earth, so recycle."

"I really wanted to help out the environment and save the earth from global warming," Taylor said. This year's first Kids FACE meeting is scheduled for Tues., Oct. 9.

Parent representative Smith said children will focus on the ecological footprint, including resources of land and water used to support human life.

"The human demand on nature- most kids don't really think about how much they use every day, so we let them know the impact from that," Smith said. "It's a fun way to start the conversation about conservation."

In addition to the tote bags and an annual T-shirt sale, the Kids FACE club will produce a newsletter and hold a reusable plastic cup sale.

For information, e-mail Smith at smith-lauren@sbcglobal.net.