Our ninth meeting - all about snow and logos

A couple of themes were tackled at this months meeting, snow and logos. The snow aspect was inspired by the wicked winters we get up in the Canadian prairies. It is usually very cold with lots of snow, and this winter was a typically harsh one. Although winter doesn't stop us from having fun (see our eight meeting) it certainly influences everyone's lives for a large part of the year.

Before jumping into the snow, we had a sharing circle and then touched on the environmental news of the day. We discussed how Barrack Obama had just be re-elected and made some good promises to do some positive things environmentally. One can always hope! Next we discussed the digging into Lake Vostok, a lake 3,400 meters deep, in order to perhaps find alien life on our planet.  We finished off with some jaw dropping picture of areas that have gotten too much snow.

On the topic of snow, defined what exactly snow was and we touched on the fact that snow was melting unusually quickly in the north pole causing all sorts of problem for people and animals. Although I had intended to talk more on this subject I had lots planned so had to move on.

Next discussion item was about eco logos. First I had explain was logos were and we focused on eco logos that are commonly seen everywhere. We discussed which logos were legitamate and which were not. Why would there be illegitamate ones? Because companies want to make there products look better than they are, or want to charge you more for nothing. Because of this, we need to be educated consumers - hence the discussion!

In order to learn and test our knowledge I made up a game for people to vote on whether they thought the logo was legitimate, and finally what they thought the logo meant. It was great fun and the kids were all very involved. I've attached the game and answers to this blog post.

As if this wasn't enough, I squeezed in a game to get the kids moving. Everyone lined up along the wall. Upon each answer they got a chance to take one step. First person to reach the furthest wall wins.  The questions were based on a mix of trivia and whether they had good eco-friendly habits. (questions in french below)

Excited kids, learning going on, having fun - another successful club meeting :-)

Eco Logo Game

• Game questions:
• Recycle l’interieur du rouleau de papier de toilette
• A donné une infraction
• Ou sont trouvé les poissons bizarre...
• Demandé pas de sacs à un magasin
• Mange les graines de pamplemousse
• Trivia
• Ferme les lumières avant de quitté la chambre
• Adopté un animal sans maison
• Nom de notre premier ministre
• Nom du ministre de l’environment (Peter Kent)
• Portes du vert
• Laisse pas l’eau couler quand brosse les dent
• A porté le linge de quelqu’un d’autre “hand me down”
• Le nom du lac en antarctique
• Brosse les dents avec une branche d’arbre
• Trivia
• Fait un jardin ou planté quelques choses
• Symbole de recyclages est...
• Tirer un mauvais herbe à la main
• Été en bicyclettes
• Trivia
• Réutilise sac le magasin
• Marche à l’école
• Utilise papier recyclé pour imprimante
• Fabrique vos propres bijou

Our eight meeting - snow sculpture

This month we spent our club time outside participating in a snow sculpture competition.  We worked in harmony as a team for 2 hours sculpting a dolphin!  (of course :-))  I was quite impressed at how hard working everyone was and how eager everyone was to help out and contribute.  Below is the result; what do you think?

Our seventh meeting - Electronics

Our last meeting was quite an exciting one where Steve, the local recycling hero, showed us how he takes apart electronics into the constituent parts for recycling.  At the end of our meeting I asked for ideas for a theme for our next meeting and everyone yelled out Electronics!  So, guess what the theme was this time!?  You got it :-)

After the handshake we got to the news.  First we discuss how IBMs Watson AI computer is being used to diagnose disease - nice!  On a less positive note we talked about the forecast that by 2017 we will be burning more coal than petroleum - yikes.  One of the reason is that countries like Germany have bowed to pressure to no longer use nuclear, kudos to them, unfortunately they still need energy so are turning to coal to fill the gap.  To dampen the depression caused by this news I finished with the discovery of one of the cuties animals ever found, the Slow Loris.  It's a real cutie but quite vicious actually, and on the vulnerable list because people want them as pets (and cruelly remove the teeth as a result).

After our trip outside to check out our environments we got on the topic of electronics.  First was the Lapka, a bolt on tool/app for iPhone that allows you to take various environments measures.  Neat.  We then talked and looked at videos about flexible OLED screens that will be coming out and changing things up again.

The next bit was a bit of a gamble for me because I didn't want to bore or scare the club but I thought this movie was absolutely an eye opener for anyone interested about our planet.  It is a movie call Manufactured Landscapes which discusses the work of a Canadian photographer called Edward Burtynsky.  The imagery is phenomenal and somewhat disturbing; the damage we are incurring on our planet has no limits it seems.  I had seen the movie a while back but screened it again and took note of the more interesting and palatable moments and jumped around to this spots in the movie.  This allowed me to keep things short and censored for the kids.

To finish off I showed and video and discussed 3D printers.  First I made sure everyone understood what the 3 dimensions were and then discussed the machines and showed a video.  These things stand to revolutionize a lot of things.  The kids were fascinated!  I tried hard to find someone to come and give a live demonstration of one but couldn't find anyone.

I had gone overboard a bit on this meeting as I also included a craft where we cut out and created booklets of environments fines we can give out when we see someone doing something bad for our earth.  I had fun making these (the bar code makes it look official eh!?) and the kids are having fun giving them out.  A few dads got some fines and weren't terribly impressed but were good sports about it.  It's hard to spread awareness without ruffling a few feathers :-)

I finished off with a beautiful song from Xavier Rudd that hits the spot with regards to words and tone and the integration of natural whale songs in the score.  This was a doozie of a meeting, rich with meaning and well received.

Xavier Rudd - Creating a Dream

Imagine every where was free to roamImagine if the trees could tell us where to goImagine that the sun could fill each lonely heartimagine confrontation never got a startimagine things will were always crystal clearimagine if the mind never interferedimagine we could fly with broken wingsimagine if the heart could shed it’s skin
please patience please patience please I’m creating a dreamplease patience please patience please I’m creating a dreamImagine sacred sights were left to beImagine if true activists controlled tvImagine captain watson had the final sayImagine if industry just had to obeyplease patience please patience please I’m creating a dreamplease patience please patience please I’m creating a dream
[ From: http://www.metrolyrics.com/creating-a-dream-lyrics-xavier-rudd.html ]

Our sixth meeting - recyling

Recycling was the theme of this months meeting and I had a special treat lined up with the topic!

After the standard opening club handshake I started by sharing some observations from a recent vacation we took to Minneapolis.  We noticed first of all that there was no sign of any recycling going on at the hotel we stayed at.  We weren't impressed.  We discussed how we absolutely loved shopping and eating at Whole Foods.  We just can't wait for them to start spreading across Canada!  I also handed out a bunch of cards we found at the zoo which indicates which fish are better to eat than others from an ecological impact perspective.  The kids appreciated the cards and also the fair trade chocolate I shared with them ;-)

Before moving on to the news portion of the meeting, I shared with them my experience at the Xavier Rudd concert.  It not only was entertaining and moving (this guy is awesome) but resonated a lot with the principles of the club.  Stretched across the top of the stage was a Sea Shepards flag, obviously showing his support of Captain Watson and his crew.  I took the opportunity to talk about Sea Shepards and also using stage time and a fan base in order to educate people about the environment.

News items this meeting included that scientists found ice on Mercury (who would have thought!), that the acidification of the oceans due to increased CO2 in the atmosphere is slowly weakening the shells of seas life, and a discovery that some flowers attract and feed ants because the ants chase away insects that would be bad for the flowers - cool cooperation.

Today was a field trip day to a local store owner who took it upon himself to become a recycling depot  for items such as CDs, batteries, electronics, and even bottle caps!  He collects all of these items and stores them until he has enough to bring in and sell as scrap metal.  He was just around the corner so we headed out of for a quick walk to pay Steve a visit.

Steve showed up the various bins he had set up and then brought us to the back where the most interesting part of his work was.  He takes used electronics and strips them of they're various recyclable components such as plastic, metal, and glass.  He demonstrated how he takes apart a computer monitor in a few minutes, all the while speaking to the security precautions he takes because of all of the heavy metals involved.  The kids were enthralled the entire time!  At the end of the demonstration we gave him 3 hip-hip-horrays for doing this and left inspired by someone who was working to better the planet even though it was not profitable for him to do so.  Steve, a local eco-hero!

Our fifth meeting - Globalization

This was our first meeting after the summer holidays and everyone was excited to be back together again.  To open things up we went around the circle to give everyone an opportunity to share anything of interest regarding the environment.  Many had stories about trips to the wilderness and animals seen.  Others discussed the garbage they noticed or incidents when they noticed someone littering and polluting.  The sharing circle is important because it helps club members learn more about each other and gives them a forum to discuss things that excite or disturb the members with people that are empathetic and understanding.

The planet checkup had a number of interesting items including:

• A garbage island in the pacific as large as the country of France. There is a smaller but similar island in the Atlantic. I showed pictures and discussed some personal observations I made regarding tossing garbage in the ocean while I was on a trip in India.
• Conflict between monkeys and people in the Congo due to human encroachment on the monkeys environment. I discussed how such conflicts are a typical result of population growth and the lack of respect for animals and the environment.
• Blue honey in France. This was especially interesting because a bio-diesel factory (good) had stock piled lots of old M&Ms as biomass but the local bees took a liking to the sugar in the candies and ending up creating multicolored honey. Unfortunately the honey wasn't fit for eating so was wasted. Sometimes even with good intentions you can't predict negative consequences to your actions. Thankfully the company ended up storing the candies in a shelter to prevent the problem from happening again.
• We finished the news with amazing content winning nature photos. Notice that I started with the worse news items and worked towards more positive, being sensitive not to cause anxiety in the kids.

After the short meditation outdoors, we tackled the theme of globalization which is quite a big subject to cover is a very short time with young people.  I started with defining what globalization means and how it often leads to homogenization which was another definition we tackled.  Homogenization was easier because I referred to homogenized milk and how the fat in the milk is mixed into the rest of the milk so that it doesn't separate anymore and all of the milk looks the same.  I discussed how sometimes having everything 'the same' results in loss of community and culture (I had to define this as well).  Globalization can often lead to a loss of diversity so I looped back to our prior discussions on bio-diversity.  Judging by the questions asked the discussion went exceedingly well.

All that brain time needed to be balanced with doing so I brought a roll of newspaper print end (you can get them super cheap at big printing outfits) and rolled out a long piece of paper for a group drawing session.  We all huddled around the paper together and each drew something that we like about our community, something that makes it unique, or something that makes it special.

While we were working we listened to the song of the month from Les Colocs called La Rue Principal.  This is a great band from Quebec that has the knack of taking serious subject matter but making fun music out of it.  In this song, they lament that the main street of the town they grew up in has been transformed due to immigration and an influx of big corporations (e.g. MacDonalds) and they reminisce fondly at how there town used to be.  (Words included below)

After the craft we discussed ideas in the action box and finished thing off reading a story book called The Most Dangerous Animal in the World  which turned to be none other than man :-)

In my little town we were just four miles

Pis the main street was called St-Cyrille

The co-op, the gas bar, the credit union, the mortician

And general store

When I go back it hurts so bad

A bomb was dropped on main street

Since the shopping centre went up

The t'other day I brought my beloved

To show that this is where I was born

When he arrived v'la me beautiful joualvert

It seemed to Val-Jalbert

When I go back it hurts so bad

A bomb was dropped on main street

Since the shopping centre went up

One of these days I'll go back

With my bulldozer

And the mall are going to spend

A bad time

Before the shopping center went up

On the high street it was more alive 

Of kid on a bicycle, cousins ​​visiting

It was packed with people like in Africa

When I got back its pathetic

Alls gone wrong on main street

Since they've been built the McDonald

One of these days I'll go back

With my bulldozer

And the mall are going to spend

A bad time

In my little town we were just four miles

Pis the main street was called St-Cyrille

The co-op, the gas bar, the credit union, the mortician

And general store

When I go back it hurts so bad

A bomb was dropped on main street

Since the shopping centre went up

One of these days I'll go back

With my bulldozer

And the mall are going to spend

A bad time

In my little town we were just four miles

Pis the main street was called St-Cyrille

The co-op, the gas bar, the credit union, the mortician

And general store

When I go back it hurts so bad

A bomb was dropped on main street

Since the shopping centre went up

The shopping center, the shopping center,

The mall ...

Our fourth meeting - Action and Results

At the last meeting we chose our goal of adopting a dolphin with the funds we would raise.  We ended up proceeding as planned and doing a bottle drive in the local town.  Well, it was a complete success as we raised over $300 in just a couple of hours!  We were well organized, worked in teams, and were graced with reasonable weather.  Everyone was pumped to be actually working towards our goal and we had lots of help from the parents too.

We adopted a dolphin via WCDS, an organization out of the UK that monitors and protects sea life.  Through the adoption we got a nice letter thanking us for the donation, the name and picture of a specific dolphin, and some stickers that I shared between the club members.  It was great to see the results of the adoption and feel good about it inside but at the same time I felt it necessary to have something concrete like a photo or stickers that the kids could touch and go home with.  The bunch I have is very open and aware so I don't think they 'needed' to have something material come back from the adoption but it was nice to have nonetheless.

So the theme of this meeting was of action and the environment.  After discussing and celebrating the action we took, we went on to discuss all of the different methods of acting and how other people and organizations that take action around the world.  We talked about Greenpeace, Ghandi, and even touched briefly on ecoterrorism in order to converse about where the line is between activism and criminality.  This is a young group (6-12) so I didn't go very deep here as I didn't want to scare them or throw them for a loop but I found it was important to touch on the subject and all of the shades of grey around it.  It's important to bring up all sorts of subject matter, even stuff that might be a little prickly. The challenge is to discuss at a level that the kids can understand and doing it with extreme sensitivity to how they will react.  Complete failure would be to have a discussion result in fear and anxiety in the children.  That is the be avoided at all costs.

This meeting marked the end of the first year of the club and the beginning of a great summer to come.  

Our third meeting - Voting and Organizing

One of the concepts I introduced to the kids early on was the Action Box.  We built the Action Box together and decorated it as one of our activities in a prior meeting and made it clear that any ideas someone has can be put in the box and referred to later on when we decide to act.

At this meeting we decided to look at all of the ideas that were in the box so far and vote on what we should act on.  There were lots of a great ideas in there, from planting flowers to beautify the local soccer fields, to protesting the animal circus that was coming to town.  I was pumped to hear all of the various ideas and it was clear these kids are truly engaged and motivated to improve the health of our planet!

After explaining each idea clearly we voted through secret ballot.  This process covered another one of my goals with the club which is to introduce them to how peaceful democracy works.  Those who were responsible for the idea had a chance to stand up and promote it and I helped as best I could where this was difficult as these are all pretty young kids.  I chose the secret ballot because it is representative of the larger electoral system and also not to create any division between club members as no one knew who voted for or against an idea.

In the end, we decided to raise money in order to adopt an animal and with further voting we decided on a dolphin through WCDS.  This was a great idea because it leads to something very ecology sensitive and also to something concrete (stickers and a picture of a dolphin that the organization is tracking).

The rest of the meeting we organized around how we would raise money (a bottle drive), who would do what, when we could do it, etc.   Not all was decided on the spot because parents needed to have their input and I needed to assign roles to kids based on their abilities so much of it was worked out via email afterwards.  But in the end, everyone was pumped to actually do something with a common goal in mind!

If I can get the club members to learn what do to when they have an idea, how to organize together with like minded people, and how to act peacefully and constructively to achieve that goal, we'll have kids that will grow into adults that won't be passively accepting things they feel are wrong in our world.  We'll have activists and citizens not only willing to act for what they believe in, but able to act because they'll have practised it before in a safe and non-judgemental environment.  And I'll be a happy camper indeed :-)

Our second meeting - Animals

Opening with the handshake and welcoming of the club, the meeting got underway with the "Planetary Checkup" or "Check la Planete" in french (our group is actually 100% french speaking).  I discussed the following news items:

• Out of Peru, the plant that tackles toothache
• Hungary recyles old bricks of money to heat the poor
• Success for James Cameron's expedition to the deep sea
• A dam in Nigeria is being built that will displace millions of people
• Interesting fact; they've invested a silk worm that produces spider silk:
• Human hair 1cm thick can hold up 1 elephant
• Steel wire 1cm thick holds up 3 elephants
• Spider silk 1 cm holds up 8 elephants

Note that the news items are intentionally skewed towards positive and constructive news items. The last thing I want to do is inundate the youth with the endless number of serious issues our planet faces. My goal is to stimulate and energize the kids, not depress them!

External observation was nice because spring was coming so we took the time to close our eyes and hear the melting snow dripping and the sounds of birds chirping. The warm spring wind caressing our cheeks and the smell of spring was wonderful to tune in to.

Coming back inside we played a True/False game based on various environmental trivia I gathered up. Here were the questions (translated from french by google translate):

• Between 1820 and 1889, nearly 60 million buffalo were slaughtered in North America - T
• It takes 6.9 pounds of grain to produce 1 kilo of pork - T
• Poachers kill rhinos for their legs - F
• The St. Lawrence beluga is the least contaminated mammal on the planet - F
• Many farmers give antibiotics to livestock to make grow faster - T
• In Africa, about one third of agricultural production is fed to livestock - T
• There are more than 3 billion cows and sheep on Earth - T
• With global warming, mosquitoes that carry diseases will diminish - F
• One species of fish in three endangered - F
• 98% of the genes gorillas are identical to those of humans - T
• The ivory trade is banned-T

We then discussed a number of local animals that are endangered (and discussed what it means to be endangered) and how an ecosystem is impacted when animals disappear. And finally we touched on circus like Circo Mondo because they happen to be in town. We discussed how animals are better left to be 'animals' than human entertainment and how often circus don't treat the animals properly so most often it's better to seek out circus experiences that are human based like Cirque du Soleil.

The song of the month was La Corrida by Francis Cabrel, a song that speaks to the plight of bulls who are the victims of a gruesome form of entertainment in Spain (bull fighting). The song made waves when it was released and is beautifully written and performed. I had carefully selected pictures of bulls in the corrida (not too bloody or gory) and explained how the 'game' worked. The translated words can be found at the end of this post.

Closing things off we played La Machine. It's a simple game that kids like. You pick someone to start in the middle. That person starts a movement and a sound, like a piece of a complex machine. Next person connects to the first and adds his/her own repetitive movement and sound. As as each kid attaches that gets louder and more complex until it breaks and all falls apart. The kids love it and its fun to watch and listen to as its different every time. A secret handshake to wrap things up and that was it!

La Corrida de Francis Cabrel

Since the time I patient In the darkroom I mean we have fun and we sing At the end of the corridor; Someone touched the lock And I dove to the big day I saw bands, barriers And the people around In the first moments I thought Need only defend But this place is hopeless I begin to understand They closed behind me They were afraid that I fell I'll just end up having This dancer ridiculous ... Is what this world is serious? I remember Andalusia Grasslands lined with cactus I will not tremble before This puppet, minus this! I'll catch him and his hat Rotate them like a sun Tonight the wife of the bullfighter Sleep soundly Is what this world is serious? I continued ghosts Almost touched their ballerinas They hit hard in my neck I bow to They go out where the acrobats Paper with their costumes? I never learned to fight Against dolls Feel the sand under my head It's amazing how it can be good I prayed that everything stops I remember Andalusia I hear them laughing as I rattle I see dance as I succumb I did not much we can Play around a grave Is what this world is serious? x2 If so hombre, hombre Baila, baila Hay que bailar de nuevo Y otros mataremos Otras vidas, otros toros Y otros mataremos Venga, venga a bailar ... Y otros mataremos

Our first meeting - Introduction

At our first meeting, I started by welcoming everyone to the club and discussing what the goal of our club is. Our goal is to have fun, learn, and act together in the context of the environment.

Next came teaching the kids our secret handshake (see the prior blog post).  The kids took to this right away and now use it when they meet each other in all sorts of circumstances.  Cool!  It is easy enough that even very young kids can do it and we can do it as a group together as well.

Not sure about what I could squeeze into a 2 hour block I had lots planned and we didn't get through all of it but the following is what we did get through.

I kicked off the first "Planetary Checkup" with various news tidbits.  This was followed by the external observation to see what was going on in our backyard environment.  The kids were quiet and meditation and it was a very nice experience with everyone taking their turn to speak to what they felt.

Next we discussed what an ecosystem is.  I had some graphics printed out on paper which showed a simply prairie ecosystem involving the sun, plants, worms, grasshoppers, mice, and a hawk.  We discussed how healthy ecosystems result in harmony and balance; a continuous cycle that is dependent on diversity (I explained that as well).

I then took a right turn and discussed why I think art is important and should be involved in environmentalism.  Art opens and softens our heart so that we can feel what is going on around us, good or bad.  Only once receptive to our environment can we understand it, its condition, and its needs, and art increases our sensitivity and therefore ability to respond more appropriately.  Art also practices us to see the world from different perspectives and perceive deeper meanings which are all important for connecting to our world and caring for it.

In order to understand the importance of art to humanity I read a great story from Leo Lionni .  Leo Lionni stories are great and I use them quite often for the club, especially with the age group of kids that I have (from 6 to 11).  The kids then took the time to write a poem and some really beautiful poems were created!

Time was ticking and I had gone overboard for content so we switched to craft time.  I had created an Action Box where club members can put there ideas for actions in (like a suggestion box).  It was covered in white paper and ready for decorating so we split up the letters (Boite d'action du Club de la Terre de Ste Anne) and went to work.  Each letter came out different colours and sizes and we pasted them all together (the box was a medium sized one) and had an awesome work of art and our first collaborative creation.

A secret handshake to closed things off wrapped up our first successful meeting.  I call it a success because the kids were pumped and smiling when they left :-)

How the club works

One of my goals with the eco club was to have a fixed template for each get together.  Having a template makes it easier on me as I'm not re-inventing every time I need come up with content for the meeting, and its good for the kids because they know what to expect from one gathering to the next thereby promoting anticipation and patience.  Here's what the template looks like:

• Secret hand shake
• Planet Check
• Sharing between club members
• Environmental news
• Outside observation
• Monthly theme
• Introduction/Learning/Discussion
• Activity
• Game
• Action Box (optional)
• Secret hand shake

The secret hand shake is always a fun part of belonging to a club.  When you meet members outside the club and you give the secret hand shake, you feel special and other kids might notice and ask what is going on, which is good marketing for recruiting new members.  Our secret handshake (it's not secret anymore!) starts with making a fist and saying "our planet", then wrap around your fist with your other hand and say "we care for it", and finish with a fist bump and say "together!".

The planet check portion is where members get a chance to share environmental related news and experiences with the club.  Next I share some news tid bits that I gathered from sites like National Geographic, New Scientist, or local papers.  You don't have to look too hard to find bad news about the environment soI try to keep that pretty light and balance it off with good news such as scientific discoveries, technological advances, or newly discovered animal species.  I'll sometime bring pictures and videos using my tablet or laptop.

Next comes the outside observation where we all go outside, rain or shine, hot or cold, and simply stay quiet for 1 minute and *experience* our environment.  We close our eyes and focus on what we're hearing, feeling, and smelling and then take turns to share.  This short meditation was a bit of a gamble for young kids but they seem to really enjoy it!  The goal here is not to intellectualize too much about the environment because its right outside our door to experience.  Sometimes in our busy lives we get distracted by thinking about what's going on in the Amazon, or in Australia or Africa and don't even pay attention to our immediate surroundings so this observation pulls us back to our small part of the world, at least for a few moments.

The more time consuming part of the gathering is the theme section.  This is where we explore in more detail the theme that was chosen for the month.  This can be a mix of interactive learning, books, videos, or pretty much anything else you think would be fun, educational, and stimulating for the kids.  You'll get ideas for themes in upcoming blogs posts.

Finishing things off we'll play a game of some sort and perhaps discuss the Action Box (more on this in a future post).  And that's the pattern we follow!  It's pretty simple but provides a good framework to each meeting to build on.

Remember that just because you start with a certain template in mind, doesn't mean you have to stick to it no matter what.  If there's something that doesn't resonate with the kids after a couple of tries, let it go and replace it with something else that might.

An eco-club is born

Starting a local eco club was a long time in the works.  It was easy once the decision was made but it had been a long time that I had wanted to do "something" active towards helping our planet deal with the mess that humans are making.

I've had a strong sensitivity to environmental issues for as long as I can remember.  Whether it be an affinity towards animals, an awareness of pollution and of polluters, of class differences and injustices, it's always there in back of my mind.  Top it off with a sense that 'if we keep on the way we are at some point the sh*t will hit the environmental fan and we'll all look back and finally see with clarity how ridiculous we've been acting towards our planet' and you have a desire to do something about it.

Awareness often brings along a sense of responsibility.  If you can see problems that others can't see, you feel that you must act on them somehow or at least try to create the same awareness in others, otherwise carry a feeling of guilt.  But at the same time, you have to live and can't feel like you're a bad guy every time you don't recycle a piece of paper or leave the bicycle at home.  Quite the balancing act.  I've been wanting to do something significant towards this sense of responsibility for quite a while but just haven't been able to do anything major on my own.

Now, in my mid-forties, I realize that something needs to happen and I need to band with more people in order to do it.  What better than to surround yourself with eager and energetic kids to charge yourself up with can-do energy and get something done!?  So that's how Le Club de la Terre de Ste Anne got its start one year ago.

Starting an eco-club with kids has many advantages.  Kids have boundless energy, they are eager to learn and eager to act and do things, they have an innate connection with nature and the environment, and they haven't yet been cursed with the adult mind which can reason itself out of pretty much anything it wants to.  There are some minor disadvantages, such as toning the energy back a bit when it runs out of control, but the plus far outweighs the negatives.

So far the club is a hit with everyone involved and so this blog is born!  I'll be blogging about what we have done and will be doing at our club meetings with intent that it might inspire and guide others in doing the same in their part of the world.  I hope this might be useful to someone out there!