Ms. Giancaterino’s class at Maritime Academy sniffed out an unusual environmental issue to address for their Earth Force project. As they were compiling a list of environmental issues during their inventory, students learned that plants have a positive impact on air quality. Maritime has few windows, so there isn’t much natural light or natural air flow. Students studied how plants affect air quality by producing oxygen and filtering out pollutants and decided to improve the school environment by bringing plants to Maritime classrooms.
Their first task was to find funding to purchase the plants. The students wrote a letter to their school administration explaining the benefits of an investment in plants for classrooms. Impressed by the student’s knowledge and commitment, administrators gave the students permission to hold fundraisers for their project. With the proceeds from a successful bake sale, the Earth Force group succeeded in raising enough money to purchase snake plants for every classroom. From their research, students learned that snake plants need very little light to survive, a perfect quality for Maritime classrooms. After buying the plants, students organized short presentations on plant care for each class that received a snake plant.
Maritime Earth Force students learned a great deal about plants and what they provide for the environment. They also learned that working together and trusting each other makes action projects much easier to accomplish. The students said that if they could offer future Earth Force participants any advice, it would be to get involved with their community and school.