Written by: TFVstaff • May 2, 2019• In Our Schools Pinecrest

Earth Day At Palmetto Elementary- Raising Awareness One Step At A Time!

It was another exciting day of activities, education and experiences at Palmetto Elementary’s annual Earth Day Celebration. The celebration, which was organized and sponsored by Palmetto Earth Program (“PEP”), provided an opportunity for children to learn about the earth, food, energy, clean water, exercise and eating well. Supported by Pinecrest Gardens, PEP is a parent volunteer organization that works together to showcase how the school, the community and the children can influence change and create awareness in our local and world environments. Parents, local businesses and political figures made a big impact in the community by educating more than 650 K-5 students on many earth related topics.

Vice-Mayor Anna Hochkammer shared the vision of Pinecrest leadership to eradicate single use plastic from the village. Lacey Bray from Pinecrest Gardens gave students insight into the importance of bees when it comes to the creation and sustainability of our food sources. Keren Marti and Carrie Sieh, local parents and advocates, shared tips, tools and ideas on how to reduce food waste, what to compost, how to recycle, how to take action and how money can be saved by limiting perishable purchases to preserve the quality of our food. Tora Bueno closed out the day with a focus on the Sunshine State and the abundance of clean, renewable, solar energy that we can harness to power our village, our county, our state, our country and the world.

Earth day starts with caring for ourselves, our bodies and mind, and students embraced the concept thanks to Tae Kwon Do (courtesy of local KMartial Arts) and Zumba (courtesy of Palmetto Elementary School parent Anya Weir). The two activities were a big part of the fun, along with samples of fresh fruits purchased with moneys donated by our local Whole Foods market. While some children were at first reluctant to try certain fruits (like the kiwi) once they did, they wanted more.

A special thanks was given to the administrators and teachers that joined in support of the program especially to music instructor Oliver Diez and to PEP Founder and President Jaquelina Henriquez and PEP member parents: Lia Padovani, Alexandra Ghandour, Kim Foley, Joe Fachine and Tamara Mourino, as well as all the parents that came throughout the day to help.

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