GREEN APPLE DAY OF SERVICE: The Butterfly Experience

Thank You Volunteers!

THE BUTTERFLY EXPERIENCE

Green Apple Day of Service Center for Green Schools 09.27.2014 Volunteers: 14 Project: Butterfly Garden Hours: 8:30 -12:00 Place: Markham Park- Weston Florida Project Leader:

Maria M Hernandez Organizations: www.handsonbroward.org http://mygreenapple.org/

On September 27, thousands of advocates from around the world, stood up to take part in the Green Apple Day of Service, a global movement that aim for a Sustainable Development. The initiative started from the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council to encourage students, teachers, parents, elected officials, and organizations, to take action through local service projects in their communities creating awareness, transforming local schools and engaging with students in interactive outdoor educational activities.

In support of this initiative and the vision of the Center for Green School, I joined forces with HandsOn Broward and Markham Park to lead an outdoor classroom experience to educate and to create awareness on the importance of a Butterfly Garden in our local schools and communities.

Maria M Hernandez Project Leader

We live in a challenging world were the global interdependence is greater than ever and climate change is our greatest challenge disrupting communities causing scarcity of food and water and impacting in a negative way our economy.

In this constantly changing world it is important to rise to the challenge and make Sustainability Education a priority in our schools to teach the importance of maintaining a balance between the requirements of societies, economies, and the environment in order to sustain our current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs or compromising the living systems upon which we all depend on.

To engage in this Sustainability Education we should start at the core of school buildings designing and creating safe, efficient and healthier learning environments by reducing energy, toxins, waste and by conserving our natural resources.

Also, by promoting hands on projects like Green Apple Day of Service that will inspire our kids to unleash their ingenuity and creativity transforming this way their schools and their communities. The Education for Sustainable Development will prepare the future citizens and leaders that will drive the global market transformation of the 21st century.

OUR PROJECT: CREATING A BUTTERFLY GARDEN

To engage and cultivate the principle of Sustainability, there is not a better place to start than in our community and school gardens.

Involving our kids in hands-on exploration of the natural world is essential to create a generation who are able to carry out the important mission of re- establishing a resilient life in our planet.

WHY IS IMPORTANT? Butterflies provide a numerous benefits to the environment; unfortunately, their populations had declined and are under threat, due mostly to destruction of habitat and the use of toxic chemicals.

For this reason, we need to create gardens and provide all the necessary conditions to help butterfly populations to bounce back maintaining a balance in our ecosystem.

Pollination: As the butterflies travel from one flower to another, they pollinate the plants, resulting in further development of plant species. Numerous plants rely on pollinators, such as butterflies, for reproduction.

Conservation of water: Butterflies' preference for native plants can be considered a great environmental benefit, since landscaping with native plants require less water to be maintained.

Encouraging Habitats and Wildlife: Butterflies are extremely susceptible to pesticides and insecticides.

By not requiring the use of harmful chemical applications, native habitats not only provide a safe haven for butterflies, but also for other creatures as well.

Promote Environmental Awareness: The beautiful natural and colorful setting draws human interest, which can result in a greater awareness of the environment and a better understanding of our role in preserving natural habitats.

Markham Park Preparing a sustainable site

Butterfly-Friendly Plants Your butterfly garden must provide nectar-rich flowers for adult butterflies and suitable plants to host their larvae.

Select plants to provide blooms throughout the year PLANTS SELECTED FOR THIS PROJECT:

Bee balm

Milweed

Porterweed

Yellow Top

Gaillardia

Blood Berry

Red Salvia

Tampa Verbena

Corky Stem Passion

72 Plants

Planting

We planted:

72 plants

Fourteen volunteers step up to the global call to help our community. With their participation, they sent an important message to all the schools in Broward to join us in the movement: Green Apple Day of Service To create awareness and to be part of an important Sustainable education that will allow them to find self-expression, peace and love for the nature becoming the ‘ambassadors’ for ecosystems and the stewards of sustainability.

Our actions have a direct impact in our planet, for this reason we all have the responsibility to protect the environment by engaging in activities with the communities where we live and work to improve the environment and our lives.

Maria Mercedes Hernandez

Project Leader

Thank You!

photo ŠAlbert Mollinea

10 Reasons to Volunteer: 1. Volunteering provides physical and mental rewards. It:  Reduces stress  Makes you healthier 2. Volunteering provides valuable community services so more money can be spent on local improvements.  The estimated value of a volunteer's time is $15.39 per hour.

3. Volunteers gain professional experience.

4. It brings people together.

5. It promotes personal growth and self-esteem.

6. Volunteering strengthens your community.

7. You learn a lot.

8. You get a chance to give back.

9. Volunteering encourages civic responsibility.

10. You make a difference:

Every person counts! www.handsonbroward.org

MY CONTRIBUTION:

As a project Leader, I had enjoy every single moment that I had shared with people from my community and surrounding areas, kids, teenagers and adults . Some of them volunteer from their heart and others for community hours, but we all have found a common motivation:

The Environment.

For this reason, as an environment activist, I have created this magazine to explain the importance that is behind our volunteer project. I want to go beyond of just leading a group; I want to explain how our actions contribute to the protection of our natural resources and as consequence: our communities, our planet!

One day those teenagers that today are looking for community hours; they will be the future Homeowners that with their decisions will impact the world!

On this specific project celebrating The Green Apple Day of Service, we learned about the importance of volunteering to make a difference in our community, country and Planet. We also learned the benefits of creating a butterfly garden to protect the Environment.

Thank you to all the volunteers for their outstanding job! I can’t wait to see you next time as we continue to help the environment. Thank you to Broward County parks for this great opportunity Maria M Hernandez HandsOn Broward Environment Project Leader

Green Apple Project Captain

www.HandsOnBroward.org

http://mygreenapple.org This magazine has been produced by: Maria M Hernandez LEED AP