Project Description
 

The GoGreen Man Movement is a project that adopts the belief that U.S. elementary schools should maintain, or have nearby, tree nurseries.  These nurseries would be for the purpose of educating and enlightening children in an effort to impress the importance and care of the environment by both children (students) and their parents.

 

In this project, school children gain hands on experience by planting and nurturing tree seedlings under the guidance of their teacher/s.  The children would be critical participants in maintaining the tree nursery.

 

Once the seedlings have reached a sustainable maturity, they will be planted at home or on suitable land, having an agreement with the landowner.

 

The understanding of how to care for trees would be added as part of the school curriculum and would include, but is not limited to, games and environmental comics.  These would highlight the importance of individual participation in environmental action.

 

International cooperation with similar schools around the world is encouraged in order to capitalize on the global aspect of environmental action.

 

Background Information / Problem

 

While there are many excellent programs in use to combat environmental problems, there do not seem to be any actively involving children.  It is imperative to educate children in the importance of caring for the earth, for the sake of their future.  

 

Jonathan Lee (GoGreen Man) has developed a keen interest in environmental activism.  It is his desire to have children in the U.S. and around the world be made aware they need to do their part in cleaning up the environmental mess they will be, and have been, left with.  It is his hope to have every child plant at least one tree every year to combat deforestation by natural and human causes.  “One child; one tree; one year” is Jonathan’s GoGreen Man Movement slogan.

 

A pilot project in Mississippi, in cooperation and partnership with the Mississippi Urban Forestry Council, could be the model for the rest of the United States.   Upon successful implementation, the project could be expanded throughout the rest of the country.

 

Project Detail / Objectives

 

Involve children in environmental conservation efforts.

 

·        Educate children in how to create a healthy environment.

 

·        Provide educational instruction and materials for environmental education

 

·        Enable hands on experience in an effort to entrench the knowledge gained in the educational instruction.

 

Involve teachers, parents and others in order for children to be active in their environmental role.

 

·        Encourage and motivate teachers to impress on children the importance of tree planting and conservation.

 

·        Inform and educate, where necessary, parents so they can encourage their children to be a part of the solution to environmental problems.

 

Adopt government policies that encourage and pave the way for the primary students’ roles in environmental conservation.

 

·        Recognition by the government that children’s involvement in environmental matters is progressive and proactive.

 

·        Encourage national and local politicians to create and enact laws that provide for tree conservation around the nation.

 

Where will they plant trees?

 

• School campuses
• City land (parks, green spaces)
• State land
• Federal land
• Private land (with cooperation and permission from the landowner)
• Their homes
• Areas damaged by hurricanes or other natural disasters (i.e., Hurricane Katrina – severely damaged the LA and MS Gulf Coast)

 

Why is this necessary?

 

According to Achim Steiner, the United Nations Environmental Program Executive Director,

 

"We have but a short time to avert damaging and economically debilitating climate change. The solutions are numerous and, as many economists say, affordable when compared with the costs of complacency. The goods and services provided by forests are worth billions if not trillions of dollars to the global economy. Forests are natural and economically important ‘sinks’, sequestrating carbon from the atmosphere and locking it away in trunks and branches. Globally, forest cover is at least one-third less than what it once was. It is time to reverse the trends, it is time to act."¹ (emphasis added)

 

Jonathan Lee agrees with this belief.  He has said that,

 

The most important thing is planting trees.  Every time you plant a tree it sucks a lot of CO₂ that cars emit and it gives us our oxygen that we breathe.  That’s the main thing that I’m focusing on. …I go school to school to tell them that we can plant trees together.  So each child can plant one tree per year.

 

What are the benefits?

 

There are too many benefits to this urban forestry project to list them all, but a few are:

 

• Environmental education
• Trees near houses create shade (energy reduction)
• Clean air (reduced CO₂)
• Natural habitat for wildlife
• Aesthetically pleasing

 

 

¹ http://www.unep.org/billiontreecampaign/Statements/exec.asp

 

What will be funded?

 

• Book publishing
• Educational materials
• Training
• Nursery equipment/materials fee
• Salary/wages

 

Detailed funding for the project will be discussed further with the various states’ Urban Forestry Councils.

 

In Conclusion

 

We believe giving the children a chance to learn about trees and their impact on the environment through hands on training and experience will give them pride in their achievements.  This is the true meaning of education.

 

Thank you for supporting this bill idea - the GoGreen Man Movement (Children’s Forestry Project).  As Jonathan always says, “Let’s help save the world together!”

 

This idea was thought up by Jonathan.  He was helped by his parents and the MS Urban Forestry Council.  Thanks to them and the City of Ridgeland, MS.