Earth Day 2021 was energized by a refreshing chilliness in the air!
On Thursday, April 22, the Roots Down team started the day at the Mohammed Schools of Atlanta. We were excited to head back to the school after planting 14 different fruit trees and growing edible soccer fields! Check out our first trip to the Mohammed Schools here.
It was great to see Sister Terri Ali and Dr. Khan again after they spoke at the Fruitful Communities Forum. They presented the importance of healthy edible community space and the edible soccer field Roots Down helped them create. For a recap of the Fruitful Communities forum, read our blog post here.
Bright and early, the students filed in for a discussion about food insecurity, effects of climate change, and soil nutrition. We heard from staff, parents, and students about their knowledge and the myths that often come along with food insecurity. To learn more, read the blog post, Tragedy Of Our Food System.
After the insightful discussion, the students were introduced to the Three Sisters growing method. The Three Sisters growing method is an indigenous technique in which the Three Sisters represent corn, beans, and squash. The vegetables support each other's growth by fertilizing the soil and protecting each other from the sun. The students used this method to farm down their soccer fields in order to have a great harvest for the upcoming semesters.
It was great to teach the students a growing method to demonstrate a strategy for a successful harvest. The students had a little taste of the inspiration that Roots Down hopes to create by inspiring new green jobs as careers. To learn more about Roots Downs effort to create new green jobs, read our blog post here.
Khari A. N. Diop from Think Green Inc. and The Green Thing Company prepared the soil and the students aided in plotting mounds of compost. The students then planted corn and beans, and squash into alternate mounds and watered the ground. While the students were preparing their mounds, they were asked a series of trivia questions about the previous discussion and Earth Day in order to win the GreenHive zine.
Finally, at the end of a fun day at the Mohammed Schools, the Roots Down team spent the rest of Earth Day at Stonecrest Library. To read all about our groundbreaking with District 5 Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson, read the blog post, Earth Day at Stonecrest Library.
GROUNDBREAKING PHOTOS:
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