This year Earth Team San Lorenzo met almost entirely remotely, but this didn’t stop the team from having a positive impact on their community! Despite the pandemic and the challenges of learning about nature and environmental advocacy from home, the team forged through the year with great interest and determination. Through it all, they forged a bond deeper than their shared love for protecting the environment and through their advocacy and work in their community, Earth Team San Lorenzo made this difficult year fun and hopeful.
One of the team’s focus areas this year was the team’s outreach campaign in collaboration with the Museum of Tomorrow. The team picked topics they were interested in education the public on and designed interactive games to help express these ideas. With the help of Museum of Tomorrow staff, the teams outlined and planned how they would design their games, but eventually ran out of time at the end of the school year. These projects were converted into social media posts that were shared over Instagram.
Beyond their outreach campaign, the interns also focused on cleaning litter in and around San Lorenzo. Some interns participated in in-person litter cleanups at Hayward Regional Shoreline in April and the Castro Valley Library in April, and other interns picked up litter in their neighborhoods and local parks. The interns also focused on exploring STEM careers and other professionalism workshops.
The team met a total of 44 times between September and June. They removed 847 pieces of litter from local open spaces and neighborhoods. The team also participated in a litter cleanup at Hayward Shoreline Regional Park, where nine ten-gallon bags of litter were removed. The team’s efforts reached over 40 community members in addition to their educational social media campaigns. These campaigns, one focused on the impacts of our daily choices on the environment and the other focusing on disaster preparedness, reached an estimated 180 people.
We would like to thank San Lorenzo High School for the support this year. Our program would not be possible without partnerships like this one. We also thank the numerous organizations that partner with us for restoration activities and community outreach projects. Finally, we thank our funders: NFWF, Alameda County Resource Conservation District, Alameda County Fish and Wildlife, and CalEPA.
Great job this year, team!