Lucy Daberkow, Assistant Director, leads sustainability presentations during Earth Day Celebrations

Amelie Daberkow with an upcycled art creation

From left to right: Emma, Lucy, and Amelie Daberkow at Peabody Elementary

Lucy Daberkow, Assistant Director of Graduate Programs in Environmental and Natural Resources, led sustainability presentations during Peabody Elementary Earth Day celebrations.

The school, located in the Littleton Public District in Centennial, Colorado, sponsored a day-long celebration that encouraged the participants to celebrate Earth Day and green practices. Activities included planting new trees, removing trash from the school grounds (using biodegradable bags for the first time), getting the garden ready for planting season, and sustainability presentations. These presentations highlighted green practices and the school's partnership with TerraCycle. This company, founded in 2001, recycles hard to recycle products and turns them into new products; their motto is "Eliminating the Idea of Waste."

Students, teachers, and staff attended Mrs. Daberkow's presentations and learned practical and original ways to green up their school and reduce the amount of trash they produce. In addition, they learned the value of recycling with TerraCycle since the school receives money for every item they recycle through this company.

Leading up to the event, students participated in an Upcycle Art contest where they were challenged to create art pieces using found or recycled objects. The school has also been participating in a month's long contest encouraging students to recycle. Mrs. Daberkow commented: "Encouraging students to live sustainably and to do their part to take care of the planet is one of my passions. It is crucial that we start educating students about green practices at a young age; the students at Peabody Elementary are definitely leading by example."