Montessori Children’s House (MCH) teacher Katherine Stewart will be among those honored for their environmental stewardship at the King County Earth Heroes at School awards ceremony next month.
The Redmond teacher has shone in the sustainable growing category, and here’s a description of her work on the King County website:
“Each day Katherine leads more than 50 students through the school garden, helping them apply their classroom lessons on plants, food, and the environment. She also leads cooking classes, demonstrating the seed to table journey using the harvest from the garden. During Katherine’s five years with MCH, 500 students have participated in the garden program. Many of the school’s graduates consider their garden education one of their most meaningful experiences.”
Solid Waste Division Director Pat McLaughlin will present the awards at 4:30 p.m. May 5 at Maplewood Greens, 4050 Maple Valley Hwy., Renton.
Earth Heroes inspire others to create their own projects that conserve resources, protect the environment, and educate others about how simple, everyday actions can contribute to a healthier planet.
The program recognizes actions in:
• Waste reduction, reuse or recycling
• Food waste prevention or food waste collection for composting
• Sustainable gardening
• Climate change education or greenhouse gas emissions reduction change
The honorees include 10 students, four student environmental clubs, seven staff, three teachers and four schools. Twelve school districts are represented. Examples of Earth Hero projects are below:
• Building a garden to serve as an outdoor community learning space and donating the harvest to school families and the local food bank.
• Collecting paper towels from the school bathrooms and sending them to the compost center.
• Connecting special education and leadership students in the operation of the recycling program.
• Having middle school students teach elementary school students about food waste prevention and other environmental topics.
• Producing a “We Create Change” fundraiser for the protection of wildlife and ecosystems.
