09/11/2011 10:14 Filed in:
LucyOver the summer Green Keene Teens has contributed to the community by participating in Harrisville Old Home Days for the third year in a row and by hosting/sponsoring a free clothing swap with the Keene Public Library. At HOHD we sold homemade bread, homemade laundry soap and crafts. It was another nice 4 th of July weekend. We met many people who congratulated us on our cause and accomplishments. We had a lot of participation at the clothes swap. There were quite a variety of clothes in Heberton Hall that day. All the clothes we didn’t swap Kelley and I brought the Salvation Army.
We came to the consensus that we would donate our fund of $950 to the Monadnock Community Market. We will be helping them build a solar-powered bike rack, which will stand near the side of the Co-op near the bike trail. (Here's a link to their story about it)
I’m happy to say that these last 3 ½ years with the club and the all its member have been very inspiring. I’ve been taught that my voice can be heard and that it really does matter. One person can make a difference. I’m glad to say I was a part of GKT. As all of us depart and scatter throughout the country I think we will remember this club that brought us closer together as a group of young adults who are passionate about the environment and our community. I know that we will keep influencing people around us even though the club has now been put behind us. I want to thank everyone who helped me get GKT started, contributed to it, became a member, donated time and/or money to it, and changed their habits to better the community and the environment. I could’ve done this without you. Thank you so much.
I’m writing this in my dorm at College of the Atlantic. Things have changed for me. But I will never forget GKT or the things I learned alongside my friends. From the Green Keene Teens team (at least for right now) I can say “Green Out!”
Tags: goodbye
03/27/2010 20:04 Filed in:
volunteering | LucyThis afternoon Brea, Beth, and I volunteered in the woods of Stonewall farm. Our job at this year’s annual Sap Gathering was to refill buckets after a team of horses, driver, and helpers had emptied them. It was a nice change from the parking job I did last year because I now have a better understanding of what the contest is all about.
In the olden days sap gathering was done by horse and man together. Now the gatherer uses a motorized vehicle with horsepower to retrieve the sap. Stonewall Farm is known by some throughout New England to be host of the event in which keeps the old tradition alive.
Each team has a driver who directs the two horses through the course, and two helpers who empty the buckets from the trees into their buckets and then dump them into the big container lying on the sleigh. The rules are quite simple. Each team has to get through the woods collecting the contents of the buckets. They are trying to collect as much as possible in the least amount of time. However they cannot rush too fast because there are many ways they can be docked points. If the helpers forget to empty a bucket, put a bucket back on the tree, or forget to replace the lid they are docked.
Beth, Brea, and I were there to refill the buckets and survey them as they passed. We couldn’t point out any buckets they missed or forgot to put back properly. We were merely there to catch any mistakes they made and then get ready for the next team to dump our buckets out again.
It was fun to see the men and women run back and forth between the trees and their containers emptying the buckets. Some teams were very quiet and concentrated while others were loud and yelling instructions to each other as they went. The three hours we were there passed quickly because it was so much fun. The shortest time a team made, I believe, was around 11:04. Next year I hope to be a bucket filler again, because on the course is where the all action is.
Tags: Stonewall Farm
03/21/2010 20:34 Filed in:
rethink | LucyLast year in the spring my mom was searching the internet for I don’t remember what -- but anyway -- when she came across websites saying that is will actually benefit your hair if you do not use shampoo or conditioner. We investigated further, meaning decided to try it ourselves, and we found it works! I’m serious. I do not wash my hair with shampoo. I haven’t for almost a year and I’m not a complete grease ball. My hair is healthily shiny and softer.
Why don’t I use shampoo or conditioner? Well it’s pretty much about my health. There are so many chemicals in those bottles. Didn’t your Chemistry teacher ever tell you that if you can’t pronounce those words they probably aren’t too good for you? It’s true, in this case at least. Take a look for yourself http://www.naturemoms.com/no-shampoo-alternative.html
Now I don’t just hop into the shower in the morning and not wet my hair or put anything in it at all. I used natural products to get my hair clean, baking soda and apple cider vinegar. That’s it. I like to think of the baking soda as my shampoo and the vinegar as my conditioner. If you choose to try the no poo way you have to understand that your hair will have to adjust to what you are doing. Don’t expect to have supermodel hair the first day you try it. It is sometimes tricky to figure out how much of each ingredient to use in your hair. But you’ll get the hang of it. And your hair will thank you.
Tags: Shampoo
01/09/2010 20:24 Filed in:
LucyThe message is out there. It has been for a long time. Most people (me being one of them lately) just hear and agree that things need to change but then return to life, as we know it. Let’s face it, seeing a movie, hearing a song, or watching a news segment about not destroying the planet isn’t enough. We’ve got to do something to make any impact or difference.
The movie Avatar and the departure of some of friends who are going on a Kroka expedition reaffirmed how much I feel that I’m letting the club as well as our world down. I’m the president of Green Keene Teens. I should be able to inspire myself if not others to make things happen. Our club has been in a rut for a couple of months now. I’ve been trying to juggle so many commitments that I’ve put GKT aside so many times. But as the 1 year anniversary of Green Keene Teens nears I’m going to gear up for new opportunities for us. We have made a difference in the last year. Not as much as I would like but the year of 2010 will be even more successful.
In the next year you can expect Green Keene Teens to be volunteering again at Stonewall Farm as well as new locations. We will also be attending Green Up Keene Day again this year, as well as other events like Solar Fest at KSC. I hope that we can get the Spoons project off paper and turn it into reality, as well as getting silverware in Keene High.
Tags: New Years
11/26/2009 08:53 Filed in:
recycle | JustinRecently, I became a member of Greene Keene Teens. My friend Lucy, the president and founder of the club, got me involved. After learning that there was a club meeting coming up, I decided to try and brainstorm about the club’s ongoing topic, disposable cutlery in schools. I consider myself to be somewhat of a visual and artistic person, so I thought about the issue that way. The best way to bring about change is to wake people up, I believe. The 31 billion plastic utensils disposed in the USA alone every year have to be heard. Their screams must be heard. The screams are loud. These screams must be expressed artistically, through an event of sorts. My idea is to try and collect as many plastic spoons from schools and businesses that would like to get involved. Thousands upon thousands of spoons would be a great way to represent the innumerable waste of cutlery plastics every year.
