Thursday, October 30, 2014

Restoring the Past to Ensure Our Future...An Environmental Education Program that’s Good for the Earth plants its Roots in Waltham, Mass.

This summer, we launched the pilot of Meadowscaping for Biodiversity, an outdoor, environmental education program for youth, on the east lawn of Christ Church Episcopal, 750 Main Street, Waltham, MA.

Meadowscaping is simple in its vision for the next generation and elegant in its solution for their earth. 

Our vision is to inspire and empower youth to be stewards of the earth while teaching them how to heal her one meadow at a time. 

Our solution, (using a curriculum built on project-based learning), is to transform sections of monoculture lawns into biodiverse meadows that provide food and shelter – habitat – for bees, butterflies, birds and other wildlife.

These meadows contain native plants and shrubs, sources of the essential diet/breeding ground that native species of insects and pollinators are challenged to find in urban developments and landscapes overrun with nonnative and invasive plants.

Here’s a picture:


Our meadow is not an abandoned lot filled with tall grasses and runaway vegetation.  Rather, it is a beautiful sunny garden.

We’re very lucky – maybe blessed – to have started Meadowscaping here. Why? Because our sunny meadow buzzes with activity! Since July, hundreds of bees and pollinators have found their way
here:
 
It also soothes the soul in the midst of a busy spot in Waltham.  Yes, this meadow is just across the street from the public library, a few paces from the post office, a UPS store, cafes, the local Boys and Girls Club, and an active Yoga studio. Being along the main commuter route and abutting an active bus stop, this special garden garnered a lot of thumbs up, “what a beauty” “glad you did this” and “now I understand” from passersby. 

Best of all, this spot is a place of pride for our students, who, every time they pass or stop in to water and measure the plants, exclaim “that’s our meadow.”

So how did we do this? In this blog, we’ll share some highlights from the 2014 Meadowmakers: Barbara, Jean, Steve, Omar, Adam, Alessio, Lisa, Julie, Jim and Laura.






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