VALUE BASED GO-GREEN Initiatives

The benefit of one is the benefit of all; The neglect of one is the neglect of all.
At Hope B~Lit, we believe that true sustainability is achieved when the values are part of the go-green initiatives we undertake as the children of Mother Earth. Sustainability is best achieved when people can directly experience the power and joy of values in their day to day lives. Our initiatives are uniquely designed to help people transform within and at the same time, transform the environment surrounding them. 

Picture
Values Garden and Current Efforts

The Values Garden is the project under our Stewardship of Earth initiative. The primary objective is to create sustainable gardens in LA school districts which will promote education, healthy food habits, community spirit, and recreational spaces while nurturing the inherent human values in the young hearts.  Hope B~Lit is working with 93rd Street Elementary School in the LA school district as the pilot school. The school has allotted 1000 sq ft of land for planting values gardens.

Phase I - Composting Program


The first phase of the project involved initiating a composting program for 5th graders. This was successfully implemented in October, 2014 with the support of teachers and administrators.  Around 25% to 50% of lunchtime organic waste from lunchtime is currently streamlined into composting which will provide fertilizer for 5 planting beds on school grounds. A vegan collection style has been adopted to prevent rodent infestation for this project. The composting curriculum that is used for educational workshops covers topics like carbon, nitrogen and water cycles, soil health and promotes good environment consciousness. The school children as getting hands-on experience in composting along with their teachers.




Phase II - Value Gardens

The Hope B~Lit team is working with a certified arborist and licensed horticulturist to create a long-term plan to educate children and provide a hands-on curriculum for urban agriculture.

Plans for soil test are under way to estimate the soil health for the gardens. Plans are also in place to provide phytoremediation for areas with high lead content in soil and use cleaner areas for food generating gardens.  

Value Garden Concept
The gardens will comprise native shrubs, seasonal vegetables and fruit trees. School children along with teachers will take active part in creating and maintaining these gardens similar to the composting project. The gardens will be named based on the choice of human values by the students. The children will personalize their values garden. The program workshops are designed such that, as they tend to the needs of the outer values garden they will also get a chance to pay attention and tend to the inner values garden by de-weeding negative habits very consciously and nurturing positive values. Thus this project potentially has far reaching impacts both on the environment as well as the people involved in it. As the children develop human values, this project, “Values Garden” will become sustainable for a lifetime.

The project plan also includes holding community workdays as well as in-school opportunities for students.  Because the garden includes native habitat and food production, instruction on ethnobotany in addition to urban agriculture is included in the workshop curriculum.

UNIQUENESS & IMPACT 


Hope B~Lit initiated projects under the initiative ‘Stewardship of Earth’ which has received overwhelming response in the past. 

Impact on Environment
The current composting project has already shown to have a positive impact on the environment. Upon full implementation, we hope to leave a lasting impact. Here are some ways the Value Garden will help the environment:
  • It diverts waste from landfills, reducing methane offgassing
  • Reduces the use of artificial fertilizer through compost production. We estimate that five gallons of organic waste will be diverted daily, and that the soil structure, fertility and biotic load will increase measurably and dramatically.  This will enhance the nutritional value of the produce form the values garden.
  • The produce form these gardens will be used by the students to supplement the school lunch program.  We anticipate a weekly salad and season fruit harvest.
  • Composting will address the ongoing need for organic matter input and reduce maintenance costs by approximately $150 during the first year.

Character Building
  • Hope B~Lit's sustainability workshops are designed to teach the children the values of Love, Respect, Gratitude and Sharing towards the environment. Additionally, they promote teamwork, communication, and interpersonal skills by allowing children to work together.
  • It encourages children to think about their surrounding in an inclusive manner, while Educating them on Facts about scientific concepts like 'what happens to the trash we generate on a daily basis.
  • An understanding of Actionable Concepts of Reduce, Reuse & Recycle reinforced via Hands on Activities provides students insights into the impact of our actions. 
  • Children use their creative skills to make the whole experience enjoyable for all the participants and quickly realize how easy and fun it is to pour love back into our earth.

Contact us via email or our facebook page for more information or to partner with us on our Values based Green initiatives.
UA-112005922-1