GREEN THUMB CHALLENGE:THE LARGEST YOUTH GARDENING INITIATIVE IN

HISTORY!

Green Education Foundation (GEF)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Mission and Objectives GEF: About Us Green Thumb Challenge Mission Green Thumb Challenge Objectives GTC Partners and Affiliates GTC Sponsors

Garden Spotlights Cub Pack 44, Global Gardens, Stripling Elementary, Boys & Girls Clubs

of America

Best Practices/Online Resources The Turn-Key Garden, Plant with a Purpose How to Participate in the Green Thumb Challenge Benchmarks/Highlights Testimonials

Pilot Year Highlights/Benchmarks GTC in the News

ABOUT GREEN EDUCATION FOUNDATION (GEF) AND GREEN THUMB CHALLENGE

Mission and Objectives

GEF: ABOUT US

GEF is a non-profit organization that provides free environmental education resources for K-12 classrooms and youth groups nationwide.

Develops sustainable habits of environmental stewardship

Couples standards-based curricula with hands-on activity in meaningful “Eco-Challenges”

Mobilizes millions of students nationwide during National Green Week

Partnered with US Green Building Council to develop national online Green Building Course for high school students

Believes that what is healthy for kids is healthy for their communities, and for the planet

GREEN THUMB CHALLENGE: MISSION

Work with new and existing garden programs to plant 10,000 youth gardens nationwide

GREEN THUMB CHALLENGE: OBJECTIVES

Connect youth to nature through outdoor hands-on learning opportunities

Provide educators with free K-12 standards-based lessons that link the classroom to the garden

Provide a one-stop online resource for step-by-step gardening instructions aimed at beginners

GREEN THUMB CHALLENGE: OBJECTIVES

1 in 3 kids in the US are obese or overweight: Improve habits of health and nutrition through comprehensive garden-based curriculum

1 in 4 kids in the US are hungry: “Plant with a Purpose” with meaningful service-learning projects that address the current hunger crisis in America

GREEN THUMB CHALLENGE: PARTNERS AND AFFILIATES

GREEN THUMB CHALLENGE: SPONSORS

GREEN THUMB CHALLENGE Garden Spotlights

CUB SCOUT PACK 44

WALPOLE, MAGREEN THUMB

CHALLENGE PILOT GARDEN

“The garden has been an effective way to foster team work and responsibility with the added benefit of getting the boys to interact with nature on an ongoing basis. I am amazed at what we have learned and are still learning.” Rich DeNoyer, Pack Leader

“My son looked at me this summer and said, ‘Mom, why don't our carrots taste like these?’  And for a non-veggie eater - getting him to try a carrot is the biggest feat we have accomplished with him and vegetables. Now he's a broccoli, onion, sugar snap pea and carrot eater! All thanks to the GEF!”

-Anne-Marie Dion, Parent

“It is important for people to be able to see the garden and the wonders we have worked on there.”

- 3rd grade student

“I like it because I get to have my own garden and a class garden. Plus I get to share with others. It is really fun to do, but very hard work. That’s what I like about it, all the work!! It’s worth it after you have that beautiful garden. Plus it taught me many things since I’ve been there, like patience, knowledge, and other things.”- 5th Grade Student

Global GardensTulsa, OK

"The kids notice that the vegetables they grow don't look like what is found in the store. The shapes are not perfect, and there may be some discoloring. This is good for the kids to see, as they understand that the store produce was likely not grown naturally, as opposed to their own fruits and vegetables.“

-Merle Soodyall, Teacher and Garden Club Leader

Stripling Elementary SchoolNorcross, GA

Six pilot sites nationwide:

Philadelphia, PA

Denver, CO

Seattle, WA

Grand Rapids, MI

Los Angeles, CA

San Diego, CA“The kids are thrilled to take the food home for their family to enjoy. Pretty soon we’ll have about 30 pounds of tomatoes for the

members to share with their loved ones.” – Bruce Hird, Chief Professional Officer, Boys

& Girls Clubs of Buena Park, CA

BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA GARDEN LAUNCH: LOS ANGELES, CA

Before

Vegetable Theme Beds: Pizza, Salsa, Southern and Three

Sisters Gardens

After

BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA GARDEN LAUNCH:

SEATTLE, WA

Before After

Herb and Butterfly Garden/Gathering

Area

GREEN THUMB CHALLENGE

BEST PRACTICESOnline Resources

THE TURN-KEY GARDEN

Straightforward step-by-step plan, piloted in seven regionsnationwide, featuring:

Raised bed how-to Fencing and mulching

recommendations Easy-to-grow vegetable,

herb, fruit and flower chart Drip irrigation guide Ready-to-print shopping lists

featuring vendor products The entire Green Thumb

Challenge Turn-Key Garden can be purchased at Lowe’s!

PLANT WITH A PURPOSE CAMPAIGN

Mobilizes participants to plant a surplus of vegetables for donation to local food banks

Provides step-by-step procedures, with the support of Feeding America resources

Encourages community partnerships

GREEN THUMB CHALLENGE: HOW TO PARTICIPATE

Step #1: Go to www.greenthumbchallenge.org

Step #2: Click on “Sign Up” in the upper right-hand corner, and create a new account! It only takes a minute.

Step #3: Visit How to Participate to get started.

GREEN THUMB CHALLENGE: THE PILOT YEAR

BENCHMARKS/HIGHLIGHTS

Offering a $5,000 grant for exceptional GTC garden project, in partnership with Gardener’s Supply Company. Winner to be announced in September 2010. Click on image to view landing page:

United We Serve (www.serve.gov) and The Corporation for National and Community Service re-launching the Green Thumb Challenge on August 11th

GEF created a Public Service Announcement set to air on all major networks with a goal to reach of 85% of the US market within one month’s time. Click on image to view on GEF homepage:

GREEN THUMB CHALLENGE: TESTIMONIALS

Jane Swedish , Pinewoods Elementary Five Senses GardenEstero, FL“This will be our 4th year with our school garden. We have recently had six raised beds built by cub scouts and a bank volunteer. We harvested tomatoes, onions, peppers, carrots, pumpkins, herbs, fruit trees, wildflowers, strawberries, lettuce etc. We have tried pineapples, cotton, sunflowers and many more experimental plants. Next year my first grade classroom along with their 4th grade buddies will plant a "pizza" garden and our cafeteria manager will help us make the end results! The first graders, 4th graders and our after-school Explorers Environmental Club help to maintain the garden. We hope to harvest and sell our crops next year!”

Leslie Campbell, Camp Kic-A-WahRock Hill, SC“Located on the Catawba Indian Reservation we serve children in grades K-12. We have an after school program and a nine-week summer camp that we offer, a range of Tribal Culture and healthy activities. We engage the children in our program with healthy eating habits and nutrition classes to help fight obesity and diabetes. I work with the children K-12 grade in a gardening project through a grant we received from CDC on healthy eating habits to combat diabetes. We currently have two gardens that the children in our program helped plant and maintain.”

GREEN THUMB CHALLENGE: IN THE NEWS

GEF was in USA Today twice in two months and was also written up in Lowe’s Creative Ideas Magazine.

Read some of the articles and press releases here:

192 Nations Plan 'Robust' Earth Day 10,000 Gardens 4 Earth Day Event GEF Launches Green Thumb Challenge GEF Launches Online Community National Green Week 2010

For more information, please visit:

www.greenthumbchallenge.org