Reed asks Hoosiers to learn more about ‘homegrown green’
Learn Green, Live Green focus for August: Growing Green
Did you know that choosing locally produced food and other goods not only supports Indiana farmers and businesses, but it is also better for the environment? That is why the Indiana Department of Education is encouraging Hoosier students and adults to learn more about “homegrown green” options as part of its Learn Green, Live Green focus for August: Growing Green.
“Visiting a local farm or starting your own garden are both great ways to explore the benefits of ‘growing green’ while learning about our strong agricultural history,” said Dr. Suellen Reed, Superintendent of Public Instruction. “Indiana is home to a variety of produce – not just corn and soy beans. Apples, squash, tomatoes, cabbage, peppers and peaches are just a few examples of items that can be found in our state.”
What is Growing Green?
Growing Green has multiple meanings. First, it refers to making environmentally friendly decisions when gardening and growing plants. This includes composting, avoiding or reducing harmful chemical pesticides as well as thinking of your plants as part of a whole system within nature. Second, it encourages Hoosiers to eat “homegrown green” by choosing organic foods produced by local farmers and sources. Last, but certainly not least, this focus also includes an emphasis on growing a greener generation by teaching our youngest Hoosiers that “green” can be incorporated into everyday life with little or no extra effort at all. To start “growing green” at home or in the classroom, go online to www.doe.in.gov/green for tips, fun facts, school projects, online resources and much more.
Boone County creamery committed to education
Traders Point Creamery in Zionsville is featured online at www.doe.in.gov/green as one among many Indiana agri-businesses committed to “growing green” by producing only organic foods including ice cream, yogurt and much more. They are also environmentally conscious when it comes to fertilization, irrigation and animal feeding practices. Even further, this Indiana Certified Organic operation is dedicated to educating the public on organic foods and farming.
“We’d like this to be not only a production facility, but also an education site,” said owner Jane Elder Kunz, adding that their goal is to educate children about where cows live, how they eat, where the milk comes from and how it is produced. Traders Point Creamery regularly hosts school field trips and family visits throughout the year.
To learn more about organic foods and farming, go online to www.doe.in.gov/green and click on the Spotlights link. There you can also read more about what schools across the state are doing to “go green."
Keep up the ‘green’ work
Although this month’s focus is Growing Green, we encourage Hoosiers to keep up with all the other Learn Green, Live Green initiatives such as recycling, reducing waste, using renewable resources, choosing more environmentally friendly transportation and learning more about beneficial organisms. For more information on our past initiatives, visit www.doe.in.gov/green and click through the different months on each of the tabs or go to the Recycle Bin.
Learn Green, Live Green
Learn Green, Live Green is a year-long initiative, launched in January, that is designed to help educators, students, parents and community members discover practical, cost-effective ways to model environmentally-responsible behavior both inside and outside of the classroom. The Learn Green, Live Green concept fits naturally with Indiana’s academic standards, local school curricula and student learning goals at each grade level. Local participation is completely voluntary. Each month in 2008, the Indiana Department of Education spotlights a different aspect of the issue through an interactive Web site, www.doe.in.gov/green, while offering a variety of related resources for schools and communities.