KEEP Club
Welcome to the K.E.E.P. Club!
K.E.E.P. stands for
Kids Expect Environmental Protection. And they do.
We are a grades 5-8 Environmental Club in Brookline.
We meet on Thursdays from 2:35-3:40
and at special events throughout the year.
We officially began in 2015- we plan to KEEP going!
Launching the 2023-2024 KEEP Year!
We have over 50 members!
What's in store for KEEP 2024?
KEEP Club Updates!
Plastics in the news! January 10, 2024 Click here and see below.
December 7th, 2023
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Thursday, 11/9/23-Driscoll 8th grade headed to the new and old
Black Earth Compost Facilities! Drizzle and cold did not stop the trip.
After the trip, KEEP Club met to discuss latest projects and what to do about all the trees taken down at Driscoll. How can we honor them and make sure to care for what is newly planted? We are going to make little momuments and other art to show what we appreciated about their time with us.
Composting will start on Day 1 of the new Driscoll School!
See our little video below by KEEPers Alice and Ari explaining the new system.
See our little video below by KEEPers Alice and Ari explaining the new system.
KEEP is growing. New KEEPers are joining and want to learn and pitch in. As we launch our year, we are figuring out what the new and returning KEEP club members want to focus on. Right now we are looking at the following:
- Getting the new Driscoll school to successfully compost from day ONE! This means making sure students and faculty understand WHY we are composting and how to make it successful!
- OCTOBER 15th! KEEPers have been invited to join into the launching of the first ever mini forests in Brookline! Yes, indeed, please come join us on 10/15/23 to plant this forest. See more details here. Here is a little video to learn more!
- Working with CLF (Conservation Law Foundation) to help get the updated bottle bill passed and another groundbreaking law called producer Responsibility for Packaging.
- Picking up and noting the types of trash all around us...
- Launching the new KEEP Jr. as we get 2nd -4th graders into eco gear. Phoebe Hyde is running it with the help of KEEPers Alice, Ari, Katie and Sarah.
- Continuing our focus on reducing plastic packaging with a focus on Whole Foods and our Scrap the Cap. It is close to our next goal of 4365 ("for 365 to stop using plastics")
- Creating KEEPcast audio stories
- And... starting a new bootcamp/KEEPcard program so KEEPers can become "certified" experts and guides to others. We are a bit of a one room "ecoschool house" and so we have to make sure everyone is steeped in basic information about climate change, plastics, composting, ocean life protection, how the ecosystem works, how to be an effective adovocate, etc. KEEPers will be learning and then teach other KEEPers and the community.
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KEEP HAD OUR FIRST MEETING OF THE YEAR!
We gathered together, introduced ourselves (more than 50 people came) and reviewed accomplishments, progress and goals for this year. We had our first guest speaker, our new and extraordinary cafeteria manager Gabby Stefura come and explain how we are going start composting on day 1 at the new Driscoll School!
We also reviewed up and coming field trips, our scrap the cap petition, Signs of Nature and Art Exhibits, Statewide Plastic reduction campaigns and other options for this year's KEEP Club! Stay tuned!
KEEP began by helping to sort waste at Brookline Day in the rain!
KEEP CLUB 2022-2023 ACCOMPLISHMENTS!
GREENZINE magazine: - Hannah Lee published her article about Right Whale Entanglement - Cecelia Benitez published her article on why Fast Fashion is toxic Francesco Carratelli published his article about dogs helping to save Italian olive trees! KIT (Keepers in Training- click here) completed and presented a series for 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade classes. Here is the KIT 3rd grade slideshow! brought to you by Emma, Stella and Lila with the help of Ms. Roth Keepers received the SPOTlight on Excellence and Spoke in front of the Brookline School Committee Brookline Town Meeting showed a film- you can click here to see it- made by the KEEP club to help pass Brookline Warrant Article 10 to protect trees. It passed! But sadly, it's still not being enforced CLEAN UP CREW: Thanks to our Litter Brigade of Max, Benji, Daniel, Boone, and Ms. Wolfson, bags and bags of litter were picked up, noted and disposed of. Many Happy Trumpet Good News Environmental articles were completed by Aden, Elad, Daniel, Francesco, Noam and Will - see below or click here ASTONISHING: A beauty or the beast art exhibit! Created by Shira, Minh-Anh, and Marina
The accomplishments continued and will continue...
Stay tuned as we KEEP going... |
MORE KEEP ACCOMPLISHMENTSOUR KEEPcasters: (from left to right) Mikaela, Zach, Zavier, Elias, Nico, Arav and Amer with help from the amazing Wes Kaplan from BIG TV produced the first edition of the KEEPcast podcast - click here or above.
The Scrap the Cap Petition originally launched by Noah, Noga and Nam - now has OVER 4000 signatures- far exceeding our original goal of 365 signatures (but we still need many, many more. Please get your friends, family and colleagues to sign HERE. STAFF ROOM SINGLE USE PLASTIC-FREE: faculty and guests can use real mugs, plates, bowls, silverware.. no plastic. KEEP joined with Brookline DPW and Mothers Out Front to have a compost audit that changed the way many people in our community think about food waste! SEE PHOTOS BELOW KEEP the Earth In Balance Expo was a huge success. Audience members reported they changed what they eat, how they shop and what they do with their food after having attended the expo. It was brought by the entire KEEP Club! The Compost Caravans made up of Alice, Ari, CC, Grace, Katie, JJ, and Sarah went into grades K-8 classrooms to share why it's important to compost. Here is the 6-8 slide show FAST FASHION QUILT AND INFORMATION by Cecilia, Emma and Phoebe: FAST FASHION IS SOMETHING WE CAN ALL CHANGE... Our fast fashion group is bringing light to the problem. |
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Driscoll & KEEP Club make
front page of Brookline DPW Zero Waste Newsletter!
Thursday, 1/4/24 KEEP Club first gathered at Driscoll and then headed to UVIDA the Zero Waste Store to learn more about the owner and her mission.
We hope to continue supporting Maria and the work she is doing while getting more families to shop without using single use plastics.
UPDATES:
- KEEP Club is joining with Plantsoon for our Signs of Nature projects.
- Field trip to the Zero Waste Store Uvida on January 4th!
- Our whole school composting effort is going great. Yeah! There are some tasks (like making posters and giving trainings) for KEEPers to do in order to ensure the success of this far reaching program.
- The Happy Trumpet is set to publish the third edition of their Good News for the Environement newspaper. Stay tuned!
- Our SCRAP THE CAP petition-click Scrap the Cap petition heading towards 5000 signatures 4,849 as of 1/17/24!
- The Brookline Tree Law went into effect! See below. KEEPers, you were part of this new law. Let's make sure we continue to protect the trees we have and plant new ones for your future.
- It's time to be able to drink cozy tea without the bags being wrapped in plastic tea bags
- And what about those awful plastic bread clips? We need to get companies to use compostable ones- the little plastic ones are adding to the plastic we eat and don't need.
- How can we encourage eco friendly holidays?
We will hear updates from:
- KEEPers in Training - KEEP Jr
- KEEP Club passport
- Fast Fashion
- Whale Entanglement
- 8th grade KEEPCasters
- Others work going on? Please let me know so I can put you on the agenda!
Wrapping Up The Year! (with less plastic)
KEEP CLUB had a table at the Driscoll Spring Fair- It included hair braiding and sign making!
First graders examined (using magnifying glasses) the eco system of our bird sanctuary. There were some intriguing insects and larva.
KEEP Club showed up at the Brookline Spring Fest at Allerton Overlook to do composting/trash sorting, sign making and petition signing!
KEEP CLUB & PROJECTS IN APRIL & MAY!
KEEP in mind - MAY news
No Mow May and Low mow after that... Here's MORE to Learn.
"No Mow May encourages garden owners not to mow their lawns for the month. Pausing mowing is meant to allow flowers in the lawn to bloom and help early season pollinators, such as bees."
Thursday, May 18th- There IS KEEP Club
We will be getting ready for the Spring FEST- Saturday, May 20th- DPW Olmsted Park, Allerton Overlook (203 Pond Ave) 11 am -2 pm Lawn Games * Food * Music * Crafting and the KEEP club will be there to KEEP things green.
Also on Thursday, 5/18 We will be showing up to support KEEPer Ariel Horberg-Decter as she speaks to the School Committee about her
Saturday, May 20th, KEEP will be at SPRING FEST!
Come join us! Click here for more details:
KEEP NEWS: KEEP holds successful waste audit: More pictures here!
SCRAP THE CAP: We have 608 signatures! Click here to sign & share
WARRANT TREE ARTICLE IS PASSED BY ATTORNEY GENERAL! See video below that helped inspire people to pass the bill. We celebrated in KEEP club with pizza brought by the authors of the bill, Joslyn Murphy and Olivia Fox. .
On November 16th, 2022, KEEP Club presented a video in support of Warrant Article 10 at Brookline Town Meeting to support the protection and preservation of our trees! On April 12th, it was passed!
This is a great first step...
but we have to get to the root of the problem. Pun intended. |
Currently, our biggest focus is on why and how we can be conscious consumers.
We are creating awareness of and protections for our vulnerable ecosystem by...
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See this new series on 'Solving Plastic' |
KEEP Club Podcast Crew!
Want a KEEP Club T-Shirt or Sweat Shirt? Order forms coming soon! |