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Environmental Progress - Summer 2001

"The Land We Depend On"
As Youngsters See It

IEPA displays winning posters, poetry and prose with a purpose

Photo: Bill Child, Bureau of Land Chief, with five of the top six winners.

Bill Child, Gureau of Land Chief, with five of the top six winners.

Between May 5 and May 19, the lower gallery at the Illinois State Museum in Springfield offered visitors a glimpse of what Illinois fifth and sixth graders think their world should look like. On display were the winning posters and written works submitted during the IEPA's 14th annual environmental education effort, which this year focused on "The Land We Depend On." On May 5, a reception at the Museum honored the six students who created the top entries, as well as the other young artists and writers whose entries survived preliminary judging to make it to the finals. Parents, siblings and teachers were invited to the program at which the top six entrants received $50 U.S. Savings Bonds, certificates, special ribbons and environmental books carrying personalized book plates for their school libraries. All finalists received ribbons and certificates.

In "The Land We Depend On" exhibit, thriving plants, happy people and animals populate the youngsters' world, where skies are bright blue, water sparkles and the earth is fertile. Supporting the colorful art works are carefully lettered poems and essays, also touting the need for protection of the most basic natural resources.

The 2000-2001 event introduced the entirely rewritten and redesigned educational packet, formerly called "Air, Land & Water" and now titled "Environmental Pathways - Youth Investigating Pollution Issues in Illinois." The curriculum was revised to meet the standards of the North American Association for Environmental Education Guidelines for Excellence. The program this year involved 547 teachers and 25,800 Illinois fifth and sixth grade students.

Named as top entrants in the poster category were Kelly Boucher, Owen Marsh School, Springfield; Allyson Keith, Prairieland Elementary, Normal; and Alicia Woods, Brookport Elementary, Brookport. Taking top honors with written entries were Jarrod Davenport, A-C Central Junior High School, Ashland; Trish Kane and Laura Kenny, both students at St. Christina School, Chicago. Kane and Kenny also entered posters that were among the finalists in judging, and Keith's written entry was a finalist in the poster competition.

The Land We Depend On

We need the air to breathe.
We have trees and pretty leaves.

We depend on our land for a lot,
But care for it some people do not.

We take advantage of the trees,
And of the gentle, spring breeze.

We need to recycle our papers and cans,
Or else it will ruin some of our big plans.

We need to take care of the land we were given,
Or some of our beautiful things won't be livin'.

We need to take care of this wonderful Earth,
You have to remember it's the place of everyone's birth.

By: Laura Kenny
Chicago St. Christina School

Poster entry: "We Need You - To Help Keep Our Earth Clean" depicting planet and "Uncle Sam"

The Land We Depend On

The land is beautiful,
And very colorful;
In the rain, sleet, and snow,
Or when the wind may blow,
Even in the dark of night
When there is so little light.
But people are harming our land.
So lend a hand,
Try recycling,
And bicycling.
Don't take long showers,
Or soak your flowers.
The Earth is for the birds and bees,
And the plants such as trees.
It is for all Earth's creatures,
So don't destroy it's life giving features.
Earth is a place for you and me,
So help it be great for the future to see.

By: Trish Kane
Chicago St. Christina School

The Boy With A Plan

In the year 2024
there was a boy
who lived in a city
and played with his toys.
He watched outside his window
looking at the cars.
This city was really trashy.
Their garbage was not sent to Mars
but to giant landfills closed inside bars.
All the animals the garbage was killing.
No reusing or recycling, just land filling.
If only we started source reduction,
then the city would really function.
But the boy had a plan
to put trash in the can.
He built a time machine to go back
to the year 2001.
Everything was good there, happiness and fun.
He saw less garbage and more clean air,
so he went around telling people to reuse.
This, he knew, couldn't lose,
so he went around everywhere telling the news -
"Reuse cups, reuse plates, and all kinds of stuff."
But then he realized this just isn't enough.
Recycling is what the people must do
to reduce garbage and other things, too.
This was difficult and tough.
Then he realized this just isn't enough,
so he told the people of composting.
They composted and returned the nutrients to the soil.
He knew he had won; this couldn't spoil.
And when he got home, no trouble nor toil,
just clean air and trees in 2024.