Youth aim to start local, go global

Editor’s note: This is the third in a series of five stories detailing the growing efforts of Design for Change Sandpoint as several local youth prepare to represent the United States at the DFC global summit in Rome in November.

By MARY MALONE

Staff writer

SANDPOINT — Start local, go global.

This became the tagline for group of Washington Elementary sixth graders as they embarked on their Design for Change project this past year, and it is exactly what they aim to do. Implementing a plastic recycling program at their school was just the beginning of their journey.

“A small change can make a big difference,” said Payton Polhemus, one of the DFC group members who worked on the plastic reduction and recycling project.

Some of the sixth-grade group, now seventh graders, will be heading to Rome in November, representing Sandpoint and the United States during the DFC global summit. A few of those students, including Payton, Ellie Klippel, Hana Luttmann, Taylor Mire and Aubrey Knowles, recently detailed their project and what they hope to accomplish when they talk about it on the global stage.

The overall purpose of the project, Payton said, was to teach people how to reduce and recycle plastics. In starting the DFC process last year, the students knew they wanted to do something with life on land and life below water, Hana said, as those are two of the 17 global goals the United Nations hopes to achieve by 2030. DFC teams across the world took on efforts related to those global goals this past year, said Ann Dickinson, Washington Elementary sixth-grade teacher and DFC coordinator.

In researching life on land and life below water, the students learned that animals were being injured and dying from plastics. Watching a video of a turtle with a straw stuck in its nose, which resulted in surgical removal, that really struck the kids.

“It was awful,” Ellie said as she described the video.

The group immediately knew one thing they could do — implement a recycling program at their school.

“That was something they worked on, made the contacts and got recycling out here to Washington,” said Nikki Luttmann, president of newly formed board for Design for Change Sandpoint, which is working toward its nonprofit status.

After conducting some research and gaining empathy for the problem, the students contacted people in the community from various businesses and organizations, including the Rotaract Club, school lunch staff, the district’s facilities director, 350 Sandpoint, and Waste Management among others.

Aubrey said their initial solution was edible water bottles, which elicited a groan from the rest of the group members as they recalled the “disgusting” experiment. The girls said they didn’t taste good, they were slimy and just all around not a good idea. While the edible water bottles were a failure, the group said they learned to try and try again. Failure means you are learning, Taylor said. Something else they took from that effort was the need for a backup plan, Payton said. They thought the edible water bottles were going to work but, ultimately, they had to start over and find a new solution.

So the students implemented the recycling program at the school, but it didn’t stop there. They had to educate their fellow schoolmates on plastic reduction and recycling as well — how to do and why it is important. They held an assembly to educate students not only on how to reduce and recycle plastics at school, but at home and around the community as well. Taylor said they created a game to help out with the education effort that was held during physical education classes.

“They thought that was important to incorporate games and songs, as well as the presentations, to get the kids of all ages to understand,” Dickinson said.

The sixth-graders would take up post during lunch by the garbage and recycle bins each day to instruct kids on where to put their trash. As the end of the year rolled around, Taylor said, there were less and less students who needed help. Dickinson said the sixth graders who volunteered their lunch hours would then bring the recycling back to her room to clean it — which resulted in a number of calls to Matt Diel, the Lake Pend Oreille School District’s facilities director, to clear up a clogged sink.

The students expanded their efforts during the big Earth Day celebration at Farmin Park in April, where they presented their project to the community and educated them on the importance of plastic reduction and recycling. They also hosted some activities, games and did a skit during the celebration. Payton said they made an educational brochure as well, which the group distributed at the event.

Now, as they prepare to head to Rome as United States ambassadors, the girls said the goal is to spread their message about plastics and the harm they do to wildlife and the environment. The group did some research on Rome recently and made a video for the kids going to the summit from around the world, describing how to recycle in Rome because their bins are different. They are also shipping packs of reusable utensils to Rome to give out, donated by 350 Sandpoint.

“We hope that people go home remembering our project and taking action,” Payton said.

The Start Local, Go Global group needs community support in order to represent the United States at this year’s global summit. The kids are asking if local engineering and building industries would be willing to help them reach their goal of $17,500. Donations are tax deductible through the nonprofit Walk For HOPE and can be mailed to Design for Change Sandpoint, P.O. Box 1585, Sandpoint, Idaho, 83864. Checks should be made out to Walk For Hope and have “Design For Change Plastics Project” in the memo.

In addition, each group has a separate GoFundMe page for people to choose which project they would like to support. For information or to donate to the plastic reduction and recycling effort, go to bit.ly/2Ov5O7o. Fundraisers, such as a rummage sale, will be coming up soon as well. Follow Design for Change Sandpoint on Facebook for project and fundraising information.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.