Conservation through research and education.
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Team Information & Blog
GreenScape
Adult Advisor
Maegan Kern
Team Members
Edward Hardy Kern (age:15)
Breanna Lynn Ferchak (age:15)
Project Outline
GreenScape will hold fundraisers and other activities to raise money and awareness about our cause: Increase the Green to Suck Up the CO2.
Any money that we raise will be used to buy trees and plants to be planted throughout the community. The money will also be used to fund visits from experts in the fields of botany, and wildlife.
Fundraisers will bring about awareness of the cause, and hopefully donations as well. We also have local businesses and companies lined up to back us financially.
We will visit schools within the district to teach the students about the importance of being environmentally aware. We will also provide them with opportunities to grow their own plant, and the student who's plant is the biggest after a set period of time will win a prize of some sort.
GreenScape will also make videos and webcasts to post on the internet and on the local cable access channel to teach residents how to care for their environment, plant and upkeep plants and trees, and introduce them to local wildlife.
Green Gauge
Aug 19, 2008
The Green Gauge is used to keep track of all the greenery GreenScape plants.
Trees: 474
Maples: 138
Spruces: 36
Oaks: 100
Dogwoods: 100
Crab Apples: 100
Flowers: 303
Geraniums: 30
Asst. Wildflowers: 201
St. Johns Fire: 12
Marigolds: 12
Petunias: 24
Hyacinth: 12
Snapdragons: 12
Keep your eye on the Green Gauge, we're always adding more!
Our Website
Aug 19, 2008
Team GreenScape has created another way for people to learn about global warming, polar bears, and what Team GreenScape is doing to help. There's links to the PBI website and GreenScape's blog, global warming and polar bear information, a calendar of all our events, a Green Gauge, and much much more! Check it out to stay up to date with GreenScape!
Pittsburgh Zoo Festival of Water
Aug 11, 2008
Saturday, August 9, was the Pittsburgh Zoo's Festival of Water. Team GreenScape was there and, with the help of tons of local kids, planted 201 flowers.
We stuck with the two-table set up, with one primarily for information, and the other for planting. At the information table, kids and adults alike were told about the plight of the polar bears, and what they could do to help. We passed out more of the National Arbour Foundation pamphlets, and with each membership to the foundation comes 10 free trees. Click here to learn more about it. There was a raffle for a polar bear patterned pillow hand made by my grandma. Hanging as a back drop for this table was a polar bear wall hanging, also hand made by my grandma. It attracted many people, and got them talking about the bears. There were also posters of polar bears, and life size polar bear foot prints free for the taking. With high quality pictures and facts on the back, the posters are great reminders of Team GreenScape's mission, and how much the bears need our help.
Of the more than 1,000 National Arbor Foundation pamplets passed out, GreenScape is assuming that at least 10% of the people who received a pamphlet will join the Foundation and receive their 10 free trees. Hopefully many more will join, but we can safely say that at least 100 trees were planted on our behalf.
At the planting/activity table, kids really got the message about how planting one little cup of flowers can help polar bears all over the world have a place to live. They decorated strips of construction paper with crayons and paper polar bear faces. Most of them wrote things like "Save the Polar Bears!" and "I Love the Bears." It was easy to see how impacted they were by our project. Once the paper was done, we let them scoop potting soil into a cup, and what kid doesn't love playing in the dirt? They then put a scoop of assorted wildflower seeds into the cup, and give it a drink of water. We wrapped the paper around the cup, and sent tem off with directions of keep it in sunlight and water it once a day. It was awesome to hear them running back to their parents and telling them about how they are helping the polar bears. You could tell how much our motto of "Plant a tree, Save a bear" was imprinted on them.
201 flowers and 1,000 pamphlets later, we packed up, overjoyed with the reults of our day.
Special thanks to:
Christine Kern for the wall hanging and pillows.
Kelsey and Leah Kern for their added support.
Mrs. Ferchak for supplying the wildflower seeds.
Gabby Boldizar for arranging the tables at the event.
The Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium.
Zoo 110th Anniversary
Aug 03, 2008
Sorry this is being posted so late, I though I had clicked the "save changes" button last time, but I hadn't.
On July 12 and 13, Team GreenScape had the honor of attending the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium 110th Anniversary celebration. From 11 am to 3 pm, we helped spread the word about the bears, and how to help. Our tent and two tables were stationed near the polar bear exhibit, at the end of the Water's Edge complex. One of our tables was used for donations, and the other was used for our activity.
At the information table, guests were told of the plight of the polar bears, and the mission of GreenScape and Polar Bears International. We also gave out brochures supplied by the National Arbor Foundation on planting trees. The brochures also gave recipients the option of joining the Foundation, and recieving 10 trees of their choice. We handed out about 200 of these brochures, and assuming the lower margin of the recipients actually ordered trees (only 10%, or 20 people), GreenScape is taking responsibility for the planting of 200 trees.
At the activity table, children were able to pick out their own tree to take home and plant. To make it more fun, we gave them the option of decorating the cup the sapling was planted in. All silver maple saplings were 8 inches tall, and in excellent health. Kids would pick out thier favorite colored coonstruction or wrapping paper, draw on it with crayons or tape on polar bear faces, and then have us help them wrap the paper around the cup to take home. While they were coloring, we explained how planting trees would absorb CO2, and help give polar bears a place to live. Kids loved the idea of helping polar bears, and the trees they planted in their yards will help beautify their communities, and clean their air. All the paper we used was recyclable, and the cups were not styrofoam, so they would decompose. As they left, we also gave out polar bear posters with facts on the back, and life size polar bear footprint posters. The zoo staff made many remarks about the number of trees circulating throughout the zoo. 106 trees were given out at the event, and our message was spread to about 10,000 people.
Also attending the event was another team from Pittsburgh, and it was great to meet another team from the competition, and to see how much good we were all doing.
On August 9 and 10, we have another event at the Pittsburgh Zoo, and can't wait to keep upholding our motto "Plant a Tree, Save a Bear." See you there!
Special thanks to:
The Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium
Gabby Boldizar for getting us a table at the busy event
Christine and Hardy Kern (Hardy's Grandparents) for the sedlings.
Community Day Success!!!
Jul 07, 2008
Peters Township Community Day was a major success for GreenScape, and a great way to kick off our project. Thousands of people attended the event, and all were made aware of the tragedy befalling polar bears, and how they can help.
Simmons Farm and Kmart were kind enough to donate flowers to Team GreenScape to sell at Community Day. The Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium sent many promotional polar bear items to give away as prizes for games kids at the event had the oppurtunity to play. They also had the oppurtunity to decorate their own silver maple seedling cup and take it home to plant.
For adults, we had silver maples, Norway spruce seedlings, geraniums, and other assorted flowers for sale, or with a small donation to the cause. Patrons also had the chance to put in their names for a drawing to win 4 free zoo passes, also generously donated by the Pittsburgh Zoo. We will be drawing the winners today.
Also helping to bring in donations was the Pittsburgh Zoo's polar bear mascot, Mr. Polar Bear. He walked all around the park with his assistant from the zoo, helping channel people to our booth we shared with the Tri Boro Federal Credit Union, a credit union run by Breanna's dad.
Overall, we sold 30 spruces, 15 geraniums, 32 silver maples, and 62 flowers, all of which will be planted and aid in stopping global warming. We also collected almost 300 dollars in donations, all of which will go towards the purchase of trees and flowers, and will help fund programs we intend to do in the future.
Our next venue will be at the Pittsburgh Zoo, where we will be stationed at the polar bear exhibit, and will continue to spread the word. SAVE THE POLAR BEARS!
Special thanks to: The Ferchak and Kern Families, especially Kelsey and Leah Kern, Mrs. Ferchak, and Hardy Kern Jr.
Mr. Ferchak and Tri Boro Federal Credit Union for allowing us to share their booth.
Simmons Farm for their geraniums.
Kmart for their flowers.
Super Special thanks to the Pittsburgh Zoo for all of their support.
Community Day
May 28, 2008
On June 28, we are sponsoring a booth at our townships community day. Guests will be able to buy plants and seeds, learn about polar bears and global warming, play different games with identifying local wildlife, have a charicature artist from the Pittsburgh Zoo sketch them, meet the Pittsburgh Zoo Polar Bear Mascot, and other activities.
Also, the Coca Cola Company has sent us a poster and other promotional items to use.
The Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium is also helping. They are providing promotional polar bear items, zoo passes to raffle off, and their polar bear mascot and charicature artist.
All proceeds will go toward purchasing trees and other greenery to plant in the township, and also will be donated to PBI.