Gifted Resource Council
Gifted Resource Council
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ECO Academy Teaches in the Present, Looks to the Future
by Dawn Franzen, M. Ed.

One hundred years ago, our country thrust itself into the Industrial Revolution. Factories sprang up “overnight” and the assembly line concept transformed the automobile from fantasy into reality. But at what price progress?

The twenty-first century has dawned with the next level of so-called progress: The Technology Revolution. And we can no longer ignore the impact our actions have on the earth. Gifted Resource Council recognizes that we must instill in future generations the idea that ecological awareness and fiscal responsibility can no longer be mutually exclusive. Completing its second year, ECO Academy, GRC’s newest summer camp, has tried and succeeded in helping kids understand the complex interplay of technological advancement and ecological preservation.

ECO Academy students began their two-week program with a mission: to create a financially viable and environmentally friendly business. The students created “Tie-Dyed T-Shirts, Inc.” With the direction of teachers Tricia Brown, Patrick Halladay and Sandy Kalin, the class learned, step-by-step, the marketing, financial and production elements of creating a business. As they made business decisions, they constantly had to ask themselves: “What are the potential environmental consequences of these decisions?”

Job descriptions were written and each student had to “apply” for a job by filling out an application and stating why they thought they would be suitable for the job. As a result, the third through eighth graders worked together across grade levels.

After conducting market research and determining that there was a niche for their product, students got busy raising start-up cash. What better way to do so than by selling shares of stock in their company? After a highly informative discussion on the topic from Monsanto ecotoxicologist, Dr. Michael McKee, they approached “venture capitalists” (parents, friends and other students), presented the business plan they wrote and sold stock in their company for a dollar a share.

With money in hand, they made a list of supplies needed for the production of the t-shirts. The main ingredient, of course, was the dye; and this led them to their first ECO decision: Synthetic dyes make more colorful, more appealing shirts and are easy to use. But disposing of natural dyes (made from onionskin and other vegetables) would not pose a threat to the environment, even though the colors they produced would not be as vibrant and might affect the appeal of the product to buyers. Phone calls to Rit Dye Company and a professor at Washington University, who is an expert on water quality issues, reassured the students that the synthetic dye could be disposed of without harm to the environment. Here they learned first-hand that it is possible to have a win-win situation: they didn’t have to sacrifice potential profits for ecological safety; nor did they have to harm the environment in order to keep their business viable.

Production of the t-shirts went into full swing. Students spent several afternoons, assembly-line style, rubber-banding, dipping, rinsing and hanging their product. Delivery to customers was made and soon the class was staring at a pile of hard-earned cash.

But not so fast! First, they had to pay back their suppliers. Dividends were paid to their stockholders (who, by the way, got a 150% return on their investment). The pile of money did shrink; but lo and behold, there was still some left. Profit!

Actually, there was quite a bit of money left. After rewarding themselves with a pizza party perk, yet another decision awaited the ECO Academy students: What do we do with our profit? Do we divy it up and individually “blow it” at the mall? Or is it our responsibility somehow to give back to the community? After much discussion, the students altruistically decided to use the money to set up a scholarship fund for a worthy student who will want to attend ECO Academy next year.

As you can see, Gifted Resource Council’s ECO Academy is definitely not your run-of-the-mill lemonade stand. Rather, it is a camp where problem solving and teamwork combine with basic economic principles and pressing ecological issues. It is real life for kids and adults. Because in this class, the teachers cannot plan the lessons into neat little units: they must live them right along with their students.

It is said, “We don’t inherit the Earth from our parents; we borrow it from our children.” Soon it will be time to turn over our planet to the next generation. And that is exactly what GRC’s ECO Academy is doing.
For more information regarding Gifted Resource Council, please call the GRC office at 314-962-5920.