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 Sarasota
County commissioners made a special presentation at 9
a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 9, to honor 13 elementary school
artists whose illustrations comprise the 2009 “Grow a
Green Community” calendar. More than 1,500 students
entered this year’s competition to depict ways to save
energy and reduce waste and air and water pollution.
“This year's
calendar theme is all about living a sustainable lifestyle,”
said Rob Wright, who coordinates the calendar contest for
Sarasota County through its Neighborhood Environmental
Stewardship Team (NEST) program. “It all begins with the
realization that we do not own the earth's resources, and that
we are only borrowing them for a time before we pass them on to
future generations. We hope the calendar will help highlight
that making wise choices in how we use our land, water, energy
and transportation will determine what we have left to pass on.”
NEST Grow a Green Community FYI Video
More photos of the calendar winners
Wright’s group asked the
students to use their imaginations and talent to show
what being sustainable means to them. “The kids’ artwork
shows that they really get the concept of making those
wise choices and we can certainly learn from them,”
Wright added.
This year’s calendar
features each winning illustration, along with a thought
for the month to encourage sustainability practices, an
overview of the county’s neighborhood grant program, a
glossary of “sustainable terms” and a special section on
Sarasota County’s urban forestry program.
The annual calendar contest
is open to any elementary student in any public or
private Sarasota County school, including charter and
elementary-age home-schooled students. Each winner’s
school will receive a supply of calendars for
distribution, and copies of their winning artwork will
be displayed throughout January 2009 in the Sarasota
County School Board Administration and at G.WIZ Science
Museum.
Copies of the calendar will
be available at all county public libraries and
administration facilities after Jan. 1, 2009. To get a
free copy of the 2009 “Grow a Green Community” calendar,
or to learn more about the NEST program, contact the
Sarasota County Call Center at 941-861-5000 and ask for
Rob Wright.
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