Roots and Shoots:

Environmentally Friendly

www.nbrootsandshoots.org

By Paula Pebsworth

New Braunfels Roots & Shoots was founded in January 2007. Dr. Jane Goodall formed the first Roots & Shoots chapter in Tanzania in 1991. Since that time, tens of thousands of members have joined from over 100 countries around the world.
Our mission is to foster respect and compassion for all living things, to promote understanding of all cultures and beliefs and to inspire each individual to take action to make the world a better place for people, animals and the environment.
Over the past year our local chapter has performed many community service projects to make small positive changes.
Here are a few of the projects to date. (1) The making of cloth bags to raise awareness to the one billion plastic bags people use in the U.S. every day. (2) Tree plantings, here in Comal County and also by donating money to buy trees in Tanzania. (3) Supporting local animal shelters through linen, food and litter drives. Also enriching the animals’ lives with cat toys and homemade dog biscuits. (4) Providing a home-cooked meal to families staying at the Ronald McDonald house. (5) Trash and recycling pick-ups at Dry Comal Creek Trail and Panther Canyon. (6) Organizing New Braunfels Earth Day 2007. (7) Pulling of exotic plant species so native species can survive at Aquarena. (8) Organizing a Peace Day Gathering in 2007.
We are currently participating in the international “Pennies for Peace” project to bring education to children in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and we are also organizing the New Braunfels Earth Day Celebration for 2008. 
We’re an intergenerational chapter, so we have members who are five months old and members who are retired professors. Our members’ diverse backgrounds help make our chapter vibrant.
We have a geographer, two yoga instructors, an environmental educator who is also a returning Peace Corps volunteer. We have a paralegal, two women who majored in Spanish, a marketing assistant, a henna artist, a computer specialist, an art teacher, an herbalist and a wildlife biologist. We have only one hometown girl, but all of us are committed to improving the quality of life here in New Braunfels. More important than our jobs or educational backgrounds however is the commitment we all share regarding the environment.
Here are a few of the reasons our members joined Roots & Shoots:
“I joined Roots and Shoots because I love being part of something bigger than myself, to work towards changing the world for the better.  I get so inspired by the amazing people in the organization - kids and adults - and I love that my child sees a group of people working together to make a difference.  It can be very difficult in our world to find a sense of community, but Roots and Shoots has given me that feeling.”
“It is a wonderful organization that teaches myself and my children to appreciate and preserve our natural resources.   I want my children to know that there is a much bigger world than just what you see around you and you should do what you can to help others in your local community as well as around the world.”  
“I joined R&S for three reasons, (1) to meet other like-minded and earth conscious individuals in the community, (2) to help bring awareness to environmental and social issues, (3) to pass on a love for all nature and humanity to my son, and (4) to have fun doing it!”
“We joined Roots and Shoots as a way to be involved in the local community, help the environment and help other people around the world. It is important to me to make sure my boys are raised with the understanding that the earth is precious and we must do our part to take care of it and be active, compassionate members of society.”
We hope you will join us for this year’s Earth Day Celebration, which will be held Saturday, April 26, in Landa Park from 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. The day will be filled with music, demonstrations from over 40 non-profit organizations and arts and crafts for children. We’ll have many fun activities for parents and youth like Texas Parks & Wildlife’s, “Let’s Go Fishing” program. The Boy Scouts will have a rock climbing wall and a camping demonstration to encourage people to get out and get active.
The Texas Master Naturalists, Lindheimer Chapter, will have many demonstrations covering topics like creating a backyard habitat, animal identification, how to prevent soil erosion and much more. We will also be providing food and drinks this year and auctioning off some wonderful items like a zip line canopy tour, a sunset/bat cruise, Family Membership to LBJ Wildflower Center, camping rental for four, a child’s bike and tune-up, day passes to local tourist attractions and many other gift certificates.
So, don’t forget your wallet! An organic cotton t-shirt with a design by Alejandra Sandoval will also be available at this year’s event. For more details, see our website at www.nbrootsandshoots.org or call Paula at 830/214-7050.