Some of what Roots and Shoots at Doane College has done over the last 6 years.

1. Trash Bags to Handbags Community Garden Crete Community Gardens began as a lofty goal last spring, but has slowly blossomed into a beautiful reality. Over the past year, members met with locals to garner support for the idea, volunteered at other gardens in Nebraska, and built connections. These connections led to a grant partnership with CROPS community gardens in Lincoln, a garden committee to be formed, and the acquisition of land within Crete. Next week, work will begin on preparing the land for the 2011 season. The garden encompasses all three missions of Roots and Shoots Doane Chapter, it impacts the human community, animals and the environment. The childhood obesity rate for low-income preschool students in Saline County is 23.6%, almost double the state average. For these families, the cheaper option is usually the only option and, without access to cheap produce, fast food wins out. Our garden plots will cost only $50 for the whole growing season (Apr.-Nov.). For those are unable to garden, a portion of the garden's produce will be donated to local food charities or sold at an affordable price in farmers markets. The gardens will also provide a source of education and community involvement. We have partnered with Crete Public Schools to use the gardens as a tool to help teach English to adult immigrants. We also plan to reserve a plot for elementary students to educate them on where their food comes from and the basics of growing it. Produce in the gardens is grown in Crete and consumed in surrounding areas, so there is very little greenhouse gas emissions in transport. In order to keep humans and animals safe, there will be no pesticide use in the gardens. Eating locally also reduces consumption of ingredients such as palm oil, the production of which has caused mass deforestation and biodiversity loss in places like Borneo. In the future, we plan to expand the gardens into a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program which would allow gardeners to expand their growing into a business. Individuals would be allowed to grow on much larger plots, and produce enough to supplement local restaurants, Doane's cafeteria, and the public schools. Working with Upward Bound last year. Doane fashion. Roots and Shoots student presenting WangariMaathai with a handbag made from plastic bags in L.A. One of many handbag days. Making bags in Kenya. Doane fashion. Plastic pick up day in Kenya. Our stall at the market where we demonstrated the technique. We saw more than 500 people this day alone. Former Presidents Liz Doane and Mitch Burn. Doane fashion. Almost 5,000 people have watched our “How To” Video. You can find it by searching for “Doane plastic bag” on YouTube. The bag she is holding, is the bag in front of you. Kids making bags on New Year’s Eve.

2. Chalkboards, Tiles and more from Plastic Bags Drilling Wells in Kenya In 2009 Doane students were traveling through Kenya at the peak of the drought. To help alleviate the immediate suffering, money was raised to deliver corn to families we were working with. To help in the long term, Roots and Shoots is heading up an effort to drill water wells in the village of Karandi, Kenya. A knife handle fixed. Because plastic shrinks when heated, we were able to wrap this handle with plastic and by heating it, secure the handle. Community members talk about the possibilities. Tile molds. The tiles represent the best opportunity to remove plastic from the environment as they can use even the smallest scraps of plastic. Rev. Karla Cooper challenged us to try and find a way to make a chalkboard out of the plastics. All of our attempts failed until a child happened by with a piece of chalk on the day we were making tiles. We have raised just over $1,000. The system in the lower right is about $300 and drilled by hand. Surveys are underway at the moment to determine locations for the wells. We plan to drill this summer. A new shower. The white is an ironed sheet of plastic made from many bags. It funnels the water out the back to be reused in the garden. It is being covered with plastic tiles. The tiles are the real money maker so far. Making a solar shower using bags and water bottle tops. This was the most loved item we made. Besides making hot water, no firewood is gathered for it. When you rinse, you are rinsing with clean water, and it uses significantly less water then a foot tub. The first wooden molds for making tiles. With the income from selling tiles, the group has purchased the steel molds seen above. Teaching about the tiles in the market. Two business men arrive from other villages to see and learn about the tiles. Forming a self-help group to address environmental issues in Karandi

3. Mosquito Netting from Plastic Bags Started 2007 Showing WangariMaathai and the Consulate General of Kenya the mosquito netting. If we teach people to make their own nets, they will have mosquito netting for the rest of their lives. Sewing holes in plastic. The problems with donated bed nets: 1. They last 5 years at best. This means that a donor must donate about 15 nets over a 75- year period to help protect just one person. This also means that once an organization such as Nothing But Net reaches five years worth of donating, it is now basically just replacing nets it has already handed out. That is, no new people are being served. 2. Nets can be impregnated with insecticide but that only lasts a year. After the first year all nets need to be sprayed again with insecticide. 3. Bed nets are only useful while in bed. Bed nets offer no protection when you're not in bed. That is, every morning and every evening when the family is up and around bed nets are useless. 4. Bed nets rip easily and are difficult to repair. 5. Bed nets are expensive. At $10 apiece and with about 1.5 billion people in high-risk areas, we will need $15 billion every five years just to give people bed nets. 6. Making bed nets develops industry in another country. 7. Bed nets require an infrastructure to deliver them. We have nowhere near the capacity to deliver 1.5 billion nets. 8. Bed nets actually pollute the environment as they are made of plastic and are rarely disposed of properly. 9. Worst of all, donated nets maintain the cycle of dependence on donors. The benefit of self-made nets: 1. If we teach people to make their own nets, they will have mosquito netting for the rest of their lives. The plastic in these nets will last thousands of years. 2. If pesticide treatment is desirable, these nets can be treated just like older bed nets. 3. While these nets can be used as bed nets, the material is much more durable and thus suitable for screening in windows and doors, thus making the entire house safe from mosquitoes. 4. While self-made nets are just as fragile as bed nets, these self-made nets are easily repaired. In fact, the technique that can be used to repair torn self-made nets can also be used to repair donated bed nets. 5. Self-made nets are basically free as the plastic is picked up off the ground though coal is required to melt them. 6. People without an iron and without a sewing machine can collect plastic bags and sell them to person with an iron. The person with the iron can sell their finished product to person with a sewing machine. The person with the sewing machine can sell their product to the end user. That is, the system will generate business locally. 7. No infrastructure is required to create self-made nets. The whole world could be doing it today if they were just educated. This product/idea can be delivered today. 8. This process cleans the environment as it removes plastic trash. 9. This breaks the cycle of dependence and frees people from donors. Once this technology is learned it will be passed from generation to generation. Making the first piece of netting. Patching a bed net with ironed plastic. School kids making the base material. One of the early nets. Prepping the sewing machine on our first day. Making the needle by hand. Combing sheets for our first net. Traveling to another market to teach. See the videos on YouTube The bags are everywhere. Net made in the U.S. vs. a net made in Kenya. Early attempts to make a needle.

4. Recycling Other Projects Monarch Butterfly Garden Green Fund Doane Campus Home Weatherization Algae Bio-fuels for everyone Plant Sale Relay for Life $200 to start a Roots and Shoots group in Krundi, Kenya “You have to get the town to recycle before we will send a truck out. It is just too expensive to come from Lincoln for one pick up.” (recycling co.) So that is what we did. When we started it was paper and cardboard only and it all had to be moved by hand. Our first contribution in 2006. When we started it was paper and cardboard only and it all had to be moved by hand. Our first contribution in 2006. Doane Student at City Hall answering questions. This would be one of several trips made to City Hall. Originally bid at $16/house, we were able to keep all competitors involved and get the price down to $2.00/house. Roots and Shoots worked with the city counsel and seven recycling companies. We now have single stream recycling in the city at $2.00/home and at the College. We put a recycle bin next to every trash can. The first dumpster converted to recycling. Doane College and Student Council provided more than $7,000 to purchase blue recycling containers.