The Solana Beach Eco Rotary Club organized a virtual Eco-Talk with students of the BCK Program, which is focused on providing environmental education to students.
 
The Club hosted 36 people, including students, teachers, school principals, parents, a City of Encinitas representative, and Eco-Rotarians.  Bill Dean, co-founder of the Solana Beach Eco Rotary Club, started the SWPPP Internship Program in 2013 and then the BCK Program in 2016.
 
During this event, we heard from the next generation of environmental stewards on what they have accomplished at their schools and the passion they bring to making a difference in our world.  Supported by an amazing team of teachers and educators, they addressed storm water and waste challenges observed in their schools.
 
Drew, Bill's granddaughter, and Judah are both students from Ocean Knoll Elementary School.  Through the SWPPP Internship Program, they studied water usage, conservation, and pollution and became experts in recycling.  With other students at their school, they raised awareness through art and advocacy to the Encinitas City Council.  Additionally, they developed a project to address a storm water problem identified in the back parking lot of their school and worked with school district facilities staff to resolve it.  
 
Two 4th grade students from Flora Vista Elementary School (Maddie and Zoë) talked about the Trash Amendment Action Plan they participated in, the actions they took and the outcomes it produced.  It resulted in a full week of actions for the entire school and a campaign to educate students and parents.
 
Students enjoyed presenting to the Solana Beach Eco Rotary Club.  They are now ready to give presentations to other groups and schools.  The next generation is comprised of passionate kids ready to advocate and implement solutions to protect our environment!
 
The BCL Program is focused on providing environmental education to students.  All they programs are designed to have students participate in activities and provide meaningful solutions along with data valuable to schools, cities, and hopefully the state.  But, even more important, these programs help change people's behavior to make responsible decisions and motivate them to take actions toward improving our environment.