The schools located in the East End of Houston Texas, serve some of the poorest, most at-risk students in the Houston Independent School District. Like many urban areas, Houston's East End is a "food desert," where fresh, affordable produce is hard to find, while unhealthy foods from convenience stores and fast food restaurants are widely available. The combination of urban pollution and unhealthy foods have led to diabetes (糖尿病), obesity, and associated illnesses in the East End.
Through a youth-led "Green Ambassador" program rooted in the environmental education curriculum of Project Learning Tree (PLT), students from East End schools are aiming to change their neighborhood. Their goal is to transform their community from a food desert to a food forest that can supply the East End's residents with fresh, natural foods while also providing food and shelter for wildlife. They're planting one fruit tree and one community garden at a time, linking their schools and neighborhoods to form a Houston East End Greenbelt.
Emerson Hernandez, a student at Furr High School, joined the school's PLT GreenSchools' Green Team in ninth grade. The program sparked a passion to work with his classmates and other participating GreenSchools to transform his community into a thriving green corridor. "Through PLT you're encouraging people to take action, to do something for their neighborhood. And while you're doing it, you're learning all kinds of other things — math, social studies, history, science, and writing," says Hernandez.
They have planted more than 200 trees all over the East End of Houston, created and tended more than 200 vegetable garden beds in the community, and raised approximately 3,000 pounds of sweet potatoes, and other vegetables that have been donated to area food banks.
"Emerson is such a phenomenal young leader," says Tamberly Conway, Diversity and Inclusion Specialist at the U. S. Forest Service. "He can speak to adults and peers alike. He's been an incredible role model. His passion and love shine through. "
