Allison Wang: With 91.9 KVCR News, it’s Allison Wang. Last April, in celebration of Earth Day, the City of Rialto hosted its annual Earth to Table Event where more than 800 3rd graders took part in a unique opportunity to learn about water conservation and environmentalism. These students toured the Wyland Foundation Mobile Learning Experience, a state-of-the-art 1,000-square-foot biodiesel science museum on wheels, featuring a 40-person multi-sensory theater and seven interactive stations.
I interviewed Emilee G. and Marcus W., two students who had a great time attending this event last spring. They attend Morris Elementary Environmental Literacy Academy, a gold level green ribbon school with a special focus on reinforcing environmental awareness and action.
One of the interactive stations was a hands-on simulation with lights and slides that identified different kinds of trash and how it travels from our cities into the ocean. From these kinds of stations, the students learned a lot about the consequences of garbage in our waterways.
Marcus W: Well, I saw that we had to clean up the trash that was on the ground and not make it go to the ocean.
Emilee G: The event made me think differently about the trash in the water because if fish swallow tiny pieces of plastic, it can rip their stomach or it can kill them or it can badly injure them. And also, it can suffocate dolphins or any other type of underwater animals. And then they can, like, stop breathing and they can die underwater. It can also happen to flying fish, like, if they[people] throw trash into the sea and then it catches the flying fish then they'll die because the predator that might be chasing them might be able to eat it [the prey, flying fish], but then he'll die too because he swallowed something that he's not meant to swallow.
Marcus W: We can eat different types of food that lives in the ocean. If that gets into the fish that we eat, we could pass away as well.
Allison Wang: The students also explored a small model city that demonstrated safe routes to school and encouraged students to take the environmentally friendly options like biking, walking and scootering.
Emilee G: There was a make believe town, and there was a railroad and we had to cross it. And we had a look all ways, behind me, in front of me and the two sides. We learned to always walk safely and to look all ways, and never just rush into a parking lot, or a train station.
Allison Wang: And, they learned some valuable lessons about water conservation and the environment.
Emilee G: This event helped me think differently about water, because people think water are just like a type of liquid and it's not important when it is. It can help you be hydrated, it can help you stay healthy, and also the ocean needs it. This has helped me think about my role, because you need to help water not waste it.
Marcus W: And we cannot litter at all; we can throw our trash and plastic away in recycling bins. That's why we have to reduce, reuse and recycle.
Emilee G: We can recycle old paper from a dump so then it can be a new piece of paper. We can reuse it so then other kids can keep using new paper. We can reuse water bottles by making them into something new, like little pot plants-
Marcus W: -like to hold plants if they need water-
Emilee G: -so then you can have plants in your house.
Allison Wang: Morris Elementary’s focus on environmentalism shows in the curriculum and the ways students conserve water at school
Emilee G: We learned more about it in the classrooms when our teacher Mr. Guerra started to talk about it.
Marcus W: He told us that we should not throw trash on the floor because-
Emilee G: -it could be able to go in the water and it's also making the world sad. Oh, it can also hurt us if we drink very dirty or trashy water.
Marcus W: If that dirty water gets into clean pipes, it could go into our showers, bathtubs and sinks and make our environment very, very, very dirty. In our school, we help to conserve water by using drip lines, mini sprinklers that don’t shoot out that much water.
Allison Wang: Additionally, they were also given reusable water bottles by the city.
Marcus W: When there is no more water in a water bottle. You can go to a water refilling station at your school to fill it up again so you can be more hydrated. They said they use the water bottles respectfully and make sure to refill it when you're done.
Emilee G: It reminds us about how our school lets us save water and refill water bottles and how people take turns drinking water and they don't waste water.
Allison Wang: The City of Rialto holds the Earth to Table Event annually, which means we can look forward to a new batch of students attending this coming spring!
From 91.9 KVCR News, it’s Allison Wang!
—
Note: This interview was conducted weeks after the 2023's Earth to Table Event, but published in April 2024 in preparation for 2024's Earth to Table Event.