Carpe diem. With the month of September coming to a close and the High Holidays behind us, Lauren & I wish everyone a meaningful and beautiful New Year! In the cycle of our year, marked by the zenith of summer, this quieter time period lends itself naturally to both reflecting on the recent summer past and dreaming big about the future. For reflection we spend time pouring over parent, camper, and staff surveys in an effort to gain more clarity around how we can be better. All the while we re-set our short and long terms goals for the upcoming and future summers, consider our evolving vision, and imagine how we can do our part in healing the planet. In this “big picture” context we want to share three of the Conservation Generation projects our campers participated in this past summer.
Compost…boom! This simple phrase became the centerpiece of our environmental sustainability efforts this summer. All of our campers learned about, cheered on, and practiced composting in their dining halls. Our composting campaign absolutely made a difference on the amount of waste we contributed to our local landfill and added real value to our Farm & Barn organic gardening program. At the same time the Pioneer and Senior Girls even made up a song and dance to garner more excitement and awareness toward composting. Click below to check it out! Sometimes all it takes is collective energy to ignite direct action. We invite and encourage you to engage in this broader effort at home this school year in whatever way(s) makes sense for you.
Moreover, we partnered informally with a non-profit in Israel, The Ecological Greenhouse, whose mission is to be “a meeting place for youth from the various populations and sectors of Israeli society…by cooperating and engaging in shared challenges and projects these children and teens get to know one another and manage to find common ground.” We raised funds to help support the Ecological Greenhouse of Israel’s mission through our “Pop, Rock and Roll Run” first session! Thank you campers and staff for running, cheering, handing out water and showing your Blue Star spirit for the run!
Our campers and staff also constructed our own Blue Star greenhouse, made primarily 
out of recycled bottles, to draw attention to the good work we all can do with a concerted effort and communal commitment. The beauty of our greenhouse is that we will be able to grow plants, flowers, and vegetables in it year round that future campers will be able to enjoy. Nature’s cycle continues from summer to summer.
Finally, we led an inter-camp community effort with four other WNC camps to have our own uniquely designed rain barrels displayed on Main Street in Hendersonville. An outcropping of our 6th annual CampStock program, this past summer’s symbolic totem project was implemented in conjunction with the Mayor’s office. Not only did our campers raise awareness of water conservation via these prominently displayed rain barrels, but they also modeled how to build community with our sister and brother camps. It was sweet to engage fellow nearby camps in the spirit and good work of Conservation Generation…we’re all in this together! Be sure to thank your Blue Star campers for doing their part to help heal the world this summer. Shine on!