Reflecting on our accomplishments -- and taking a vacation!

This has been a very active and dynamic semester for Next Generation. Since August, we have had a successful leadership transition, transitioned in two other new staff members, initiated a strategic planning process supported by members of the community, expanded our new Board of Directors, moved offices, and expanded to have 5 green school sites this year (up from 3 last year). Wow!

And that doesn't even speak to the difference we made in the schools! We've mentored school clubs, worked with students in school gardens, taught lessons about environmental issues from water to litter to energy to rainforests, consulted with administrators as well as students about greening their operations, and led assemblies and puppet shows for entire schools.

It can sometimes be hard to see the difference we make on the planet -- individually, as an organization, and as a movement. Sometimes, we can get down and focus on the "bad" things (from the big picture, like all the environmental problems we are still facing, to day-to-day personal things, like the items we throw "away" to a landfill, or actions we didn't accomplish or that perhaps could have been done better). Focusing on these things can cause us to lose sight of our accomplishments. This photo is a reminder that each lesson, club, and assembly is composed of individual students whose lives we are influencing, perhaps for many years to come.

As Next Generation wraps up our first semester this school year and readies for our two-week vacation, we are proud of all of our accomplishments and excited to hit the ground running to expand our reach and effectiveness even further in the new year.