February 14, 2025 Dear ::subscriber.first_name::,
Every February, we celebrate love – not just the kind that fills greeting cards, but the deeper love that moves us to action. At Boxerwood, we see this transformative love at work every day: in children discovering nature's wonders, in teens speaking up for trees, in volunteers sharing their time and talents. This Valentine's Day, we're sharing stories of people who are summoning their energy and passion for a better world. Whatever your talent – step on up! Yours, together, for a thriving Earth, The Boxerwood Team
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Democracy in action is always inspiring, especially at its most grassroots. This month, two teens stood before members of the Buena Vista City Council and made a case for more city trees. Kylin (above) and Amelia, as well as four other peers, had already advocated for an expanded City canopy at community events last summer and fall as part of our BV Cool Trees project, but this was their first time addressing elected officials. |
Ready to adopt a new Earth-friendly habit? Sign up for our Backyard Compost Challenge, Boxerwood’s popular citizen-science project that transforms 80 non-composting households into compost champions in just 10 weeks. Last year’s 98% success rate brought another round of state funding that enables us to distribute Earth Machine composters free of charge to participants. If you're already composting – great! Please help us spread the word by sharing news of this opportunity with others. Deadline to register is Monday, Feb. 24, with priority to households with children, then lottery.
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What do you do if you have a wildly popular program that energizes 500 children each year to protect marine life with personal anti-littering pledges? You share your project ideas with others. This month, three Boxerwood educators attended the annual conference of the Virginia Association of Environmental Educators in Roanoke, where they shared highlights of our Ocean Protectors program. “There was a lot of interest,” said Jess Sullivan who, along with colleagues Caroline Coons and Brittany Klinger, delivered the 45-minute talk. “We had folks from NOVA, Richmond, and other places excited about how they might create something similar in their own communities.” The team also had a chance to participate in other sessions during the day of learning and sharing. “It was very affirming,” said Caroline. As Brittany put it, “how wonderful to be with others fighting for our planet.” |
What do a gardener, a retired physician, a park ranger, a church warden, and a local school board member all have in common? They're amongst 10 citizens who have just volunteered to serve on a COREworks review panel this month. It’s not a small ask. Each team member sets aside 6-7 hours to review an application against a rubric. These folks ultimately determine whether a completed project meets our carbon offset marketplace's standards of integrity. To date, more than 20 locals have served on a review panel. If you're interested in serving on one-time team, contact Ginny Johnson (ginny@boxerwood.org). |
... and Celebrates a Birthday! |
Spun from a pandemic-era dream, COREworks turns 3 on Feb. 14, the day we launched our innovative carbon-offset marketplace. Shop our site and you’ll see six completed projects now generating offsets that can help lower your own carbon footprint. 100% of proceeds help us launch the next green project. It’s a way to keep perpetuating the good right where we live no matter what’s happening in the broader world. Thank you to the hundreds of people who have already helped drive this work forward as project hosts, experts, volunteers, and customers! If you have the means, please consider securing an offset today. |
The first cardinals of the season are already singing – and soon the hellebores and children will be here, too. If you’ve been thinking about volunteering with Boxerwood, now’s the time! We’ll be hosting a no-commitment information session at Boxerwood on Monday, March 10, from 10-11am. During this session, you’ll meet staff and get to learn about opportunities in both our garden and program worlds. All ages and ability levels welcome – bring a friend! |
Adventure Calling: Camps 2025 |
Led by skilled educators, Boxerwood summer camps gather children into community with one another and with the Earth. Designed for children ages 5 - 8, camp sessions this year celebrate storytelling (June) and “everything birds” (August). Online registration opens March 1, with need-based scholarships available. |
Where would a woodland garden be without a Garden Steward? That’s what we started wondering too, and thus recently reconfigured the job responsibilities of our colleague Karen Stanley to draw further on her skills as a certified arborist. Formerly a professional forester, Karen has worn many hats at Boxerwood over the years, yet this is the greenest hat of all. In her revised position as Garden Steward, she will be advising Operations Director Hannah West on best garden practices while also directly maintaining the health and beauty of our grounds. In this part-time role, Karen will also help us tend our growing portfolio of community-based tree planting projects including BV Cool Trees, COREworks, and the Growing Native Program. Welcome back to the Garden, Karen! |
PARTNER IN THE PICTURE: Rockbridge Community Health Foundation |
This month, we recognize the vision and generosity of Rockbridge Community Health Foundation (RCHF). For the past two years, RCHF has stepped forth to help subsidize Boxerwood programs for schools in need. We love that the Foundation understands that our nature-based mission promotes human flourishing as well as learning. As we all know, spending time in nature brings many physical and mental benefits. Now, major studies also recognize that time in nature can itself be a healing buffer against the life-long impacts of adverse childhood experiences. With help from the Foundation, Boxerwood is able to continue to ensure all children in our community grow up with years of happy, meaningful experiences in the natural world: a healing gift for us all. Thank you, RCHF! |
Boxerwood Education Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Federal Tax ID: 54-1937944 |
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