Submitted by Alder MacGilllivray – secretary of Roots and Shoots

Roots and Shoots is a group of students at Friday Harbor Middle School who are helping solve problems around the world, from replacing plastic coffee stirring sticks with wood ones at The Bean Cafe, to helping nearly-extinct mountain gorillas halfway around the world. Roots and Shoots is a program of the Jane Goodall Institute. There are three groups we are divided into: environment, animals and people. Students in the Environment group do things like picking up plastics around town, or informing people about ocean pollution, such as the Pacific Garbage Patch. Students in the animal category help with endangered species, such as a type of gorillas that live in the mountains and there are only 600 left in the world and they are progressively being hunted by illegal poachers! Also there is someone who is sending a letter to the Governor of Washington, Jay Inslee, about feedlot horses! Students in the People category help with things like veterans, senior citizens, reading to children, etc. Here at Roots & Shoots, we not only help, but we hope to inspire. All around the world, there are problems that cannot simply be stopped by themselves. You can be inspired, and save the lives of so many animals by simply not throwing your plastic cups on the side of the road.

For more info, visit www.rootsandshoots.org/about.