For as long as I can remember, I have loved nature. I would build stick teepees, build pots out of clay from the bottom of creeks, swing on rope vines in my friend's backyard - the list goes on. Nature was my playground. It had everything imaginable and more. Before I became aware of the various challenges of the real world, my biggest concern was whether my shelter would still be standing after a night of storms.
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I believe most children share similar experiences that I have with the beauty of nature. They love to play in it, it brings them joy, and it too is their natural playground. However, like I once did, most kids lack proper education about the environment; the education that teaches them about the importance of the environment, the problems that the environment is facing, and how they can play their part in saving the environment.
It wasn’t until my sophomore year that I truly understood the impact humans have on the environment’s destruction. For me, the issue that stood out the greatest was recycling: something humans encounter every day yet it is still often done wrong. After learning about these anthropogenic effects, I was compelled to take action. I enrolled in every Environmental Science class offered and joined the Environmental Action Club, eventually becoming its president. Yet, I realized my efforts were largely confined to my school—a community that already had access to environmental education.
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Many of my service commitments involve tutoring young students. Most students I’ve worked with have shared that Environmental Education is not part of their curriculum, and they often lack basic knowledge of Environmental Science. Realizing this, I knew I needed to broaden my impact.
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GreenWayz was created to address this gap by educating students at schools where Environmental Education is missing. However, we cannot reach every school in need. To help bridge this gap, we’ve created a resource page that outlines how simple it can be to incorporate Environmental Science into existing programs, empowering others to make an impact as well!
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Andrew Coburn Founder of GreenWayz
Why the "z" in GreenWayz?
When working with kids, I often notice they write their letters backward, especially the "S." The "Z" symbolizes a corrected version of the backward "S" and serves as a reminder that this program is for the kids. GreenWayz is designed to teach children while they’re young, when their minds are open and eager to learn. Like the backward "S", they won’t be perfect; they’ll make mistakes. But it’s not about perfection—it's about the steps toward building a stronger connection with the environment. Over time, just as their "S" will straighten out, so will their understanding, allowing them to teach others and contribute to a more sustainable future.
