A few weekends ago, I had the opportunity to participate in the USGBC's Center for Green Schools Green Apple Day of Service; an event that brought together students, parents, teachers, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and other community members to make sustainability improvements at an elementary school in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Giving Back to the Schools We Designed

Global Gardens, a nonprofit organization, has partnered with Eugene Field and Rosa Parks elementary schools to bring children out of the classroom and into the garden. Dewberry's Tulsa office really wanted to participate, to reconnect with the community, and give back to one of the very schools we designed—Rosa Parks Elementary. When I expressed our interest to help out during the service day, I think Global Gardens' first thought was, "Jackpot, a bunch of designers!"

Although we'll have to wait for the spring event to work with the kids at Rosa Parks, our first event was held at Eugene Fields. We had about two weeks to put everything together for the big day; going to several site visits, talking about the school's immediate needs, as well as their future wish-list. We decided to build a pergola for an outdoor classroom space, move a shed to a new location, and do some general garden clean-up.

Being Advocates for Sustainability—In Our Own Communities

I was very pleased that Dewberry was the largest participating group, including our family members. Digging two feet deep footings by hand in Oklahoma clay isn't exactly the most exciting way to spend a Saturday morning—but it was worth it!

I believe it's important for us, as engineers and architects, to be advocates for sustainability in our communities. By partnering with USGBC-Oklahoma, and Global Gardens of Tulsa, we can help design an environment that Global Gardens can use for its educational programming, teaching children and families to live green. And not only do we get to help design the projects, but we're then able to do the dirty work (literally)—working in the garden along-side the children and families who benefit from the projects.

We hope our participation will evolve into a great partnership between USGBC, Global Gardens of Tulsa, and the community. We look forward to continuing our work with these organizations to help design master plans for several of the Tulsa elementary schools' garden spaces, and implement them in future community outreach and service events.

As we were cleaning up during the event, I had countless people tell me how much they enjoyed the day and that we need to do this again. Based on the fun our Dewberry group had, they can count on it!