It started out as just another quiet day at the office. By the end of the day we were muddy, sweaty, covered with debris, itchy — and happy. This was the third Earth Day (since 2010) that a group of Whole Foods Market® Green Mission enthusiasts gathered on the banks of the Colorado River in east Austin for a volunteer project. We were sensibly dressed, with long-sleeved shirts, long pants, work gloves and sturdy shoes. Most of us had hats. One of us had purple hair.

We concentrated on planting trees and removing invasive species like bamboo, with a bit of trash and debris removal tossed in for good measure. All the while, we kept an eye out for the poison ivy that sprawled throughout the underbrush.

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Thanks to everyone who entered our Kids for Our Planet essay contest. It was wonderful to read about all of the amazing things these eco-kid heroes are doing. Schoolteacher Eden Rule from Sugar Land, Texas won the screening of Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax for seven girls from her class. They’ll be viewing the film the night before the movie opens to the public. Cool!

In hopes of spreading the eco-message of the film, we partnered with Universal Pictures on our Kids for Our Planet contest as well as on pre-screening events and ticket giveaways in some of our stores. (Check here to see if your store’s included.) Of course, Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax will be available for all of us when it opens on March 2nd.

Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax is a 3D-CG animated adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ classic tale of a forest creature, the Lorax, who shares the enduring power of hope. The adventure follows the journey of a 12-year-old boy searching for the one thing that will enable him to win the affection of the girl of his dreams. In his search, he discovers the story of the Lorax, the grumpy yet charming creature who fights to protect his world.

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Raychel Santo is a sophomore double-major in Public Health Studies and Global Environmental Change & Sustainability at Johns Hopkins University (JHU). Originally from Dayton, Ohio, her passion for everything “green” began with her discovery of the sustainable food movement in her last few years of high school. Last fall Raychel participated in the Teens Turning Green Project Green Challenge and was selected as one of the 12 finalists to attend Green University. Here she shares the story of her experience.

I can still remember last fall when I casually stumbled upon Erin Schrode’s Teens Turning Green blog post here on The Whole Story blog. In it she encouraged high school and college-aged students to sign up for the first-ever Project Green Challenge. As I perused the Project Green Challenge website and learned more about this exciting initiative, I figured it would be a fun activity to brighten up the month of October, typically a month of school overload. Little did I know what I was signing myself up for, or how much that decision would change my life forever.

Everything that the Project Green Challenge participants accomplished during that month remains a truly unbelievable feat. From personal challenges of going 100% disposable-free or auditing all of our household cleaning products’ harmful ingredients, to challenges mobilizing us to reach out to fellow students, family, community members, school administrators, government officials and more, Project Green Challenge created a force of young individuals, consumers and citizens who can now effectively advocate for the health of our planet and its inhabitants!

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