Sarah Waddle’s eighth grade teacher inspired her to learn
about Jane Goodall and her organization, Roots and Shoots. Sarah founded a
Roots and Shoots group at St Paul’s Central High School in her sophomore year.

One of Sarah’s dream projects for the group is to install a
green roof at St. Paul Central. Her Roots and Shoots club is fortunate enough
to have Macalester College nearby and was able to meet with students and tour
their green roof.

Roots and Shoots also held the first annual Earth Extravaganza
in May of 2007. The auditorium was full each class hour to hear speakers from
organizations like Aveda, The Climate Project, MacCares and Anne Hunt with the
City of St Paul. In the evening, presenters included City Councilman Lee Helgen
and Jim Geibel, Energy Efficiency Coordinator for the district. Because Sarah
wanted this event to carry on, she included leadership from younger grades.
Starr Brainard was very active in the 2007-08 year planning the event and
networking with other high school clubs through YEA MN.

Both Sarah and Starr feel rewarded by their efforts. An
exchange student from Serbia was inspired to take the ideas she learned at this
year’s Earth Extravaganza back to her home. Starr said, "It made my day knowing
I had reached out to someone about living green and these ideas were going to
hop oceans!"

After several years of effort, Sarah has come to know she is
not alone in her concern for the environment. "No matter how vast the problems
are, there are tons and tons of people who care just as much as I do."