28 May Youth build greenhouse made entirely of water bottles

A group of environmentally-minded youth are using approximately 3,000 recycled water bottles to build the first greenhouse of its kind in Calgary.
 
The TD Youth Earth Ambassadors (YEA), a program of Youth Central and part of the broader City of Calgary AfterSchool initiative, is a group of 10 youth ranging in age from 15-18 years old. They are spending Neighbour Day, Saturday, June 21, constructing a greenhouse made entirely of recycled water bottles at Al & Marg’s Heritage Garden in the community of Parkdale. The greenhouse will extend the length of the growing season by four weeks.
 
“We’re taking one-time use water bottles and reusing them to construct something beneficial to the environment and the city,” says Jessalyn Rohs, Youth Central team leader. “Our goal is that the greenhouse will raise awareness, encourage a sense of community and even grow local produce.”
 
The YEA committee has been working on the project since October 2013. To spread the message about the hazards of water bottle usage to the environment, they also filmed and produced a commercial for YouTube in February.
 
Once it is built, residents in Parkdale will construct and care for the garden in the water bottle greenhouse.
 
Thank you to everyone who supported this project! To read about the finished product, click here.