Tree planting ceremony held at Paul Ecke Central School to help address air pollution

The 6th grade Air Pollution Action Team at Paul Ecke Central Elementary School (PEC) participated in a tree planting event on Earth Day, April 22, in front of the school.

The 6th grade students have been studying air pollution as part of their grade level science rotations and learned that vehicle emissions are a major factor in air pollution. They also learned that CO2 is released into the air as a result of burning gasoline, that rising levels of CO2 in the atmosphere contributes to climate change. Through the team’s studies, they learned that mature trees can absorb CO2 and release oxygen as part of the carbon cycle.

The Air Pollution Action Team decided that as part of a solution to combat climate change they would plant trees at PEC. They are hoping that by planting trees now, they will grow into mature trees that will absorb CO2 for years to come. Seeing that PEC recently had a few mature trees removed from campus because they were infested with pests, it seemed like the right time to replace the trees. The team is also working on a plan to encourage students to walk to school and to discourage parents from idling their car engines in the drop off and pick up areas.