For more than seven years, The Expedition School has been a committed partner in Keep Austin Beautiful’s Clean Lady Bird Lake program, and we are proud to recognize the school with the 2017 Samsung Litter Abatement Award.
The Expedition School’s philosophy includes a commitment to sustainability, involvement in the local community, and positive impacts on the environment. During Clean Lady Bird Lake’s Saturday morning cleanups, the school’s instructors put this philosophy into action, helping both new and experienced paddlers jump into kayaks and onto paddle boards to clean litter out of the water. They encourage first-timers with patient instruction, ensuring that everyone can enjoy the natural beauty of the lake as they work together to keep it clean. In just the past year, they worked with hundreds of volunteers to remove more than 1,000 pounds of litter from Lady Bird Lake.
Beyond The Expedition School’s commitment to litter abatement, school instructors also work with Keep Austin Beautiful’s Green Teens to create unique and memorable experiences on the water. The Green Teens are able to learn proper technique and safety while having a joyful afternoon on the lake. This year, students from Mendez Middle School had an especially memorable day. Their adventure began when they spotted a water snake just under the surface of the water, and the students responded with excited, fascinated, and anxious shouts as they watched the snake weave its way across the channel to the brush at the banks. As the students continued to explore the lake, they encountered cranes, turtles, ducks, and dragonflies, with one ever-cautious student asking if each creature was poisonous before allowing the class to paddle in for a closer look. By guiding these students on such an exciting and interesting day on Lady Bird Lake, The Expedition School helped them form meaningful connections with the natural world, inspiring the next generation of environmental stewards.
Kimery Duda, Kerstin Wiggins, and the entire team at The Expedition School are committed to creating unforgettable experiences of Austin’s natural beauty, as well as keeping Lady Bird Lake clean so people can enjoy it for years to come. Congratulations to The Expedition School for being this year’s Samsung Litter Abatement Award Winner!
Join us in honoring The Expedition School alongside Keep Austin Beautiful’s other 2017 awardees at the Beautify Bash, taking place at Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum on Thursday, November 16, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. For more info and tickets, please visit keepaustinbeautiful.org/beautifybash.
