While most of us are groggily driving to work, deleting spam from our work e-mail or catching up on the latest gossip news (what, you don't check the entertainment headlines first thing in the morning?), a group of teens are wielding rakes and shovels to help make the city a more beautiful place.
The summer program, known as the Green Team, is the brainchild of Groundwork Concord, a now defunct organization whose mission was to improve the physical environment through community partnerships. Through its eight years of trail maintenance and landscaping, the organization's federal funding slowly phased out, leaving the group unable to continue its mission. However, the Green Team will continue as part of Plus Time NH's program lineup.
Plus Time NH was established in 1990 thanks to a grant from the state Department of Health and Human Services. Its goal is to promote after-school programs by providing training and funding for existing programs and creating new ones.
Now that Plus Time NH is running the Green Team, there are plans for expanding the program from a summer-long stint to a year-long after-school opportunity for high school credit. Deandra Perruccio, an Americorp Vista volunteer who is overseeing this year's team, says that Plus Time is taking the summer program from its “mile wide, inch deep approach,” and translating that into a focused, community-based, student-led project.
To jump start the year-long initiative, the summer team will attend a conference sponsored by the Gulf of Maine Research Institute. The week-long event will be held in Boston and cover diesel mapping (tracking diesel pollution hot spots), growing food locally, water quality, green jobs and stewardship, climate change and urban mapping. Deandra says the team will continue to partner with GOMI as they narrow down one specific environmental issue in the Concord area to work on for the year-long team.
We thought you might like to get to know the teens who will be prettying up the city, readers, so we had them answer some exciting questions and snapped their photos. The team will also be sending us weekly updates on what they've been up to, so you'll know who to thank for making your favorite trail or flower bed a little nicer.
Dan Miller
18, Concord
Favorite munchie: Pretzels and hummus.
Least favorite television show: “The O’Reilly Factor.”
Why did you join the Green Team? Are your parents not assigning you enough chores at home? I wanted to give back to Concord before I left for college. There seems like no better way to enjoy the city and its outdoor spaces.
If you could have one celebrity on your team, who would it be and why? Barack Obama. Not only would it be fun to garden and work on trails with the president, but I suspect he knows quite a bit about environmental issues and community organizing as well.
What should the Green Team mascot be? The Green Team mascot should be a person in a giant earth/globe costume. Although it would probably get hot in the summer months, a suit like that would draw attention to the cause.
If you could beautify an area of Concord, where would it be? What would you do? I would beautify the whole expanse of Loudon Road. Main Street already looks beautiful, so why can’t the other shopping/business areas follow suit? I would plant trees and take down the neon signs.
Where’s the best place to hang out in Concord during the summer? Anywhere that combines swimming with ice cream.
Cailin Sullivan
17, Concord
Favorite munchie: Muddy buddies.
Least favorite television show: “How It’s Made.”
Why did you join the Green Team? Are your parents not assigning you enough chores at home? Apparently college educations are expensive. I’d much rather plant flowers than bag groceries.
If you could have one celebrity on your team, who would it be and why? Bear Grylls would make us the most extreme Green Team of all time, and could save us if we got lost in White Park. (Ed. – He’d probably also make you drop out of an airplane somewhere over Oak Hill.)
What should the Green Team mascot be? Hannah. She’s adorable. (Ed. – Hannah is a fellow Green Team member.)
If you could beautify an area of Concord, where would it be? What would you do? Concord High could use some beauty. A statue of Gene Connolly would be nice.
Where’s the best place to hang out in Concord during the summer? The docks at St. Paul’s.
Zach Lillis
18, Deerfield
Favorite munchie: Anything.
Least favorite television show: Soaps.
Why did you join the Green Team? Are your parents not assigning you enough chores at home? No, I want to get out of the house.
What should the Green Team mascot be? Something green.
If you could beautify an area of Concord, where would it be? What would you do? Something to do with ground work.
Where’s the best place to hang out in Concord during the summer? I would say White Park.
Lindsey Luker
16, Concord
Favorite munchie: Sun Chips.
Least favorite television show: “Jonas.”
Why did you join the Green Team? Are your parents not assigning you enough chores at home? I joined the Green Team to help the environment and to enhance my leadership skills.
If you could have one celebrity on your team, who would it be and why? Beyonce, because she’s a pa.
What should the Green Team mascot be? A white birch tree.
If you could beautify an area of Concord, where would it be? What would you do? I would plant lots of flowers around the border of White Park.
Where’s the best place to hang out in Concord during the summer? The docks or the river.
Audrey Hickey
17, Concord
Favorite munchie: Tings.
Least favorite television show: “Cribs.”
Why did you join the Green Team? Are your parents not assigning you enough chores at home? It is true that I don’t have a lot of chores at home, but that’s not why I joined the Green Team. The closer I get to leaving Concord, the more I appreciate it. With the Green Team, I can beautify the city that I have lived in for 12 years. It’s my way of saying thank you.
If you could have one celebrity on your team, who would it be and why? Al Gore. His film, “An Inconvenient Truth,” motivated me to think more about contribution to global warming and how badly we are treating the earth. Because of his status, he could bring awareness to the Green Team and other projects like it.
What should the Green Team mascot be? Grasshopper.
If you could beautify an area of Concord, where would it be? What would you do? Eagle Square. I would plant more flowers and add benches.
Where’s the best place to hang out in Concord during the summer? Anywhere I can play Frisbee.
Kendra Moffett
17, Concord
Favorite munchie: Pirate’s Booty or Nature Valley Oats ’N Honey
Least favorite television show: MTV in general . . . or anything ending in “of love.”
Why did you join the Green Team? Are your parents not assigning you enough chores at home? It’s a great way to get outdoors and get to know and help our community. Also, any group-oriented program is great for kids to be a part of.
If you could have one celebrity on your team, who would it be and why? Daniel Craig. I feel like there wouldn’t be as much work that needed to get done if we had a Bond on the team.
What should the Green Team mascot be? Something along the lines of a shovel.
If you could beautify an area of Concord, where would it be? What would you do? Loudon Road. I’d really like to add some green between the sidewalks and road, like flower-trees every couple yards, and grass.
Where’s the best place to hang out in Concord during the summer? Anywhere where your friends are, but Copoco is a great place to go as well.
Hannah Comstock-Gay
18, Concord
Favorite munchie: Pretzels.
Why did you join the Green Team? Are your parents not assigning you enough chores at home? I joined the Green Team because I had a great time doing it two years and wanted to do it again!
What should the Green Team mascot be? A tree!
If you could beautify an area of Concord, where would it be? What would you do? I would beatify the new boathouse by planting flowers. That’s a really cool new area of Concord!
Where’s the best place to hang out in Concord during the summer? The docks.
Jacob van Berkum
18, Deerfield
Favorite munchie: Smartfood.
Least favorite television show: Not The Office
Why did you join the Green Team? Are your parents not assigning you enough chores at home? Help the environment and community.
If you could have one celebrity on your team, who would it be and why? Didier Drogba. Why not?
What should the Green Team mascot be? Green Man.
If you could beautify an area of Concord, where would it be? What would you do? Loudon Road – too many stores. (Ed. – Just don’t get rid of Target, okay?)
Where’s the best place to hang out in Concord during the summer? Rope swing.
