What We Do

Youth Environmental Entrepreneurship Program (YEEP)

MS4B students and staff design and install native plant gardens for many customers. Each summer college interns coach high school teens age 15-19 to build a business where they are paid to learn about the benefits of pollinator-friendly native plants and then sell and install them for customers. Youth learn the value of native plants to pollinators, while learning how to be productive employees.

Through meadowscaping, we empower participants to become stewards of the Earth and to take charge of their future.

In the “Empowering BIPOC Youth to Heal the Planet” Program, students learn how adults of color deal with environmental injustice and about their careers in environmental fields, 

Students take field trips to visit the Garden in the Woods to learn about native plants and to tour the site. Students also meet with local and state government officials to learn about their positions on environmental issues.

Children’s Programs

We offer partial- or full-day series of intriguing programs and fairs introducing young children or middle school children to native plants, pollinators, soil, water, weather, climate change, etc. In a three-hour program for the Waltham Boys and Girls Club, staff read books about the environment to the children, children looked at insects in the meadow through magnifying glasses, painted masks, and posed in the photo booths.

In addition, over a week or several weeks, older students can build a soil tunnel; plant, water, and observe a native plant garden; play pollinator in a pickle games; and follow the life cycle of a butterfly.

Programs for high school youth can also include clearing a space for a garden, learning about specific plants through games, serving as mentors for younger children, removing invasive plants; and more.

Learn More

Testimonials

On behalf of the Belmont Woman’s Club, I want to thank you for organizing the series of volunteer days for Belmont students at the William Flagg Homer House. The students removed invasive plants and planted native plants at our site. The students and our members enjoyed the intergenerational activity. We can’t wait to see the plants next year.
Mary-Ellen Oberhausa
My [high-school-age] son wants to sign up again this year, and I’d like to offer my services as a gardener and educator.
Susan Rauchwerk
The church garden is gorgeous! I love how the colors of the variety of plants pop out. It was cool to see the praying mantis hanging out in the Boltonia asteroidis for nearly the whole month of September.
Reverend Sarah Irwin
Five years ago, my son Alessio Baggio and his two Cub Scout friends, Adam and Omar Hemmouda, had fun and learned a lot from former science teacher Steve Gordon while installing a great meadow on the east lawn of Christ Church Episcopal into a magnificent garden. Staff, students, Lisa Hemmouda, and I removed the turf grass. Last year, Alessio received his Eagle Schout badge for building a meadow along the Charles River.
Julie Zunino
The congregants love walking through the church green to see the beautiful flowers and humming bumblebees and flitting butterflies at the meadow. The church welcomes the plant sales on our portico each year. We’re happy to offer a Jones Partnership to MS4B for this program.
Amy Eastwood
Our yard is so beautiful again this year. We love sitting on our deck and watching all the life in the former desolate grassy area.
Liz Pulice and John Tracey
It was amazing. We had just finished singing the Pollinator in a Pickle rap song, when a huge black swallowtail butterfly landed on the tall pink phlox we had had planted a few minutes ago. We sang the song to the whole camp an hour later.
YMCA summer camper
It was hard work removing invasive bittersweet—one root was 22 feet long!-- but very rewarding to see the meadow in Kennard Park look so beautiful.
Gui Munoz-Lewis
Removing Invasives at Kennard Park