Nestlé teaches children about water conservation and sustainability
Water conservation has been on the minds of many Californians during the past five years and, while many have done their part to save water, Nestlé USA wanted to make sure future generations continue those efforts.
Employees from the company’s headquarters in Glendale teamed up with the Boys & Girls Club of Burbank and Greater East Valley on Thursday to host an event at Robert E. Lundigan Park in Burbank that taught children the importance of water conservation and sustainability.
The educational festivities were part of Nestlé’s national day of volunteering, in which more than 6,000 employees from the company participated in community-service events in communities where they work.
The local Nestlé employees received training from the Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) Foundation to come up with interactive activities to help teach the 125 children from the local Boys & Girls Club about various topics.
“The program teaches kids about the water life cycle, caring for the environment and about recycling,” said Rita Henderson, a community affairs manager for Nestlé.
There were about six stations located around the park, with each touching on a different subject about sustainability. One of the activities involved teaching children about which items can and cannot be recycled.
Brittany Vaughan, director of operations for the Boys & Girls Club of Burbank, said many children hear about the drought but don’t understand why it is important to save water or how pollution affects their water.
She thought the activities Nestlé provided helped children understand the importance of water and how it affects them.
“Today’s event is important because the kids will learn about water in their body, learn about how much of the Earth is covered with water and learn about the effects of pollution,” Vaughan said. “All of these activities are really hands-on, and it’s a great way to teach the kids in a very visual and fun way.”
Aniyah Harris, 8, said she learned that cans and plastic bottles are placed in specific recycling bins, while items such as a television are placed in bins for electronics waste.
She timidly admitted she does not recycle at home, but added she thinks it is important for people to reuse as many items as they can to make the world, especially her house, a cleaner place to live.
“Recycling can help the Earth and keep it clean,” Aniyah said. “I’m just excited to have fun and learn about how to clean the Earth.”
Nestlé USA announced in February that it will be moving its headquarters from Glendale to Rosslyn, Va. The move is expected to be completed by the end of 2018.
anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com
Twitter: @acocarpio
