Entrepreneurial Students: How Junk Girls and ECOSLO Partnered to Raise Funds for a Community Project and Plant Trees on Arbor Day

Fifth-grade students at Sinsheimer Elementary School in San Luis Obispo have been honing their business skills through a partnership with a local company, Junk Girls. As part of the Build-A-Business Club, the students worked with Junk Girls to create products to sell, with the goal of raising money for a community project. Their efforts were successful, and they were able to donate $1,500 to ECOSLO, the Environmental Center of San Luis Obispo.

On Arbor Day, the students and ECOSLO came together to plant three trees at Sinsheimer Park. This experience was significant for the students, as they were able to see firsthand the impact of their hard work and fundraising efforts. Genevieve Palazzo, a fifth-grader, expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to work with Junk Girls and ECOSLO, noting that it was heartwarming to see their commitment to helping the environment and supporting the students’ entrepreneurial aspirations.

Sophia Bastidas, another fifth-grader, echoed Genevieve’s sentiments, highlighting the remarkable collaboration between Junk Girls and ECOSLO and the positive impact their tree planting project would have on the community. According to Grant Helete, program coordinator for ECOSLO’s Urban Tree Planning “Keys for Trees” program, partnering with schools and organizations like this is an essential part of their mission to become carbon-neutral by 2035. This experience has not only taught the students valuable business skills but also instilled in them a sense of environmental stewardship and community responsibility.