Clean Air Success Stories
EarthWays Center educator devotes career to spreading the word about going green
Article courtesy of the St. Louis Regional Clean Air Partnership
Growing up, Jean Ponzi, Green Resources Manager for EarthWays Center, a division of the Missouri Botanical Garden, never thought much about environmental consciousness. That was until she accepted an internship in 1986 that unlocked a passion for the environment and evolved into a 20+ year career as an environmental educator.
The career-inspiring internship was with Eco-Act, the Botanical Garden’s longest running educational program, which teaches basic ecology to high school students and sends them into elementary schools to educate younger children.
“I really discovered my love for the environment by accident,” said Ponzi. “As an intern, I was assigned to help students with their outings to elementary schools, and I learned about ecology right along with them. From there, I was hooked.”
In 1995,, Ponzi joined the team of environmental educators now known as EarthWays Center. Her current work focuses on promoting green building benefits to homeowners and homebuilders, answering e-mail and phone “Green Resources” inquiries and promoting sustainable practices to local businesses. She discusses topics like recycling and waste reduction, air quality, native plant landscaping and energy efficiency.
“Ecology is all about the relationships between the Earth’s communities and living systems, and it’s really rewarding to explain these relationships to people,” said Jean. “I get to demonstrate how simple actions like reducing waste or conserving energy or water can protect the ecosystems that sustain life for our species.”
In addition to spreading her message through her work, Ponzi is also an accomplished author who’s been published in national and local environmental magazines. She’s also produced and hosted her own environmental radio talk show called “Earthworms” for 21 years and has written a column in the Healthy Planet newspaper since 1999.
On a personal level, Ponzi practices what she preaches. From recycling and reusing to shopping in thrift stores and driving a fuel-efficient vehicle to reduce emissions, Ponzi is committed to green living.
As she continues to educate the public about the benefits of green living, Ponzi says the current “green” craze is working to her advantage.
“There is a big culture shift currently going on with regards to how people view the environment and the availability of natural resources,” said Ponzi. “With so many messages circulating about the need to go green, more people are realizing how wasteful they can be, and many are making an effort to transform behaviors to be more respectful, conservative and appreciative of resources. There’s much to change, yet all the small things we do add up, and changes we make have positive effects on everything from our health and the economy to our air.”
To learn more about going green and helping improve the region’s air quality, visit www.cleanair-stlouis.com or call the American Lung Association at (314) 645-5505, ext. 1007. For more information on EarthWays Center, visit www.earthwayscenter.org.
