ENVIRONMENT
“It is the responsibility of EVERY ROTARIAN to support
action directed at improving the environment and
protecting animals and plants from extinction.”
(Rotary Council on Resolutions 92-287)
DISTRICT ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE CHAIR
 | George M. Roe Bonney Lake Tehaleh District Environmental Chair Contact |
ON THIS PAGE
PROTECTING OUR COMMON LEGACY: THE ENVIRONMENT
Rotary is committed to supporting activities that strengthen the conservation and protection of natural resources and advance ecological sustainability. We empower communities to embrace local solutions, create innovative service projects, and access grants and other resources to foster harmony between people and nature.
Rotary makes change happen
We work with communities to implement service projects that improve the environment and transform lives. Thriving ecosystems can support people’s health, create economic opportunities, and help build peace.
How Rotary will help protect our planet
The Rotary Foundation will enable our members and their community partners to take action by:
-
- Protecting and restoring land, coastal, marine, and freshwater resources
- Enhancing the capacity of communities to support natural resource management and conservation
- Supporting sustainable agriculture, fishing, and aquaculture practices
- Addressing the cause of climate change by reducing the emission of greenhouse gases
- Strengthening ecosystems and communities affected by climate change
- Supporting education initiatives that promote behavior that protects the environment
- Advocating for sustainable consumption to build an economy that uses resources more efficiently
- Addressing environmental public health concerns
CLUBS IN ACTION
Sumner Rotary Launches Monarch Garden to Inspire Young Stewards
and Restore a Migratory Icon
The Sumner Rotary Club is proud to announce the formation of its new Environmental Committee—an initiative rooted in service, sustainability, and community impact. With a mission to benefit the environment, invest locally, and expand Rotary’s positive presence, the committee has already brought its vision to life in a powerful way.
Responding to the alarming decline of the Monarch butterfly population, the Sumner Rotary Environmental Committee (SREC) has constructed a 750-square-foot Monarch Waystation Garden at a local elementary school. Monarchs, known for their remarkable multi-generational migration to Southern California, have seen their numbers dwindle in recent years due in large part to the destruction of critical migratory habitats. This new garden is designed to help reverse that trend—right here at home.
The garden is thoughtfully planted with an abundance of milkweed—the only plant Monarch caterpillars can eat—alongside a vibrant mix of nectar-rich flowers that sustain adult butterflies. Seasonal vegetable rotations in the spring and fall will further enrich the space, creating a dynamic outdoor classroom that blends conservation with hands-on learning. The garden is officially registered with the Kansas Monarch Waystation program, contributing to broader butterfly research and habitat restoration efforts.
More than a garden, this space is an invitation. Students will trade screen time for sunshine, stepping outside to dig in the soil, observe nature up close, and perhaps even enjoy story time among the blooms. They’ll learn firsthand about life cycles, ecosystems, and the importance of caring for the environment. By nurturing this habitat, they become active participants in restoring a species whose journey spans thousands of miles and multiple generations.
The project is a true community collaboration. The garden will be maintained by students, local senior garden clubs, and Sumner Rotary members—bridging generations through shared stewardship. This partnership ensures the garden will thrive while fostering mentorship, connection, and pride in a shared accomplishment.
One of the most anticipated moments will arrive this fall, when students foster 100 Monarch caterpillars in the classroom. They will witness the extraordinary transformation from caterpillar to chrysalis and finally to butterfly. In a celebratory community event, those 100 Monarchs will be released to continue their migration—symbolizing hope, renewal, and the power of collective action.
The Sumner Rotary Environmental Committee believes meaningful change begins at the local level. By creating a lush breeding ground and reliable food source for Monarchs, while inspiring children to engage with the natural world, this project reflects Rotary’s enduring motto: Service Above Self.
This is only the beginning. Stay tuned—there is more to come as Sumner Rotary continues to invest in projects that strengthen our environment, our youth, and our community.
Learn more about Monarch Waystations at: https://www.monarchwatch.org/waystations/
ESRAG HIGHLIGHT
Lunch out of Landfills
Lunch out of Landfills is working to reduce landfill-designated waste from school cafeterias, by decontaminating recycling, extracting organics and liquids from the trash and recovering uneaten food to be used at share tables and taking food to local food banks. As much as 85% of cafeteria waste can be diverted from the waste stream.
What can you do to make an impact?
- EDUCATE. Educating students teachers and parents on the impact of food waste and providing the infrastructure to collect and compost organics, make trash free lunches, teach parents of appropriate lunch portions and to reduce waste at home.
- INVOLVE YOUTH WITH INTERACT and ROTARACT. The initiative is to be student led. High school students can earn SSL and internship opportunities to mentor younger students on waste diversion, monitoring contamination and assisting building services with waste removal. High school “green teams” can, and should, look to Rotary Interact and Rotaract clubs to provide resources and support for program implementation.
- NETWORK. Create a food recovery network providing coolers for safe handling of perishable goods, identifying food banks, local church welfare sites to take uneaten food and creating a network of food runners to collect uneaten food items from schools daily.
- ADVOCATE. Create the infrastructure for compost facilities, compost haulers and overall waste reduction solutions by lobbying state legislatures and identifying funding sources thru public and private partnerships.
Addressing climate change with solutions-based actions, Lunch out of Landfills is not a one-time activity. It engages every student in every school every day. Learning the impact of our consumption on the climate and empowering students to take meaningful action can reduce the third largest contributor to methane emissions while feeding hungry people.
DID YOU KNOW?
Rotary District 5020 Environmental Survey:
Results, Conclusions, and Action Steps
EXPLORING PAST PROJECTS AND FUTURE INTERESTS IN ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES
Rotary clubs across District 5020 recently participated in a survey focused on their environmental projects—both past and future. The results reveal a widely-based commitment to environmental stewardship, with many clubs having completed impactful initiatives such as community clean-ups, tree planting, and recycling programs. Respondents expressed a clear interest in continuing these efforts, as well as exploring new opportunities.
5020’s Environment Committee reached out to every area and every club in the district, using a brief survey form to learn about the kinds of environmentally aligned work being done, and about interests for the future projects.
The survey’s results indicate that clubs are eager for collaboration and support in developing environmental projects appropriate for their communities. Many indicated a desire for more resources, partnerships, and guidance from both the district and fellow clubs.
Toward that end, our website features articles about environmental work in the district and beyond (checkout the Clubs in Action, ESRAG Highlight, and Community Share sections of this page as well as our Environment Community Share page). We’re doing follow-up coordination with clubs across the district to gather more materials for sharing here and to explore collaboration opportunities.
Please visit our booth in the House of Friendship at the upcoming Learning and Celebration event to be held May 8-9 in Victoria, BC. There is so much we can do as we join together!
DISTRICT 5020 ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
 | Ray Andrews Sidney By The Sea Member Contact |
 | Sonnet Lyre Force Oak Bay, Victoria Member Contact |
 | Lee Hoffman Port Townsend Member Contact |
 | Mark E. Hoppen Gig Harbor Member Contact |
| George M. Roe Bonney Lake Tehaleh District Environmental Chair Contact |
COMMUNITY SHARE
Share Your Story With Our Environment Community
Our Environment Committee is passionate about helping the Clubs and Areas within District 5020 in their engagement with the place that they call home. A big part of that is sharing stories about ‘what is happening where’ … there’s so much we can learn from one another’s experiences, and there’s a lot to gain through collaboration on shared interest areas.
Tell us about a project, event, or activity that exemplifies how your Club is helping protect the environment and we’ll share it in our Clubs in Action section, which features a different Club (or Club collaboration) each month, as well as on our Environment Community Share page.
Send us your story in the message box below or submit directly to the contact person provided herein. Please also provide any media files (images, PDFs, videos) that you think will help make your story shine, and remember to include links to information that might prove valuable as resources for other community members and readers.
Contact:
Sonnet Force
lyreforce@gmail.com
250-241-5974
ENVIRONMENT RESOURCES
These are just a sampling of resources available to assist you in achieving your goals: