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Environmental education striving for healthier tomorrow by Ragan DuBose Lusk Environmental Biosciences Program Fifty Charleston-area students are taking an up-close look at the Lowcountry’s environment as part of the annual Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) Summer Enrichment Program, sponsored in part by MUSC. “Building a Healthy Community: Our place in Lowcountry Ecology-Part 2,” gives students a chance to explore the role of coastal ecology in their lives. Students are learning about the interdependence of living organisms, the impact of pollution on natural systems, and the environment’s effect on human health. Quitin Simmons, Shyrome Johnson and Alexis Ancrum visit the touch tank area of the South Carolina Aquarium. The touch tank allows visitors to interact with the variety of plant and animal life that's normally untouchable. The program includes field trips to the South Carolina Aquarium, the Charleston County Recycling Center, Leland Farms on Wadmalaw Island, and the Mount Pleasant Waterworks Water Treatment Plant. Lessons include proper disposal of waste materials, reuse and recycling of other materials, conservation and protection of natural resources, and the benefits of a healthy diet. The purpose is to develop the students’ sense of environmental stewardship at an early age.  “The field trips affect the environmental perceptions of the students through experiences that provide awareness to their relationship with different facets of the environment,” said Angie Evans, director of the AKA Parenting Center. The program’s success hinges on a collaborative effort. Sponsors include the Gamma Xi Omega Chapter of the AKA Sorority, the City of Charleston’s Enterprise Community Program, the MUSC’s Environmental Biosciences Program (EBP) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region IV. EBP enjoys the opportunity to work with the students and parents at the AKA Parenting Center. “We strive to form collaborations with community groups like the AKA’s as a means to promote healthy, sustainable communities” said David Rivers of EBP. “Our goal is to empower the next generation of environmental decision-makers.” The Summer Enrichment Program began June 12 and concludes with an awards ceremony July 14 at the AKA Parenting Center. Art exhibits and essay presentations demonstrate the students’ enhanced knowledge of the Lowcountry’s ecology.  Parents and community members also join the festivities and enjoy refreshments. “We want students to carry away a wealth of concrete information and skills from this program,” Evans said. “They will then be able to influence their family and friends about keeping the community and environment safe and healthy.”  For more information about this program, contact Evans at 723-0171, or Claire Greene, public information specialist at EBP, 727-6450 ext. 6463.