Teddy Roosevelt would be proud
LISA JAMES/Press Local environmental activist Dylan Stiegemeier gets John Brown Elementary School first- graders to hold up their Teddy flags for a photo after a litter cleanup in the woods near their school on May 18. Stiegemeier, who started The Theodores, went out with students and teachers after teaching them about littering and recycling. The flags are sent to people all over the world who participate in the program, which is based on the environmentally-friendly ethos and laws passed by President Teddy Roosevelt.
LISA JAMES/Press Local environmental activist Dylan Stiegemeier disposes of glass recyclables as John Brown Elementary School first-graders Hazel Nutterville, right, and Casey Slokum, hold the bag during a litter cleanup in the woods near their school on May 18.
LISA JAMES/Press John Brown Elementary School first-graders work together to carry out the top of a broken table they found during a litter cleanup near their school on Thursday, May 18. Local environmental activist Dylan Stiegemeier, who started The Theodores, went out with students and teachers after teaching them about littering and recycling.
LISA JAMES/Press John Brown Elementary School first-grader Hazel Nutterville shows the Teddy flag made by local environmental activist Dylan Stiegemeier, who started The Theodores. The flags are sent to people all over the world who participate in the program, which is based on the environmentally-friendly ethos and laws passed by President Teddy Roosevelt.
LISA JAMES/Press Local environmental activist Dylan Stiegemeier, walks through a patch of woods collecting trash with John Brown Elementary School first-graders Hazel Nutterville, left, and Casey Slokum during a litter cleanup in the woods near their school on Thursday, May 18. Stiegemeier started The Theodores, based on the ethos and laws passed by President Teddy Roosevelt, to teach people about littering and recycling, but also to motivate them to clean up after others.
LISA JAMES/Press John Brown Elementary School first-grader Casey Slokum makes a face after finding a sticky piece of gum while collecting litter with her class on Thursday, May 18. Local environmental activist Dylan Stiegemeier, who started The Theodores, went out with students and teachers to clean up a patch of woods near the school, after teaching them about littering and recycling.
LISA JAMES/Press John Brown Elementary School first-sgrader Hazel Nutterville tromps through tall grass looking for trash on a litter cleanup with her class on Thursday, May 18. Local environmental activist Dylan Stiegemeier, who started The Theodores, went out with students and teachers to clean up a patch of woods near the school, after teaching them about littering and recycling.
LISA JAMES/Press John Brown Elementary School first- grader Jared Deem shows off a broken arrow he found during a litter cleanup with his class on Thursday, May 18. Local environmental activist Dylan Stiegemeier, who started The Theodores, went out with students and teachers to clean up a patch of woods near the school, after teaching them about littering and recycling.
LISA JAMES/Press John Brown Elementary School first-grader Hazel Nutterville dumps out her bag of recyclables to count them after a litter cleanup with her class on Thursday, May 18. Local environmental activist Dylan Stiegemeier, left, who started The Theodores, went out with students and teachers to clean up a patch of woods near the school, after teaching them about littering and recycling.
LISA JAMES/Press Local environmental activist Dylan Stiegemeier, in red plaid, helps John Brown Elementary School first-graders put their collected trash into a dumpster after a litter cleanup in the woods near their school on Thursday, May 18. Stiegemeier, who started The Theodores, went out with students and teachers after teaching them about littering and recycling.
By DEVIN HEILMAN
Staff Writer
Conservation is more than just the act of keeping the environment clean and healthy.
It's a mindset, and it's a mindset The Theodores, a North Idaho social club, is helping to spread.
"The Theodores is about educating youths and taking them to nature," said Theodores founder Dylan Stiegemeier, who grew up in North Idaho. "It's not just about picking up trash."
But picking up trash is a good starting point for kids to learn the basics.
Stiegemeier and his sister, John Brown Elementary first-grade teacher Kayla Maloney, took her students on a garbage-seeking adventure last week to educate them about the impact of littering. They closely combed a wooded area near the school, each student excited and proud to be doing his or her part.
“Just showing these kids how much garbage is out here makes them think a little differently about what they produce,” Stiegemeier said. "It makes it harder to walk by other people's trash."
First-grader Alma Walters was eager to share her perspective about The Theodores and its litter projects, known as "Teddy Clean-Ups."
"I’m learning about keeping the world safe and no more garbage in the landfills," she said. "If there’s too much garbage, the Earth will get sicker and sicker and then the animals here won’t survive. Some fish will eat plastic and some animals will die."
Maloney said her class conducted a Teddy Clean-Up last year as well, and this year it has been learning about how garbage affects the planet and the animals that inhabit it.
"I think they get it. It doesn’t take a lot for them to get it,” she said. "This really opens people's eyes when they go out and do it. There is garbage everywhere you go."
While planting the seed of awareness in youths is a Theodores mission, the club hopes to encourage people of all ages to be a bit more like its namesake, Theodore Roosevelt. Take a bag with you and pick up the garbage you see on your evening walk. Grab some trash when you rest during a bike ride. Support those doing good things in your community.
Remember Roosevelt's words: "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."
"Teddy was a great conservationist, champion of social justice and leader," the club's website reads. "Ultimately, the club seeks to have fun and be impactful whether that means picking up trash on Tubbs Hill or helping great local nonprofits put on events."
Stiegemeier said the idea of The Theodores has been with him for a while, but it really got off the ground about three years ago. As a Spokane Falls Community College instructor of political science and global issues, Stiegemeier said he began to notice an unsettling amount of apathy in his students. He has always had an interest in conservation, so when he read Timothy Egan's "The Big Burn," he was reintroduced to Roosevelt's dedication to preserving national forests and other proactive efforts.
Stiegemeier became inspired to start a movement that would make Roosevelt proud.
"People liked Teddy and it didn't matter their ideologies," Stiegemeier said, adding Roosevelt was a key figure who transcended political party lines.
Stiegemeier's vision is also transcending lines — geographic lines. When people conduct a Teddy Clean-Up, they're encouraged to place a special flag provided by Stiegemeier on the bags of trash collected, snap a photo and upload it to an interactive map. People can click on the points to see where Teddys have been completed.
As of Wednesday, Teddy Clean-Ups had been posted in 66 cities in 11 countries, including Colombia, Thailand, Spain and Kyrgyzstan, as well as 30 states or provinces. Nearly 6,000 pounds of trash had been collected and close to 600 people had participated. Almost 40 Teddys have already been done this month.
To receive Theodores patches or flags from Stiegemeier and to complete your own Teddy Clean-Ups or find other ways to help, contact Stiegemeier at teddyrtuesdays@gmail.com.
Future plans for Theodores members include community impact days, organizing a collective of like-minded people to improve their community and Ted Fest, a free music festival that will support local organizations.
Much of the club's funding comes from its members' pockets or from grants, but Stiegemeier said The Theodores will soon be applying for and working toward its nonprofit status.
"I started this club because it needed to be done," Stiegemeier's club biography reads. "I wanted to do something impactful for the community. This is my best attempt. Please join me and let's have some fun."
Info: www.thetheodores.org or www.facebook.com/thetheodores