October 10, 2023 – Laguna Hills, CA: Today Cox Enterprises celebrated its donation of a Captain Planet Foundation Project Learning Garden to Lomarena Elementary School in Laguna Hills, CA. Mrs. Trytten’s garden club students (K-6th grades) planted and harvested various leafy greens, Bok Choy, and herbs. They then made a healthy salad from their harvest and a vinaigrette dressing on the mobile cooking cart for all those in attendance. The event was attended by Laguna Hills Mayor Janine Heft, City Council Member Don Caskey, School Board President Barbara Schulman, local garden supporters, associates from Cox Enterprises and the Captain Planet Foundation.
The garden donation is part of a comprehensive partnership with the Captain Planet Foundation. Cox has supported the Captain Planet Foundation for many years and has recently focused on Project Learning Garden (PLG) as a seed funder of the Rejuvenation Grant Program in 2022 and this current initiative. Lomarena Elementary School applied for Project Learning Garden through an online grant contest last winter.
Project Learning Gardens comprise easy-to-assemble raised garden beds, soil, and seeds. The school also receives supplies and tools to take learning into the garden. Educators are given thematic activities centered in standards and learning outcomes. A library of garden guides and tips for growing, harvesting, composting, cooking with kids, and more is also part of the garden. Schools with learning gardens report that students benefit from learning about nutrition and science, along with social studies, math, and language arts. They can expand their palates, taste-test healthy foods and learn about the origins of what they grow.
“Project Learning Garden is a great fit for Cox as we aim to empower 34 million people to live more prosperous lives by 2034,” stated Chanelle Hawken, West Region vice president, of public and government affairs at Cox Communications. “Cox is dedicated to making a positive impact in the communities that we serve. Project Learning Garden makes a huge impact for kids at their schools; inspiring them with a direct connection to nature, environmental education, and healthy living.”
“So many subjects can be taught in the garden and hands-on garden learning is an excellent way to support student understanding of natural systems, food origins, and healthy eating,” explained Leesa Carter, President & CEO of Captain Planet Foundation. “Captain Planet Foundation is dedicated to ensuring that kids are armed with an understanding of the natural world in which they live, and we are thrilled to be partnering with Cox on Project Learning Garden.”
About Cox Enterprises
Cox Enterprises is dedicated to empowering people to build a better future for the next generation.
Cox is a leader in the broadband, automotive and media industries, while strategically investing in emerging technologies driving the future of cleantech, health care, and public sector services. Its major operating subsidiaries are Cox Communications and Cox Automotive, which includes brands like Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Cox is a global company with $22 billion in annual revenues and a proud 125-year history. To learn more about Cox and its commitment to its people, planet, and communities, visit coxenterprises.com.
About Captain Planet Foundation (CPF)
Based on the critically acclaimed animated series Captain Planet and the Planeteers, CPF was co-founded in 1991 by media mogul Ted Turner and series executive producer Barbara Pyle as a corporate foundation of TBS. In 2002, Captain Planet Foundation separated from TBS and became a 501(c)3 public charity, with the mission to work collaboratively to engage and empower young people to be problem solvers for the planet. CPF executes its mission both as a program operator and as a grant-maker.
Over the past 31 years, more than 1.7 million children have directly participated in CPF’s programs, which have funded 3,600+ projects, impacting 11.4 million young people around the globe. CPF’s operating programs include: Project Learning Garden which has provided 675+ U.S. elementary schools with onsite learning laboratories and healthy food access; Project Hero which is a nationwide, web-based learning platform for K-12 students to save locally threatened and endangered species & ecosystems; and Planeteer Alliance, a global network of young people who are putting their passion and impatience for change into climate ACTION for the planet. For more information: www.captainplanetfoundation.org