Alister and Jasper Hardt are rising fourth graders at Village Elementary. On Juneteenth, the boys hosted a lemonade stand to benefit Emerald Keepers — an event they planned themselves.
“The boys mapped out what they needed, went shopping, and did a budget. They managed all their finances and money. They went and got change from the bank, tallied up their profits, and in two hours they made $119 dollars for Emerald Keepers,” explained their mother, Jacqueline Hardt.
According to Jacquelin, the classroom visit from Emerald Keepers’ high school interns toward the end of the school year made a big impression on Alister and Jasper. They loved the environmental trading cards and meeting the high school students. Last year they participated in Emerald Keepers’ Earth Day Golden Ticket Cleanup where Jasper found one of the Golden Tickets. He exchanged his ticket at the Coronado Public Library for Coronado Currency accepted at most stores and restaurants in Coronado.
“It really inspired them,” explained Jacqueline. “They also visited Emerald Keepers at the Flower Show and planted native plants. They took one of the milkweed plants for monarch butterflies and it has been steadily growing.”
When the boys woke up at 8:07am on Saturday, they were worried they had missed Emerald Keepers’ Cleanup Series at the Ferry Landing. According to their mom, “The boys got ready in about thirty seconds and begged me to take them, so here we are!”
Sadly, was plenty of trash for the boys to pick up. Their enthusiasm was infectious for the dozen volunteers who showed up to help clean the beach and park areas.
When asked why he wanted to host a lemonade stand to support Emerald Keepers, Jasper said, “I found one of the Golden Tickets last year and wanted to help Emerald Keepers.”
“I wanted to donate the profits from our lemonade stand because Emerald Keepers cares about the environment,” explained Alister. “The environment is important and we want to preserve it as much as we can.”
The boys understand the importance of preserving open space having visited 38 national parks and monuments and are proud to be part of Emerald Keepers.
Congratulations Alister and Jasper Hardt for being our July Emerald Keepers of the Month. For more information about Emerald Keepers or to sign up for the monthly newsletter, please visit emeraldkeepers.org.
