Every year, the North Plains Groundwater Conservation District puts on the Save the Planet Water Festival for fourth-grade students in the Panhandle. And every year, the students walk into the classroom for the cotton session that we host confused about why cotton is at the water festival.
They may be confused, but they’re still excited. It’s one of the highlights of my year to go to this event and see nine- and ten-year old children excited about cotton. To see them light up when I tell them cotton is in ice cream and money. To see them immediately try to take their shirts off to check their clothing label after we talk about the damage microplastics in water can do to humans and wildlife alike. To see them excited when they realize their water festival Tshirt is 100% cotton.
And by the end of the day, nearly 300 students have been told to check their clothing labels for cotton, to purchase cotton-rich apparel and to tell everyone they know to do the same.
This type of outreach doesn’t get the same attention as others. It’s not considered a top priority for everyone. But I would argue it’s one of the most important things that we do. One of the most effective ways to create a consumer demand for cotton is to start with the young minds.
When they’re in the halls comparing how much cotton they have in their clothes, I see cotton’s future. And that may seem dramatic, but my son is nearly in fourth grade, and he brings home information to me all the time and insists that we act on it. These children can influence their families in ways that we underestimate.
And who knows? Maybe some of them will tell their familes about the amount of plastic humans consume in a week — in large part to washing polyester clothes — and it will be the change we’ve been waiting to see.
It was a great week in Perryton and Dalhart. We appreciate North Plains Groundwater Conservation District for allowing us to be a part of this important education opportunity. And God bless these kids — they love to learn and now they love cotton!