MOMENTUM August 2020 | Page 26

GARDENING SHELIA THORNE JMG Specialist/Urban Farmer/USMC Veteran Project Lead Gardenkids of Kemah 281-334-7529 | [email protected] www.Gardenkidskemah.org TRASH or TREASURE Hot and humid days of August give us less time to enjoy the garden. Early morning watering is a must. Watering at night increases the opportunities for fungus to grow on plants and veggies alike. So instead of being outside in the garden, some are inside spring cleaning. In the ongoing months of the COVID battle, How many times have you cleaned out the closet or that “ you name it” space. Have you turned up memories long forgotten or have you found long lost treasures? The motto of Gardenkids of Kemah is Protect, Plant and Play. Protect is “Protect the Environment.” The most familiar method of protecting the environment is to recycle. Recycling can be more than putting items in the recycle bin. Another way to recycle is take something that would have been thrown away and make something different out of it. Think pallets made into garden planter furniture. Meet Extreme recycler: Ainsley Teagan is a teen abstract artist based in League City. This young lady is also an environmental activist. All of her paintings and sculptures use materials that would have ended up in a landfill if she had not stepped in. Ainsley has always had a passion for the arts by creating things with every color she finds. She goes to thrift stores to find canvases. She paints over the canvas with paint that would be out there wasting, filling and in some cases contaminating landfills. Next time you see mis-tinted and “oops” paint piles, think Works of Art not trash. Colors that are unwanted/ not needed are mixed with other colors or re-tinted at paints stores so nothing is wasted. Her abstract sculptures are made with the solid parts of paint that is too dried out to paint with. Ainsley is an advocate for the environment and shows us how precious it is. A portion of the sale from every piece sold goes to non-profit organizations helping to save the planet. Ainsley’s Art creations can make a real change in people’s lives and help the planet. So donate, sell or upcycle no longer needed items. Every gestures saves a little more of our environmental resources. Trash or Treasure, “How will you protect the environment today?“ 24 MOMENTUM