NEWBURYPORT, MA - MAY 2011 - "My main fear was that these people would be so much worse off than me," says Newburyport High School freshman Alexa Looker, who recently returned from a service trip to Panama. "But I definitely did not feel bad for them. I was envious."

Alexa is one of six local students who spent their April vacation working with farmers in the rural village of San Pedro, Panama as part of a service trip organized by Sustainable Harvest International. The trip was the culmination of the students' focus at River Valley Charter School on understanding global humanitarian issues and demonstrated their commitment to becoming a part of positive change. After participating in the Model United Nations Program and working with the international organization Free the Children, the students were ready for a hands on huminatarian effort. ·So they set off to Panama, where they worked with local farmers and villagers clearing farmland, planting a rice paddy and building a wood-burning stove. They also visited the school where they discussed the migratory birds both countries share and distributed books and supplies.

"What amazed me was the feeling of community and working together," says Pingree freshman August Umholtz. "We would go out to work for the day, 10 or 15 people from the village would come with us, and we would all work together to get something done in hours that it would take one person weeks to do."

It is this focus on working together while stewarding available resources that makes Sustainable Harvest International's work in Panama, Nicaragua, Belize and Honduras so successful. The organization provides farming families with training and tools to preserve tropical forests while overcoming poverty. They also schedule Smaller World Tours to connect families in a cross-cultural experience on the front lines of environmental protection and rural community development.

What the families from River Valley had not anticipated was that they would receive so much more from the experience than they felt like they had given. "I am eager to share our experience with other students," says Colin Gibney, River Valley Charter Middle School math teacher. "We are currently focused on learning to change our impact on the environment by minimizing motorized transportation, not buying unnecessary items, learning to grow and eat local produce, unplugging and reconnecting with each other. ·This is exactly how the people live in San Pedro. Many of the kids I teach see hope and believe that we can change the way things are. The trip to San Pedro has inspired me anew to support students in implementing that change."

In an effort to bring home the lessons learned in Panama, River Valley Charter School students will be participating in a "No Impact Week" which will challenge them to reduce their carbon footprint by monitoring trash, energy and water use. Further information about the No Impact Project can be found at noimpactproject.org.