EASLEY — Iona Sweeney of Easley recently completed her Girl Scout Gold award, “Going Green.”
Sweeney decided to tackle the issue of high carbon emissions in the air as well as the disconnect many people have about where and how their food is grown.  Sweeney planted an apple orchard for Happy Hooves Therapeutic Equestrian Center at Eden Farms in Marietta. Individuals with special needs as well as their therapy horses will be able to enjoy Honeycrisp, MacIntosh and Golden Delicious apples for years to come. Sweeney held a workshop where she taught 24 students who have special needs or are at-risk youth how to plant apple trees.
Ninety percent of the participants had never planted a tree before, but now have that knowledge and skill for the rest of their lives. Each student and their teachers also planted apple seeds in cups to take with them and plant in their communities. As the trees grow, they will absorb and store the carbon dioxide emissions from human activities that are driving global heating. Sweeney also created and passed out an informational pamphlet about planting trees and their benefits. Each pamphlet also has an apple seed attached to it for the reader to plant.
Sweeney has been in Girl Scout Troop 2831 since kindergarten. She has also earned her Bronze and Silver Awards for Girl Scouts.
The Gold Award is the highest achievement of Girl Scouts of the USA and is only achieved by 5 percent of all Girl Scouts. Sweeney is the vice president of the ninth grade at Greenville Technical Charter High School.
She is active in school theater productions and student government, as well as her youth group at First Presbyterian Church Greenville. She thanks her friends, family, and Girl Scout sisters helping to make her Gold Award Project a success.