- Tonight on WPBS Weekly Inside The Stories: Teachers in New York State are bringing a new curriculum into the classroom to give young people a closer look at the plastic pollution problem in our waterways.

And The Green Beaver in Hawkesbury, Ontario, shares their growth journey with all-natural products.

Also, WPBS continues to support local and regional musicians.

Take in the powerful vocals of Fort Drum soldier, Jay P. Your stories, your region.

Coming up right now on WPBS Weekly Inside The Stories.

(dramatic music) - WPBS Weekly Inside The Stories is brought to you by: The Daisy Marquis Jones Foundation, The Watertown Oswego Small Business Development Center, Carthage Savings, CSX, the Oswego County Community Foundation at the Central New York Community Foundation, The Richard S. Shineman Foundation, and the Badenhausen Legacy Fund at the Northern New York Community Foundation.

- Good evening, everyone, and happy Tuesday evening to you.

We kick off tonight with a story of pollution.

But this story has a bright future and a happy ending.

Teachers throughout New York State are learning a new curriculum to teach in the classroom.

It covers plastic pollution, and it's turning young people into future environmental stewards.

(upbeat tones) (birds chirping) - [Reporter] Images like this are disturbing and disruptive to nature and wildlife.

But it may not be long until we see less and less.

Thanks to the New York Sea Grant, a nationwide program created by Congress in 1966, A new statewide curriculum may ensure that plastic pollution could soon become a thing of the past.

- So plastic pollution is one of the most common types of litter, trash, and pollution that we see here in the Great Lakes and in the St. Lawrence region.

So once it gets in the water, it's called marine debris.

So that's any type of trash that ends up in our water.

And that's our drinking water, those are local ecosystems with native species.

But marine debris can be all types of things, from large boats that are abandoned, to fishing nets, to aluminum cans and glass bottles.

But plastic pollution are all those items that are made of plastic.

So that can be water bottles.

It could be plastic shopping bags.

It could be laundry baskets.

Anything made of plastic.

One thing that we are studying a lot, and a lot of people are concerned about are the microplastics.

So those are tiny pieces of plastic less than five millimeters in size.

And that's what we're working on with teachers, looking at those different types of plastic pollution and how it impacts our Great Lakes.

- [Reporter] Fred Kowanes is one of the first teachers in New York State to implement the new curriculum with his students.

And he knows the curriculum well because he is an editor and contributor to the New York State Sea Grant Plastics Pollution Program and an Environmental and Regents Earth Science Teacher at Central Square.

- Finding examples of plastic pollution, both locally and going to some of the beaches on the East Coast.

It's a topic that I wanted my students to be aware of.

Nate Drag and his crew do a fantastic job.

So if I can contribute and help in any way, I'm all for it.

- Working with Fred and the other teachers on the curriculum has been invaluable.

From the design of the activities, to their feedback, to them implementing in their classroom.

It's evolved into a much better role than I could have designed it by myself or with my co-author Kathleen.

So we have a lot of great ideas, but they're in the classrooms every day, working with their students.

They get the perspective on what activities really stick with kids, what engages them.

And they also help us with recommending how long the lessons could be, what learning standards they align with, and then what's fun, 'cause we want learning to be fun.

- In the natural world, of course, plastics are made from petrochemicals, which are toxic.

And for our local fish populations, they might see these colorful little things floating in the water and think of them as food sources.

So we're starting to see now fish and some birds that are dying because they consume these little fragments of plastic.

The scientific name for these pieces of microplastic, they're called nurdles.

Which reminds me of the little candies, but they're the same kinds of size.

They're like the size of a grain of rice.

But walking down the beach, you may not even notice them.

But no one ever cleans up those fragments of plastic, so they accumulate, ironically, in the exact area where rare birds are nesting.

And we're trying our best to protect our local species.

- [Reporter] Kowanes and his students don't just learn in the classroom.

They head out into the field.

On one trip, they took sand samples from a state park, a private beach, and Black Pond Wildlife Management Area to study how much plastic pollutes the sands.

The Wildlife Management Area was, surprisingly, the most polluted sample.

It's these kinds of experiences that are encouraged when teachers visit Drag's classes to learn more about implementing the curriculum.

- So the Great Lakes Ecosystem Education Exchange is a joint program between the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and New York Sea Grant.

So GLEEE, which is G-L-E-E-E, three Es.

We focus on teacher workshops and professional development opportunities where we bring teachers in, we show them new curriculum, we help design new curriculum with them.

- [Reporter] New York State teachers, like Kowanes, are implementing the "Plastic Pollution and You" curriculum and have found it to be an extremely valuable tool.

- It's important, in my opinion, for a 14-year-old to see that this is really valuable.

You are lucky to have these resources here.

Other people in our country don't have these.

This is really like the type of program that all area schools are going to be looking for.

- [Reporter] Educators can request a copy, as well as view a recent virtual preview of the curriculum at nyseagrant.org/gleee For WPBS Weekly, I'm Eric Cleary.

- Speaking of the environment, two decades ago, the founders of Green Beaver, a natural products company in Hawkesbury, Ontario, began their journey with a simple idea: create products that allow their family to live a more natural way of life.

Today, that journey has grown into a full-blown business and is making a difference in other people's lives.

(bright tones) (people applauding) - If you look at the name of the company, the whole idea was we wanted something that said Canadian and natural, thus Green Beaver.

It all started by discussion that I had with my wife.

Is it time to start a family?

You know, you can't have a baby crawling on the floor, putting their fingers in their mouth when you just finished washing it with chemicals.

So it was like just purging the house, getting the- building the nest, I guess, for what was to come.

Back in those days, there was very few natural products available.

And with our background, Karen being a biochemist, I'm a microbiologist, we started formulating our own product.

- One of the drawbacks of using an ethanol-based hand sanitizer is that it can dry out your skin.

So we thought of you and we added some glycerin.

Glycerin is actually an unbelievable moisturizer.

But we added some mint and some orange, and we found that the combination made a very nice smell.

Lavender, very nice, calming.

So I think you're gonna appreciate it.

It's a hundred percent natural.

- We were basically on a mission to just let people know, you know what?

There are alternatives to chemicals.

Natural products work great.

We can help people through our products to help to live a healthier natural life.

And nowadays in a sustainable world, also that's very important.

It started as a hobby, and we said, "Ah, we'll get a few mixing plates, "just turn half the kitchen into a lab," which we both like to do.

So it was a nice little pastime.

Little did I know that here I would be 20 years later and took a good part of my life.

You know?

You always gotta identify who is your target audience.

For us, it's moms.

Especially moms with new babies.

That's when it starts.

A lot of them that's when they start to use natural.

Then the whole household has to follow.

The moms tend to be the ones that decide what products they use in the house, in general.

- [Alain] Lavender baby lotion.

Looks yummy, eh?

- We wanted to come out with baby products to start with.

But that was challenging at the time because there weren't that many natural preservatives around in those days.

There's been a big shift in people's mindset.

20 years ago, if I approached a mother with young children and tried to convince her to use a natural products on their kids and things, they would kind of look at you kind of funny.

Because it was all new, right?

And they'd say, "Well, is it safe?"

(laughs) You know?

You'd get that kind of response 'cause nobody really thought about what is in their baby lotions or shampoos and things like that.

- So this is a wax that comes from plant leaves.

We'll use it as a thickener in some of the creams, Witch hazel in that, you have, these are all, it's a big bag of lavender petals.

And then we have things like sweet-fern, yaro.

We're trying to use a lot of Canadian ingredients.

The raspberry seed oil.

We use it in the sunscreen as an antioxidant and in a couple of our creams.

Cranberry seed oil that comes from Quebec, mostly for skincare products.

We decided to go with products that are easier to preserve without using chemicals.

Cause that was our mandate, right?

A hundred percent natural.

I mean, we were the first to bring out certified organic sunscreen.

We were the first to introduce natural, anti-cavity toothpaste without fluoride that is approved by Health Canada.

We're the first that came out with the aluminum-free antiperspirant.

We are actually the only one.

The need has greatly increased, especially in the last five, six years.

And when I talk to these millennial moms, oh my God, it's totally different.

It's like, they're trying to sell me on natural.

(laughs) A lot of people don't think about it.

They think about sustainability as oh, whatever the packaging.

Yeah, that's a big part of it.

I hate plastic with a passion.

So I'm working a lot with the packaging industry, trying to stay really on top of, okay, what's the latest thing?

As soon as we can get rid of the plastic, I'm jumping on it.

But it's the ingredients.

If you're using chemicals instead of natural ingredients, well, they won't quite biodegrade the same way.

Obviously not, some of it actually won't.

That's the chemical ones.

We'd like people to understand also that where does everything go?

How many synthetic artificial fragrances and dyes and colors from shampoos and soaps that will end up in Lake Ontario?

Or if you're in Ottawa, the Ottawa River.

And those chemicals do end up in our rivers, and then we end up drinking it.

Climate change, actually, I think has sensitized people about what they use and we have a lot of experience at formulating natural products.

We're really good at it.

We're really good on innovating.

That's our strength here.

Maybe 'cause we're, our company was started by two scientists and not two business people.

(laughs) - Now we are working with new forms of zinc oxide for sunscreen.

So I'm just playing around with that.

Another one that didn't work.

Back to ground zero.

So the lab has always been for us the most important, one of the most important parts of the company.

It was a lot of trial and error.

Most of the time.

Over the years, we came out with some silly products, I think.

And one of them actually we still have, and people think it's weird.

I love it.

And the reason we have it is 'cause I love cilantro.

Ah, that's unique.

Not a big seller.

That's formulating, right?

But yeah, we have a lot of knowledge and we have very good distribution.

Right now, of course, throughout Canada.

Vancouver, Mississauga, Calgary, Toronto, the States.

We have Hong Kong, Singapore, and I just got our first P.O.

for just a small 25-store chain in Mexico.

Abroad, people they see something made in Canada, they think quality.

So I think there's a lot of potential.

First, I love the location.

I mean, you're an hour from Ottawa, an hour from Montreal, an hour from upstate New York.

I mean, an hour, maybe 20 minutes from Vermont.

I mean, wow.

I just hired a girl that grew up in Hawkesbury, went to school, got a degree in biotechnology, came back 'cause I created a job.

when normally those young people didn't come back 'cause there was no job.

But I find that the younger people are coming back.

That's a good sign.

Right now if you go to any store or whatever, grocery, look at an aisle, and they always have some natural products, whatever.

And maybe it represents, let's say 20% of the category.

You give it another five, between five and 10 years, natural products will represent 80% of what's there 'cause the demand is there.

There's still more awareness to get more people onto the natural bandwagon.

Most entrepreneurs are builders.

And they always wanna build it bigger.

(laughs) Oh, I think there's still a lot of work to be done.

So I'm not done yet.

- WPBS loves to share bits of history.

And tonight is no different.

If you're from the region, maybe you know a little bit about Brownville and the historic buildings there.

Our next segment comes from our four-part docu-series called "Discovering Jefferson County," and shares the history of the tiny village of Brownville.

(bright tones) - [Narrator] Brownville is named for one of our great national military heroes, General Jacob Brown, who started his early years as a smuggler.

Young Jacob was one of the first settlers of Brownville, an area originally inhabited by the Oneida tribe, and one of the first to be settled in Jefferson County.

- He and his brother, John, came up the river to the north and settled in Brownville.

They built their log cabin, and then they sent for the number of the Brown family to move up there, which they did.

- [Narrator] In September, 1788, the Oneidas, by treaty, conveyed the greater part of their land to the state.

This treaty was confirmed by the United States in 1784.

Less than a decade later, in 1791, Alexander Macomb bargained for a large track of the area, ultimately selling it to a European landowner.

A local property manager was appointed to oversee things and to sell to any interested parties.

Before his smuggling days, young Jacob Brown was a school teacher and land surveyor.

At one point in his young adult life, Brown saw the advantage of selling a product known one as potash in Canada.

The smuggling of the ash-like product earned himself the nickname "Potash Brown."

In the early days when potash was created, potassium was leached from wood ashes and concentrated by evaporating the leachate in large iron pots.

The ash was used for making gunpowder and fertilizer.

- When the Browns came to the Brownville area and they cut down the trees and they burned the excess wood and the stumps, and found that the ash was a fertilizer.

That when they had planted their crops a little on the late side, the ash made them grow faster.

And they found out that the potash was a good fertilizer and it had a market in Canada.

So they started selling it in Canada.

- [Narrator] The sales of potash generated plenty of cash that allowed the family to further invest in the area.

And so they began building what was supposed to be a structure to house prisoners during the War of 1812.

But it wasn't finished on time.

Started sometime in 1811, the Brown Mansion is a 22-room limestone structure that took four years to complete.

The war ended before construction was finished.

The Browns occupied the upper floor during this time, and eventually made the mansion their permanent residence.

Today, the mansion is the Brownville-Glen Park Library and the Village Clerk's office.

It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

As for General Brown, he achieved victory over the British at the Second Battle of Sacket's Harbor.

The results saw him commissioned as a brigadier general in the US Army.

His many victories over the British made Brown a national hero.

Enough that when he passed on in 1828, he was given a mile-long funeral procession down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington.

- [Announcer] The historic piece you just watched comes from an original four-part documentary series called "Discovering Jefferson County."

The series was produced right here at WPBS.

If you'd like the entire series at your fingertips, you can order your own copy and enjoy all four parts in the comfort of your own home.

- Finally, tonight, a musician from Fort Drum who will stop you in your tracks with a voice that delivers a Southern Blues Rock flavor, like a smooth glass of wine.

He is Jay P. And he shares one of his original tunes with us tonight.

Enjoy.

(drum riffs) - My name is Jay P. I'm a singer-songwriter.

(Jay playing and singing) I decided that I wanted to be a musician when I was in elementary school.

I was eight and they had a music day of pick your instrument and go from there.

And I was just like, I wanna pick the biggest instrument I could find.

I was eight and I had chose the standup bass.

So that went well.

(laughs) And then later, when I was 12, I got my first guitar.

Or when I was 11, I got my first guitar.

And I did that because my brother, at the time, his name is Johnny, picked up all the girls with his guitar.

So I was just like, as a 11-year-old, I was like, "I wanna do that."

So I started playing, and I realized that's not what happens.

But I loved it, so I kept doing it.

My song "Heartbeat" comes from the story about- that I completely made up, but a lot of people can probably relate to it- is about two lovers that can't be with each other because of time and distance.

And through all the trials, through all the tribulations, through all the troubles that they go through, they stick it through because they know that together, they're gonna be with each other in the end.

My name is Jay P. This is my song "Heartbeat."

(upbeat acoustic music) ♪ Sitting out on a rainy day ♪ ♪ Tell me why does it have to be that way ♪ ♪ Looking at a perfect star ♪ ♪ Tell me, can you see it from where you are ♪ ♪ Let's go inside ♪ ♪ Lay our heads down ♪ ♪ And feel the pain ♪ ♪ My guitar playing this sound ♪ ♪ And hear me say ♪ ♪ Don't you worry ♪ ♪ My darling, we will meet again ♪ ♪ Just pretend ♪ ♪ You and I taking flight ♪ ♪ Side by side ♪ ♪ Higher than any kite ♪ ♪ Or thing that flies ♪ ♪ Above all the clouds in the sky ♪ (guitar drowns out lyrics) ♪ To feel secure ♪ ♪ Tried to make our compass ♪ ♪ Suddenly our (indistinct) is gone ♪ ♪ Just wait inside ♪ ♪ Who are you to be here again ♪ ♪ Let's go inside ♪ ♪ Lay our heads down ♪ ♪ And feel the pain ♪ ♪ My guitar playing this sound ♪ ♪ And hear me sing ♪ ♪ Don't you worry ♪ ♪ My darling, I won't leave again ♪ ♪ Just pretend ♪ ♪ You and I taking flight ♪ ♪ Side by side ♪ ♪ Higher than any kite ♪ ♪ Or thing that flies ♪ ♪ Above all the clouds in the sky ♪ (guitar drowns out lyrics) ♪ To feel secure ♪ ♪ When the time comes we will meet again ♪ ♪ When I find you, you will comprehend ♪ ♪ When I love you, now it's time to rest ♪ ♪ So lay your head down onto my chest ♪ ♪ Let's go inside ♪ ♪ Lay our heads down ♪ ♪ Can you feel my heartbeat?

♪ ♪ Let's go inside ♪ ♪ Lay our heads down ♪ ♪ I can feel your heartbeat ♪ ♪ Let's go inside ♪ ♪ Lay our heads down ♪ ♪ I can feel our hearts beat ♪ ♪ Let's go inside ♪ ♪ Lay our heads down ♪ ♪ And feel my heartbeat ♪ - A quick programming note before we head out.

PBS is proud to present "The US and the Holocaust," produced by Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein.

This three-part series tells the story of how the American people grappled with one of the greatest humanitarian crises of the 20th century.

And how this struggle tested the ideals of our democracy.

(solemn orchestral music) - I think Americans have a very hard time deciding what kind of country they want to have.

We all tend to think of the United States as this country with the Statue of Liberty poem, "Give me your tired, your poor..." But in fact, exclusion of people and shutting them out has been as American as apple pie.

- The three-part series airs September 18th through the 20th at 9:00 P.M., right here on WPBS.

That does it for us tonight.

Join us next week for a fresh look inside the stories.

How do world events affect the kind of music chosen by orchestras?

We'll tell you what music directors are saying.

And Hopenhagen Farm in Copenhagen started by growing hops.

Today, its lavender fields are delivering calming goods in many ways.

Also, Renee Landry of Ottawa delivers powerful vocals in every performance.

Discover what the buzz is all about as we feature her.

Meantime, we wanna tell your story.

If you or someone in your community has something meaningful, historic, inspirational, or educational to share, please email us at wpbsweekly@wpbstv.org and let's share it with the region.

That's it for now, everyone.

We'll see you again next week.

Goodnight.

- WPBS Weekly Inside The Stories is brought to you by: The Daisy Marquis Jones Foundation, dedicated to improving the wellbeing of communities by helping disadvantaged children and families.

Online at dmjf.org.

The Watertown Oswego Small Business Development Center, a free resource offering confidential business advice for those interested in starting or expanding their small business.

Serving Jefferson, Lewis, and Oswego counties since 1986.

Online at watertown.nysbdc.org.

Carthage Savings has been here for generations, donating time and resources to this community.

They're proud to support WPBSTV online at carthagesavings.com Carthage Savings, mortgage solutions since 1888.

Additional funding provided by CSX, The Oswego County Community Foundation at the Central New York Community Foundation.

The Richard S. Shineman Foundation, and the Badenhausen Legacy Fund at the Northern New York Community Foundation.

(acoustic guitar playing) ♪ You and I taking flight ♪ ♪ Side by side ♪ ♪ Higher than any kite ♪ ♪ Or thing that flies ♪ ♪ Above all the clouds in the sky ♪ ♪ (indistinct) ♪ ♪ To feel secure ♪ (bright theme music)