2022, SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, USA
Selena Garcia and Samsara Gomez, students at Grant High School were concerned about the amount trash on their school campus. They knew that in addition to making campus unsightly, that the trash has potential to be washed into nearby waterways, and/ or cause issues for soil, plants and wildlife in the area. They tackled the problem by creating clean -up groups to pick up trash around campus after lunch 2-3 times per week for 3 months (until school ended). They also added additional trash and recycling bins around campus. The bins were painted in bright attractive colors to encourage student use. The team also created and posted signage in areas they saw most of the litter, encouraging students to properly dispose of their trash after lunch, etc. Fellow students Jocelin Perez, Belen Thompson, Sara Rios, Yadira Manriquez, Bryan Portillo, and Eliezer Salazar assisted in the implementation of this successful project, which the team hopes to continue next school year.