Author Archives: Chloe Sprecker

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Bluebird Trail

2024, Ashburn, VA, USA

Farmwell 7th graders aimed to protect wildlife by creating a “bluebird trail”. The school had 4 bluebird houses and needed one more for it to officially be a trail. The 7th graders earned the grants for the 5th bluebird house and predator guards/raccoon baffles for all five bluebird houses. As anticipated, all bird houses were occupied by three different bird species – tree swallows, chickadees, and eastern bluebirds – all of them native to Virginia. Students have learned the skills required to create a welcomed change in the community and are excited to have made a home for birds in the years to come.

SDGs: 13: Climate Action, 14: Life on Land, 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

Targets: 6.4, 15.3, 13.1

   

 

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Blair Learning Garden, Native Plant Raised Garden

2024, Norfolk, VA, USA

Blair Middle Schoolers in Norfolk, Virginia noticed that habitat loss in their community due to major flooding issues. The students partnered with Master Gardeners, Elizabeth River Project and more to create a raised garden bed in front of the school to combat these problems.

The students faced challenges along the way but are pleased with the outcome. They all got a taste of the satisfaction that comes from doing something beneficial for the community and will continue to seek opportunities to do more.

SDG’s: 13: Climate action, 14: Life Below Water, 15: Life on Land

Targets: 14.1

      

 

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Save the Inner Harbour, Save Chesapeake Bay

2024, Baltimore, MD, USA

The students of Baltimore Christian Academy had an important question about the water quality of the Inner harbor water. After Analyzing the data that they collected, they found it to be polluted. To address this issue, they decided to take civic action. They wrote to Baltimore City council woman, Phylicia Porter, informing her of their findings and seeking her input on how to reduce or eliminate pollution in the inner Harbour.

Students learned to use their voice to advocate for environmental issues, which will aid them in a lifetime of protecting our watershed.

SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation.

Target 12.5

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Students Improve Recycling Policy at High School

2023, Lewistown, PA, USA

Students in the Environmental Science classes and Science club at Mifflin County High School worked together to change their school’s recycling policies. Students in Ecology classes began the process by conducting inventories about plastic and consumption habits in their daily lives.They voted and successfully advocated to their school administration to add recycling bins throughout the school and increase signage for proper recycling. They also led a station at a local EcoDay festival as well to communicate their policy change beyond their school.

This student-led policy change will leave a legacy of taking action to improve the watershed.

Sdg: 6: Clean water and Sanitation.

Targets 6.A, 6.3

Lisa Rowe, Teacher at Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning, California

Students are highly motivated by the CFW contest as it is currently set up. The accessibility for entry is wide for different ages, backgrounds and ability levels. The combination of scientific and creative thinking reinforced by proposal parameters, as well as the authentic connections to real world problems, are a potent learning tool for the needs of our world

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Water: It’s Worth a Dam!

2023, FORT COLLINS, COLORADO, USA

Natalie from Rocky Mountain High School addressed poor water quality from the ash and floods from the Cameron Peak Fire. To address this issue, Natalie created a man-made beaver dam in the Cache la Poudre watershed. For the last three years, black and murky water has traveled down the Poudre River negatively impacting 330,000 citizens who rely on the watershed for drinking water and other uses. Additionally, there are not enough beavers in the Poudre to build dams that reduce flooding and settle the ash. Therefore, Natalie implemented a man-made beaver dam analog (BDA) in the Lile Beaver Creek burned watershed. She wove together natural materials like willows, evergreens, and wood to make the dam. As a result, the stream widened by 1.5 feet and the water slowed. The stream got deeper by 0.5 feet above the dam and started settling the sediment. This solution addressed Targets 6.1 and 6.6 of the Sustainable Development Goals.

 

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Our Environment is in Danger but we have an un-bee-lievable solution

2023, FORT COLLINS, COLORADO, USA

Zoe and Haylie from Rocky Mountain High School addressed plastic waste during lunch by educating young students on the effects of plastic in their watershed and teaching them ways to be more environmentally friendly like using reusable beeswax lunch bags. Many people pack their lunch in a plastic bag that takes 1,000 years to decompose. Plastic can affect our drinking water, animal habitats, and our food for longer than you can imagine. The kids in Ms. Johnson’s 4th-grade class were excited to participate in the activity and presentation Haylie and Zoe brought. Beeswax wraps were handed out to encourage the kids to use them and tell their friends and family about them. Their hope is for these kids to be inspired to make a change against pollution in their environment. This solution addressed Targets 14.1 and 11.2 of the Sustainable Development Goals.