Author Archives: Holly Pousett

Can Soil Really Damage Our Economy?

Rocky Mountain HS, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA

As of 2022, the Cameron Peak Fire has been the largest wildfire in Colorado history. It is suspected to be human caused. After remaining under 25,000 acres for three weeks, dry conditions and high winds fed the fire allowing it to burn 208,913 acres in total. The fire started on August 13, 2020, and wildlife, humans, and other organisms in this watershed are continuing to feel the impacts of this fire more and more – and will continue to be a trend. Miles Willard from Rocky Mountain High School had firsthand experience seeing the effects from the fire and wanted to take action. The destruction from the fire left behind very little vegetation increasing erosion. This in turn contaminates runoff water with ash, soil, and debris and is exacerbated during flooding events. To address his concern, Miles worked with the City of Greeley and the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed to plan 300 ponderosa pines in the Sheep Creek area of the Cache La Poudre Watershed. These trees are instrumental in forming natural barriers and holding soil in place and out from the river, with their roots spanning over a mile deep, while also providing habitats for wildlife. Miles contributed to Targets 6.6 and 15.4 of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Fire remnants in snow, burned forest in winter, student posing

Art the Smart Way

Rocky Mountain High School, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA

Chloe Pettit from Rocky Mountain High School found that paint has solid pigments that increase the opacity of water and its particles clogs up the gills of fish and cause other harmful effects on them. She also found that solvent based paints such as paint thinners contain mercury, zinc, lead, and chromium –which can cause tumors on fish and other organisms in the water. To address this, Chloe dedicated her time developing an informal website containing video tutorials on how to make paints from scratch using vegetables and fruits. This website was provided to kindergarten and first grade classes in Fort Collins to get students started with their homemade paint kits. Many of these classes created their DIY paints on Earth Day! Chloe’s eco-friendly paints and tutorials helped contribute to Targets 6.3 and 12.5 of the Sustainable Development Goals.

children painting, paints and paint brushes on tables, student posing with white dog

Aluminum Recycling Program

Dayspring Christian Academy Greeley, Colorado, USD

Aluminum makes up a large portion of our waste worldwide. Karrin Chandler, Corrin Sides, and Kylie Van Iddekinge from Dayspring Christian Academy found that a large portion of aluminum was being tossed into the landfill instead of being recycled. Through their research, they found that when aluminum is dumped into the landfills, it quickly breaks down and reacts to produce unwanted heat, liquid leachate, and other gasses, including carbon dioxide. This can cause harmful reactions with other items in the landfill. Runoff from these landfills causes aluminum leachate that contaminates our watershed. To address this concern, Karin, Corrin, and Kylie started a recycling program at their school to encourage their peers to recycle their aluminum cans. They also lead educational sessions at their school about aluminum recycling and its benefits for our watershed. With their efforts, they managed to contribute to Target 6.3 and 12.5 of the Sustainable Development Goals. Their school has embraced this recycling program and the bins have filled up quickly! With the help of future science classes, the program will continue to be maintained for years to come. Recycling bin with cans in it, students posing beside recycling bins

Campus Trash and Recycling Bins

2022, SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, USA
Students standing around bins
Tokay High School students Kendra, Harmandeep, Prabhleen, Conner are involved in the Sustainability Committee for the NorCal Science Festival, an event held annually at their school. They realized that actions focused on sustainability for the event can also promote positive environmental behaviors year-round on their campus. Their Caring for Our Watersheds project seeks to prevent the flow of litter into the storm drains that lead to the river from Tokay High. The group did an analysis of the waste disposal system on campus and found that there are very few trash receptacles and no recycling bins in areas of high student occupancy at mealtime. Through this analysis and prior clean-up events, they also identified areas on campus with the most littering issues. To address the issues, the team purchased upcycled wine barrels to utilize as trash and recycling receptacles. They will also install signage to encourage use and show students which items can be placed in the barrels. In addition, the group also plans on co- sponsoring “Litterati” clean-up challenges, in partnership with the City of Lodi, to promote a litter-free campus through student behavior and action.

Let’s Be Plastic Free: A Social Media Advocacy Campaign

2022, SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, USA

Student standing with $1000 Environmental Contest Winner cheque
Clara, a student at Mira Loma High School, took first place in the 2022 Caring for Our Watersheds competition. Clara demonstrated her design skills and political savvy with her project to advocate for passage of the 2022 California Plastic Waste Reduction Regulations (CPWRR) Initiative and a reduction in the consumption of single-use plastic. Clara aims to raise awareness and garner support for the initiative and cause, and to that end, has designed several appealing infographics which she shared online through public social media ads. Clara’s proposal was well-written, thoroughly researched, and clearly presented. By implementing her project, she was able to further education and outreach on the monumental problem of single-use plastic waste.

Infographic on the plastic waste reduction regulations initiative Recycling poster

Starting a Compost System on Campus

2022, SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, USA
Compost system
Samuel and Kirby from The MET Sacramento High School developed a solid project to start and maintain a composting system on campus to reduce the amount of food waste going to landfills. By composting organic waste, the school will reduce its contribution to greenhouse gasses, particularly methane, which is produced by anaerobic decomposition of organic matter in landfills. The team started to implement their plan in the spring of 2022, and will continue to educate and engage students in the composting process during the upcoming school year. Caring for Our Watersheds funding helped them purchase the bins for food waste collection and composting, as well as materials needed to maintain the compost, and promote use of the system.

Student lifting top of compost bin Student standing behind compost bin Students holding $400 environment contest winner cheque

American River clean-up

2022, SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, USA

Trash in bag
Lillian and Ximena, students at The MET Sacramento High School are very worried about the amount of litter on the riverbank and in the water of the American River. After researching, they learned that the American river is “the most heavily used recreation river in California”(Rivers.gov). The litter not only impacts recreation and visitor experience, but also can have many negative effects on the environment. Fish, birds, and other wildlife in and around the aquatic environment might consume bits of plastic or other waste that are toxic to them, or they could get trapped in plastic bags or 6-pack rings. Other trash may introduce toxins into the water or even increase fire hazard in the riparian area. The team assembled a group of classmates and family members to participate in their clean-up on June 2 along a stretch of the American River between Sutter’s Landing and the 16th street bridge. To encourage student participation, the team confirmed with their school that the clean-up would count towards community service requirements. With this project, the team provided a great day to engage in watershed stewardship and to reflect on how human behavior and waste impacts the river.

Group of students cleaning up beside river

Xeriscaping on Campus

2022, SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, USA

Students posing by their drought resistance plants
George Washington Carver School of Arts and Sciences students Nickole and Maya are concerned about the multi-year drought that California is experiencing, and particularly how much water is typically used to maintain outdoor landscapes. They devised a plan to xeriscape an area of campus with drought-tolerant species. The team prepped the garden area and adjacent raised bed by removing weeds and adding soil and compost, then planted a variety of species known to thrive with very little water, such as California fuschia. They also installed drip irrigation in their plot, which will serve as a demonstration garden highlighting water-wise, landscaping plants and practices.

Garden bed that has drough-tolerant plant species

Litter Clean-up along the American River

2022, SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, USA
Students walking along river cleaning up

George Washington Carver School of Arts and Sciences students Will and Edgar live close to the American River and enjoy spending time there to relax and swim, especially during the hot summers. They have noticed an increasing amount of litter along the riverbanks, some left from recreational visitors and some from the increasing amount of homeless encampments along the river. They decided to do a straightforward riverbank clean-up along a stretch of the American river that gets high use and is heavily impacted. In this way, they could not only help to clean the area and prevent the trash from entering the water and being washed downstream, but also demonstrate to others that we can all be better stewards of this beloved resource.

Students posing in front of building

Pollinator and Drought-tolerant Garden

2022, SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, USA
Girl planting drought tolerant plants
Georgia and Rory, students at George Washington Carver School of Arts and Sciences, are concerned about the decline of pollinators. Through their research, they learned that loss of habitat, as well as pesticide drift are some of the threats to pollinator populations. They wanted to create a pollinator friendly habitat free of pesticides to support native bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects. Georgia and Rory, well aware of the multi-year drought in California knew they wanted to create their garden with water conservation in mind. Their garden plan included the use drought tolerant plants and drip irrigation to efficiently water them to help them get established. The pair also used their artistic creativity to create an enticing, beautiful space. The team utilized social media to share their project, plan, and progress and to educate others in their community on how to help pollinators thrive.

Student painting fence Students posing in front of drougtht-tolerant garden