Author Archives: Holly Pousett

Clean Slate Solutions

2021, Virden Collegiate, Virden, MB, Canada
Recycling sign
Jae and Breanna are students from Virden Collegiate in Virden, MB. They saw a need for more garbage and recycling bins at their school, so they had these new ones installed near the student parking lot to give people a place to properly dispose of their waste and keep their community cleaner!

“Picture this, you’re driving through Virden and decide to stop by the high school for a brief visit. You pull into the student parking lot and see a Tim Hortons coffee cup, you look a lile harder and see garbage all throughout, you then look and see the only two garbage cans are located side by side at the entrance of the parking lot. Our proposal is to implement more recycling bins and/or garbage bins within the proximity of the student parking lot to help limit the amount of free lance garbage and start creating a better environment not just for the school, but for the community as well!”

Recycle and garbage bin in field near parking lot

It’s Bloody Brilliant!

2020, Warren, MB, CANADA
brilliant ways to improve watershed
Hannah Friesen from Warren, MB decided to tackle the issue of the impact that disposable menstrual products are having on our environment. How could she get people to change the products they use? It’s difficult to sway people from what they are used to, so she came up with the idea to add environmentally friendly period products into her school’s Health program. Cloth pads, leak-proof underwear, biodegradable tampons, and menstrual cups were added to a kit that teachers can use to educate their students on these eco-friendly options before they get used to the more harmful disposable ones.

“I want people to know that there are other options that would help our environment and keep our watershed and landfills free of the pollution from these products.”

Suck It Up, Sip Sensibly!

2020, Winnipeg, MB, CANADA
Sip
Tess from West Kildonan Collegiate in Winnipeg, MB was so passionate about reducing the use of plastic straws in our environment, that she distributed 1000 reusable straws to her classmates! She created educational presentations to deliver to classes at her school about negative effects of plastic straws, and had students post on social media with their new metal straws.

“Our entire planet is suffering, and it is time to stand up and do something about it. You can make a difference, you can be the change, you can use a metal straw.”

Carman Bike Racks

2020, Carman, MB, CANADA

Bike Rack

Ahmed, Colton, Gene, & Dorian are students from Carman, MB who wanted to take action on air pollution in their community. They thought that if there were more bike racks in their town, it might encourage more people to ride their bikes instead of driving. To start, they had a new bike rack installed at their school, and they plan to encourage students to have walk or bike-to-school days.

“Our project is on air pollution, and our goal is to make more bike stands so more people will walk and bike to reduce air pollution.”

RUB-A-DUB-DUB PHOSPHATE FREE SOAP

2020, EDMONTON, ALBERTA, CANADA

When a pair of middle-school students from Edmonton, Alberta learned about the troubles with water quality facing their local watershed, they knew now was the time to take charge. Anny Singh & Chrisle Petierre thoughtfully researched what steps they could take to help improve water quality, and stumbled upon some facts about the impacts of soap and detergents on water quality that just didn’t sit right with them.

After some research, Anny and Chrisle learned about alternative car washes that use phosphate free soaps to reduce their impact, and wondered how they could do the same. Instead of a car wash soap, the pair has opted to partner with Lakehouse Natural Soap Company to create a hand soap free of phosphates. Their project, titled Rub-a-Dub-Dub, took a unique and innovative approach to a challenging water quality problem.

In order to reduce the amount of phosphates entering the watershed the pair set out to create a product with a passionate message. Not only do these phosphate-free, locally made soaps smell and look great, but they are a great reminder to be mindful of what goes down the drain every time you suds up! This idea came at just the right time, when because of COVID-19 every one was washing their hands more often, this project got people thinking about what they could do to keep their wastewater clean and improve their watershed.

HAY LAKES SPRING CLEANUP

2020, HAY LAKES, ALBERTA, CANADA
Spring Clean Up
Soren and Dana, grade 12 students from central-Alberta, took a long, hard look around their hometown of Hay Lakes and realized that things could be a lot cleaner with just a little help! After researching and learning more about the impacts of litter and waste in the Battle River Watershed where they live, the pair knew it was time to take action!

Dana and Soren showed perseverance in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and were able to adapt their plans for a coordinated group spring cleanup to a social media campaign and contest to encourage local families to get outside and pick up trash. Using a boosted Facebook ad the event was promoted to over 2500 local residents, with a dozen taking the lead in the community and participating in the litter pick.

To sweeten the deal, the pair included a prize pack for one lucky clean-up participant. The winner was drawn and received a package filled with Caring for our Watersheds swag! Hay Lakes is looking better already, and with more clean-ups like Soren and Dana’s we’re on track for a healthier watershed for years to come!

Spring Clean Up

COURTYARD REVITALIZATION AND SCHOOL GARDEN

2020, VEGERVILLE, ALBERTA, CANADA
Revitalization
A woman by the name of Margaret Fuller once said “if you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it,” and this sentiment is exactly what inspired the Vegerville Composite High School’s Environmental Club to spring to action when they realized some green spaces on campus were being underutilized.

After taking inspiration from other high schools across Alberta that utilize school-community gardens for student education, Ava, Hailey, Ryan, and Aaron took charge on creating a plan to transform an existing campus courtyard area into a space to enjoy nature and grow food. Not only do the upgrades include ground work; with the combined funding from the Caring For Our Watersheds contest and other sponsors, the club is excited to start construction on an atrium to enclose the area to allow students to enjoy it over the cold Alberta winters!

Not only will the space be a beautiful reminder to take pause and enjoy the watershed we live in, but the addition of a garden will provide agricultural learning opportunities for students- valuable skills for a sustainable future. The Vegerville Composite High School Environmental Club has truly demonstrated how they care for their watershed with this long-term project that will allow students to discover and connect to the natural world for years to come.

Rain Gardens: Stopping Runoff At Its Source

2019, Greeley Central High School, Greeley, Colorado, USA

Casbah Parlin
Casbah’s concern revolved around the fact that rivers, groundwater, and oceans are being polluted by plant nutrients and sediments that are resulting to dead zones in the gulf of Mexico. To combat these problems, Casbah constructed a rain garden at the Guadalupe Center. Rain gardens absorb excess rainwater that would otherwise runoff and transport pollutants that can harm the watershed. Casbah’s rain garden will help improve our watershed’s air quality, improve the water quality of the runoff, attract beneficial insects, and provide an aesthetically pleasing project that residents can admire on their walks. Casbah believes that his project can have a huge impact when it becomes a wide-spread activity within his community. He believes that replicating this around our watershed will greatly decrease the amount of runoff and help compensate for the many impervious man-made structures.
Rain Gardens

Abstract Awareness Painting

2019, Mountain View High School, Loveland, Colorado, USA

Carson Duemig, Nik Hochheimer, Jaron Davis, Jeremy Gray
The Big Thompson Watershed and communities in this watershed have fallen victim to toxic chemicals due to the use of toxic paints that leave an everlasting mark on the watershed. This group of students put together an abstract painting that will be displayed in the children’s section to the Loveland Public Library. They hope that their painting will spark conversation amongst kids and their families about the harmful effects that we can have on our watersheds. They also hope that their audience will decrease their use of toxic paints.
Abstract

Water Tolerance 101

Water Tolerance

2019, Fort Collins High School, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA

Branden Wiechert, Trey Grass
Branden and Trey worked towards increasing the number of drought tolerant and native plants in their communities to decrease the use of water. They believe high school students are key to improving their watershed. They educated their peers on the issue and the benefits from using native, drought tolerant plants. Branden and Trey passed along this information through the flyers they posted around their school and community and hosted several plant sales that were open to the public. Their project helped their community cut their water bills, decrease their water use, increase proper wildlife habitats, and increase groundwater recharge.
Water Tolerance