Medications, I Don’t Flush!

2015 Crystal City, Manitoba, Canada

Keeping our drinking water clean is important to Taylor Mutch. Taylor felt that more people in her community needed to be aware of a common problem facing our water systems: un-used and expired medications. Most people flush those down the toilet, but Taylor knew there was a better way to dispose of medication. She proposed working with her local pharmacy to create an information sheet to increase awareness.

“At the pharmacy, the pharmacist will safely dispose of the medication. Any medication can be returned to the pharmacy, including anything from doctor prescribed medication to over- the-counter medication like Advil and Tylenol. Hopefully, with people educated by my information sheet, they will stop throwing away or flushing their excess and expired medications. Then this will impact my community and watershed because there will be less harmful chemicals in the water.”

Thanks to a contribution from Nutrien, Taylor was able to create a brochure informing local citizens of the proper way to dispose medication, and why this is important. The pharmacy will be adding these information sheets to the prescription orders to help raise awareness, one person at a time!

Looking Good, It Just Might Kill You

2015 Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada

Angelica Soares noticed the nail polish used in her high school’s Cosmetology Department was full of chemicals that were ultimately making their way into the watershed. Angelica’s proposal was simple: switch to a formula with less chemicals, and educate people so that they consider how the products they are using for beauty aren’t so beautiful for the environment.

“Every time someone gets a manicure and/or pedicure, the nail polishes used are removed then disposed in a garbage bag. That garbage is then transported to the local dump where it sits, allowing the chemicals in the polish to secrete into the ground, which leads into our waterways.”

Thanks to a donation from Nutrien, Angelica was able to purchase new, 5-chemical free (toluene, dibutyl phthalate, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, and camphor) for her school’s Breast Cancer Awareness fundraiser- demonstrating the important link between human and environmental health. The Costemology department is currently using the leftover polish; Angelica also created brochures educating clients on these chemicals and the importance of Caring for Our Watersheds.

Outdoor Learning Area

2015 Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada

“When the students spend more time outside, they will become more aware of the environment and begin to appreciate its worth and want to take more care for what they do in the environment,” wrote Jessica Voth. The Selkirk student saw an opportunity in a nook between her school and the school’s library; a nook that had been abandoned and in much need of a clean-up. Jessica’s plans for the space included a rain barrel, cleaning out the overgrown plants and re-planting with herbs. She also suggested an outdoor bench for students to study at or eat lunch on, with the hopes of the space one day becoming an outdoor learning space.

Thanks to Nutrien, Jessica was able to purchase the bench that will set this plan into motion! “The area will be of value to everyone who uses it and spends time outside.”

Riparian Repair and Filtration System Project

2015 Gimli, Manitoba, Canada

“Riparian areas act as natural filters for the water going through them,” wrote Gimli High School student Meghan. “My hope is that by creating or enhancing a riparian area in an already existing body of water that leads to the lake I can reduce the negative impact of some of the water entering the lake.”

Meghan’s idea is an important one to the Interlake communities surrounding Lake Winnipeg. Indeed, through partnerships with Nutrien, the East Interlake Conservation District, and Ducks Unlimited Canada, to name a few, over 1500 willows were planted in a riparian area. These willows will play an important role in soil erosion, and the filtration of water going to the lake. Moreover, thanks to Meghan this project demonstrates the power of partnerships!

The New Face of Gardening

2015 Virden, Manitoba, Canada

At Virden Collegiate Institute, students Ethan and Jake, were concerned about flooding in the area. A flood impacted the town of Virden in 2014 wiping out the school’s learning garden and the town’s community gardens. In re-building the learning garden, Ethan and Jake considered going vertical, a sure way to protect plants from rising waters.

“This would benefit the watershed in many ways such as the aesthetic, direct economic, indirect economic, and scientific values. The scientific values allow for the garden to be studied by the Biology class, while the indirect economic values contribute to a reduction in carbon dioxide.”

Thanks to a contribution from Nutrien, Ethan and Jake have created a wall of miniature gardens, using pop bottles. This new face of gardening demonstrates how we can re-think new uses for old things; recycling pop bottles is a great way to start such a unique project!

The Prevention of the Eutrophication and Soil Erosion

2015 Virden, Manitoba, Canada

With the help of fellow students and staff at Virden Collegiate, Ashley and Kelsey proposed a simple and important idea to support their watershed: planting a shelterbelt.

“The issue we would like to focus on is the issue of water quality caused by erosion of soil due to a lack of trees and the eutrophication of lakes due to runoff from fertilized farmer’s fields as well as livestock fields, golf courses, residential homes that use fertilizers on their grass, and improperly treated sewage.”

With such a large list to tackle, the team looked to the power of trees.

“The roots of the trees will prevent soil erosion from the fields surrounding Gopher Creek, as well as protect its banks from collapsing.”

Working with their local conservation district, the Upper Assiniboine River Conservation District, and with the help of Nutrien, the students were able to successfully plant their shelterbelt, improving life for all.

Reducing Refills

2015 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Sophie and Sarah saw an easy solution to a common problem at their school’s canteen: the use of Styrofoam cups. The duo proposed an incentive program for students that brought re-usable mugs for their coffee as a way to encourage students to bring their own mugs, thus reducing the number of Styrofoam cups used in the school. This is important because, “a Styrofoam coffee cup will remain in a landfill for close to 500 years. When heated it releases toxic chemicals into the food making it hazardous to your health and it fills up to 30% of landfill space around the world.”

Working with the school canteen, and with the help of Nutrien, Sarah and Sophie created an incentive program that will result in an increased awareness and less Styrofoam going to the landfill!

Replacing Flushers

2015 Landmark, Manitoba, Canada

“The toilets we have in our school use 13 liters of water per flush and that’s pretty wasteful” reported students Nadia and Joe. They discovered that “all of the toilets in our school get flushed about 300 times per day and with the current toilets, each flush uses 13 liters per flush, so that’s about 3900 liters flushed per day!” Nadia and Joe proposed purchasing dual flush converters to install in the school toilets, a move that would save around 2730 liters of water every day. Best of all, their solution was easy to implement and economical.

With help from Nutrien, Nadia and Joe were able to purchase the converters so that their school could start saving water- and money. As the duo pointed out, “Why should we keep cleaning and purifying water if we can just save it?”

Klimate Kids

2015 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Annika and Mykyla are a creative team. The duo proposed creating a children’s book to “teach kids good habits about treating the environment better.” The colouring booklet was drawn and designed by Annika and Mykyla, each page containing a different message about how we can care for the environment through good water saving habits. According to the girls, this is important because “ Children are who will inherit this world from the adults one day when they themselves become adults, it is important make sure that today’s kids grow up to have strong and friendly habits when taking care of the cities and towns we live in.”

Thanks to a contribution from Nutrien, a series of Klimate Kids booklets were created, printed out and distributed to a handful of lucky schools. Digital copies of the booklet have been shared with Manitoba Education so that other schools can access the files too!

Lights On Lights Off

2015 Berthoud, Colorado, USA

The students of Berthoud High School noticed that lights in the school are left on all the time – even if there is no one inside the room. They wanted to make a difference, so the students installed motion-triggered light switches in bathrooms around the school. The lights go on when a person enters the bathroom and after 5 minutes the lights turn off. This helps the school to save money and electricity; reducing their environmental impact by using less fossil fuels, and allowing the school to use the additional funds for other important items around the school and community.

Since implementing the new light system, the lights in the bathrooms have been off 25% more than before! The motion sensored light switch may be a small-scale project but it is a great start for saving energy and reducing associated costs. Buildings around the world could easily implement the same project, but on an even bigger scale.

Becoming environmentally friendly can benefit everyone!