Environmental Sustainability: Awareness

2012 Villa Lia, Buenos Aires, Argentina

This project, presented by the rural school N3 located in Villia Lia, was to improve the new schools building energy performance by installing a solar heating system, using internal and eternal insulating material, and strategic planting of trees. Apart from communicating their actions to the community, the students also proposed a law that would force new schools in the jurisdiction to take these implementations into consideration; a local provincial senator was involved in the proposal process.

In order to begin the implementation of this project, the students arranged a meeting with the school principal to install an internal and external sensor. This sensor measures a number of factors such as temperature, relative humidity, direction and speed of wind, and precipitation, among other things. The project intention is for students to be able to develop a database that allows them to evaluate the results of the proposed implementations over time. The students also proposed the creation of a class that studies the mathematics, physics and statistics supporting environmental sustainability issues and management.

To collaborate in the implementation, CNC commissioned a sustainability audit of the building by the architect Guillermo Duran, a specialist in sustainable architecture. With this audit, CNC is going to create educational material for all students that are part of the watershed.

Reusable bags

2012 San Antonio de Areco, Buenos Aires, Argentina

This proposal was to provide a solution to the massive use of plastic bags we use to carry purchased goods, etc. The goal is to replace these plastic bags with reusable cloth bags that are being sold at different stores. By including members of the Local Association to Promote People with Disabilities (APROPDIS) the students aimed to generate an environmental and social benefit. The members of APROPDIS collaborated in the labeling of these reusable bags by adding the supermarket name, the Caring for Our Watersheds and the Institution logos.

These bags are now found in local supermarkets. They are stacked next to a donating box where interested patrons can take a bag and donate money at their discretion. This money is given to the APROPDIS for them to continue designing and “selling” the bags.

The students worked together with another school that had proposed a similar project.

Areco Tree Friends

2012 San Antonio de Areco, Buenos Aires, Argentina

These students created a club to promote awareness of the environmental benefits of trees in urban areas. They started by institutionalizing the “Club Areco Tree Friends” in their school. First they created a Facebook account where they gathered and shared information about the importance and the environmental functions of trees, including photographs and the good or bad conditions of the local trees. They also published information about environmental activities that are being held and other environmental news. By hanging posters with information and our logo, the students continue to create awareness at school, and the students invited their peers – and anyone else who is interested – to follow them on Facebook.

The students also used their social media platform to promote the photograph contest held by the students of San Antonio school.

Database of the Good Things

2012 San Antonio de Areco, Buenos Aires, Argentina

This project aims to raise awareness of actions that are beneficial to our watersheds and the environment. The project proposed the creation a geographic information system (GIS) which is viewable on the web, and illustrates beneficial actions that have been done in the Areco River. The display will be organized and linked to manuals with explanations. The proposal divides the actions into the following segments: agriculture, stockbreeding, industrial, schools/institutions and communities. Specialists of each segment will choose and add information to the database on environmentally friendly actions that benefit the San Antonio watersheds.

This will be one of the first databases with information of our watershed!

The Trees of Our Town

2012 San Antonio de Areco, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Students from N2 Ricardo Pannunzio Secondary School, with special orientation in arts, presented an awareness contest about the local trees.

In order to promote the need to become aware of environmental care, they suggested cultural activities and calendars to spread the word. They prepared a photograph competition with the theme “Local Trees”.

The contest was open to all students of San Antonio de Areco watershed schools. Each student could present up to three photos. More than 120 photos were presented. The 13 winning photographs were chosen by the Jury. These photos were used to create the 2013 calendar that was distributed in the local area (library, schools, museums, etc.)

These 13 winning photographs will be part of the 2013 exhibition of the Museum Las Lilas (in San Antonio de Areco) and, as it was proposed, they will also be displayed at nearby community exhibitions.

In order to broadcast their contest, this team worked side by side with another group of students that also won the CFW contest by creating a Facebook account.

Batty About the Big Brown Bat

2012 Arlington, Virginia, USA

Students at H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program wanted to restore Big Brown Bat habitat in Arlington, noting that bats play an important role in the watershed as pollinators, insect pests predators, and source of natural fertilizer.

Working with bat experts and the staff at Potomac Overlook Regional Park, they developed their own bat box design and built and installed them at the park, mostly using donated materials. They also invited an expert from the Save Lucy the Bat Campaign to lead a school assembly to raise awareness among students about the importance of protecting endangered bats.

Tree Planting Project

2012 Arlington, Virginia, USA

Sixth graders at Kenmore Middle School noticed that the impervious surfaces of the built urban environment – roads, buildings, etc – cause increased storm-water run-off that local streams, including Four Mile Run. They decided they should address the problem by planting more trees to intercept rainfall and reduce run-off. Coordinating with Arlington County’s Landscape Ecologist, they arranged to plant trees, provided by the county, in Bluemont Park near the school campus.

Motor Oil Recycling for the Community (MORC)

2012 Washington, DC, USA

Following on the Roots Public Charter School’s 2011 Caring for Our Watersheds effort and proposal entry, students of the MORC (Motor Oil Recycling for the Community) project worked to raise community awareness of where and how to recycle used motor oil. They determined the neighborhood locations for motor oil recycling, and produced signs to let the community know where those locations are.

At the school’s Family Fun Day on June 9, students hosted a MORC activity booth to inform people of the closest recycling location to their home (since they had found that not all service stations in the area recycle oil as they out). At the Caring for Our Watersheds finals on June 4, the MORC project won 1st place, with a spirited presentation that included a mock newscast.

Battery Waste Disposal

2012 Brighton, Ontario, Canada

Kevin Peterson, Grade 8 student at Brighton Public School identified improper disposal of batteries as Battery waste poses a large problem in landfills since large amounts of batteries are disposed improperly. The main problem with batteries in landfills is the chemicals such as lead, cobalt, cadmium, lithium and potassium hydroxide that get leaked into drinking water then consumed by humans. This then causes a large amount of medical conditions.

Kevin noted that, although there are battery recycling programs in place, a lack of advertisement as well as lack of drop off boxes remains a problem. His proposal was to display posters where batteries are sold to inform customers about the battery recycling programs. In addition drop off boxes for batteries are needed in more local businesses and community centers not just big box stores to help expand these programs into smaller communities.

After the Caring for our Watersheds contest Kevin presented his idea to Brighton Municipal Council. They were so impressed that they not only gave Kevin permission to locate a battery drop off box and poster in the municipal building, they also agreed to fund the cost of all the boxes and posters.

Project Penguin

2012 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

Alana Krug-McLeod from Aden Bowman Collegiate in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, proposed the idea of developing an educational and entertaining program that will encourage individuals to understand and protect vital water sources – both locally and internationally. Project Penguin is set up to provide individuals new reasons to care about the environment and new ways to join others to make a difference. It is important to learn why everyone’s everyday actions matter and how to make changes that prevent harm and that will do good.

To undertake this informative program, Alana decided to set up a number of geo-caches. The materials contained within the geo-caches included sample cards and decorated “penguin” eggs. The cards and eggs were created with the assistance of the art club.

An educational DVD containing videos and information shorts was then created and distributed to schools.