Bottled water is becoming an increasingly popular choice among many students today. However, the these recyclable water bottles end up in landfills more often than not.
Ivonne Morales, a Greely Central High School student in Greeley, Colorado, noticed this trend and realized he must do something about it. Working with Liz Mock-Murphy, her teacher/mentor, she installed five water bottle filling stations in her school and encourages students to use reusable bottles.
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2014 Washington, DC, USA
After spending the year learning about the Anacostia River Watershed and the varied environmental issues that it faces, sixth grade students at the SEED School of Washington wanted to share their knowledge with the rest of the school. The last week of April, the students facilitated “Watershed Awareness Week”, during which they went to various classes explaining the importance of watersheds and the impact we have on them. Additionally, the students placed signs around campus encouraging people to recycle, painted rain barrels, and handed out “Watershed Ambassador” buttons. The week culminated in the unveiling of the updated school garden that the students had been working on all year.
At the Caring for Our Watersheds finals, students shared examples of the posters and buttons they had created and pictures of their vegetable garden. Their project won 2nd place in the 2014 Caring for Our Watersheds competition.
2014 Arlington, Virginia, USA
Students in Victoria Keish’s science classes at Kenmore Middle School collaborated on a Caring for Our Watersheds project. Although their proposals did not make the finals round of the 2014 competition, two projects moved forward anyway. Since two classes had proposals relating to planting native vegetation to improve water quality in Four Mile Run, the students worked together on their Caring for Our Watersheds project, coordinating with Arlington County to organize a tree planting at the end of May in Bluemont Park, within walking distance of the school. The second project conducted outreach to the school community to encourage homeowners to install rain barrels on their property, and as an incentive they offered to reimburse the cost of attending a rain barrel workshop offered by Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment.
The tree planting project required no implementation funding, as the County was able to provide tree saplings and the necessary tools. The rain barrel workshop received $220 in implementation funding provided by Nutrien, which reimbursed the cost for four attendees at the workshop.
2014 Arlington, Virginia, USA
Kenmore Middle School students in Victoria Keish’s sixth grade science class conducted water quality testing at Four Mile Run a short distance from the school campus, and one of the problems they noted was the presence of high levels of fecal coliform bacteria in the stream water. Since they understood that fecal coliform bacteria are often associated with pathogens that can harm human or animal health, they decided they wanted to work to minimize the amount of the bacteria reaching the stream.
Through their own research, they found that a major source of bacterial contamination in Arlington is pet excrement that is not picked up by pet owners. The pet waste washes into streams with stormwater during rain events. Although Arlington County has an ordinance that requires residents to pick up after their pets, the students sensed that it isn’t taken very seriously, and that the fine for violation was lower than in neighboring jurisdictions.
Their proposed solution was to petition the County Board to raise the fine from $100 to $200 per violation. Their Caring for Our Watersheds proposal, “Keep in Line or Pay the Fine,” placed third in the 2014 competition. Part of their effort was to write to the County Board requesting the fine increase and the promotion of green infrastructure. The students also prepared remarks and student Eli Ruggen spoke on behalf of the group during the public comment period of the May 2014 board meeting. Board Chair Jay Fisette thanked them for representing Kenmore and referred the request to the County Manager and staff for further consideration.
2014 Alexandria, Virginia, USA
Students in one of Mary Breslin’s seventh grade science classes at George Washington Middle School tested water quality in Alexandria and noted that because land in the city is so extensively developed, there are few wetlands to help filter runoff and absorb nutrients, sediment, and pollution before it reaches local waterways. They felt that a good way to improve watershed health would be to restore wetlands along the Potomac River.
The students worked with a horticulturalist from the National Park Service and the Alexandria 
Seaport Foundation to develop their project of raising wetland plants to be transplanted into local waterways. Their proposal took second place at the 2014 Caring for Our Watersheds competition in Virginia in April, and in mid‐June they were in the field implementing their idea. Using boats provided by the Seaport Foundation, and with guidance from National Park Service staff, they planted native wetland vegetation at Roaches Run Waterfowl Sanctuary, a tidal embayment alongside the George Washington Memorial Parkway.
Student Ana Humphrey documented the project in a short video: https://vimeo.com/97895773
Originally having budgeted $360 for the project, they covered expenses using the Caring for Our Watersheds participation reward provided by Nutrien, as well as via in-kind donations.
2014 Alexandria, Virginia, USA
Seventh grade science students at George Washington Middle School tested water quality in local streams, and their results showed low dissolved oxygen, which is a threat to aquatic life. In the Chesapeake Bay, depletion of dissolved oxygen leads to extensive “dead zones” where important native species, like oysters, cannot survive. They worked with the city’s former Watershed Program Administrator and the Virginia Cooperative Extension to develop their solution to one of the causes for low dissolved oxygen. In Alexandria, storm water heats up on streets and other impervious surfaces, and the problem has worsened with loss of tree canopy to shade and cool the landscape. Improve their watershed. Their grant idea was based on the idea of planting trees along the Potomac River.
As Caring for Our Watersheds finalists, the students presented their proposal to plant trees to help 
reduce the temperature of stormwater runoff, and they demonstrated additional ecosystem benefits of trees using the UDSA Forest Service’s iTree software suite. Their Dissolved Oxygen Project was the winner of the 2014 Caring for Our Watersheds contest in Virginia.
With tree saplings donated by a local native plant nursery, Earth Sangha, they planted 14 trees at the school, and as the location was far from a water source, they requested and received $840 in implementation funding from Nutrien to cover a watering truck contract to keep the trees alive through the hot, dry summer. They also performed a rap to raise awareness of the importance of tree planting onstage at Alexandria’s Earth Day celebration at Ben Brenman Park.
2014 Arlington, Virginia, USA
Students in Liz Castillo’s sixth grade science class were concerned that stormwater runoff from the school property contributes to erosion and the transport of pollutants that reach Four Mile Run in Arlington. One of the places they noticed runoff was from the entrance awning to the school, which drained to a bare patch of ground in a highly visible location. The students recognized that this would be a good potential location for a rain garden, for practical and aesthetic reasons, and they knew that the previous year Kenmore students had not been able to get approval to put a rain garden on the roof. Their Caring for Our Watersheds proposal outlined their plan to make this improvement, and it was a finalist in the 2014 competition.
To implement their project, they enlisted the help of students at Washington‐Lee High School, who were able to provide some funding for rototilling through a Girl Scout Gold Award project, as well as additional muscle power to dig up the hard packed ground. Nutrien provided $640 toward plants, topsoil, mulch, and gravel for the rain garden, which had an overall budget of $887.
2014 Fairfax, Virginia, USA
Eighth graders at Lanier Middle School noticed that ducks frequently nest near a small pond created in the schoolyard’s habitat area, and they wanted to ensure the area supported duck nesting and wise water use. They felt that using rain barrels to fill the pond would be a better use of resources than filling the pond with potable water, and a good way to lead by example. However, they found that the school building has no downspouts in the habitat area, which is in an interior courtyard, so they thought a funnel could be used to direct rainwater into a rain barrel.
By conserving water, promoting wildlife habitat, and demonstrating an application for water harvesting, they knew their idea would improve the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and it would save the energy used to treat drinking water.
A finalist proposal in the 2014 Caring for Our Watersheds competition, their solution involved designing several possible funnels, and having one built to their specifications. They built a platform for the funnel and planted vegetation that would make the area a better nesting place. In consultation with experts from Lands & Waters and Friends of Accotink Creek, they implemented their solution with $2000 in funding from Nutrien.
In 2018, this schoolyard habitat is thriving, and has received a number of awards. The area continues to conserve water and energy by using rainwater instead of local drinking water, promote wildlife habitat through the well-established native vegetation, and is even used to inspire local educators to participate in CFW and implement solutions with their students.
2014 Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
In 2014, the second-place winner of The Caring For Our Watersheds competition, Lethbridge High School student Kelsey Armstrong, decided to tackle the issue of debris build-up around l
ocal storm drains in her community. Kelsey was concerned that debris entering our watershed through storm drains was impacting the quality of the Oldman River. As a solution, Kelsey designed the “Storm Drain Survival Kit”.
The Storm Drain Survival Kit is made up of: garbage bags, doggie bags, a trowel, gloves, a Prairie Urban Garden plant book and an information brochure, all contained within a reusable shopping bag.
Over six hundred Storm Drain Survival Kits were distributed to the community at events such as: the Lethbridge Green List Celebration, the Annual Knapweed Pull, Prairie Garden Urban Tours, local farmer’s markets and home and garden shows. Through Kelsey’s hard work and commitment to sharing information on storm water awareness, this project was far-reaching and has had an on-going impact in her community.
Along with support from the Caring For Our Watersheds program, Kelsey’s project received funding from The Community Foundation Lethbridge—Youth In Action, the Oldman Watershed Council and the City of Lethbridge.
2014 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Justen Saini from Greystone Heights School in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, proposed the idea of using informational brochures to educate Saskatonians on the proper ways and appropriate locations to dispose of household hazardous waste products. In his proposal, Justen made the connection between improper dumping of pollutants into Saskatoon’s storm drains to the lack of convenient hazardous drop off locations in the city. He emphasized that the current drop off location at the Sasktel Centre in the north-end of the city and its changing drop off times made it difficult for many citizens to access its services. This, therefore, increased the likelihood that citizens would look for alternate ways to dispose of wastes such as used oil, household chemical products, unused fertilizers, pesticides and other types of wastes. These
alternative ways often meant right into Saskatoon storm drains! Justen advocated for there to be another hazardous waste drop of location in the east-end of the city in order to reduce the cases of hazardous waste disposal into storm drains. Justen also proposed that his informational pamphlets be included in the City of Saskatoon’s utility bills and in the City of Saskatoon’s educational programs and informational booths. These brochures would make Saskatonians aware that any wastes that enter storm sewers proceed directly into the South Saskatchewan River. His brochures also outlined the operating hours of the Sasktel Centre drop off times and location.
Following his verbal presentation at the 2014 Caring for our Watersheds final competition, Justen Saini was invited by City Councilor Charlie Clark to make a presentation in front of City Council. On May 4, 2014 Justen Saini made a presentation to the City of Saskatoon Council advocating the recommendation to establish a new hazardous waste disposal location for the east-side of the city and to include his educational brochures in the utility bill and in City of Saskatoon educational programming. Following his presentation the City Councilors made a recommendation for another drop off location to be considered for the 2015 season. Currently, the City of Saskatoon is working with Justen to include his STOP pamphlets into the City of Saskatoon educational material and utility bill.