Brilliant Bats

2022, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
bat house outside
Did you know that one little brown bat can eat 1000 insects a night? To reduce the number of pesticides used in Saskatoon, Evan Dennis from Montgomery School decided to build houses for bats. He has installed ten bat houses across the city and countryside. Evan also partnered with Meewasin Valley Authority and added QR Codes on signs to help educate the public about bats and other flora and fauna in Meewasin Valley. They also had a public bat installation event at a local park. Thanks to Evan, 300 bats have brand new homes in the City of Saskatoon.

Sustainable Development Goals:

Goal 15- Life on Land
Goal 13- Climate Action

Students putting bat house together outside Student and man using table saw for bat house

outdoor signage for bat house

Vapes of Wrath

2023, Ohio, USA
Vape and E-Cigarette disposal bin
Vapes of Wrath was a project done by Cullen Batsel and Ethan Hatcher that was focused on fixing the problems that vaping creates for health and the environment.

As high school students, they found evidence of vaping as an issue from firsthand experience. Many of their classmates were engaging in the behavior and it was an obvious issue. After doing research, they too realized that vaping was an environmental concern,
considering discarded e-cigarettes are hazardous waste and can contaminate local watersheds and ecosystems. E-cigarettes contain toxic chemicals and lithium batteries which are considered toxic and hazardous waste and pollute water systems and soil. They wanted to address this issue first on a local level, in their communities. They implemented a two-fold program, including an educational and collection component. First, they educated people about the health issues and lesser-known environmental issues associated with vaping. They accomplished this through posters and through their website and referred to the FDA, NIH, and Truth Initiative.
Then they established several vape collection containers, locking sharp containers, and placed them in strategic and popular places in their community. This was a cost effective method that could be easily replicated throughout the state and nation. There are no public vaping disposal services available, so they were filling a complete void. Their project addressed several sustainable development goals as set forth by the United Nations: Good Health and Well-Being, Responsible Consumption and Production, and Climate Action.

This project was interesting for them because it was an opportunity to tackle something that is not often talked about. Because of the stigma that surrounds vaping, it is a topic that is often ignored. But Cullen and Ethan believe that ignoring a problem will only make it worse and that something needs to be done to solve the impacts of vaping.

Students standing beside disposal bins

Students standing beside disposal bins and signs

Fast Fashion

2023, Ohio, USA
Clothes drive sign

Margot McPhail, Callie Hilton, and Hollis Hays focused on the negative impacts that are caused by fast fashion. The problem was identified in their watershed, with the vast environmental impact that fast fashion poses. Fast fashion produces extensive air and water pollution, with extremely negative environmental impacts. Margot, Callie, and Hollis knew this was something that needed to be fixed, and fast.

The group narrowed their focus by reviewing the UN’s Sustainable development goals. Goal 11, to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable, with a focus on waste management and implementation. Goal 12, to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns with a focus on reducing waste generation, procurement, and information. Their final goal was Goal 13 to take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts specifically to improve education and awareness.
Donate here sign with bags of clothes in front of it bag in box
In order to combat this problem they decided to organize a clothing drive through their school. Their two-day event consisted of a donation day on Saturday and a thrift event hosted on Sunday. Over 1,050 items of clothing were donated on Saturday and for every item donated participants received 1 credit to shop with the next day. In order to increase turnout, they allowed community members to donate canned goods and toiletries as another opportunity to receive credits.

There was great turnout on Sunday with people coming from all over Wyoming and surrounding communities. The bathrooms were open, so that way everyone had the option to try on each item before purchasing. This lowered the chance that items would immediately be taken to places like goodwill following the drive. Majority of the donations received were taken, but they then took the few remaining items, as well as the donated canned goods and toiletries to Matthew 25 Ministries. This made the impact of their drive global, with Matthew 25 shipping the donations to countries in need.

With such a successful drive, the group received countless compliments from community members. Several were shocked and impressed that they collected so many donation items in only one day. Others requested that the project continues down the line. With all of the positive feedback, Margot, Callie and Hollis decided to implement the project as a yearly tradition. They took it up with Project Lead, a volunteer group at their school. Project lead agreed to host the drive every year, meaning that the impact of the drive can continue for years to come.
Students sorting clothes into categories on tables
With fast fashion being such a prevalent issue resulting from the rise of social media, the trend of fast fashion is not projected to slow down any time soon. The group hung up posters at the drive with several links of sustainable online businesses to shop at, as well as nearby environmentally friendly thrift stores. The ability of this drive to start a cycle of clean shopping will be increasingly beneficial for the community of Wyoming, Ohio as well as surrounding communities. A major takeaway from the experience that Margot, Callie, and Hollis got was how such a small project can end up making such a big impact. Wyoming is a very small community, but they were able to make a global impact that will continue to serve as a way to help the environment for as long as the drive continues. It makes them wonder, if such a tight knit small community can make such a drastic impact, what even bigger impact can the surrounding big communities do?

On one of the final days in class before summer break, the students gave a presentation to their class using the same slideshow used to present at the Ohio Caring for Our Watersheds competition where they placed 3rd in the state.

Trees & Beads

2023, Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada
Two students standing by project on table
Taylor Ball and Kyptin Watters raised money for tree planting by selling jewelry. They wanted to give people an opportunity to participate in something beneficial for the environment. Their goal was to expand awareness by encouraging others to share their platform. With each purchase made they would donate to a local tree planting group. They advertised their product on a variety of social media channels, on a local radio station, and with schools.

The Sustainable Development Goals they focused on were #6 Clean Water and Sanitation, #13 Climate Action, #15 Life on Land, and #17 Partnerships for the Goal.

They partnered with Trees Canada and were able to get 125 trees planted by May 2023. Some future partnerships they want to make were with AWES, 2 Billion Trees program, and Trees for Life. All profits that are made will go towards the donation. They have been able to start a sustainable business that helps the community and environment.

wrists with bracelets on them

Willow Staking

2023, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
group of students by river
Jade Pham’s project was on reducing erosion of river banks after seeing the consequences of flooding in the Bow River. They decided on willow staking along banks that have little to no vegetation. Willows can survive in wet environments and their root system can prevent erosion while filtering pollutants. Some of the other benefits to their project is improving biodiversity and providing habitat and food for wildlife.

The Sustainable Development Goals Jade focused on were #6 Clean Water and Sanitation, #13 Climate Action, #14 Life Below Water, and #15 Life on Land.

They partnered with Friends of Fish Creek to learn how to properly willow stake. There was a call for volunteers and funding from the community to be able to complete this project. Jade chose a location with little vegetation and where other projects had already been implemented to ensure better results. Her target was to plant 100 stakes along 50m of stream bank. With the help of the volunteers, she was able to complete their first planting.

riverbank

eDNA and The Northern Redbelly Dace

2023, LONGMONT, COLORADO, USA

Anya Wieder and Taryn McDermid from Innovation Center of St. Vrain Valley Schools addressed aquatic wildlife conservation by using environmental DNA (eDNA). Our local Colorado Watersheds have been struggling with biodiversity for many years. This has caused a very important species of dace, The Northern Redbelly Dace, to become an endangered species in Colorado. Anya and Taryn have been working with their team in order to reintroduce this species of fish into the Colorado waterways. Their project was to look at how successful their previous releases have been by using eDNA. This solution addressed Targets 14.a and 13.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Starting a Compost System on Campus

2022, SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, USA
Compost system
Samuel Hartsell-Jenkins and Kirby Slagle 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

Composting on Campus

2022, SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, USA

Students setting up composing materials
Alice Lanier and Nicholas Connors, student at George Washington Carver School of Arts and Sciences, were concerned about the food waste being generated on their school’s campus. Through their research, they learned that when this food waste ends up buried in a landfill, it undergoes anaerobic decomposition, which releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas. In their proposal, they enthusiastically declared “we believe that we can create a compost system that will help make our school green and educate others on the power of composting.” Alice and Nic reached out to the local community compost collective, ReSoil Sacramento, to get advice and learn about different techniques and options to compost at school. They bought collection bins and created signage to collect food waste at lunch. They also bought tools they needed to transport the food waste to the garden area, as well as materials such as straw to aid in the composting process. As traditional compost bins can fill quickly, ReSoil suggested composting some of the food scraps directly into existing garden beds, which proved successful. Alice and Nic were grateful for funding from Nutrien, which allowed them to learn from community experts, implement their project, and engage fellow students in the process.

Students standing behind composting bins

Campus Tree Planting

2022, SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, USA

Grant High School students Mai Lee, Husia Lee, and Visay Phasavath proposed and implemented a drought-tolerant tree planting on their school’s campus. The trees will provide shade, help capture and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, as well as create an attractive space on campus for students to gather. The team reached out to Sacramento Tree Foundation for assistance, and the organization provided trees, as well as guidance on tree species, planting techniques, and proper care of the saplings. Fellow students Joscelyn Lor, Tatiana Blackmon, Ariya Vue’s proposal also helped obtain funding and materials needed to make the tree planting project a success.

1. Students digging hole for a tree 2. Students planting a tree 3. Students posing for camera

Mother Native

2021, Greeley West High School, Greeley, Colorado, USA

Brookelynn Hernandez and Helena Rangel
Colorado has been affected by drought and it’s only becoming worse with climate change. This means that there is a greater need to conserve our water sources. Our local watersheds such as the Cache la Poudre and Big Thompson watersheds are significantly affected by drought and climate change. That’s why Brookelynn and Helena decided to encourage community members to xeriscape their gardens. Xeriscaping can reduce water use by 50% to 70% and by conserving water, we are keeping our watersheds healthy and flowing. They decided to set up a booth at our local farmers market and give out free succulents to promote xeriscaping and educate people about the benefits of using native plants. Attendees were excited to take their new succulents home to start taking action!