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.”

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

Removing the Stains that Microplastics Create

2019, Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada

Sarah Cadotte, a student from Lord Selkirk Regional Comprehensive Secondary School, wanted to tackle the issue of microplastics in our watershed that come from fibres that drain out of our washing machines when we clean our clothes. She found a product that helps filter out these tiny pieces of fibre by attaching to washing machine drainage hoses. She obtained permission to have three of them installed within her school division. The filters can be emptied into the trash where the plastic pieces can be properly disposed of, rather than making their way into our water systems.

Filtrol Filter Student Implementation

“If I can inspire my community to take action, even in something as small as installing a filter, then maybe there’s a greater hope that eventually, more people can become more economically aware of what’s going on in our waters and how even the smallest things can make great impacts.”

Let’s Stop Sitting on the Issue, and Sit on the Solution

Sit on Solution

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

Eliana Mascarenas
Bottle caps are one of the top 5 types of trash found on beaches. Furthermore, in beach cleanup activities around the world from the past 30 years, over 20 million caps have been found. The Poudre watershed is connected to the Mississippi, which empties into the Gulf of Mexico. Everything we deposit in our rivers, even the tiniest piece of plastic, impacts the bigger picture. As her solution, Eliana educated the public about how much they are contributing to the issue. She put together a bottle cap drive within several schools and collected over 200 lbs. of plastic bottles. Those bottle caps were then delivered to a recycling center and were traded for a bench made out of plastic bottle caps.

Sit on Solution

Got Bags?

Got Bags

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

Emma Lackey, Rachel Feinstein
Emma and Rachel were concerned that plastic bags were harming their watershed. Plastic bags get caught in storm drains and make their way into our watersheds. These plastic bags also contain dangerous chemicals that leach into our water sources. Emma and Rachel calculated that approximately 28 million plastic bags are used in Greeley every year. That’s why they decided to educate the public on the harmful effects plastic bags has on our watersheds. They also distributed reusable bags to help the public combat this issue in their daily lives. Emma and Rachel set up booths outside grocery stores to talk to customers, educate them on the problem, and ask them to use the reusable bags they were handing out. Emma and Rachel also managed to raise an additional $2,000 for their project.

Got Bags

THE RUNOFF

2019, CINCINNATI, OH, UNITED STATES
Run Off
The Runoff film was important for Brendon Lowry to make because oil runoff is such an important issue, but is not brought up very often. He felt that what is often discussed is air pollution, and wanted to raise more awareness about this other type of pollution. The film he made shows that oil runoff is damaging our watershed.

The film that he did was actually broken up into two sections. The first section of the film was a video about oil runoff, while the second was set up as interviews. He did interviews with several people discussing the importance of addressing oil runoff and asked them if they believed that it was an important issue.

Brendon thought it was very important for consumers to understand the damage caused by oil runoff. The use of motor oil is one of the largest sources of pollution into his watershed and other waterways. Oil is toxic to people, wildlife, and plants. One quart of motor oil can pollute 250,000 gallons of water. Americans spill 180 million gallons of used motor oil into our nation’s waterways each year. Having clean water is very important to our health and everyone benefits from clean water. We can all help in getting and keeping our watershed clean.

Run Off

NATURAL BIODEGRADABLE ICE MELT ALTERNATIVE

2019, CINCINNATI, OH, UNITED STATES
Ice melt
Every year 66 million tons of salt are used worldwide to melt ice off of roadways for human use. This salt is contaminating waterways, groundwater, harming animals and aquatic life, and causing stress on flora and fauna. Thus, Sophia and Olivia Dick embarked on a journey to turn to find natural ingredients that would have the same effects as road salt, only with less impact on the environment.

The mixture that they came up with only contains alfalfa meal and used coffee grounds, which naturally lowers the freezing point off water while simultaneously providing traction just like salt. When winter is over, the mixture acts as a natural fertilizer for plants and grass as well. Sophia and Olivia were able to involve their community in creating their ice melt alternative, purchasing their alfalfa meal from a local feed shop and receiving coffee grounds for free from their local coffee shop.

To use their concoction, snow should be cleared off first before dispensing the melt using a kitchen strainer or cup. Sophia and Olivia set up booths throughout their community where they gave out bags of their natural ice melt for free. They made it clear that they intend their project to be used residentially, and if it goes well to potentially be used within their city’s roadways. To encourage their community to make their own ice melt when the original bag runs out, the “recipe” was attached – 3 parts alfalfa for every 2 parts of coffee grounds.

SAFE FISHING PRACTICES

2019, CINCINNATI, OH, UNITED STATES
Safe Fishing
Jack Williams, Evan Prater, and AJ Washienko hoped to use their love for fishing as a way to help their watershed. They brainstormed and thought of safer practices and equipment to use that would help to reduce the impact of fishing on the environment. The group searched for the best alternatives that would be environmentally friendly, and came across 3 products: biodegradable fishing line, tungsten weights and bronze hooks.

They decided to implement their hooks into a summer youth fishing program at Lake Isabella through Winton Woods. This would not only immediately reduce the impact due to the use of these products by many children, but more importantly, it would give us the opportunity to inform the next generation. The boys plan to give an informative talk and are in communication with Winton Woods. It is their hope that this program will be informative and influence the youth to think about the products they may choose to fish with someday.

SAVING SAINT CLARE STREAM

2019, CINCINNATI, OH, UNITED STATES
Stream
Abby Shores noticed a problem with a local stream in her community. The stream, which she calls St. Clare stream, runs through a three by one half block wooded area behind her house. It eventually connects to the Mill Creek. This area is owned by a local convent and includes a five-foot City of Wyoming easement. Unfortunately, it had been neglected due to its small size and isolated location. This lack of caring led it to be abused by illegal dumping, littering, and general misuse.

Abby created an immediate solution to turn the area from an abandoned dump to a community greenspace. She collaborated with local officials at the City of Wyoming to install a trash can on their portion of the property. This trash can not only prevented litter, but served as a symbol of her community and city’s commitment to the area. Because of her hard work the trash can has been put on the city’s weekly pickup route. She estimates the trash can will reduce litter by up to 56%.
Stream

The second part of her project was designing a cleanup day of the stream. This promoted community outreach and a greater unity among neighbors. She went door to door mobilizing volunteers and utilized social media to spread the word. During the cleanup day they removed almost 300lb of waste from the stream. This included everything from aluminum cans to iron construction beams. She hopes this cleanup day inspired others to hold events in the area. It showed how greater use of a space promotes long term environmental sustainability. Even though the stream is small, its revitalization served as an example to other municipalities.