SCHOOL YARD CLEAN-UP

2018, RED DEER, ALBERTA, CANADA
School Yard Clean up
Four years before this project, the garbage bins at the two main entrances to Glendale School were torn down by vandals and were never replaced. This led to a lot of unnecessary garbage being dropped on the ground by students eating their snacks and then having no place to put their garbage.

In 2018, a group of students and teachers wanted to make a change on this issue as they could see the harmful effects of all this garbage being blown around. They proposed installing multiple garbage bins in high traffic areas outside of the school so that there would always be a bin close by to properly dispose of any garbage. It was also proposed to add picnic tables and benches at these locations to encourage people to enjoy the outdoors more often.

In the spring of 2019 these dreams became a reality with the purchase and installation of 6 garbage bins, 3 benches, and 11 picnic tables. The amount of people enjoying these spaces has gone up while the amount of litter has gone way down. The simple act of having a garbage bin in sight at every location has encouraged parents and students to use them rather than dropping their garbage on the ground and harming our Red Deer River Watershed.

We want to thank the Caring for Our Watershed sponsors for their contribution to this project. The amount of litter going into the river has gone way down due to the installation of garbage bins in front of our school.

School Yard Clean up

COMPOST SYSTEM AT G.W. CARVER HIGH SCHOOL

Compost Bin for GW Carver California

2018, Sacramento, California, USA

To complement Carver’s robust school garden, Stan Tokarev and Mevin Deo are building a three-sectioned bin to start a composting system at school.

This will divert food and garden waste from the local landfill, provide nutrient-rich soil for the garden, and demonstrate the process and environmental benefits of composting.

The students are using a combination salvaged and new materials for the bin.

Save the Bees & St. James School Composting

2018, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

In 2018, Sofia and Kristiane of St. James School in Calgary, AB implemented their project entitled “Save the Bees” throughout their schoolyard and adjacent to their outdoor classroom. While researching colony collapse disorder, the importance of protecting our native bee species, and their role in food production and ecosystem health, Sofia and Kristiane’s project helps support solitary mason bees throughout their community. They installed bee hotels in their school green space and planted native wildflowers and shrubs specifically to attract and support bee populations in the area. They then educated other classes at their school on these bee hotels and the importance of bees in our local ecosystems, encouraging others to follow suite and take action.

From the same class, Cole brought composting to St. James School to reduce food waste, provide nutrients for the soil in their gardens, and educate students and members of his community on the positive role composting plays in the environment and in our watershed. Cole also aimed to improve the mental health of students and teachers in his school by encouraging not only the use of their composter, but also the use of their outdoor classroom and garden space.

As the St. James Outdoor Classroom continues to evolve, students will share watershed information with their peers and educate them as to the benefits of learning in nature and natural spaces in an urban environment.

Using Every Last Drop

2018, Greeley, Colorado, USA

Every Last Drop Student Action

Hanna Knoedler, Northridge High School

When students decide to use paint, they have a hard time determining the correct amount of paint needed which results in them taking too much. When there is paint left over at the end of class, that paint is being wasted by throwing it away or dumping it down the drain. As more paint is disposed down the drain it begins to clog the system and creates a problem for the
wastewater treatment plant. Using a measuring device, limits the specific amount of paint taken by students.

CO Every Last Drop Final Competition

In addition, collecting the unused paint by color can be used prior to getting paint from the main source. Hanna incorporated paint pumps into the art class. She also created a paint filter using and embroidery ring and a coffee filters for unused paint.

The entire budget for saving paint and keeping the sinks clear was only $182.

Recycling Signs

2018, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA Student Action Recycling Signs

Abby Howshar, Fernanda Sandri, Cole Glover, Fossil Ridge High School

Before beginning the project, Abby, Fernanda and Cole, looked around Fossil Ridge High School to determine the effectiveness of the recycling bins already in place. They quickly noticed that most of the bins were empty or filled with trash that cannot be recycled.

Recycling Signs Student Action CO

They decided the best course of action would be to place stickers on the bins that indicate what items should be recycled. The created and placed 150 poster signs that showed images of the items that should be placed into the recycle bins. In addition, they aught 100 elementary school children about the benefits and methods of recycling.

Recycling Broken Technology of Yesterday

2018, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA

Reece Wilson, Miles Scharte, Fossil Ridge High School

Reece and Miles found that a common component in electronics is palladium. It is in the screens and circuitry because of its magnetic properties. Exposure, ingestion and inhalation can cause birth defects and damage the heart, liver, lungs, spleen and kidneys. They found it was rare to hear about electronic waste recycling in Fort Collins. As a result, e-waste many people were improperly disposing of their electronics. They decided education their community and sponsor a free collection of e-waste. They collected 1,137 pounds of e-waste! Their collection included 14 printers, 14 computers, 12 VCRs, 19 phones, and 15 monitors.

The Energizer Bunny Recycles Too

2018, Berthoud Colorado, USA

Colorado Battery Collection Student Action

Tori Dellwardt, Tyler Adams, Samantha Mulder, Everett Baskall, Berthoud High School

The team of Tori, Tyler, Samantha and Everett researched battery recycling and found that over 180,000 tons of batteries are tossed into landfills every year.

CO Cheque student group

To offset this problem, they placed battery recycling stations in local schools, library and grocery store. Along with the recycling stations, they hung and distributed posters to advertise the recycling sights. Within the first month, a total of 410 batteries were recycled. At Turner Middle school, they collected over 300 batteries. Interestingly, the Berthoud Library only collected 4 batteries.

The total cost of the project was only $150 which makes it a simple reproducible idea throughout Colorado.

Earth, We are the Last Straw

Earth Last Straw Student Action Colorado

2018, Greeley, Colorado, USA

Grace Patrick, Greeley Central High School

After reading an article from the “Last Plastic Straw”, Grace decided to be the change she wanted to see.

Her first step was to collect data on the number of plastic straws that were thrown out by popular restaurants in Greeley. On several Friday nights, she collected the used straws from all of the restaurants. On subsequent Fridays, she asked the restaurants to only serve straws upon request and collected those used straws. From this data, when was able to determine straw savings and convinced each restaurant to offer straws upon request only.

Grace Patrick Last Straw Grace then printed a table tent that explained the rationale for changing straw usage for the customers to read. In addition, Grace donated paper straws with the Caring for Our Watersheds logo to replace the plastic straws. Finally, Grace used the plastic straws she collected to create a piece of artwork for each establishment. The artwork now hangs in each restaurant.

WATER FILTER PROJECT AT MIRA LOMA

2017, Sacramento, California, USA

Water Filter Mira Loma

Mira Loma High School students Savannah Bosley and Jesus Gonzalez were concerned about the amount of disposable plastic bottles used by students on their campus. Savannah, as President of the Recycling club, saw bins and trash cans overloaded with these bottles everyday. Many students said they brought these single-use water bottles to school because of the poor tasting water at fountains, or because the fountains were old and did not work well and because there was not a place to fit water bottles under to fill up.

Savannah and Jesus decided that a water filtration system on campus would help alleviate some of these issues by providing a convenient source of filtered water for students and staff. When looking into options, there were some restrictions with both plumbing and security issues that did not allow for the installation of the popular Elkay water filling station at a central location on campus. After discussing alternatives with school staff, Savannah and Jesus installed filter units on the sink faucets in multiple classrooms at school, allowing easy access to filtered water for all students on campus throughout the day.

BAN THE BAG

2016, Fairfax, VA, USA

Students at Lanier Middle School uncovered a large amount of plastic bags waste in the Accotink Creek Watershed. They learned that plastic bags could kill plants and animals that call the watershed home. Realizing that encouraging recycling was not the answer, as often, recycled materials are repurposed but then eventually end up in a landfill, the students developed a canvas bag program that is part educational program, part conservation. Each Eco-sack comes with information about the health of the watershed and the impact of pollution on water quality.

The proceeds from the Eco-sack sales, which will be sold for $5.00- $8.00 per bag, will be used to purchase Dogwood trees on the Lanier campus to promote biodiversity and improve air quality. Through this solution, residents reduce the amount of waste they generate, learn about the watershed, and promote the environmental quality of their community. Approximately $450 in Nutrien funding will cover the cost of the 300 canvas bags.