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Composting on Campus

2022, SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, USA

Students setting up composing materials
Alice and Nicholas, 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

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Campus Clean-up & Trash and Recycling Bins

2022, SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, USA
Girls painting trash can Girl showing thumbs up after painting trash can
Selena Garcia and Samsara Gomez, students at Grant High School were concerned about the amount trash on their school campus. They knew that in addition to making campus unsightly, that the trash has potential to be washed into nearby waterways, and/ or cause issues for soil, plants and wildlife in the area. They tackled the problem by creating clean -up groups to pick up trash around campus after lunch 2-3 times per week for 3 months (until school ended). They also added additional trash and recycling bins around campus. The bins were painted in bright attractive colors to encourage student use. The team also created and posted signage in areas they saw most of the litter, encouraging students to properly dispose of their trash after lunch, etc. Fellow students Jocelin Perez, Belen Thompson, Sara Rios, Yadira Manriquez, Bryan Portillo, and Eliezer Salazar assisted in the implementation of this successful project, which the team hopes to continue next school year.


Trash in raised garden bed Raised garden bed clean Girl standing next to garden bed

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Food For All

2022, Lord Selkirk Regional, Selkirk, MB, Canada
Girl standing with contest winner sign
Jenna is a high school student from Selkirk, MB who wanted to do something to reduce food waste in her community. She got permission from her boss at the grocery store she works at to start donating food that cannot be sold in his store rather than throwing it out. They worked together to create a plan to have the food picked up and transferred to the school’s breakfast club. Her project met environmental sustainability needs, but also social ones, as well.

“Even this small call to action may seem small but, in the end, it will make a great impact among the community. Food waste has accumulated so much over the years especially with the pandemic occurring. I feel my solution for such a huge problem is needed greatly in these harsh times.”Aaron's No Frills sign

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Vertical Garden Project

2021, Sacramento, CA, USA

When Ella Waite and Mia Andrade from George Washington Carver High School started researching vertical gardens, they were impressed by the myriad of environmental and social benefits they could provide.  For their Caring for Our Watersheds project, Ella and Mia decided to not only build a vertical garden, but to also document the process and share through social media. With this added component, they could more widely demonstrate the benefits of the design and hopefully inspire others to try this type of gardening. As detailed in their proposal, vertical gardens allow people to efficiently utilize the space available in urban environments to provide food, improve air quality, reduce heat-island effects, save energy, and increase biodiversity.

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Rain Barrel Project

2021, Sacramento, CA, USA

George Washington Carver High School students Abigail Parayo, John Hixson, Viktoria Neufeld, Antonio Ramirez are concerned about drought in California and wanted to focus their Caring for Our Watersheds project on ways to conserve water at home. As almost half of residential water in CA is used on outdoor landscapes, they decided to install a water barrel at one of the student’s homes. Rainwater would be collected during winter and spring storms and could be used to water plants in the yard during the drier months. The group connected the barrel to the existing rainspout using an adapter kit and built a stand for the rain barrel to help gravity feed water through a hose to reach further plants.  This project allowed them to get one step further toward their water conservation goals, gave them some basic construction experience, and allowed them to safely complete an outdoor project at home during COVID-19.

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Lincoln Village Clean-Up Project

2021, Sacramento, CA, USA

When George Washington Carver High School students Imani Stroman-Valdez, Nyah Parker, Andrey Sasevich, Max Musacchia were planning their Caring for Our Watersheds project, they knew they wanted to complete a stewardship project close to their high school. They identified the Lincoln Village Community Park and the adjacent Neil Orchard Senior Activities Center as an area that could use some attention and care. The students planned and conducted a litter clean-up event at the park and center. 

In addition, they identified areas to place 2 low-maintenance continuous composters, to reduce organic waste in the trash bins. The compost created would be used to enrich the soil in the flower beds around the Center.  While the group is awaiting approval for the placement of the composters, they were able to complete the clean-up and be stewards of a park quite close to home and their school community.

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Addressing Food Insecurity

2021, Sacramento, CA, USA

Sabrina Lee, MaiChong Lee, and Faye Lee, students at Grant High School in Sacramento, were concerned about food insecurity in their community, especially during COVID-19, quarantine, and the associated economic pressures. They wanted to help students and families start small vegetable gardens at home to help supplement and ensure access to nutritional foods. To demonstrate the process, the group planted tomatoes, zucchini, and other vegetables in their school garden, created short videos and a website to educate youth about gardening, which they shared with the 10th grade class. They also provided many of these students with seeds to start their own gardens and asked for those students to document and share about the experience.  Jesse Garcia, Marielle Magalong, and Jared Matias were among the students that received and planted seeds, thus benefitting from the food gardening education provided by their peers.

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Water-Wise Garden Project

2021, Sacramento, CA, USA

Malisa Cheng and Samantha Vang, students in Grant High School’s GEO Academy, know that drought in California is an ongoing issue. In an effort to reduce the amount of water used on landscaping, the students decided to focus their efforts on planting a variety of water-wise plant species that would still serve as habitat for native bees and butterflies. The students researched plants, and found that yarrow, penstemon, and salvia sp, were especially suited to the local climate and region and provide nectar sources during spring and summer. In addition to planting these species, the students also planted a few drought tolerant trees that will provide habitat, fruit, and can help sequester carbon, especially when mature.

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Drought Tolerant Garden Project

2021, Sacramento, CA, USA

For their Caring for Our Watersheds project, Grant High School students Madeline Her, Cady Moua, and Alexa Martinez focused on conserving water through water-wise gardening. The team worked to identify drought tolerant plants, such as lavender, ceonothus, and blanketflower, that not only require less watering than traditional landscape plants, but also provide habitat for a variety of pollinator species.  Due to COVID-19, each team member planted a small demonstration garden in her own yard that utilized these species, and, in 2 yards, removed a section of the grass area that needed frequent watering. The project allowed for the students to reduce landscape water use as well as share their new knowledge about the process with family and neighbors.

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Planting for Pollinators

2021, Sacramento, CA, USA

Julia Vang, Cinthia Hernandez, Jorge Martinez, and Hansome Lee worked together to propose and plant a drought-tolerant garden that would provide excellent habitat for pollinators. Their project addressed the issue of ongoing drought in California as well as declining pollinator populations. When students came back to campus part-time, the group planted salvias, lavenders, and select roses in a new section of the garden dedicated to pollinators. These species will attract and provide nectar for bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies as well as be a beautiful addition to campus that students can be proud of.