2012 GreenWorks! Grant Award Winners
State | City | Organization | Project Title and Description |
AZ | Phoenix | Anthem College National | Green Team Recycles: Undergraduate students will plan and implement indoor and outdoor recycling to include paper, aluminum, and plastic. Money raised from the recyclables will be used to purchase digital recorders to make podcasts about the experience; support GED tutoring, and student recognition. |
CA | Redlands | San Bernardino County Museum Association | Ethnobotany Learning Garden: Students will plan, design, and implement the expansion of an existing museum garden. They will develop interpretative programs about the garden for visitors and for museum camp and field trip programs. PLT activities focusing on history and social studies will be used to teach about the Indian nations of southern California. |
CA | Indio | S.C.R.A.P. | Sand & Sea Recycling: Honu & Tortuga Project: Third graders in Cathedral City, CA, and Kona, HI, will connect through investigations of the habitats of the desert tortoise and the green sea turtle. Students will learn about each environment, then share information with their counterparts, participating in habitat clean-ups, and creating art pieces based on their learning. |
CA | Livermore | St. Michael | Garbology 101: Students in grades 6 to 8 who form the school’s Earth Team will implement a “4R” program: Reduce consumption of resources, reuse, and recycle. |
CO | Thornton | Achieve Academy, School of Science and Inquiry | Sensory Garden: Seventh and eighth graders will create a native garden, with diverse textures, scents, and layers. The local community will choose from a menu of student-generated garden models, and the chosen option will be created with the help of a local gardening club and school maintenance department. |
CO | Centennial | Indian Ridge Elementary School | Solar Garden Project: As part of a larger program on green building and energy, K-5 students will create an organic garden where compost is used and solar energy will operate a camera (to observe garden over the summer) and an irrigation system. |
FL | Bonita Springs | Bonita Springs Charter School | Coastal Cleanup: Middle School students will learn about the effects of trash on the coastal ecosystem and participate in International Coastal Cleanup Day. They will involve the community in their efforts. |
GA | Decatur | EcoAddendum | Paideia Native Plant Garden: Eighth graders at Paideia School will create a garden, as well as plant identification signs, wildlife features, and a hands-on play space. The garden will educate the whole school about pollination, plant-animal relationships, and ecosystems. EcoAddendum, as a nonprofit partner, is dedicated to brining native Georgia plants back to the natural environment. |
GA | Valdosta | Lowndes County Schools | Head, Heart, and Hands of Viking Giving Trees: English as a second language students will “adopt a plot” for school beautification and will read and write stories based on what they learn, culminating in a school-wise Reading Celebration. |
IA | Guthrie Center | Guthrie Center Elementary School | Outdoor Classroom: Students will restore a 6-acre outdoor classroom, complete trails, and add features to enhance the curriculum. Elementary students will work with high school agriculture and environmental science classes to determine which Iowa native species to plant, organize the planting effort, and determine how to provide follow-up care. |
IL | Lake Villa | Lakes Community High School | Project RESTORE: Environmental science students will remove invasive species, such as buckthorn and garlic mustard, from a wooded area of the school campus in a number of volunteer workdays. They will then lead environmental education activities for younger students at Oakland Elementary School, which is located across the street from the high school. |
IN | New Palestine | Sugar Creek Elementary | Outdoor Learning Lab: Students and the community will build a multi-purpose outdoor learning area with native plants, a butterfly garden, sensory garden, bird habitats, and shelter for teachers to hold classes. |
ME | Bath | Fisher Mitchell School | Sewall Woods Project: Third graders, with guidance from the Kennebec Estuary Land Trust, will create a digital interpretive guide for a section of the Sewall Woods loop trail. The project will incorporate learning about natural history, authentic purpose for writing, and use of Quick Response (QR) technology. |
ME | Oxford | Oxford Hills | Forestry & Outdoor Classroom Shelter: Middle and high school students will build an outdoor classroom shelter at Roberts Farm Preserve. At the students’ suggestion, high school forestry students will be responsible for harvesting local pine, hemlock, and spruce from the Preserve, and will mill the lumber into beams and boards. The middle school students will then construct the shelter. The project will add to the Preserve’s ability to serve as a year-round educational and recreation center for students and the community. |
MI | Ann Arbor | Ann Arbor | Native Planting at Dicken Woods: Elementary school students will join Friends of Dicken Woods to plant native species to revitalize natural space. Beforehand, students will work with community partners to teach ecological concepts and terms. |
MI | Ionia | Ionia Conservation District | Vermicomposting Project: Woodview and Clarksville elementary schools will start worm bins to reduce cafeteria waste. Several community partners and teens will help, while cross-curricular activities will strengthen learning. |
NC | Chapel Hill | North Carolina Botanical Garden- UNC at Chapel Hill | Young Ecoscapers: During a 12-week course, 11-13 year olds will research, design, plant and maintain a pollinator garden that will be a feature in a new Children’s Garden. They will take the lead in every step of the process. |
NE | Fort Calhoun | Fort Calhoun Community Schools Pioneers for Education | Growing Plants for Growing Minds: As part of a school renovation, students in grades 4 though 6 will work with a local landscaper on a site restoration of plantings around the playground and a new green space. They will map, design, and plant the sites. |
NJ | East Brunswick | Raritan Valley | Establishment of a Nature Center: The center will be on YMCA grounds and be equipped with hands-on science stations, displays and exhibits to support the environmental education program. The YMCA Teen Leaders Club will have responsibility for the project with YMCA staff and community partners. |
NY | Niskayuna | Hillside Elementary School | School Nature Trail: Teachers, the media specialist, and the head custodian will guide students through an inquiry-based project to design and develop a nature trail around the perimeter of the school. Students will also design a logo, map, and guide. |
OH | Cleveland Heights | Ruffing Montessori School | Marsh Restoration: Students in grades 4 to 6 will work with the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes to restore a marsh habitat invaded by yellow-flag iris. Students will plan and implement restoration activities and document their progress. |
TX | Lufkin | Peavy Primary | Outdoor Learning Lab: PreK through grade 2 students will assist with a butterfly garden and birdbaths to create a year-round science observation and learning experience. |
VA | Alexandria | St. Stephen’s | Reciprocal Recipes: Solar Cooking in Virginia and Haiti: Environmental club students in grades 9 through 12 will build solar ovens with the nonprofit Solar Household Energy. Students in the two countries will create their own stories of place to share that focus on foods and recipes. It is part of a relationship to share cultural and environmental elements between the two locations. |
VA | Roanoke | Lincoln Terrace Elementary School | Community Gardens: Students in K through 5 will construct a garden utilizing flower beds located outside their classroom. Produce will be donated to the local rescue mission. |
WI | Madison | Madison School | Educational Prairie Restoration: After-school students and teachers will reclaim an abandoned and overgrown lot behind the school and turn it into an educational prairie and wetland. The area, which has suffered from repeated flooding, also borders the Edna Taylor Nature Area. The students will restore natural habitat to help combat flooding. They will remove invasive species, create a small pond, and construct bird houses and feeders. |
WV | Berkeley Springs | Wind Dance Farm | The Rain Pond: Students will be involved in two components of the project: (1) to build a rain collection system that channels water to a small pond, and (2) creation of the pond to develop a habitat for toads, frogs, and turtles. |
