Grades of Green is so excited to announce the launch of our brand new Climate Solutions Campaign. We’ve taken our students’ feedback and everything we’ve learned over the years to create our best Campaign program yet!
As always, the Climate Solutions Campaign is FREE for all participants. Students can win Eco-Grants up to $1,000!
You may have noticed that we’ve chosen to mute our account over the past few days to make space for black, indigenous and people of color allies advocating for justice against police brutality and systemic racism. We’ve spent this time actively listening, learning, and reflecting on what we as an organization and our leadership can do to be stronger partners and are committed to that cause. We pledge to redouble our efforts to stand against injustice in all its forms and to amplify black, indigenous and people of color voices. We invite you to do the same. Black Lives Matter.
To our black, indigenous and people of color students — we
stand with you and support you. Students are always our #1 priority and we are
here to serve you. Have ideas on how we can do that? We’ll be discussing these
with you soon and are here if you want to talk right now — we want to hear from
you! Please send us a DM or connect with your advisor.
We recognize that the fight for the environment must go
hand-in-hand with the fight for racial and social justice. We’re committed to
making environmental justice a key element of our programming and know that we
can do more to elevate the intersection between environmental justice and
social justice in our work.
To that end, we are working diligently over the summer to
expand our environmental justice training in our upcoming year-long Climate
Campaign and are so excited to launch this new program in the fall!
If you have any suggestions or questions about Grades of
Green’s commitment to environmental justice or how we are working with students
to advocate for the environment, please DM us and we would love to connect!
We’d like to share these diverse voices that are a source of
inspiration and guidance for us and invite you to follow them, too:
We’re so excited to share with you the winners of our 2020 Waste Campaign! These amazing student teams worked so hard on behalf of their environment in their communities.
Grand Prize Eco-Grant Winner – $1,000
Mary Bragg Elementary School – Cerritos, California
This team consisted of fifty 4th and 5th graders who met before school to discuss solutions to reduce single-use water bottles in their community. They presented to their school’s PTA, in classrooms, and at school assemblies, and then took it even further by hosting beach clean-ups to spread awareness and provide a way for people to take action to help the environment. On top of these efforts, the team started an advocacy campaign that encouraged all their district’s elementary schools to have their own Green Teams to engage in environmental action. With their strong drive and organizational skills, the Bragg team was able to do this all of this before the “stay-at-home” order was enacted. While they weren’t able to present at their principal’s meeting due to their school closing, they were able to continue inspiring others virtually.
Best Elementary Impact – $500
Bryant Ranch Elementary Green Team – Yorba Linda, California
This team has been working incredibly hard, even after the stay at home order was implemented. This team addressed a unique plastic bag problem within their school since it was on their team’s required school supplies list. The team members, though young, asked for alternatives to plastic bags since it was not necessary and it would only contribute to waste.
The Bryant Ranch Team
HELP US TO PROVIDE NEXT CAMPAIGN’S ECO-GRANTS
We need your help to continue to provide these transformative Eco-Grants to our students. These grants encourage students to complete their projects, and are one of the most powerful ways for us to expand our students’ impact!
HEAR Club from California Academy of Mathematics and Science High School – Carson, California
The HEAR Club used their project to raise awareness of microplastics in synthetic clothing and the damage that they do to the environment. The team reached out to organizations that focused on microplastics reduction and conducted an interview with Grades of Green to further explain the issue, impacts, and potential solutions.
Campus Advocates Award – $250
Keller Dual Language Middle School – Long Beach, California
This team encouraged the head of nutrition services at their school to find alternatives to the single-use, plastic-wrapped sporks served alongside lunch in their school. Their goal was to prove that using reusable utensils as an alternative would be more efficient, more cost-effective, and most importantly, more environmentally friendly. They hope to make the environmentally-conscious changes permanent.
Campus Changemakers Award – $250
EarthSavers from Thomas Starr King Middle School – Los Angeles, California
This very motivated team of 8th graders were working on a pilot program to reduce the number of plastic utensils used at school. Their ultimate goal is to present their findings to their principal and advocate for ultimately replacing plastic utensils with a compostable option. When the Stay-at-Home order was put into place, the team continued their research to find alternatives for plastic utensils and single-use trays.
Most Inspirational Team Award – $250
Whittier Elementary School – Long Beach, California
Whittier Elementary focused on ways to reduce litter on their campus. They educated their school through videos about the harmful effects of litter and showcased how cleaning up was every student’s responsibility. They worked with their principal and teachers to set up “beautification zones” to clean up their school’s grounds.
Best Alumni Team – $250
Nathaniel Hawthorne Middle School 74 – Queens, New York
This team of 10 students has previously worked with Grades of Green on several Campaign projects. This semester, they continued to pursue water bottle waste reduction efforts at their own school before expanding their advocacy to nearby elementary schools. The team then focused on recycling markers at their school but switched their project to educating their community on reducing plastic usage after the stay-at-home-order was implemented.
International Changemakers Award – $500
University of Buea – Buea, Cameroon
`This team in Cameroon advocated to their University administration to stop the open burning of trash on campus and encouraged their university body to seek out trash collection services and trash bin sites. During this process, they worked to create a university recycling program while educating younger students and siblings about waste issues occurring in their community. The team lead, Forbi Perise, recently spoke to the UN as part of the World Oceans Day global virtual event. Watch his presentation and panel discussion.
Student Recognition Awards
Best Student Leader – Samantha T, Mira Costa High School
Samantha is a 11th grade student at Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach. She has been involved in Grades of Green since 2012, bringing energy and passion to all of the environmental projects she has taken on over the years. Sam began with the Grades of Green Youth Corps Eco Leadership program in 2012 when she was in 3rd grade, leading environmental education and recycling projects in her community. Sam started the first student-led Grades of Green club at Mira Costa, spearheading solutions to environmental problems in her high school and city. She and her team began participating in the Rise Campaign program in 2018 focusing on educating her community about ocean health and leading projects to reduce plastic litter at the beach. Sam is a strong environmental advocate in her community and is consistently involved in environmental leadership and speaking out for green solutions.
Best Student Innovator – Sacha E, Granada Hills High School Habit Change Team
Sacha E. is a student at Granada Hills Charter High school. He is interested in taking environmental action, because of the amount of waste and pollution in his community. The strong winds in the local neighborhoods constantly knock down trash cans and spill trash into the environment. Sasha’s project addresses this issue by using an innovative system of automatic electromagnetic locks that automatically secure trash cans if they are knocked over. This invention has been recognized as the most sustainable invention at the MIT EurekaFest. Sasha is also encouraging people to stop overfilling trashcans, so that trash can lids can be secured properly, further preventing litter in his community. His project demonstrates the power of innovative ideas and creative thinking when approaching environmental problems.
Adult Lead Award
Best Adult Lead – Sheri Sather, The Parallel Projects
Sheri sought to introduce her son, Justin, to other children around the world working to reduce plastics – and in 2019 they met Perise through social media. Perise had collected over 8,000 thousand illegally dumped plastic bottles from around his hometown of Buea, and without any local recycling infrastructure Perise was looking for ideas on what to do with all the collected bottles. Sheri and Justin spread the word about Perise’s situation, asking everyone they could for ideas. The two released a national call of action for solution. Thus, Parallel Projects campaign was born. Sheri worked hard throughout the 2020 Waste Campaign ton continue sharing and implementing ideas from active environmental groups around the world.
With the support of Sony Pictures’ A Greener World, we challenged students to put together a pitch video to showcase their solution to environmental problems in their communities and beyond. It was incredible to see all the students who managed to work throughout the difficulties presented by stay-at-home orders in response to the coronavirus.
The result? Grades of Green has been overwhelmed by the number of Green Pitch video entries that we received and are even more blown away by all the students who worked so hard! All of the videos showed such great passion and commitment to taking care of our environment.
It was VERY difficult to narrow it down, but we are pleased to announce the winners!
Winning Teams
The winning student or team will earn an Eco-Grant of $1,000 and two (2) runner-up students or teams will earn $500! All three winners will be able to tour the Sony Pictures Studio Lot and/or watch a live taping of a Sony Pictures production.
Grand Prize Winner: Whitney High School
Whitney High School
Runner Up: Umar from Irvine High School
Irvine High School
Runner Up: Manhattan Beach Middle School
Manhattan Beach Middle School
Finalists Videos
Check out our finalists’ videos below – they were all amazing!
CAMS Hear Club
CAMS Hear Club
Explore Marine Life Team
Explore Marine Life Team
Helen Keller Green Team
Helen Keller Green Team
Irvine SEVA Group
Irvine SEVA Group
Linwood E. Howe Elementary
Linwood E. Howe Elementary
QUARANTINE DOESN’T HAVE TO MEAN THAT ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION IS CANCELLED!
Grades of Green is partnering with LA Sanitation & Environment (LASAN) to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day by challenging Los Angeles families to reduce their impact on the environment by improving their waste footprint!”
Justin from the Parallel Projects received the EPA’s “President’s Environmental Youth Award.” He has created a global network of passionate students wanting to make a difference by reducing their waste through upcycling. Last year, Justin and his friend Perise in Cameroon transformed nearly 8,000 plastic bottles into useful projects! For all their hard work and impact, Justin and the Parallel Projects were also the recipients of one of the Eco-Grants from our last campaign!
TAKE ACTION DURING EARTH WEEK AND WIN A VISIT FROM AN LASAN COLLECTION VEHICLE FOR YOUR NEXT PARTY!
Grades of Green is partnering with LA Sanitation & Environment (LASAN) to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day by challenging Los Angeles families to reduce their impact on the environment by improving their waste footprint! Click HERE to join in the on the fun!
Tackle three (3) tasks in a row on your bingo card, share them on social media, and you could win the opportunity to amaze the guests at your child’s next birthday party or event with a visit from an LASAN collection truck!
As long as your party takes place within the boundaries of the City of Los Angeles and hosts no more than 20 guests, LASAN will send along one of their amazing collection vehicles and staff to wow your guests!
This is a perfect opportunity for the little ones who love to see the truck come by each week to pick up waste and recyclables. Guests will be able to see the truck up-close, operate the controls, and learn all about the vehicle from an LASAN Refuse Collection Truck Operator!
Challenge Period: April 22, 2020, at 10:00 am PDT through May 7, 2020, at 5:00 pm PDT.
The LA Kings and Grades of Green are teaming up to help children find ways to reuse household items and reduce waste!
How to Participate
Make art, a toy, or something to use! You could turn an old shirt into a reusable grocery bag, make art out of bottle tops, cut out old magazines to make stationary, or weave rugs out of an old pair of jeans.
Whatever the project, it’s a fun way to get the kids thinking creatively about reducing the amount of waste we send to the landfill.
Challenge Period: April 8, 2020, at 10:00 am PDT through April 17, 2020, at 5:00 pm PDT
SCORE TICKETS TO AN LA KINGS PRESEASON GAME!
The first fifty (50) eligible participants to submit a qualifying Post will receive a pair of tickets to one (1) LA Kings 2020-21 preseason home game at STAPLES Center!
PARTICIPATING IS EASY!
Just post a picture of your child(ren) posing with their repurposed item on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter and include the hashtag #LAKingsGreen, tag the LA Kings Care Foundation and Grades of Green, and you could score those free tickets! Once you’ve posted your reused item, fill out the form below including a link to the post and we’ll get back to you if you’ve won!
If your account is private, we won’t be able to see your submission – so please shoot us a message to let us know that you posted and if you’re interested in tickets!
With the support of Sony Pictures’ A Greener World, we are launching the “Green Pitch Challenge!” Students will team up to put together pitch videos to showcase their solution to environmental problems in their communities and beyond.
Each team’s pitch video will focus on convincing a specific community to act on reducing various types of waste and waste-related issues.
The winning student or team will earn an Eco-Grant of $1,000 and two (2) runner-up students or teams will earn $500! All three winners will be able to tour the Sony Pictures Studio Lot and/or watch a live taping of a Sony Pictures production.
While fashion is a fun way to express yourself, it’s also one of the top contributors to damaging the environment. With many businesses adopting more eco-friendly practices, sustainability is a big and important topic right now.
A student group at California Academy of Math and Sciences (CAMS), in Carson, California, is advocating for sustainable fashion choices as part of their 2020 Waste Campaign project. The students have been focused on reducing the number of clothes headed to the landfill and microfiber pollution and are promoting apps and websites where students can sell their second-hand clothes instead of throwing them away.
The CAMS students saw this as an opportunity after doing a survey at their school which found “less than 10% of our school were either aware or used any of these apps, these second-hand selling apps. So we wanted to increase that percentage …. to help the environment,” said CAMS student, Cathleen U.
They’ve been hard at work promoting this smart way to be more sustainable. Below are a few tips on how you and your loved ones can make more sustainable fashion choices, too.
Support Sustainable Brands
Making eco-friendly fashion choices doesn’t mean that you can’t buy new clothes. It’s about making a conscious decision to support sustainable brands that help our environment. The next time you and your friends are planning a shopping trip, do some research to see which brands are eco-friendly and which are not. You can easily find this information on company websites or their social media channels. Look into ethical brands to see which ones share the same values as you and your friends and family. Doing so will not only help the environment but will also help promote fair and equal working conditions as well!
“A lot of the clothes don’t even end up on display, don’t end up in the hands of anybody. They just go to the landfill. So these apps allow people to give these clothes a chance.”
Oliver K — a CAMS student Eco-Leader
Encourage Proper Clothing Disposal
As much as shopping sustainably is important, so is the proper disposal of our clothing. Every year, trends come and go and we find ourselves reaching for certain pieces in our closets less frequently. Now that spring has finally sprung, encourage your friends and family to do a closet cleanout and properly dispose of their unwanted clothing. Instead of tossing items in the trash where they’ll sit in landfills and emit greenhouse gases, sell your old clothing to a secondhand shop. Not only will this positively impact the environment, but your friends and family also won’t have to worry about doing any of the heavy lifting that is involved with selling their clothes.
The student team at CAMS knows why it’s so important to reconsider how we dispose of our clothing. “A lot of the clothes that people donate actually don’t even end up being sold to these … brick and mortar shops,” said Oliver K. — a CAMS student. “A lot of the clothes don’t even end up on display, don’t end up in the hands of anybody. They just go to the landfill. So these apps allow people to give these clothes a chance.”
Host a Clothing Swap
Another eco-friendly way
to get rid of unwanted clothing and even score some new pieces is to host a clothing swap party. Reach out to your friends and family
and arrange a time for everyone to bring over any clothing they no longer want.
You can then set up tables and arrange the items by style, size, or even season
and occasion. You and your loved ones can then go through each item and pick
out your desired pieces. Any clothing left over after the swap can be donated
to a local shelter or organization.
Upcycle Your Clothes Together
For those pieces that you
or your loved ones may have that you’re not quite ready to let go of yet, consider upcycling your clothes. Grab your friends and family, get out
your craft supplies, and watch your clothes transform! Have a pair of jeans or
pants that are too short? Turn them into cut-off shorts. Have a worn-out
t-shirt that you no longer wear? Turn it into a reusable grocery bag! Whether
you DIY your clothes so you’re able to re-wear them or turn them into something
else entirely, embrace your crafty side to completely transform your wardrobe!
To the Grades of Green Family,
Because the health and well-being of our students, supporters, staff, and the broader community must come first, Grades of Green is announcing the postponement of Verte 2020 – our annual fundraising gala.
Like all of you, we’ve been closely monitoring the developing coronavirus (COVID-19) situation and are taking every opportunity to ensure our students and staff remain safe. Staff will be working remotely starting today and will continue to support our students’ ongoing projects using the same virtual collaboration platforms that are already an integral part of our program.
We’re currently working closely with our venue, vendors, and honorees to determine a new date and will provide you with further details as soon as they are confirmed.
To those who have donated items in support of Verte or have already purchased tickets and tables, thank you and don’t worry! We will be contacting you with more information.
On behalf of the Grades of Green Board of Directors, Staff, and our student Eco-Leaders, thank you for your understanding and continued support during this difficult time.
Please stay healthy and safe – together we’ll get through this!
