water campaign Archives | Grades of Green

Grades of Green’s First Waste Campaign a Major Success

This new Campaign included 80 teams from 77 cities and 13 countries. Collectively, Grades of Green Waste Campaign teams diverted over 229,000 pounds of waste (114 tons) from the landfill and educated over 25,000 leaders and community members around the world! These numbers will continue to grow as the student teams expand on their waste reduction projects.

We are proud to announce the 2019 Spring Waste Campaign Finalist Campaign Teams, who achieved exceptional results. Please watch and share their campaign videos to get inspired by their innovative waste solutions.

Mira Costa High School (California)

Mira Costa’s team led 3 beach clean ups in their community during the month of March. They recruited volunteers by reaching out to their community through social media and local news outlets. The team educated participants about the effects of plastic and litter in our oceans and on our marine life. The result of the 3 beach clean-ups was about 250 lbs of trash; crushing their goal of 100 lbs. The team plans to continue hosting beach clean ups once per month. See their video HERE.

Human Environmental and Animal Rights Club at CAMS (California)

The HEAR Club at CAMS high school was driven by the knowledge that people, on average, throw out 70 lbs of clothes every year and that the textile industry is the second highest contributor of waste. This team hosted several used-clothing drives as well as workshops that taught others how to upcycle used garments. They exceeded their goal to collect 10 bags during the clothing drives by collecting 11 bags. Some clothes were donated and some were upcycled into new garments. See their video HERE.

Whitney High School (California)

At Whitney, the Waste Campaign Team members recognized that everyday a considerable amount of food waste was going to the landfill. By implementing a compost collection at lunchtime, the team collected about 30 lbs of food waste to put into their tumbler composter bin during the campaign. They continue to collect compostable scraps at lunchtime, educate the students and staff at their school and fundraise in order to buy a second (much needed) compost bin. See their video HERE.

Bridgeport Elementary School Green Team (California)

During the Waste Campaign, the Team working at lunch noticed the large number of good food items being thrown into the landfill bin. They were appalled, and wanted that food to go somewhere it could be eaten. The team decided they wanted to donate the food to the local Food Pantry and Homeless Shelter, and the Grades of Green mentors provided resources and guidance to help best put ideas into action. In order to raise awareness and encourage other schools in their community to start a Food Rescue program, Bridgeport shared their video and program with all the families at their school and with all the schools in their district. See their video HERE.

Daves Avenue Elementary School (California)

Daves Avenue uses approximately 12,000 crayons every school year and as the Waste Campaign students discovered, crayons do not break down well in the landfill. With a goal in mind of diverting 120 lbs of crayons from the landfill, the team joined the Crayon Initiative. The Crayon initiative recycles old crayons into new crayons and donates them to children’s hospitals. The team set up boxes to collect the crayons to send them in to get recycled. See their video HERE.

Bryant Ranch School Green Team (California)

The team of 30 students recognized their school was wasting a lot of paper. They analyzed one class per grade level to get an estimate of how much paper is used and wasted. They collected boxes that were filled up completely to sort out those that are only 1-sided to be used again. For the paper that could not be reused, they put 3 actions in place: 1. find a paper recycling agency to take the bulk paper goods 2. shred them for packaging at school and 3. turn scrap paper into art projects for classrooms, including origami, bookmarks, and paper mache. See their video HERE.

Boys and Girls Club at Towne Avenue Elementary (California)

The Boys and Girls Club at Towne Elementary estimated that 100 milk cartons are destined for the landfill from their school everyday. They learned that it takes about 5 years for a milk carton to break down in the landfill and wanted to start recycling cartons at their school. They educated all the students and staff and created a fun basketball game as a way to encourage students to recycle their cartons and have fun with it. See their video HERE.

Will Rogers Learning Community (California)

The team at Will Rogers recognized a huge issue at lunchtime: 25 bags of landfill waste everyday. With the help of a few dedicated parents, the team set up sorting stations at lunch to separate liquids, recyclables, organic waste, landfill and trays. Since implementing the stations, over the course of the Waste Campaign, they decreased lunch time landfill waste by 85 trash bags by implementing sorting stations. They also decorated recycling boxes for all classrooms to increase paper recycling on campus.

Deep Creek Middle School (Virginia)

This innovative team created a virtual “Escape Room” to inform students about tackling waste. Specifically focused on single use plastics. Along with the Escape Room, they implemented “Plastic Free Fridays” encouraging fellow students to replace single use items with reusable items. They had the opportunity to present to their school board about the excess waste created by the food provider, including wrapping oranges in plastic wrap! See their video HERE.

PSGR Krishnammal Nursery and Primary School (India)

Students at this school took food waste VERY seriously. This team made sure that all food on campus was eaten or composted. In addition, the school made presentations and a song to show the importance of not wasting food. They involved their entire community including all students, parents, administration, school board, and government representatives. The team also had goals to limit plastic, reduce all waste going to the landfill – not just food waste, and to store food properly to reduce spoiled food.

Meadows Elementary (California)

This team made a series of “how to” videos that taught their fellow students and community how to reduce waste, pack trash free lunches, and how to properly sort their waste at lunch. They also added on the Food Finders program so that any unopened cartons of food or beverages or unpeeled fruit could be donated to local families in need of food. The students have been dedicated to educated staff, administration, and parents through their “how to” videos. See their video HERE.

Bottega Delle Arti Creative (Italy)

Like to dance? Bottega Dance School has made public performances to educate others about Rome’s environmental issues and infrastructural problems. The main issue the high schoolers focused on was overflowing garbage bins throughout the city. Along with their innovative video, they have presented the problem through conferences and art exhibitions. See their video HERE.

Hughes Green Team (California)

The Hughes team found that the use of single-use condiment packets was a big waste issue on their campus. The packets end up becoming litter and often ends up in the ocean. The students prepared a proposal for the LBUSD Nutrition Services Department to switch from single-use condiment packets to sauce dispensers. They met with their district’s Nutrition Services Manager to discuss the solution even further!

Feeling inspired?! Join Grades of Green for our 2019 Fall Water Campaign here. And stay tuned for an update on the new theme for our Campaign teams!

We’ve all heard the rule that we shouldn’t feed wildlife, but what happens when the wildlife feed themselves human food? Green Team students at El Segundo Middle School noticed that birds would fly onto their campus and eat lunchtime waste from open trash bins and litter scattered across campus – food sources that are unhealthy for birds. Unfortunately, this trash eating habit is a common issue for birds near coastal schools.

Through the Waste Campaign, these eco-leaders determined that their solution is to educate their entire school community to properly sort their lunchtime waste between their compost, recycling, and landfill bins through classroom-to-classroom presentations. The team will also prevent birds from accessing the school’s waste by obtaining special lids for their bins and motivating their school community to keep their campus litter-free. This prevents litter from affecting the environment which would direct birds towards healthier food and more natural food sources.

Interested in implementing an eco-solution in your community like the El Segundo Middle School Green Team? Click here to sign up for the Fall 2019 Water Campaign wait list to receive more information about the program.

Grades of Green Eco-Leader Dalia from Los Angeles, CA was featured by the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE), a blog that promotes excellence in environmental education. Click here to read how about Dalia’s opinions on improving water conservation and click here to view her project video on different water conservation strategies.

Guest Blog: A Middle Schooler’s Take on Changemaking: Drops in the Bucket

Interested in starting an environmental movement in your community like Dalia? Sign up for our 2019 Water Campaign wait list to receive more information on how to get involved and follow us at @gradesofgreen.

Grades of Green Board Chair Barbara Franqui was featured in Modern Conservationist, a blog focusing on insight into the most pressing issues affecting environmental and wildlife conservation efforts today. Click here to read how Grades of Green eco-leaders ages 12-18 around the globe are creating local environmental movements!

Grades of Green: Growing the Next Generation of Environmental Activists

Interested in starting an environmental movement in your community? Register for Grades of Green’s Waste Campaign beginning in January 2019 by clicking here.

This semester’s judges are environmental experts in water specifically. Learn more about our featured judges below.

Fall 2018 Water Campaign Judging Panel

Nancy Hersman – Mayor Pro Tem, Manhattan Beach City Council

Nancy is the Mayor Pro Tem of the Manhattan Beach City Council. Nancy, an attorney and a Manhattan Beach resident for 16 years, is presently serving on the MB City’s Planning Commission, and formerly has served the City and community on the Parks & Recreation Commission, and as a member of the MBUSD Board of Trustees. Nancy has also worked with numerous organizations, including Program Director for the MB Mayor’s Youth Council for two years.

Shaya Kirkpatrick – Co-Founder, Grades of Green

Shaya is a co-founder of Grades of Green. Previously, Shaya was a founding member of Planet Pals, an environmental program working with schools in Southern California to help children take a hands-on approach to help the environment. Shaya received the Environmental Hero Award by Assemblywoman Betsy Butler in 2011, and the 2008 Environmental SBBEC Steward of the Year Award. Shaya also received the Congressional Commendation Award for her exceptional efforts in promoting environmental conservation. In 2009, Shaya was the recipient of the Environmental Award from the Environmental Protection Agency which recognizes individuals and groups outside of the EPA who are working to protect public health and the environment. Shaya started her Interior Design career at the offices of Intradesign, Inc. in 1988 and worked on major hotel projects around the world.

George McGraw – Founder, DigDeep

George McGraw runs DigDeep in Los Angeles, which he founded. DigDeep is the only global water organization working in the U.S. — empowering the millions of Americans without running water or basic plumbing to build and manage their own water systems, including the award-winning Navajo Water Project. George is an avid speaker, writer and university lecturer. He has been published by the New York Times, the Nation and several law reviews; he has been profiled by NPR, Vice and CBS News, and he has spoken at events hosted by the Clinton Foundation, WeDay, the World YMCA, and Ford. George was recently named one of the 17 “Local Globalists” by the UN Foundation and is a member of Nexus. He has a Masters in International Law and Conflict Management from the United Nations University for Peace in Costa Rica.

Kaylee Weatherly – Public Information Officer, Long Beach Water Department

Kaylee is a Public Information Officer at Long Beach Water Department. and manages the department’s media relations and award-winning digital and communications strategies. She has worked in public affairs and public relations for six years in water and energy efficiency organizations. She is a Board member of the California Association of Public Information Officials and a member of the Association of California Water Agencies Communications Committee and the Southern California Water Committee Public Education Task Force.
She is passionate about creating long-term water use efficiency in the state through story-telling, education and digital and social media.

Grace Woo – Assistant Water Resource Specialist, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

Grace Woo is an Assistant Water Resource Specialist at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. She manages a contract with the Council for Watershed Health for a pilot school water conservation program in underserved communities. She also conducts water savings analysis for landscape irrigation, commercial, and industrial water savings projects through Metropolitan’s pay-for-performance “Water Savings Incentive Program.” Grace received her B.S. in Environmental Science with a concentration in Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Natalie Kra – Project Manager, Optima Energy INC

Natalie is a Project Manager at Optima Energy INC. Natalie manages and coordinates Optima Energy’s Nest Thermostat Program. She coordinates energy efficiency upgrades for multi-family residential buildings, helping conserve millions of kWh each month. She specializes in developing and implementing strategies that inspire and mobilize California community members to take action for the environment.

Ariel Russ – Sustainability Initiatives Manager, Macmillon

Ariel is a Sustainability Initiatives Manager at Macmillon, a global publisher of books, textbooks, and digital learning media. Before Macmillan, Ariel was a Sustainability Intern at DanoneWave. She recently earned her Masters of Environmental Management program at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, where she honed her skills in empowering corporations to engage in the appropriate corporate sustainability strategies to minimize environmental and social risks across their supply chains.

Alisha Auringer – Manager of the Environment, LAcarGUY

Alisha is the Manager of the Environment at LAcarGUY. She is also the Director of Sustainability at Sullivan Automitve Group.

Jennifer LaMarque – South Bay Deputy to Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn

Jennifer is the South Bay Deputy to LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn, representing the 4^th district.

Scarlett Tovar – Student Employee, Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County

Scarlett is a Student Employee at Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County, where she conducts public outreach and coordination, special program administration and project management of various activities undertaken by the Public Information Office. She graduated in 2016 with B.S. in Environmental Planning focused in Water Management from U.C. Davis. This December, Scarlett will complete the requirements to obtain a Masters in Geological Sciences focused in Environmental Hydrogeology.

Different Water Issues Requires Diverse Solutions

Water issues can come in different shapes and sizes around the world. In Grades of Green’s Water Campaign, students have the freedom to choose which issues that they want to address and tackle.

As a result, students around the world have been tackling an assortment of water issues in their own way!

Bottega Delle Arti Creative in Rome is a dance school that is addressing Rome’s serious water infrastructure issues. Rome is currently one of the largest water leaking cities in the entire world due to their aging piping infrastructure and lack of funds to address this issue. Through dance, the school is not only bringing awareness if this issue to citizens in Rome, but also to an international audience through online videos and seminars with guests hailing from around the world.

Unity Charter School in Morristown, New Jersey had a huge team of environmentalists this year. They decided to tackle all kinds of water issues based on their students’ interest. One of their students wanted to tackle the water quality issues affecting their beautiful beach. He planned to host communal cleanups along the beach to help his community not only appreciate the beauty of the nature but also respect it by encouraging event-goers to keep the beach beautiful by picking up litter.

St. Roza in Kampala, Uganda has been trying to conserve as much water as possible due to their area’s lack of water infrastructure and their inconsistent rainy and dry seasons. In addition to their newly built well, St. Roza is relying on a series of rain barrels to increase their water conservation efforts to prepare them for the upcoming dry season.

None of this would be possible without the generous help from our sponsors:

– The Boeing Company

– Sanitation District of Los Angeles County

– Long Beach Water Department

– Northrop Grumman

– LAcarGUY

– LA Kings Foundation

– Subaru Pacific

– County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl

– Carton Council

– Downtown Manhattan Beach Business & Professionals Association

– Johnson Ohana Foundation

– West Coast Event Productions

– Grand View PTA

– Optima Energy

– Continental Development

– Klean Kanteen

St. Roza and their Water Campaign

St. Roza, a veteran Grades of Green Team from Uganda and winner of the first Water Campaign, has joined us once again for this semester’s 2018 Water Campaign. The team has made incredible accomplishments in recent years. For the first Campaign, they have installed a water filtration system to maximize water efficiency for their garden. In addition, they used their well-earned prize money from the first Water Campaign to build a 40,000 liter well for their school and their community!

St. Roza’s Grades of Green Team has been looking into ways to solve their community’s water issues. In Uganda, 61% of Ugandans lack access to safe drink water. In addition, the nation’s tropical climate creates distinctive periods of rain and drought- known as wet and dry seasons. This can make water conservation and water quality efforts more difficult to manage. After building their 40,000 liter well, St. Roza has managed to address the water conservation portion and are looking into ways to keep their hard earned water in good quality. Without centralized water infrastructure, people in Uganda have to be creative and resourceful when it comes to safe drinking water.

Water Facts!

Let’s check out a few water facts to learn how to be resourceful with our own water!

1) The average global footprint for daily activities per person is about 3400 liters of water.

2) The average American diet alone uses up about 3785 liters of water a day.

3) Nearly 22% of indoor home water water use comes from doing laundry.

4) 80% of all diseases in developing nations are related to lack of safe water for drinking and sanitation.

5) Activated charcoal is an ingredient used in many water filters. It can absorb nutrients and other chemicals from water sources due to its extremely high surface area.

Do you have any water facts and tips? Share with us on Instagram @gradesofgreen

Hello, my name is Gaby and I am a Junior at Marlborough School in Los Angeles. Last year, I joined Grades of Green and this year I am participating in the Water Campaign. This summer, I had the incredible opportunity to attend the Climate Reality Leadership Conference, which is part of Al Gore’s greater movement to combat Climate Change. There were over 2,000 people in attendance, but less than 100 of them were under the ages of 18; I was so excited to be there!

One remarkable thing about the conference was seeing how much solidarity there was in fighting for the environment. It really gave me a lot of hope and inspired me to find more ways in which I can make an impact. My plans beyond the conference are to make presentations and educate on Climate Change, join my local chapter of Climate Reality leaders, participate in the Grades of Green Water Campaign, learn to use my social media to advocate for environmental change, champion electric cars and solar panels in my school and house, and hopefully plan a smaller scale Climate Change summit for high schoolers in my area.

I know that Climate Change is big and scary, but one of the most important things I learned was that we are the generation that needs to make physical changes to heal our planet.

Here are my top tips for how you can combat Climate Change:

1. Get involved with an environmental club or nonprofit like Grades of Green or Climate Reality.

2. Use public transportation. I use app called “Transit” that helps me find the best routes. And if you need a car, buy and electric or hydrogen option! More and more charging stations are popping up every day.

3. If you are a homeowner, consider installing solar panels. Although they are an upfront cost which can kind of be intimidating, they will eventually save you money!

4.Get a smart thermostat for your house if you don’t already have one.

5. Eat less meat and buy food from your local farmers market.

6. Go to marches and call your local representatives!

7. Educate yourself on Climate Change issues. There are millions of resources at the touch of your fingertips with the help of the internet! Once you know more, share your knowledge with others.

Lets not have Climate Change be taboo any longer. Talk to your friends, family and neighbors about it and share things about it on social media. You have a voice, use it!

If you have any questions, ideas or would like to talk to me further on my experiences Email info@gradesofgreen.org and the Grades of Green team can connect us.

Grades of Green’s Water Campaign was featured in DC Councilmember Todd‘s newsletter. The Water Campaign guides middle and high school students to research a local water issue, develop a solution, and then share that solution with the community to advocate for environmental policy change. Click here to see the article.

Both winning teams from last year’s Water Campaign came from California and encouraged their community to switch to reusable instead of single-use plastic bottles by teaching interactive lessons on the negative impacts of plastic and hosting poster contests. These two schools alone conserved and protected a total of nearly 900,000 gallons of water. Where will this year’s winning team come from and what will they accomplish? Check out our website and social media channels @gradesofgreen this December to find out!

Interested in starting a global movement at your school? Email info@gradesofgreen.org for more information on our global Waste Campaign starting in January 2019!

DC Councilmember Todd’s August 2018 Newsletter

Middle School Grades of Green student leaders Leslie and Mariana from Long Beach, CA wanted to help their school conserve water, so they set out to install a rain barrel on campus to collect rain water! To install a rain barrel, they first had to raise money to purchase the rain barrel. These rockstar students decided to host “Recycling Fridays” to collect bottles and cans to be redeemed for money. Every week, they encouraged their peers and community to bring in their recyclable bottles and cans. After a few months, they eventually raised enough money to purchase their rain barrel and even had extra money to spare, which was used to support the school garden!

Next, Leslie and Mariana wanted to create a sign to educate their campus on the purpose of their rain barrel. Using a free graphic design website called Canva, they were able to create a professional-looking sign that informed their campus of what a rain barrel is and how they conserve water. Way to go Leslie and Mariana!

Interested in implementing a water project, like installing a rain barrel, in your community? Check out Grades of Green’s Water Campaign, and click here to register today!