The Greenie Awards – Honoring Students Working Towards A Sustainable Future

Presented annually at the This Way to Sustainability Conference, the “Greenie Awards” honor students participating in programs that encourage youthful leadership in creating a sustainable future. The awards recognize bright young minds that are aware of emerging issues they may face in the future and the innovative approaches they are pursuing to help resolve those issues.  The awards are presented by the Rawlins Endowed Professorship, in collaboration with the Institute for Sustainable Development at California State University, Chico.

Last year’s award recipients all hailed from Butte County – this year the Greenie’s have expanded to include students from all over the North State. Student projects are judged by conference participants, and awards are given in four age categories:  Elementary, Junior High, High School and Higher Ed. K-12 winners this year will receive small cash prizes ($200, $150 and $100) awarded to help students continue their amazing work. As an additional incentive for 7th and 8th grade students, a field trip to the Forebay Aquatics Center is being offered by the Outdoor Education For All organization, who will provide transportation for a day of outdoor science learning, water safety tips, and fun.

Last year’s recipient’s in the K-6 category were the Notre Dame School Eco Club in Chico for their study and handling of composting worms. Club members take care of the worms located in Mary’s Garden, the school’s student snack area.  They also teach their fellow classmates about the worms and their ability to transform food into nutrient rich castings used to feed the plants in the garden. A close second place was awarded to Ian Roye, a Chico Country Day School 2nd grader, who, after watching the movie Turtle: The Epic Journey, was so moved that he passionately explained to the school’s main office that he wanted to do a project which entailed placing a recycle container in the office to collect plastic bags.  They agreed, and there is now a recycle container in the office with a “Save the Oceans” sign on it along with instructions on how students can bring plastic bags from home that previously may have gone in the garbage.

Sherwood Montessori School in Chico was the recipient in the Grades 7-8 category for their published cookbook Grow Cook Eat, written by and for elementary and middle school children as part of the school’s garden-kitchen program. Learning where food comes from and how to grow, prepare and then enjoy it is at the heart of this cookbook’s purpose. The book features 20 fun recipes, color photos, and even a math problem (how many teaspoons are in 5 gallons?!).

AP Environmental Science students at Chico’s Inspire School of the Arts and Sciences received first place in the Grades 9-12 category for their effort to create a larger and more permanent composting program. The students designed and built an enclosure for compost piles, and researched how to make it successful. It utilizes food scraps, weeds from campus, and grass trimmings from the field; the resulting compost is used for a school garden created by Inspire’s Environmental Club. Las Plumas High School in Oroville was also recognized for their “Meet Me at the Salad Bar” project.  To increase access to healthy fruits and vegetables, students raised and sold vegetable starts for school and community gardens, and engaged future food-literate children by implementing a Kids Farmer’s Market and sharing nutrition education.

Student groups will have the opportunity to display their projects from 9-11am on Friday, March 25th followed by the awards ceremony between 11-11:30am in the Bell Memorial Union Auditorium. Learn more at http://www.csuchico.edu/sustainablefuture/conference or call (530) 898-3333.