Project Summaries
Finalists
*Conscious CafeteriaTeam: Lori Saxena, Caroline Lerner, Caroline Gershmanm, Alexandra Fitzgerald, Reilly Carter, Anna Hallac This team will address the problem that livestock agriculture produces around a half of all man-made emissions by encouraging consciously raised and locally sourced food through an awareness campaign and by building a hydroponic gardening system to grow lettuce for their school cafeteria. |
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*H20MGTeam: Amy Zapata This team will raise awareness about lead levels in the water in the Yonkers Middle High School and finding a solution to provide safe, clean drinking water without resorting to plastic water bottles. By meeting with administrators, using social media, and contacting the media, this team will push for solutions such as the installation of new water fountains that filter lead with water bottle refilling features. When the machine is installed, the team will not only bring awareness to the lead problem, but will also have created a plastic-free solution for people refill water bottles. |
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*Change the World One Meal At a TimeTeam: Peter Nicholas and RCDS Environmental Club To address the problem of factory farming and the pollution and waste of resources it produces, this team will work to raise awareness through social media, a poster campaign and a school-wide “eat vegan” competition to get participants to decrease the amount of meat they eat. |
![]() photo by Sherry Wolf |
*Reusable Water Bottle Campaign and EducationTeam: Ella Weinstein, Naomi Listokin, Ryan Marder, and Andrew Leibowitz This environmental club aims to decrease the amount of plastic waste on campus by increasing awarenss about plastic bottles with a “Harvey Green Education Program,” holding a contest, giving presentations, selling reusable water bottles. They have already started the process with their school administration for approval to purchase and to have the school install a water bottle refilling machine to change the plastic bottle culutre and increase reusable water bottle use in their school. |
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*Straw FreeTeam: Marjory Lopez, Alva Crisostomo, Mireyli Morales, Karen Carchipulla, Melany Hernandez, Melany Giron, Josh Ortiz, Rudy Perez, Daniel Rojas It’s estimated that 500 million straws are used in the United States every day and this plastic pollution endangeres our wildlife and human beings as well. This team will address the number of plastic straws that are used at Fox Lane High School and reduce that number of straws used and disposed of with signs, tabling and social media, shocking statistics, a pledge, and incentives. |
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*Worm WarriorsTeam: Sophia Trejo, Nataly Naranjo, Lesli Rodriguez, Daisy Quijada, Eric Sagastume, Heber Perez, Renzo Romero, Amy Guerra, Ariana-Jade Ford, Vanessa Lopez This team will encourage the community at Mount Kisco Elementary School to become more aware of the importance of composting and will also produce compost for the school garden. This team creates worm composting bins and delivers them to classrooms at MKES. They talk about composting with the classes and teach the teachers and the students how to care for the worms who make compost. They have created a “how to” sheet in English and Spanish for the teachers and students and want to continue this initiative to teach families about vermicomposting. Their project will decrease food waste at MKES and turn it into a useful product that can help grow food. |
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*Zero Waste LunchTeam: Anna McDonald This team will address the problem of food waste and packaging waste by encouraging Chatsworth Elementary students to pack environmetnally friendly lunches and reduce leftover food waste. The team has already established a relationship with the elementary school and permission to work with students. The team will create a video, do classroom presentations and work with student leaders and the PTA to promote the initaitive and will ultimately see less waste from school lunch. |
![]() photo by Sherry Wolf |
Additional Round One Proposals
Cleaning Up YonkersTeam: Citlalli Rojas, Evelyn Rios, Marla Wilson, Gabrielle Feliciano This project addresses the growing environmental problem of plastic bags. This team will implement an education campaign in schools and throughout the communtiy to gain support for legislation to put a fee or ban on plastic bags in the City of Yonkers. They plan to continue to get signatures on a petition they initiatied this summer, create a website as a resource, and paint a wall mural. |
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Digital Food BankTeam: Chris Picerni Mark Stevens Rashad Panton This team will create an app to assist people in donating and receiving food from area food banks. |
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JUSTWATER.Team: Linda Zhang, Maggie Li This team plans to reduce student purchases of plastic water bottles by encouraging an eco-friendly alternative – Just Water cartons of water – to reduce plastic pollution and carbon emissions. They plan to do this through an education and outreach campaign and by offering incentives. |
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Nature GuardiansTeam: Rishabh Vuthamaraju, Evan Kistner, Michael Kistner, JonathanFrantz This team plans to make a gaming app that will teach people about the effects of their actions on the environment and suggest behavior changes for a greener planet. |
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Ossining Beach ProjectTeam: Andrea Doble, Brendan Gotay, Brandon Jones This team wants to gain public support for opening of Ossining Beach for swimming in the Hudson River. They plan to bring awareness to this initiative through signs, presentations, a swim pledge, and addressing issues of concern such as littering. |
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Paul RunsTeam: Bryce BT, Bryce W, Michael M, Lucas G, & Shane D. This team proposes to create an app to inspire people to go outside and enjoy nature and become more aware of carbon emissions. |
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Reducing Emissions Through CarpoolingTeam: Zach Eichenberg This team will work to reduce carbon emissions due to transportation to and from Greeley. By surveying the student body they will develop incentives and strategies to encourage walking and carpooling where possible. They anticipate using an app called GoKid to help coordinate carpooling among students. |
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Smart BatteriesTeam: Mark, Oscar, Lucas, John, Tejas and Max This team proposes to encourage people to adopt renewable energy, like solar panels, in their homes. |
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Soil SaversTeam: Tom Ye, Keegan Li This team wants to address unhealthy lawn ecosystems in Chappaqua. They propose to increase the use of eco-friendly lawn care, including mulching and composting by installing and maintaining landscape compost bins for the community to add to or take from, promoting the free mulch already available to residents, and conducting soil tests to prove mulching is good for landscapes. |
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Solar Powered Battery ChargerTeam: Jackson Andrew, Chris Walsh This team plans to invent a product that recharges batteries using solar power and to ultimately give a presentation about their invention to promote this kind of renewable energy for both the environment and the economy. |
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Solar Cell StationTeam: Sydney Aronson, Sarah Antunes, Jordan Sandell This team proposes to create solar charging stations for cell phones to install in the cafeteria at JJHS. This will demonstrate renewable energy right in the school while saving fossil fuel energy. |
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Straight Outta CompostTeam: Eleanor Lynch, Riley Card, Mia Scott, Gregory Caesar, Luca Sonne Using print posters and outreach and holding and event called Greeley Composting Week, this team will sell compost kits and inspire New Castle and Greeley students to start composting to decrease food waste and promote green habits like gardening. |
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