Project Summaries

Finalists

*Conscious Cafeteria Team: Lori Saxena, Caroline Lerner, Caroline Gershmanm, Alexandra Fitzgerald, Reilly Carter, Anna Hallac School: Horace Greeley High School Advisor: MaryRose Joseph 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.
*H20MG Team: Amy Zapata School: Yonkers Middle High School Advisor: Jacob Schofield, YPIE 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.
*Change the World One Meal At a Time Team: Peter Nicholas and RCDS Environmental Club School: Rye Country Day School Advisor: Kerry Linderoth 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 Education Team: Ella Weinstein, Naomi Listokin, Ryan Marder, and Andrew Leibowitz School: The Harvey School Advisor: Alexandra Matthews 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.
*Straw Free Team: Marjory Lopez, Alva Crisostomo, Mireyli Morales, Karen Carchipulla, Melany Hernandez, Melany Giron, Josh Ortiz, Rudy Perez, Daniel Rojas School: Fox Lane High School Advisor: Anita Rivera 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.
*Worm Warriors Team: Sophia Trejo, Nataly Naranjo, Lesli Rodriguez, Daisy Quijada, Eric Sagastume, Heber Perez, Renzo Romero, Amy Guerra, Ariana-Jade Ford, Vanessa Lopez School: Fox Lane High School Advisor: Anita Rivera 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.
*Zero Waste Lunch Team: Anna McDonald School: Mamaroneck High School Advisor: Katy Andersen, Chatsworth Elementary Principal 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 Yonkers Team: Citlalli Rojas, Evelyn Rios, Marla Wilson, Gabrielle Feliciano School: Yonkers Public Schools Advisor: Jake Schofield 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.
Digital Food Bank Team: Chris Picerni Mark Stevens Rashad Panton School: John Jay High School Advisor: Steven Zoeller This team will create an app to assist people in donating and receiving food from area food banks.
JUSTWATER. Team: Linda Zhang, Maggie Li School: Horace Greeley High School Advisor: Joseph Montuori 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.
Nature Guardians Team: Rishabh Vuthamaraju, Evan Kistner, Michael Kistner, JonathanFrantz School: John Jay High School Advisor: Steven Zoeller 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.
Ossining Beach Project Team: Andrea Doble, Brendan Gotay, Brandon Jones School: Ossining High School Advisor: Arthur Carlucci 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.
Paul Runs Team: Bryce BT, Bryce W, Michael M, Lucas G, & Shane D. School: John Jay High School Advisor: Steven Zoeller This team proposes to create an app to inspire people to go outside and enjoy nature and become more aware of carbon emissions.
Reducing Emissions Through Carpooling Team: Zach Eichenberg School: Horace Greeley High School Advisor: MaryRose Joseph 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.
Smart Batteries Team: Mark, Oscar, Lucas, John, Tejas and Max School: John Jay High School Advisor: Zoeller This team proposes to encourage people to adopt renewable energy, like solar panels, in their homes.
Soil Savers Team: Tom Ye, Keegan Li School: Horace Greeley High School Advisor: MaryRose Joseph 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.
Solar Powered Battery Charger Team: Jackson Andrew, Chris Walsh School: John Jay High School Advisor: Steven Zoeller 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.
Solar Cell Station Team: Sydney Aronson, Sarah Antunes, Jordan Sandell School: John Jay High School Advisor: Steven Zoeller 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.
Straight Outta Compost Team: Eleanor Lynch, Riley Card, Mia Scott, Gregory Caesar, Luca Sonne School: Horace Greeley High School Advisor: MaryRose Joseph 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.

The Bedford 2020 Greenlight Award Round One Expo was an inspiring event on Saturday! With 19 teams from 8 high schools showcasing their green behavior-change ideas, the teams demonstrated just the kind of innovation, passion, and leadership that we need in our world for a sustainable future!

Bedford 2020 will fund the 7 highest-scoring projects and help connect them with expert support as they carry out their plans.

The finalists will present their results on April 8^th at the final event in the Hayloft at Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in Pocantico Hills. The best-executed projects will win the Greenlight Award and cash prizes.

Thank you to the students, faculty, judges, volunteers, Bedford Central School District and Curtis Instruments for your participation and support!  Thank you to our photographer, Sherry  Wolf for most of the photos that follow.

Congratulations 2018-2019 Finalists

Conscious Cafeteria, Horace Greeley High School

H20MG, Yonkers Middle High School

Change the World one Meal at a Time, Rye Country Day School

Reusable Water Bottle Campaign and Education, The Harvey School

Straw Free, Fox Lane High School

Worm Warriors, Fox Lane High School

Zero Waste Lunch, Mamaroneck High School

Click here to read summaries of all the projects
and to see photos from Round One.

Kathryn Perry, Sara Goddard, Kevin Brenner

THANK YOU!

Thank you students for your hard work and participation.

Thank you Judges!

• Kevin Brenner, President of Healthy Home Energy and Consulting
• Sara Goddard, Rye City Council Member and Founder of Friends of Rye Sustainability
• Anne Jaffe-Holmes, Director of Programs at Federated Conservationists of Westchester County
• Laura Kaplan, President of Rustics Garden Club
  

  Vinoj Siva, Veronique Pittman, and Anne Jaffe-Holmes

• Peter McCartt, Westchester County Director of Energy Conservation and Sustainability
• Chris Perry, Rippowam Cisqua teacher and 9th grade Dean
• Kathryn Perry, Rippowam Cisqua teacher
• Veronique Pittman, Green Schools Alliance and Bedford 2020 Advisory Board
• Vinoj Siva, Manufacturing Engineer at Curtis Instruments

Click here to see the scoring criteria the judges used to score the projects at Round One.

Thank you to BCSD for hosting the Round One Event.

Thank you to our sponsor Curtis Instruments!

Chris Perry, Laura Kaplan, Midge Iorio, and Peter McCartt

Mark your calendar for the Final event on April 8th at Stone Barns!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

High school students representing eight Westchester schools will be competing on Saturday, December 15th, in the fourth annual Round One of the Greenlight Award.

The Greenlight Award is a contest that challenges high school students to lead a project to get people to change their behavior in a way that benefits the environment. Students pitch to a local environmental group, Bedford 2020, which selects the best ideas to fund and support. The most impactful team wins a cash prize at a final event in April.

During Round One, students come up with a behavior-change solution to an environmental problem in their community. In the past green ideas have included: an education campaign to discourage car idling, an incentive program for recycling, and a system to facilitate rainwater harvesting.

Round One contestants meet with community stakeholders, professionals and sustainability experts to assess the feasibility of their idea; write a proposal that includes a budget and project timeline; and teams pitch their idea and field questions from judges who are community leaders.

“The Greenlight Award program engages student participants in ways that encourage them to be innovators, project managers, and community leaders,” says Stuart Marwell, CEO of Curtis Instruments, corporate sponsor of this year’s Greenlight Award program. “We are looking forward to hearing their ideas and supporting these future environmental leaders.”

Up to seven teams advance to the Finals after Round One, and each team receives up to $1,000 in seed funding to carry out their project. The finalists continue to gain real world experience as they a lead a community-based initiative, problem-solve and measure their impact.

“Increasingly in the business and nonprofit world, ‘metrics’ are required to prove success, “according to Olivia Farr, chair of the Greenlight Award Steering Committee, “At the final event in April, students will show data to prove they changed at least 20 people’s behavior at least 20 times as they compete for the Greenlight Award and a $500 prize.”

On Saturday, nineteen teams will showcase their proposals at the Round One Expo at Fox Lane Middle School in Bedford from 9:00am until 11:00am. The event is free and open to the public to come visit the displays and ask the contestants questions about their big green ideas from 9am to 11am. Finalists and their funding grants will be announced the week of December 17.

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Bedford 2020 is a non-profit organization leading a grassroots effort in the Town of Bedford, NY to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 20% by 2020 and to create a sustainable community that conserves natural resources. The Greenlight Award is a project of Bedford 2020 that engages students countywide in environmental innovation and leadership. More information is available at www.Bedford2020.org.

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All student teams must sign on a faculty advisor at their school.  The faculty advisor offers feedback and helps with communication between students and Bedford 2020. We welcome advisors to remind students about resources and deadlines, attend the Round One Event and the Finals, and help students get attention from stakeholders and the school community.

We greatly appreciate the support of the faculty advisors for our inspiring Greenlight Award leaders. Thank you!

Dear Faculty Advisors…

Above is a letter for all Faculty Advisors to read and print, describing the ways in which advisors are expected to support students throughout the contest, as well as the many ways Bedford 2020 provides support.

For information about promoting the contest to students, go to our General Faculty Resources page.

Please contact us if you have any questions.

Finalists and Faculty Mentors at the 2017 Final Event

Resources for Greenlight Competitors are found in the Toolkit on the Greenlight web page

In addition to the many opportunities for feedback and help, the Greenlight Award Toolkit has forms, inspiration and resources for participants. Deadlines for this years contest are found under the Summary of the Competition in the Toolkit.

Congratulations, you are one step closer to becoming a Changemaker!

To be a part of the Greenlight Award Competition, please submit this form by October 26th. If you don’t have all the information yet, that’s ok, we just want to know you’re interested at this point!

Once we know you are interested and have your contact info, we will send you reminders and updates via Remind.com. If you have any questions, email Bedford 2020.

Greenlight Award Intent to Participate 2018-2019

Greenlight Award Intent to Participate 2018-2019

The Changemaker 2020 competition is on! We are looking forward to hearing your big green ideas. Please sign up here to participate, and we will be sure to keep you in the loop about upcoming meetings, new materials and to help if you need it.

If you are human, leave this field blank.

Project or Group Name *

You may change this as you develop your idea further, but let us know how we should refer to your team or project.

School *

Which best describes the structure of your team?

Individuals (team of 1-4 people)

Club (group recognized by school, assigned club advisor, meets regularly)

Other

1. What environmental issue will you likely address with your project? *

Please address an environmental issue within the community.

This issue falls under which climate action category?

Energy Efficiency and Use

Water Efficiency and Use

Chemical Use

Local and Sustainable Food

Composting

Transportation & Emissions

Waste Reduction and Management

Other

What behavior do you want to get people to change and what is your idea to get them to change? *

Your idea could include scientific or technological solutions, education/awareness (through art, persuasion, film, etc), policy and influence, research and reporting, grassroots action, or a combination of any of these (or others).

Who in the community will you reach? *

Will you implement your project and see behavior change within your school, neighborhood, congregation, among local businesses, or other?

Faculty Advisor Name (first and last) *

Faculty Advisor Email *

Student 1 Name (first and last) *

Student 1 Phone Number (for text messages) *

We will use Remind.com to send you reminders and updates

Student 1 Email Address *

Student 1 Alternate Email Address (home, parent, or other)

At least one student on your team should provide an additional email address because the school email systems often reject our Bedford 2020 emails and we want to make sure your team stays in the loop. Thank you.

Student 1 Grade * 9 10 11 12

Student 2 Name (first and last)

Student 2 Email Address

Student 2 Alternate Email Address (home, parent, or other)

Student 2 Phone Number

Student 2 Grade Option 1 11 10 9

Student 3 Name (first and last)

Student 3 Email Address

Student 3 Phone Number

Student 3 Grade Option 1 11 10 9

Please add additional student names below

If additional students would like to receive text messages or emails, please also include them in the text box above. Thanks.

October 27th: Sign up to participate

• Complete the Intent to Participate form. 
• Receive information and updates by joining a group chat.
• Click here for “how to get started.”

November 1: Attend Incubator Workshop at Harvey

• Participants meet with community experts, refine the direction of their project and learn about available resources and Round 1 requirements.

December 1: Project Proposal Form Due

• This will be reviewed in advance by the Round 1 judges.

December 7: Power Point Presentation Due

• Presentations must be submitted in advance via Dropbox for Round 1.

December 9: Round 1 at John Jay High School

• Present before panel of judges. Students have 3 minutes to present and judges have 3 minutes to ask questions.

After Round 1

• Finalists are selected to receive project seed-funding up to $1,000 and will have access to community experts to develop and pilot their ideas.

January 11: Incubator Workshop for Finalists at Rippowam Cisqua Upper School

• Participants meet with community experts again to “hatch” their projects, receive training on data collection, and learn more about Finals requirements. Students receive one point on final presentation for attending this workshop.
• Participants sign a Seed Funding Agreement and obtain info about how to get pre-approval for expenses and seed funding. Click here for purchase order.

March 7: Mid-Way Report Due online

• Finalists submit report on the status of their project. Click here. Students earn one point on final score for timely submission of this mid-way report before midnight on March 7, 2018.

Finalists, click here for Finals Overview, Tips and Timeline

April 26: Final Presentation Practice and upload by April 29

• Final Report and Power Point Presentations. Students will earn one point towards their final score for on-time submission of the final report and presentation before midnight on April 29, 2018. Link to submit audio or visual materials for final presentation here.
• Students will earn one point for practicing their presentation with a faculty member (and having the faculty member email us that they did this prior to submission of Final presentation. Aim to do this by April 26 so you have time to make suggested changes before the Power Point is due by midnight on April 29.

May 1st: Final Round at 6:30pm at the Bedford Playhouse

• Completed projects are presented at a community-wide Shark Tank event and Greenlight Award winner is selected. Click here for SCORE-IT score sheet.
• Student presentations should be no longer than 5 minutes.
• Student arrive by 6:15PM. You will be giving a presentation on stage before an audience.
• Everyone who attends will be entered into our raffle to win prizes from area stores and restaurants.  Please invite friends and family!
• The winning team receives $500 cash prize! Runner up $250 prize.
• Students and faculty mentors are asked to come up on stage at the end of the event for photos and a short reception with the judges. All participants are presented with a certificate or recognition from Westchester County.
• All finalists are celebrated and press release with project results and photos sent to media.

Return to the Toolkit

Download the app GroupMe and click below to join the group me chat for your school:

• JJHS 
• FLHS
• Harvey
• RCS
• Greeley

We will send out information and reminders this way. Thanks!

Students meeting with faculty and community experts to develop project proposals.

About Greenlight

We are looking for students who want to make a difference.  This year’s theme, Changemaker 2020, is a behavioral change challenge.  There are many ways to tackle environmental problems and we need many solutions to drive change. We hope students and faculty from all subjects will get involved.

Who should participate?

Students who care about the environment, want to make a difference, and want to experience leadership, teamwork, public speaking, and drive to create something to use in a real-world experience. These are key skills to learn, apply, and add to a college application.

Students designed anti-idling signs and ran awareness and incentive campaign at Horace Greeley High School.

How?

Choose any behavior people aren’t already doing – recycling, taking the bus, turning off lights (there are lists of hundreds of behaviors that are better for the environment) and then do something to get people to act that way.  Students may develop any project to create awareness, inspire or otherwise cause change, and use this project to accomplish behavior change by the Finals in April.

• Policy/Government – drive change with a new rule
• Marketing/Film/Art/Photography — inspire change with a message
• Science/Tech/Entrepreneurship – help people change with an invention/solution
• Writing/Tech – instruct and make it easier to change with resources or events
• Marketing – promote change or promote a product that causes change
• Activism – drive change through grassroots organizing

Bedford 2020 encourages teamwork and multi-disciplinary approaches to tackle problems in our community. We offer resources on our website, at workshops, and in the way of funding, community expert mentors, and public relations outreach. To see more resources for students, please visit the Greenlight Toolkit.

Please Promote Greenlight

Please announce this opportunity to your classes.

If you know of students who would be interested in or would benefit from this program, please encourage them to check out the website and sign up online to participate.

• Click here for a flyer to share with students.
• Click here for the 2018-2019 Kickoff Presentation (4.5 minutes) to show to your classes. (if Vimeo is blocked by your school firewall, try this version). 
• Click here for the faculty packet. This contains a flyer, 1/2 page handout, sample proposal form, and info about being a faculty advisor.

If you have been asked  to be a faculty advisor, click here for more information.

Please contact us with any questions.

2016-2017 Greenlight Award Competition – Solid Waste Ideas! from Bedford 2020 on Vimeo.