Photo: Credit Grades of Green/Grand View Elementary with Eco Grant
In 2017, I was called upon to be a judge in a water conservation challenge held globally by Grades of Green. What an absolutel pleasure to see schools worldwide compete and share their ideas on water conservation projects! I was struck by the commitment of the students and Grades of Green staff and I wondered, how could the Sierra Club participate? Lo and behold, one year later after lobbying the Executive Branch of the Chapter, the Angeles Chapter became an E Green Hero Partner to Grades of Green, able to donate prize monies to schools to invest in their communities and complete their water conservation project anywhere in the world!
GRADES OF GREEN is changing the course of the future by instilling environmental values in students today. GOG wrote: The Grades of Green Water Campaign has officially ended and the winners have been announced – thank you for supporting the program. We are grateful to the Sierra Club for your involvement in bringing this program to life!
Photo: Courtesy of Grades of Green/student in GoG class
Thanks to your support, this past semester, 530 student leaders from 36 cities and 8 countries conserved 9.8+ million gallons of water, educated over 42,000 community members about water protection, and created local solutions that will have impacts for years to come!
Photo credit: Grades of Green/Malezi Community Centre Green Team
The Water Campaign was a huge success. As one Campaign Team said:
“We gained a greater appreciation for water as a natural resource and learned valuable leadership skills to teach others about issues affecting our environment. The opportunity to lead others in meaningful action provided our group with the experience to tackle future issues and challenges affecting our community.”
While all of our Campaign Teams achieved amazing things, we are excited to announce the winners, who will receive eco-grants to sustain their water solutions.
The 2018 Water Campaign Winners are:
Grand Prize Winner ($1,000 Eco-Grant)
Columbus Tustin MS - Tustin, CA (Watch winning video)
Best Elementary Impact ($500 Eco-Grant)
Grand View Elementary - Manhattan Beach CA
Best Alumni GOG Team ($500 Eco-Grant)
Malezi Community Centre - Nairobi, Kenya
Best Community Changemakers ($500 Eco-Grant)
South Junior HS - Anaheim, CA (Watch winning video)
Best Innovative Idea ($500 Eco-Grant)
South Bay Team - South Bay, CA (Watch winning video)
Thank you to Grades of Green for allowing the Angeles Chapter Water Committee to participate 2 years running in the Global Water Campaign Challenge, and thank you to the Angeles Chapter Executive Committee for believing and sharing my vision of a beautiful partnership with GOG.