When their school district passed a resolution to initiate climate action in schools, students and teachers at Turtle Creek Elementary STEAM Academy in Pennsylvania, U.S. jumped into action!
Students from 5th grade formed the Green Team and developed and planned climate action activities for the entire school! The goal of this Alcoa W5 project was to provide opportunities for the entire school to engage in climate action projects focused on green infrastructure, zero waste, and clean energy that would enhance not only the school, but the community as well. They also wanted to reduce the amount of waste (especially paper and plastic) created at the school and in the Turtle Creek Community, provide recycling opportunities, encourage reduction of carbon emissions, and install green infrastructure at the school.
So that’s just what the Green Team did! They set up a recycling programme in all the classrooms, planned and implemented a community clean-up day in the borough of Turtle Creek, and even designed lessons and action projects for younger students to teach them about climate change issues including ocean plastic pollution, the importance of bees, alternative energy sources, recycling and zero waste practices, and water conservation. As part of the project, five new trees were planted on the Turtle Creek Campus, five garden beds were created as part of the learning garden, and two rain barrels were installed. 527 students made seed balls with pollinator friendly seeds and beeswax wraps to reduce waste, while 35 classrooms participated in the school-wide recycling programme.
The actions weren’t just limited to the students and teachers at the Turtle Creek Elementary STEAM Academy however! Parents and school board members helped plant trees and install the garden beds, while community members, including the Turtle Creek mayor and council members joined in for the Turtle Creek clean-up day. Turtle Creek Elementary STEAM Academy also worked with partners from several local climate action organisations including Communitopia, Tree Pittsburgh, Chatham University, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Garden, Rivers of Steel (Environmental Science on the Three Rivers), Planted Bee, National Geographic, Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission, Pennsylvania Resources Council. These collaborations helped create an even more impactful and enriching experience for all those involved. As Katie Modic, the Executive Director of Communitopia expressed,
“Turtle Creek students bring authentic, genuine energy and talent to the movement for climate change solutions. Their efforts set precedent, demonstrate potential, inspire, and literally impact positive change. It's an honor to bear witness to youth developing mindsets and skill sets that change systems for the better. My respect for you and your students is real and everlasting!”
Through their Alcoa W5 project, students learned about multiple strategies to reduce their contributions to climate change at home and at school. By the end of the year, a survey showed that 100% of students responded that they take actions to help reduce climate change.
The Alcoa W5 project of Turtle Creek Elementary STEAM Academy support the following SDGs:
