Jefferson-Houston School, Mount Vernon Community School PTA, and Cora Kelly School in partnership with UpCycle Creative Reuse Center, were recognized at this year's Alexandria Earth Day Celebration as the winners of the ACTion Alexandria Green Ideas Challenge. Through this community competition, these schools will receive funding to turn their ideas into reality. A total of $5,000 will be awarded for these projects thanks to a grant from the Dominion Foundation.
(Green Ideas Challenge winners were recognized at the Alexandria Earth Day Celebration)
Winning ideas are geared towards providing opportunities for students and community members to interact with and learn more about the environment.
Kindergarteners at Cora Kelly School will receive hands-on experience with reuse and recycling through a conservation unit taught by local nonprofit, Upcycle Creative Reuse Center, while Jefferson-Houston School plans to create an innovative, outdoor learning environment through its new children’s garden and Outdoor Classroom.
To help educate students and the public about the importance of the water cycle, Mount Vernon Community School plans to install a series of signs, in both English and Spanish, illustrating how clean groundwater relates to the health of the environment. Signs will be placed near the new rain garden.
One community member had this to say about the future water cycle signs, “With water shortages affecting the West, clean water for drinking and growing foods is a topic that affects us all. I applaud Susan and her team of volunteers in making the MVCS playground not just a place for fun, but also for learning about our environment and what we can do to preserve it.”
These projects will all be completed within the next year and will impact thousands of community members. Thank you to all of the participants in the Green Ideas Challenge and congratulations to the winners!
To see all of this year's submissions, please visit: http://www.actionalexandria.org/challenge/green-ideas-challenge-2015