6-12th Grade Everglades

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CHAMPIONS IN ACTION
Project Stories

See below for our 6-12th Grade Everglades Champions in Action Project Stories.

No More Styrofoam

Students at Key Largo School in Monroe County, FL chose the problem of Styrofoam lunch trays in their cafeteria as the issue they wanted to tackle in order to help improve water quality. They thoroughly researched all the policies and practices around the use of Styrofoam, including the economics of alternatives. They then prepared a presentation to the Monroe County School Board to ask for approval to eliminate Styrofoam trays at their school. Their presentation was so convincing that the school board created a new districtwide policy that eliminates Styrofoam at all schools in Monroe County. Beginning in the 2024-2025 school year, Monroe County School District will NO longer use styrofoam lunch trays in any of the schools.

They will now use the recycled paper trays.

Tackling Water Quality

Students in Wilson Middle School’s Agriscience Program in Tampa, FL wanted to find a way to promote more sustainable community practices that would result in improved water quality in Hillsborough Bay. Their research led them to the value oysters have in improving water quality and the decline in local oyster populations. Working with numerous organizations, local restaurants, homeowners, and local government, they have created the Vertical Oyster Garden (V.O.G.) for Every Dock program. Students have created a local pick-up station for homeowners to receive a free V.O.G. by scanning a QR code and completing a simple application. Students can then track the success of the V.O.G. installations throughout their community. Local restaurants are supplying the oyster shells to make each V.O.G. as well as placing informational placards on each table to inform patrons about the program. These students are working to improve water quality and community involvement one V.O.G. at a time!

Visit their project website to learn more at:

Wilson Estuary Program - EVERGLADES LITERACY

Native Butterfly Corridors

As Everglades Champions in Action School, the goal of students at the Community School of Naples in Collier County was to create a native butterfly corridor by planting 100 native plant gardens in their community. One of their strategies was to sell bundles with host and nectar plants to families who committed to planting a garden, but beyond that, educate these families about best practices. They wanted to encourage individuals to purchase native plants from reputable nurseries and to avoid using chemicals. This project engaged the community in creating native habitat in their own yards and in promoting the role of healthy, native habitat in the Everglades. These students shared best practices and planting guides in newsletters, on their CSN Native Butterfly Corridor website: CSN Native Butterfly Corridor, and in personal conversations with all community participants.