Champions of the Environment
Project Ideas
Water | Air | Land | Cross-Training
Water
- Start a septic tank maintenance program to minimize human health risks from untreated sewage and educate
people about the environmental pollution caused by failing septic tanks.
- Implement a storm drain marking program to raise awareness about nonpoint source pollution.
- Establish a campaign to pick up pet waste to reduce impacts to water resources and human health. Run a materials search for “pet waste” through DHEC’s Polluted Runoff Outreach Toolbox and EPA’s Nonpoint Source Outreach Toolbox.
- Install a rain garden or rain barrel at your school and include an outreach campaign encouraging rain garden and rain barrel installation at home.
- Implement a water efficiency/conservation campaign to raise awareness about the connection between water and energy use.
Air
- Implement anti-idling policies at your school for buses, carpoolers, and delivery vehicles. Purchase and erect "No Idling" signs around school reinforcing anti-idling policy. Generate outreach materials so that people will understand and support the anti-idling policies.
- Build an information kiosk for air quality lessons for students, and information for parents to learn about different air quality topics
- Establish a Safe Routes to School Program to encourage children to be more active and reduce air pollution.
- Plant (native) trees and shrubs around your school to help reduce the effects of air pollution. Include an outreach component to educate students about the project. Consider options such as xeriscaping.
- Start a carpool or vanpool program at school to reduce traffic and improve air quality.
- Work with your community to assist in holding a Lawn Mower Exchange event.
- Host a poster/calendar contest to educate students, parents, and faculty about air quality issues.
- Develop an outreach campaign that educates students, parents, and faculty on where our air pollution comes from and the possible health effects.
- Find out if your community could work with you on establishing an open burning awareness campaign.
- Provide information to students and their families on using greener products at home to reduce pollutants.
- Develop a campaign to increase awareness among teachers, students, and parents regarding the availability of the ozone forecast via Twitter or EnviroFlash.
- Establish a school flag program to help on-campus audiences become aware of the ozone forecast for the next day during ground-level ozone season.
Land
- Purchase supplies needed for any of the Action for a Cleaner Tomorrow lessons.
- Start a school recycling program. Purchase recycling bins for classrooms, break rooms, and media centers. Install outdoor recycling collection containers to consolidate all the material collected from the classroom, etc.
- Before you start a recycling program, make sure a hauler will collect it from the school or volunteers will take it to a recycling drop-off site.
- Learn more in the “Recycling: A Guide for South Carolina Schools.”
- Go green in your school’s backyard through the SC Smart Gardener Program.
- Buy composting bins (outdoor bins or student-built classroom worm bins for inside) and all necessary supplies to implement a composting program by collecting food scraps from the cafeteria. It is important to follow guidelines as outlined in “Composting: A Guide for South Carolina Schools.”
- Start a beautification/anti-littering project that includes outreach/education (students develop marketing campaign, produce TV spots for their school's morning television) or participate in actual pick-up projects (gloves, safety vests, bags would be needed).
- Pay for materials or supplies to implement projects that help your school establish or sustain itself as a SC Green Steps School.
- South Carolina students can learn about the environment by exploring areas of interest beyond what is offered in the curriculum through participation in an environmental club. The “Environmental Clubs: A Guide for South Carolina Schools” provides tips and resources to get started.
Cross-Training
Some environmental projects can also have health benefits. For example:
- A school garden project can teach students about the benefits of sustainable gardening practices and healthy eating.
- An anti-idling project can reduce air pollution and respiratory problems.
- A pet waste campaign can reduce impacts to water resources and human health
You can combine grants to work on these cross-training projects. For more information about grants that protect or promote health among K-12 students and teachers, visit the All-Health Team and the South Carolina Healthy Schools web pages
Please visit the How To Apply page to electronically submit your Champions’ grant application