Student Showcase 2011

Student Showcase (formerly known as Project Recharge) projects are student-led ventures that help further Climate Cycle’s mission of inspiring students to green our world. Designed for students seeking to take their eco-imaginations to the next frontier, the Student Showcase ventures can incorporate any combination of science, math, literature, music, art, or community outreach into projects that address the climate crisis.

The purpose of the Student Showcase is to share climate solutions with the Climate Cycle community, cultivate leadership and communication skills among students who are passionate about addressing climate change, and highlight Climate Cycle schools as leaders in sustainability education.

Al Raby High School
From Energy Stars to Educators – Go Green Kids!

Students in the EnergyStars after school program audited the school’s energy use and worked to decrease energy consumption and waste. They  created a children’s book (which includes games and activities) with the lessons and tips they learned. These books will be shared with 18 nearby elementary schools, and they will collect data on their impact.

Armstrong Elementary
Pollution Revolution

Students created presentations to educate other students at their school about pollution. They challenged students and staff to reduce their carbon footprints and collected data on actions being taken.

Curie Metro High School
Turn OFF the Lights –> Become a Solar Panel

Students created an energy reduction campaign to save 60,000 kWh by the end of 2011. They are accomplishing this by turning computers off, replacing broken sensors, implementing “Blackout Fridays,” which are days where classrooms with windows do not use lights.

Lincoln Park High School
Solar Trek: The Next Generation: Learning how to Build Solar Panels

Students learned about how solar panels work and assembled mini panels for demonstration. These panels are placed in science classrooms throughout the school to power small appliances such as fans.

Perspectives IIT/Math & Science Academy
The Worm Factor

Students created compost worm bins to reduce the amount of organic waste being thrown out. They seek to create more healthy, nutritious soil for gardens and prairies in their school community and prevent the waste from entering landfills.

Polaris Charter Academy – WINNER
Ward 27 Recycling Website

Students learned that some wards do not have curbside recycling and developed a website to explain how people can recycle without curbside recycling which is linked to their alderman’s website. They surveyed their families to understand why some do not recycle and developed recommendations based on this data.

Walter Payton College Prep High School
Idling- A Silent Epidemic

Students decreased air pollution by encouraging parents to turn off their engines while waiting in the car for their children. The distributed informational “tickets” to idling cars and collected data on the effectiveness of their efforts.

Waters Elementary
Save a Watt! Don’t Kill a Watt!

Students investigated energy used by common electric appliances and then created recommendations on how to decrease the amount of energy used through alternative appliances and use reduction.