LANCASTER, NY--(Marketwire - Apr 22, 2011) - Ecology and Environment, Inc. (E & E) (
- Overall Winner: Goddard High School - Goddard, Kansas
- Overall Runner Up: Verde Valley School - Sedona, Arizona
- K-5 Winner: The Dwight School - New York, New York
- Grades 6-8 Winner: The St. Ann School - West Palm Beach, Florida
- Grades 9-12 Winner: Pavilion Central School - Pavilion, New York
All of our winners will be featured on our Project Earth Web site (www.projectearth.net) and also entered into the global World Environment Day Contest.
Overall Winner Goddard High School in Goddard, Kansas, is recognized for its Celebrate Earth event that empowers high school biology and ecology students to share their knowledge of environmental issues with 4th and 5th graders throughout the school district. This event included demonstration booths, static displays, and games focused on environmental and biological concepts. Celebrate Earth also involved six hands-on classroom lab experiences facilitated by high school students on topics ranging from simulating the cleanup of an oil spill, to building a watershed, to leading a game of predator-prey relationships.
"Goddard High School is delighted to receive this award from Project Earth," stated Denise Scribner, teacher of biology and ecology at Goddard High School. "I am particularly proud that our project empowers high school students to share what they have learned in ecology class with younger students. This project demonstrates that high school students have become environmentally literate citizens and their leadership provides excellent role modeling for the next generation, who will need to face issues of limited resources and sustainability very soon. We are excited that our project will be shared with other schools globally and look forward to seeing what others have shared to try out new ideas."
The Overall Runner Up in the 2011 Earth Day Contest is the Verde Valley School in Sedona, Arizona for its 2011 Earth Day Opportunity Fair, which included student-facilitated educational talks and workshops ranging from vermicomposting and fair trade, to achieving a "zero waste" community, and the life cycle of a single-use plastic garbage bag. The Fair concluded with a community-wide, family style, local dinner prepared entirely with ingredients grown within a 200 mile radius of the school campus.
The K-5 Winner is The Dwight School in New York City for its rooftop greenhouse and Growing Organic for Homeless Pantry Program. The St. Ann School in West Palm Beach, Florida was chosen as the winner in the Grades 6-8 category for its Go Green Team. In the Grades 9-12 category, the winner is the Pavilion Central School in Pavilion, New York for its Global Youth Service Team. Eight special mention winners from across the United States were also recognized. Over 900 schools and clubs from 58 countries are currently participating in Project Earth.
"We are delighted with the quality of the projects submitted this year and with the clear commitment these young people show to finding solutions and moving toward a sustainable future. By acting locally and collaboratively, these students illustrate that they can collectively have a genuine impact on the environment," said Kevin Neumaier, E & E president and CEO.
Project Earth is an online forum created to foster environmental and cultural exchange, networking schools and clubs around the world. Recognizing that environmental issues are global in scope, that tomorrow's leaders must be prepared to work across borders and cultures, and that technology facilitates global connections, Project Earth is a space where classes and clubs can post environmental projects of all kinds and begin to network with like-minded students across the country and around the world.
Headquartered in Lancaster, New York, E & E has completed more than 50,000 projects for a wide variety of clients in 113 countries, providing environmental solutions in nearly every ecosystem on the planet. For more information on E & E, please visit www.ene.com. For specific information on Project Earth, and to learn more about our upcoming World Environment Day Contest, go to www.projectearth.net.