The Great EcoKids Challenge is an annual nationwide contest, providing schools, extra-curricular clubs and youth groups with an opportunity to positively impact our environment. Through large-scale group activities, students are provided with a platform that helps to develop and hone their leadership and teamwork skills, stimulate their creativity and increase their awareness about environmental issues. The Great EcoKids Challenge empowers students to generate positive change for their school and communities, and ultimately, the health of the environment.

Winners are judged on four criteria:
1. Contributes to the health of the environment
2. Produces positive outcomes
3. Encourages student participation and leadership
4. Impacts positively on the local community

Here are the great Sony prizes for 2011:

Sony’s Cyber-shot^® Digital Cameras (DSCW530) for each winner and Sony Reader Pocket ^® (PRS350SC) for each winning class.

Primary Winner

Aberdeen Hall Preparatory School - Kelowna, British Columbia
Teacher: Jasmine Scherz
Project: Crayon Recycling Challenge

When the grade 2 students at Aberdeen Hall Preparatory School found out that crayons take a century to decompose, they decided to do something to prevent unused crayons from filling up our landfills. To this end, they organized a Fill the Bins challenge at their school to collect as many broken and unused crayons as possible.

They collected 100lbs of crayons which were then recycled into new eco-friendly Crazy Crayons and sold on Earth Day. They raised $1 000.00 to put towards building a school garden.

This project inspired great student leadership and initiative while getting the whole school and community involved. Newspapers and TV stations covered the challenge and local businesses donated crayons. The message was clear that there was a need to keep petroleum-based crayons out of our landfills. Aberdeen Hall Preparatory School plans to continue this challenge into next year.

Congratulations Aberdeen Hall Preparatory School. You did a fantastic job!

Junior Winner

Cranbrook Boys and Girls Club - Youth Wise Eco Club, Cranbrook, British Columbia
Teacher: Lori McNeill
Project: Youth Wise Solar Greenhouse

The children of the Cranbrook Boys and Girls Club identified the need to reduce our carbon footprint on the Earth by building a sustainable solar green house. They worked together to design and build their solar greenhouse from the ground up, chose the right foods to grow and at what times of the year, set up a schedule for care, and determined the most sustainable ways to maintain their garden.

At every step of the project the children were significantly involved and sought out the help of local workers for their expertise. The children brainstormed ideas on how to be green, how to build the greenhouse, selected plants and seeds to use, and maintained the plants with a scheduled watering and compost routine. Cranbrook Boys and Girls Club will now open their greenhouse doors to the community in an open house to educate other children to the benefits of living green.

Congratulations Cranbrook Boys and Girls Club – Youth Wise Eco Centre on an amazing job! 

Intermediate Winner

Richmond Rose Public School - Richmond Hill, Ontario
Teacher: Helen Snare
Project: School Garden

The students at Richmond Rose Public School came together under the guidance of their Eco Team to build a school vegetable garden as part of a school yard greening project. Their overall goals were to create a sustainable project that reduced transportation emissions associated with bringing food to the school while promoting the benefits of locally produced food.

Twenty-one students worked together to build, plant, maintain and harvest their produce in their school year. They set up schedules and duties for all students and brought in the community by inviting local building and garden experts to assist with the project. With the success of the School Garden, Richmond Rose Public School then gave back to the school and local community by either sending their food home with students, providing to students in the school or donating the food to the Richmond Hill Food Bank. They plan to expand their garden in the coming years so even more can be given back to the community. 

Great job Richmond Rose Public School on a successful and sustainable project that created a connection between healthy people and a healthy environment!