04/17/2008 Torrance, CA

GRAND PRIZE WINNERS

“The Dream Team” - W.R. Farrington High School, Honolulu, Hawaii:
This team of eight students focused on educating people around the world about the benefits of renewable energy sources such as wind turbines, solar panels, fuel cells, and hydropower. After learning about the potential positive impact of these alternative sources of energy, including gaining a solid understanding of fuel cell technology, the team spread their message worldwide through videos, blogs and a Web site in multiple languages. They also used social media Web sites to keep the conversation going.

“The Climate Academy” - Academy I, Jersey City, New Jersey:
“Clean Cities Make Clean Oceans” was the name of the campaign implemented by this team of five 6th graders. Their program included educating all students in Jersey City public schools about the impact of litter and pollution on the ocean. They also raised awareness by stenciling the words “Dump No Waste: Drains to Ocean” on storm drains near schools throughout the city. To help them accomplish their goals, they partnered with the Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority.

FIRST PLACE WINNERS

“Earth Warriors” - Madero Middle School, Chicago, Illinois:
The plight of global warming was the focus of this team with goals of raising awareness about global warming and raising money to donate to the Rainforest Action Network. To accomplish this, the team of six organized a march in downtown Chicago, and they joined international youth forums to share environmental information, videos, pictures and motivating messages about global warming in both English and Spanish. Additionally, they created a MySpace profile for their team, a Web site, and contacted the media to spread the word about their efforts.

“Landfill Improvement for the Environment (L.I.F.E.)” - South High School, Torrance, California:
This team of ten students concentrated on raising awareness about air pollution and global warming. They worked to advocate for stricter greenhouse gas emission laws and educate the community about energy conservation and fossil fuel alternatives. They used fliers, petitions, television coverage, community events and a Web site to promote their messages. Additionally, they translated materials from the South Bay Energy Savings Center into several languages and utilized multilingual students to speak to multicultural audiences at the Center’s workshops.

“Marine Science Researchers” - Clark Magnet High School, La Crescenta, California:
Proving the effectiveness of no-take zones in the preservation of marine life was the goal for this team. The group of five students used Geographic Information System software to compare and document biodiversity inside and outside of marine protected areas. With the help of scuba divers from the Sheriff’s Department, the students determined areas of critical habitats that they believe should be given protected status. They shared their results with researchers around the world through a professional scientific association, and their preliminary research findings will be published in the Journal of Student Research Abstracts. In addition, the students presented their project at the 2008 Environmental and Spatial Technology Conference.

“Newberry Environmental Girls” - Newberry High School, Newberry, Florida:
This team of five students focused their efforts on land resources and sustainability. To educate individuals about personal sustainability practices, the students developed a curriculum on the topic. They notified more than 1,000 high school teachers across the nation about the curriculum’s availability, and it was tested at two local high schools. The team also established a “Green Ribbon Week” celebrating sustainable practices and further informing and encouraging others to do their part for the environment in Alachua County. In addition, they launched a reusable bag giveaway at five stores, which quickly turned into an incentive that drove people to shop at those particular stores.

“Radon Awareness Group” - Olympus Junior High School, Holladay, Utah:
Increasing awareness about the adverse effects of radon gas and encouraging individuals to take action was the goal of this team. The team of six students targeted contractors because they have the power to fix a radon problem before it becomes serious. They created an awareness video for YouTube and also developed both a blog and a presence on MySpace. Additionally, the team spread their message through the media and by distributing posters to businesses.

“Save Our Fresh Water” - Olympus Junior High School, Holladay, Utah:
The five students on this team worked to educate people about the importance of conserving water. To spread the word, the team made a video for YouTube, launched a Web site, made and distributed fliers and posters, and worked to obtain media coverage.

“St. Margaret Science Club” - St. Margaret Catholic School, Lake Charles, Louisiana:
This team of nine students focused on raising awareness about the need for conservation. To educate individuals about how to conserve resources, the students spread the word about various ways to recycle and conserve energy and worked with energy companies to raise awareness about the benefits of Green Energy. Additionally, the team created a campaign, “Change a Light to Save the World,” and promoted it through its Web site and blog, local community groups, and by creating a video they posted on YouTube.

“Team Earth” - Lyceum Academy of New Hanover High School, Wilmington, North Carolina:
Conserving water by using low-flow toilets was the focus of this team of six students who worked to educate individuals about the severity of the drought and advise them about inexpensive and simple ways to conserve water. They spread the message nationwide by hanging fliers in Lowe’s home improvement stores across the country, with a presence on Facebook and with a blog. In addition, they contacted government officials to suggest that low flow toilets are installed in government buildings. And they partnered with Sloan Toilet Company and Morehead-Cain Scholars across the nation to publicize their message.

“The Elementals” - Herricks High School, New Hyde Park, New York:
Informing at least 10,000 people worldwide about how to fight global warming was the goal of the eight students on this team. They developed a campaign to encourage people to change from incandescent to fluorescent light bulbs and distributed their message through a Web site, Facebook, and posters and fliers that were distributed at libraries, community groups and even their local Lexus dealership.

“The Green Gators” - The Shipley School, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania:
This team of eight students focused on alleviating the problem of the many cars on the road operating with under inflated tires. The students targeted car dealership service department employees to educate about the problem. They created a movie to inform and motivate service technicians to take care of tire pressure. Additionally they created and distributed an informational packet to major Toyota dealerships across the country and promoted their messages on YouTube and on the school’s Web site.

“The Ones Who Care” - Sierra Vista High School, Baldwin Park, California:
The issue of reducing global warming to save wild polar bears was the goal of this team of six students. To communicate their message the team created an icon, “Lexus the Polar Bear,” who they promoted to the general public in the spirit of “Flat Stanley.” They used a variety of tools to spread awareness such as a Web site with a blog, a presence on MySpace, an awareness rally, and a PowerPoint presentation.

“The Tree Huggers” - Olympus Junior High School, Holladay, Utah:
This team worked to get at least one million people by Earth Day committed to turning off lights when not in use. In addition to developing a Web site and video, the team of five also contacted multitudes of environmental groups, school districts and politicians to help spread the word.

“Vampire Exterminators” - Herricks High School, New Hyde Park, New York:
This team of five students worked to educate people about how appliances, when left plugged into the wall, continue to siphon energy even if switched off, emitting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which contributes to global warming. The team contacted politicians throughout the country and world, in multiple languages, to try to influence their energy policies. They also launched a petition campaign in Times Square to gather thousands of signatures from people throughout the world.

“Westminster CCC3″ - The Westminster Schools, Atlanta, Georgia:
The five students who comprised “Campus Conservation Corps” (CCC3), focused on three Rs: Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling. Their goals were to raise the awareness of the three Rs on and off campus, significantly increase the amount of materials recycled at the school, expand the number of recycling programs, and increase the accessibility of the recycling bins on the school’s campus. To increase awareness and eliminate recycling excuses, the team implemented the “Go A.P.E. for Recycling” plan to create Awareness, increase Participation and Eliminate excuses.

Press release via Toyota/Lexus