Finding a environmental challenge that needed solving was the prompt for Santa Barbara Middle School ninth-graders when they competed in MERITO Foundation’s Energy Efficiency to Mitigate Climate Change and Ocean Acidification Challenge.

The Santa Barbara Middle School (SBMS) Waste Management/Compost Project took first place and was awarded $850. The SBMS Ocean Acidification Awareness campaign earned third place, winning $350.

When science teacher Danielle Bean had tasked students with the challenge for their final environmental science class project this school year, there was no shortage of enthusiasm or ideas.

The challenge from MERITO (a nonprofit dedicated to ocean conservation and education), asked students in grades 9-12 to design energy-efficient and sustainable projects their schools could readily adopt, or develop a campaign to inform communities about ocean acidification.

The foundation provided four categories in which student teams could compete: energy efficiency, water conservation, waste reduction, and ocean acidification awareness.

The open-ended inquiry sparked nine hands-on, data-driven, team, environmental-research projects at SBMS. Students researched topics and offered pragmatic solutions in categories including climate change, carpooling and water encasement (rain barrels).

They also studied what it would take to transition the school’s deli into implementing bulk-bin buying to reduce consumption of packaging and plastics on campus.

Teams had to identify a local issue, determine the needs, and outline a strategy and goals to address the challenge. Next, they had to design a reliable evaluation tool and, in some cases, administer a beta or pre-test.

Then they had to determine how to accurately collect unbiased data and, finally, determine future implications and propose an adoption plan with their findings.

Students on the composting team determined the goal was simply to reduce food waste on campus. They conducted a waste audit and determined their school produced 23 lbs. of food waste each week, which translated into 3,574 lbs. per year.

Believing they could do better, students decided to create a compost system that would designate remaining food scraps to be turned into compost with the help and purchase of two Worm Wigwam bins.

The composted food waste could then nourish the school’s garden, creating a closed, sustainable system of reduced waste.

The solution drew the connection with community partner, Jesse Smith, of Casitas Valley Farms, who helped with the installation and maintenance of the composting and garden system.

The ocean acidification team developed a series of lessons to then teach to, and pique the awareness of, sixth-grade students on their campus about the issues surrounding ocean acidification.

Lessons called on students to advocate for some of the preventive measures necessary to preserve the health of the oceans.

This community challenge became a learning opportunity for SBMS students and had a positive impact on the local environment. Thanks to MERITO Foundation of Ventura County, this an example of how partnerships can buoy the community’s greater good.

— Sue Carmody for Santa Barbara Middle School.