Seeds of Hope is an environmental initiative creating native seed libraries. This project gives students a chance to take seeds and donate seeds to start their own gardens. Our mission is to restore the natural prairies of Illinois and encourage individual environmental activism in our community.

This project addresses the gap in climate change education in Illinois. After considerable research of international models for climate education research, it was determined that the best course of action to enact climate change education was legislation. As such, HB4895 requires all public school students in Illinois to learn about climate change in science and social studies and would help students determine actions they can take to address the impacts of climate change. If passed, HB4895 would provide a national model for climate change education that other states can follow.

Our project focuses on addressing the inefficiencies in District 203’s recycling system. Through research, collaboration, and action, we aim to implement sustainable solutions that heighten recycling rates and promote environmental stewardship within the school community. By

engaging with officials and educating our students and staff, we seek for our school to be more effective with recycling to help contribute to a cleaner and greener future for District 203.

I am working to create an Outdoor Youth Education Garden to supplement the existing science curriculum at a public elementary school. A space like this will allow students to have more hands-on experiences in science education, as well as support local biodiversity by cultivating different native plants. Gardens like this are rare in the suburbs, despite being such a great tool for schools to use!

We worked with NEST (Naperville Environment and Sustainability Task Force), to organize a march during the St. Patrick's Day Parade. We utilized this platform to inform Naperville residents of our community's reliance on coal and our contract with IMEA (Illinois Municipal Electric Agency). We distributed informational handouts and encouraged attendees to speak to the city council. We hope to raise awareness about Naperville's coal problem and foster a community that is eager to accept clean energy and leave behind the coal-powered energy in the past.

People toss their plastic bags in the recycling bin but fail to realize that city recycling services cannot recycle thin plastics. However, when people toss their plastic bags in the trash, the bags end up in landfills. If they attempt to recycle them in stores with plastic bag receptacles, they’re worried about where the bags end up. As a result, well meaning individuals  stop recycling and  lose hope in helping our planet. RecycleRoundup aims to solve this problem by serving as a database for organizations that reputably recycle thin plastics and plastic bags, as well as other resources for consumers aiming to stay environmentally conscious. Once this database is complete, consumers and organizations will be invited to an event to learn more about plastic bag recycling and reusable options!

Anti-Contamination Station is an educational tracking app with various functions to inform people about large environmental issues, specifically carbon emissions, water conservation, and food waste. The app contains a carbon emission tracker while also calculating the carbon released per car ride. Also, it provides emission-related data about food consumption and encourage people to use local food sources as much as possible. There is a reminder to turn off taps, an alarm for long showers, and information regarding how they can assist with water conservation to save the planet. For people who cook, the app contains a function that provides an estimate of how much food is necessary for a specific number of people, as well as fun recipes to use when food is spoiling that uses up all parts of the fruit, vegetables, and meat to reduce food waste. Finally, this app helps people understand and be aware of larger environmental issues, as well as ways that they can help reduce these issues and be more conscious of their own actions.

We emit carbon throughout our daily activities, from traveling in gas vehicles to watching TV, but how do we know if the amount of carbon we emit is safe or not? Are there ways we can fix our methods to reduce carbon emissions and conserve energy? Well, our app will help! Our app's purpose is to figure out and calculate an average amount of carbon you emit and suggest ideas on how you can conserve energy and reduce your carbon output.

Plant Protector is a smart IOT enabled device that is placed near  plants to remotely monitor them. This device is connected through bluetooth or WiFi to a mobile app where the user selects the type of plant they are monitoring. Then, this device will send notifications to the user whenever the plant requires water or is being over/under exposed to sunlight.

The Industrial Scrap Classifier is a program that can detect different materials in piles of scraps, such as cardboard, paper, plastic, glass, etc. This detection allows businesses to prevent unnecessary waste from being sent to landfills, giving them opportunities to repurpose eligible waste. Using machine learning algorithms and deep-learning networks, this project works to create a more productive system of industrial waste management, minimizing the amount of avoidable waste accumulating in our landfills to decelerate the frequency of carbon and methane emissions into the atmosphere.

This project aims to improve the biodiversity of urban and suburban areas by taking advantage of neglected green spaces and turning them into tiny forests. Tiny forests are planted in accordance with the Miyawaki Method of Afforestation which describes planting many native species in very close proximity and adding biological enhancements to the soil in order to encourage rapid growth. In addition to the forest, this project will create an outdoor education space next to the forest that will allow students and educators to interact directly with it.

Through this project, I am trying to spread awareness of utilizing upcycling in Naperville. By upcycling, plastic items can be repurposed to make new types of products or it can be reused in different ways. Upcycling can create sustainable practices of giving back and creating new items out of plastic that would have ended up in a landfill. This method will benefit the environment in a better way.