Eco-Fair Project Ideas

							Eco-Fair Project Ideas

1. SAVE THE RAINFOREST
Rainforest Action Network is an environmental organization that is working to protect Old Growth
trees and forests around the world. Research on-line what they are doing and come up with a plan to
help them. You may do a fundraiser, educate the school or general public about what they are doing,
or come up with an idea of your own.

2. SAVE THE EVERGLADES
The Everglades is an amazing ecosystem in Florida. It hosts a diversity of plants and animals- such
as alligators, herons, and some of the last panthers on Earth. You will soon be reading about Florida
ecosystems in Lit. This ecosystem is in danger of being destroyed. However, many groups are
working to protect it. Research one of these organizations and find out how you can help them with
their mission.

3. CLEAN GREEN ENERGY
The Western Mass Electric Company (the place where most of you get your electricity from) has a
program called New England Green Start. This program allows electricity users to purchase "green"
energy. Research the details of this program through their website. Create a way to educate and
encourage people to participate in this program.

4. RADICAL RECYCLING
The recycling and composting program at GCS is up and running. But how are we REALLY doing in
terms of our waste. For your project spend time measuring how much waste we really create here at
GCS. Next, create and implement with a plan to help us reduce it more and improve the current
waste management program. Launch a campaign with flyers and All School skits to encourage
reducing, reusing, and recycling at GCS

5. WATER WONDERS
What is the water like at GCS? At your home? Test the water at these places and discover what is
really in the water. Create a display that shows your findings. We can teach you how to do the water
testing.

6. SECRET SPOT FIELD GUIDE
What is really at your secret spot? Using field guides, identify at least 10 plants/animals/fungus at
your secret sit spot and create a field guide to teach others about them.

7. SOLAR COOKING
Following directions, build a solar oven. After initially building it and then testing it out on a sunny day,
improve the efficiency of your oven in some way. A paragraph describing how and why using a solar
oven helps the environment should accompany your project.

8. GREENFIELD RECYCLING
Research what the town of Greenfield's town hall recycling program is like. Prepare a presentation to
them describing how they could go further in their waste management program. Include a description
of how waste management is connected to ecological cycles.
9. PRIME STORIES
The water cycle, carbon cycle, and respiration/photosynthesis cycle are the main cycles we are (or
will be) learning about in class. Create a storybook about one of these that will teach Primes about
these cycles. Your story must be creative and understandable to a Prime. After the story is created,
read the story to a group of Primes and to a group of Prime-age kids outside of school. You may want
to go visit another pre-school or kindergarten.

10. SIRIUS STORY
Tell the story of the Sirius Ecovillage in some form of media. As you do this, make sure that the story
comes out so that you would be proud about the way some else told your story; double check for
accurate details. Interview some of the hosts and be sure to send them your final product. Include
thank you notes where appropriate. Some suggested ways to tell the story:

       Comic Strips: Start with a page of mini-sketches (thumbnails) telling the whole story before
starting in one section. Make several copies of blank comic strips to work in with neat boundaries –
use rulers & shapes.
      Books: Use interesting borders; make borders around photos and drawings; laminate the front
and back; bind for presentation
      Power Point and Video: Think about the most interesting pictures and messages; then order and
plan your frames. Be sure to open and close well.

11. CLEAN ENERGY IS HERE NOW
One way to spread this message is through a set of dioramas, tiles, or murals showing many
examples of clean and renewable energy technology: wind turbines, solar panels, solar hot water on
a roof, earth sheltered homes, straw bale buildings, pellet stoves, etc. Find out why 3 of these are
clean and green, find or draw an image to represent it, and then construct a 3D model or diorama.
The NESEA website has a lot of information on it about clean energy.

12. WHERE IS YOUR FOOD FROM?
Go to two or three different supermarkets, one a corporate chain and the other a small co-op. Figure
out where food is from in these stores and graph it. Look at produce and one other section that has
both local and non-local foods, for example chips or breads or beverages. Make a map and graph
your results comparing these two places.

13. VERMICOMPOST
Get some red wrigglers and have fun as you learn to transform nutrients from your food scraps into
fertilizer for your plants and help keep your food local. Make a booklet describing how someone else
can also use worms composting.

14. COMPOSTING TOILET
Sewer treatment requires energy, even septic systems in rural backyards as sewage may need to be
pumped up hill or taken away in trucks. Composting toilets are an interesting topic to explore and they
keep many good nutrients local. Visit a composting toilet; learn how it works; make a model or
diagram; research a good site for a composting toilet and campaign for the toilets. The site may be at
home, at school, or anywhere else of your choosing.

15. RECYCLEABLE ART
Collect interesting recyclables, visit a re-use or recyclables store and construct sculptures with your
finds. Beautiful new designs can be created in mosaic tiles from broken pottery pieces set in mortar.
Collaged murals can be made from bag scraps. Go wild with your recycled art ideas.
16. MEANINGFUL MESSAGE POSTCARDS
Gather some helpful reminders and tips on pollution prevention or other ecological issues (local
foods, fuel economy, carpooling, energy conservation or energy efficiency, recycling and composting,
renewable resource use, alternative energy sources, etc…). Create postcard size copies of your
artwork— pen line with color; watercolor; pastel. Illustrate the beauty of the nature we are protecting.
Save digital photos as proof of your work. Send copies of your cards to people you know.

17. GREEN BUILDING
Make a model of green building technology, such as straw bale, cob, passive solar, or timber frames.
Many of these technologies we saw at Sirius. Write up the benefits and display a photo of your
creation.

18. EASY ENERGY SURVEY
Take the Easy Energy Survey (get one from a teacher). Then, turn some of those no answers on the
quick energy survey into yes answers and make a system of rewards for doing so. Expand on this
survey and create an energy survey for your community. Provide rewards for people who record a
change. You could even calculate the pollution saved.

19. MINIMIZE THE MILES
Figure out how many miles families in your class are currently driving and then brainstorm ways to
trim the weekly average. Be supportive of one another and agree on no criticism, only praise. Invite
parents’ ideas and graph your progress.

20. BIODIESEL BONANZA
 Northeast Biodeisel is building a biodeisel processing plant right here in Greenfield. Interview one of
the people organizing the plant. Make a display that tells about the project and about the process of
making biodiesel.

21. HOME ENERGY AUDIT
Audit the energy use in your own home. In other words, look closely at how much energy your
household uses. Learn about energy conservation and save your family money while you are at it.
Go to http://hes.lbl.gov/ for the audit. To get answers to FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions), check
out: http://hes.lbl.gov/hes/answerdesk.html. Create a display showing your results and ideas for
changing your household habits. Offer the audit to others as well. If time permits, do an energy audit
of the brick building at Greenfield Center School and display the results.

22. GLOBAL WARMING POWER POINT
Create a Power Point on Global Warming (or another ecological issue of your choice)
You can become an expert on a specific topic such at global warming, and help make important
connections for other kids. Talk about the carbon cycle: how burning fossil fuels creates carbon
dioxide; how that traps the sun’s energy in the atmosphere; how the warmth affects the surface of the
ocean & land; how interactions among living things could change, etc.

23. HELP NESEA
NESEA (the North East Sustainable Energy Association) is located in Greenfield and supports
sustainable energy use all over New England. They work on clean energy, green building, and
sustainability workshops. Go to their website or interview someone who works there to learn more
about what they are doing. Then design a project to help them on one of these programs.
24. SUPPORT A LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATION
Choose an organization that is working locally. Research on-line what they are doing and come up
with a plan to help them. You may do a fundraiser, educate the school or public about what they are
doing, or come up with an idea of your own.

25. SHORT FILM
Using a digital video camera and adult help, create a short film related to an ecological issue of your
choice (local foods, fuel economy, carpooling, pollution, energy conservation or energy efficiency,
recycling and composting, waste reduction, renewable resource use, alternative energy sources,
etc…). . Edit your film with iMovie or other digital software, and burn a DVD for all to see.

26. COMMERCIAL
Using a digital video camera and adult help, create a commercial related to an ecological issue of
your choice (local foods, fuel economy, carpooling, pollution, energy conservation or energy
efficiency, recycling and composting, waste reduction, renewable resource use, alternative energy
sources, etc…). Edit your film with iMovie or other digital software, and burn a DVD for all to see.

27. POSTER CAMPAIGN
Launch a campaign for an ecological issue of your choice (local foods, fuel economy, carpooling,
pollution, energy conservation or energy efficiency, recycling and composting, waste reduction,
renewable resource use, alternative energy sources, etc…). Create colorful, creative posters that
encourage ecological awareness, laminate them, and post them in public places.

28. WEB PAGE DESIGN
Using a Web Page Building Site, create a web page for an ecological issue of your choice
((local foods, fuel economy, carpooling, pollution, energy conservation or energy efficiency, recycling
and composting, waste reduction, renewable resource use, alternative energy sources, etc…).
TRY ONE OF THESE: http://www.homestead.com                 http://build.tripod.com/classroom/demo/
                                http://www.myschoolonline.com

28. SELF-DESIGNED PROJECT
Do none of these ideas appeal to you? Do you have a great idea of your own? Create a proposal and
talk to a teacher about it.