WINNERS ANNOUNCED
During Spring 2025, high schools across California participated in the Earth Day Challenge, inspiring change in their communities by creating sustainability campaigns. The winning campaigns focused on improving local air and water quality, as well as reducing their schools’ environmental impact, and earned well-deserved prizes. Congratulations!
Congratulations to our Spring 2025 Earth Day Challenge Winners! 🌍🏆 Well done!
Burlingame High School
Top Campaign (Bay Area)
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Burlingame High’s Burlingame Service Commission, led by teacher Bethany Li, carried out a varied campaign to improve air quality awareness and reduce air pollution from car emissions. The students created a campaign promoting clean transportation and sustainable commutes to school.
The students created posters highlighting the harms of air pollution and highlighting more sustainable options, as well as sharing an educational video segment with their school community. They hosted a Clean Commute Day where students and staff biked, walked, or carpooled to school. The students even promoted the event on the student news channel! |
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After completing the challenge, students reflected that they “have gained a greater sense of how much a community can impact sustainability. “ The creativity, engagement, and impact of these student-run campaigns secured Burlingame the grand prize of this year’s Earth Day Challenge!
Congratulations to the Burlingame Service Commission!
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Vineyard Alternative School
Runner-Up Campaign (Bay Area)
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Students from Vineyard Alternative, led by teacher Gretchen Reynolds, created their campaign with the vision of a community with more trees. The students created a poster promoting new tree plantings and the care of existing trees in their community. Throughout the challenge, students reflected on water use, the environmental concerns seen in their community, drought and wildfire, and the importance of water conservation.
Congratulations to Vineyard Alternative School on their campaign!
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James Madison High School
Top Campaign (Metropolitan Water District of Southern California)
James Madison High School, led by teacher Monica Bockman, carried out a variety of creative campaigns, utilizing social media, videos, games, and posters to raise awareness of air and water pollution and improve air quality and water conservation. The creativity, attention to detail, and impact of these student-run campaigns secured Madison a grand prize in this year’s Earth Day Challenge!
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Standout Campaigns:
One pair of students, Hadrian Lazic and Damian Lindon-May, created a campaign to raise awareness of the origins and harmful impacts of particulate matter on air quality and human health. Using the analogy of a virus, Hadrian and Damian created a game that shows how particulate matter spreads through the air, often unseen. QR codes, social media posts, class presentations, and a YouTube video all helped promote the game. Hadrian and Damian also used humor to engage students, teachers, and community members alike in a problem that is often difficult to visualize or feel agency about. Congratulations, Hadrian and Damian!
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Another group of Madison students, Fernando Rochin and Jayden Davenport, focused on educating their community about renewable and non-renewable energy, and their impacts on the environment. Fernando created an informative website and poster, as well as a Google form to understand people’s knowledge about renewables. In reflecting on their experience completing the challenge, Fernando wrote, “by supporting and advertising renewable energies, we can push to a cleaner future that produces less waste, causes less environmental damage, produces less pollutants, and an overall healthier environment for both people and the natural ecosystems present here.” Congratulations, Fernando and Jayden!
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Venice High School
Top Campaign (Metropolitan Water District of Southern California)
Venice High School, led by teacher Stanley Johnson, submitted a wide range of innovative campaigns this Earth Day Challenge! Students created social media campaigns, made videos, wrote letters to their elected officials, and put up posters to raise awareness of and reduce waste, air and water pollution. The engagement, depth, and impact of these student-run campaigns secured Venice a grand prize in this year’s Earth Day Challenge!
Standout Campaigns:
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Victor Calderon and Sydney Pulido Banda aimed to raise awareness in their community about how our daily actions impact our environment, and provide solutions for how we can take action. In a multi-pronged campaign, Victor and Sydney created a website outlining actionable steps to live more sustainably, a social media campaign educating their community about local air quality, and posters highlighting easy ways to help the environment. After completing the challenge, the students reflected: “I have seen firsthand people change their ways to help the environment. Now I know that my actions can affect my community and help improve sustainability in my community.” Congratulations to Victor and Sydney!
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Another group of students, Angela Villasana, Katelyn Luna, Hector Ortega, and Nathan Escamilla, aimed to make sure “people are aware of the environmental challenges facing their community, the health effects of these issues, and decide to take action to minimize their impact.” To make this vision a reality, the team created educational posters, presentations, and information-gathering surveys. By focusing on a wide range of topics from air and water pollution to wildfires and transportation, the group helped raise awareness of environmental issues in their community. Congratulations, Angela, Katelyn, Hector, and Nathan!
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While completing the three-part challenge, students Chloe Aaronson and Callum Dodd were surprised to learn about the amount of water used in agriculture and that when we contribute to food waste, we are also wasting the water and other resources that went into growing that food. Chloe and Callum wrote a letter to the US Department of Food and Agriculture and a press release for school announcements, and they drafted posters on the environmental impacts of and how to reduce food and water waste. The students reflected that “after this project, I have become more active in my communities because I want there to be change, specifically regarding the food and water waste.” Congratulations, Chloe and Callum!
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Elizabeth Learning Center
Top Campaign (Southern California Gas Company)
Elizabeth Learning Center, led by teacher Carmelita Magat, submitted several visionary campaigns this Earth Day! Through social media campaigns, posters, and community events, students not only raised awareness of air and water quality but also gave concrete action items to reduce air and water pollution. The leadership, creativity, and positive impact of these student-run campaigns secured Elizabeth LC the grand prize of this year’s Earth Day Challenge!
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Standout Campaigns:
One group, Doriana Hernandez, Celia Garrido, Alysson Oliveros, and Heidi Reina, had the idea to engage and educate their community on local environmental issues like air pollution. By posting flyers around the community, handing out wildflower seeds, and engaging directly with neighbors, Doriana, Celia, Alysson, and Heidi were able to hold discussions about and foster an appreciation for the environment in their neighborhood. Congratulations, Doriana, Celia, Alysson, and Heidi!
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Another group, Daisy Guzman, Elizabeth Guzman, Mariela Montes, and Rachel Orozco, created a campaign to encourage their community to recycle. The group set up an event at school to educate their peers and younger students on the importance of recycling. At the event, the group prepared an art activity using recycled materials and had students fill out a survey about environmental concerns in their area. In completing the challenge, the group noted that they “realized that community engagement is a really great way to inform the public about climate action and ways we can live more sustainable lives.” Congratulations to Daisy, Elizabeth, Mariela, and Rachel.
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Another group, Fernando Orosco, Valerie Yepez, Lizbeth Campana, Gwendalyn Reynoso, and Allison Vasquez, created a campaign to deepen younger students' awareness of environmental topics. The group taught 5th graders about air quality and plants' role in improving air quality, and made popsicle stick flower pots. In completing the challenge, the students reflected that “through spreading awareness of an environmental problem, ours being air pollution, my community is able to take action against that environmental problem.” Congratulations to Fernando, Valerie, Lizbeth, Gwendalyn, and Allison!
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Cypress High School
Runner-Up Campaign (Southern California Gas Company)
Cypress High School, led by teacher Erin Doherty, submitted several campaigns this Earth Day! Students created social media and poster campaigns, interviews, and presentations to raise awareness of a myriad of environmental issues in their communities. The creativity, detail and influence of these student-run campaigns secured Cypress a prize in this year’s Earth Day Challenge!
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Standout Campaigns:
One group of students, Joy Kim, Sophia Fuji, and Brigitte Han, created a multimedia campaign with the goal of reducing air pollution. The group created a poster and video to raise awareness of air pollution and to educate their community on where it comes from and what they can do to prevent it. The group also created a Google form to test their friends’ and families’ knowledge of air quality. Congratulations, Joy, Sophia, and Brigitte, on your insightful campaign!
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Another student, Alexander Guzman-Arrendondo, set out with the goal of ensuring that all community members have access to healthy, fresh food. Alexander created a slideshow, educating community members on how to start a garden, empower others to spread awareness, and to volunteer in their community. Alexander also volunteered and interviewed peers at a nearby student farm, showing the importance of community action. Congratulations, Alexander!
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Eisenhower High School
Runner-Up Campaign (Southern California Gas Company)
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Eisenhower High School, led by teacher Lance Atkinson, submitted a recycling campaign with the vision that "each and every resident learns how to recycle properly in order to protect our environment and care for it in an environmentally friendly way!" Through a poster and social media campaign students educated their peers on the proper way to recycle, and the impact of recycling contamination or "wish-cycling." In completing the challenge, the students reflected that they now "realize that it takes the involvement of the community to fix these problems and not just individuals. ... It's a collective effort that depends on different peoples' engagement." Thanks for engaging your community in these conversations this Earth Day!
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LOOKING BACK
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Students tackled challenges and spearheaded campaigns.
After learning about sustainability issues through research and digital tools, students planned a campaign to improve sustainability in their own communities. They transformed knowledge into action, emerging as sustainability leaders who implemented real change and inspired others to join their environmental causes! |
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Students became sustainability specialists and won prizes.
Everyone who completed the challenge received our Sustainability Specialist Certificate. Students who best demonstrated their sustainability knowledge and launched a successful campaign won prizes to help them continue their sustainability efforts. |
Missed the Spring 2025 Earth Day Challenge?
Good news! You can still access the Earth Day Challenge materials and complete the challenge to receive a Sustainability Specialist Certificate.
Partners
This challenge is funded by grants from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and Edison International®, and sponsored by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.
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