Are you smarter than our Environmental Leaders?

Blog, courtesy of Bethesda Green.

Bethesda Green’s Environmental Leaders Program is an experiential school-year long sustainability program for high school seniors in Montgomery County. The training focuses on environmental stewardship and community engagement through a series of projects. Applications for the 2021 – 2022 program are rolling. Apply here.

Congratulations to our 2020-2021 Environmental Leaders for completing their spring environmental projects. From anaerobic digestion and single-use plastic, to the invasive Northern Snakehead, endangered species of the Chesapeake, and pollinator gardens, we’ve learned a lot. And you can too! They’ve created a host of free resources to educate the community. Check them out below.

Click here to watch the recording of their presentations.

Anaerobic Digestion: Fermenting Waste to Create Energy

Anaerobic digestion is a sustainable means of managing a variety of organic wastes by recycling it into valuable products instead of landfilling or incinerating. Paula Gonzalez Alvarez researched anaerobic digestion and created a website to educate people on the process. Visit her webpage to learn more and check out the video below of her site visit to an anaerobic digestion facility in Jessup, Maryland.

Species of the Chesapeake Bay Coloring Book

Amalia Villegas Vega created a Chesapeake Bay coloring book of endangered species to raise awareness about the Bay’s habitat and to encourage people to protect local wildlife. Download the Coloring Book.

Spread of the Invasive Northern Snakehead

In recent years, Northern Snakeheads have been a growing threat to the Chesapeake Bay. If not properly managed, Snakeheads have the capability to eliminate native fish species and damage aquatic ecosystems. Anthony Lombardo and Sander Schulman researched the Northern Snakehead. Check out their website to learn more and watch the video below for fishing tips!

Single-Use Plastics 101 Podcast

Millions of tons of plastic waste end up in our environment every year. Meera Shroff produced a 6-episode podcast to educate people on the dangers of single-use plastics to humans and the environment and outline actionable advice for making change. Check out the podcast.

Creating a Local Habitat for Native Pollinators

Emily Wu created a pollinator garden on Landon Ln to address the decline in pollinator species around the globe due to habitat loss. Interested in making your garden more pollinator-friendly? Click on the poster below to learn more about native plants pollinators love.