Enter on your own, or tell your friends and enter as a group. It's fun and it can make a real difference to your neighborhood, school or community. Tell your friends.

ALBERTA INDIVIDUAL

Sonia Aulakh -- Age 15, Edmonton
Project: Wind Generation

A cool idea, or a lot of hot air? We’re sticking to cool! Sonia’s idea was to explore using wind as an environmentally sensitive alternative to conventionally developed power. She caught the judge’s attention with research into the technical aspects of wind power, and her practical approach to how it could be used at her school. The result? Sonia and her school are developing a wind power education program to share her valuable ideas about the benefits of wind power. For more information about the project, contact Vanessa LeCaine at Hillcrest Junior High School at vlecaine@epsb.ca or (780) 489-2516.

Jolene Latimer -- Age 12, Edmonton
Project: Energico Kids

Bored during the summer? Wanna head down to the lake for some learning and fun? Well Jolene’s entry included bright ideas to help keep youth in the Edmonton and Lake Wabamun area of Alberta energized during the summer months. Jolene’s idea is to set up an environmental day camp for local youth to take a closer look at the energy industry and understand its interaction with the community and environment. A pilot project of the day camp runs this summer and is being organized in part with the assistance of FEESA, an environmental education association. Contact Jolene Latimer at (780) 430-6712 for more information.

ALBERTA GROUP

Grade 4R -- Good Shepherd School, Peace River
Project: Mini Habitat

Matthew Campbell, Cherise Cardinal, Heather Cunliffe, Caitlin Duperron, Sebastien Fortin, Adrian Goetsch, Danny Golec, Amanda Griep, Cody Hein, Alycia Larson, Mathew Law, Cam March, Terri McCausland, Megan Morey, Dustin Rasi, Christopher Sheremata, Alexandra Spenrath, Chelsea Strong, Danielle Wagar, Valerie Welch, Benjamin Whittaker, Natalie Wild

Teacher: Cathy Routhier

Tired of sitting in a class all day long? Students at Good Shepherd School in Peace River were! So much in fact that they proposed to build a mini habitat by planting trees, building birdhouses/bat houses in their schoolyard. The judges were impressed by the plan to use this habitat as an outdoor classroom for student study. Check out their progress by contacting Cathy Routhier at (780) 624-3432.

Grade 8 -- Lawrence Grassi Middle School, Canmore
Project: Wolf P.A.C (Preservation Action Committee)

Katie Austin, Brad Buehler, Sonya Frey, Lindsey Miller-Oak, Alana Morgotch

Teachers: Wendy Allsopp, Brenda Davison

These youth are ‘howling’ to be heard! A small pack of students from this school tucked away in the Canadian Rocky Mountains is trying to help sustain the wolf population in the Bow Valley in the face of new development through research, fundraising and public awareness initiatives. The judges saw this project as a great model for involving the community and addressing sensitive local issues. The youth are already spreading the word to help gain collaboration amongst the community and stakeholders for creating viable solutions to encourage wolf movement, including support for the construction of a wildlife corridor in the area. Track down the Wolf PAC by calling Wendy Allsopp or Brenda Davison at (403) 678-6006.

ONTARIO INDIVIDUAL

Kristopher Ives -- Age 13, Windsor
Project: Outdoor Classroom

Tired of twiddling your thumbs in class day in and day out? Well seems that one student in Ontario was! So much in fact that he wrote an eloquent essay about why he thought it was so important to build an outdoor learning area at his school. Many others were inspired by his idea so much that an anonymous donor has even matched TransAlta’s contribution to building this outdoor environment. Now that’s community spirit! Contact Sharon Pyke at J.E. Benson Public School at (519) 254-3761 for more details.

Katie McLeod -- Age 11, Brampton
Project: How a Tree can be all that a Tree can be

If we each do a little, we all do a lot! Katie’s idea to plant trees addresses a serious problem we face on busy roadways and in congested parking lots. And every tree counts! Katie is working with some local schools and communities to help plant trees on the barriers of highways and parking lots to help reduce heat and also reduce air pollution from automobiles. Contact Mateja Drinovac, science teacher at Centennial Senior Public School at (905) 459-5200.

ONTARIO GROUP

Grade 5/6 -- High Park Alternative School & Annette St. Public School, Toronto
Project: Harmony Grove

Morag Clark-Heptinstall, Eric Compton, Miranda Disney, Mickey Doolittle, Hanna Edwards, Stephen Keefe, Elizabeth Moore, Jasmine Morrow, Kalev Nisbet, Nora Overhill Rosenthal, Jaime Plant, Benjamin Prout, Cameron Ross, Aria Sambrano, Alexandra Simpson, Geneva Starr, Rebecca Zimbel, Larissa Zip

Teachers: Karyn Morris, Louis Ouellette

Giving wings to a long time community dream! Talk about soaring away with an idea! This group of eager students blew away the judges with their idea to create a continuous habitat to give protection to butterflies--butterflies that once thrived in an area that was replaced with residential neighborhoods. The habitat they are building is a grove, surrounded by trees and allowing for a nurturing environment to study and sustain the butterfly population. It’s an example of recognizing an important community need, in an especially important area of the community that has seen a lot of change over the years. Visit the sanctuary at the local schools near Toronto’s High Park by contacting Karyn Morris at (416) 393-9050.

Environmental Team, Grade 5/6 -- General Brock Public School, Scarborough
Project: A Dream for a Dying Schoolyard

Andrew Anderson, Ashley Cochrane, Richia Bissoondath

Teachers: Alice Mitchell, Karen Heisz

An environmental dream come true! General Brock Public School has hoped for many years for a solution to their neglected schoolyard. Their dream is to transform one of the largest schoolyards in Toronto into a place where birds, insects, trees, bushes and flowers slowly start to replace burnt grass, mud and cement in an otherwise unpleasant setting with a lot of commercial development. Not an overnight task, but an effort the students, school and community are willing to make to bring such a profound change to their local environment. Lend a hand by contacting Alice Mitchell at (416) 396-6250.