INITIATIVES
These initiatives are examples of the community-based projects completed after each fellowship by ECI fellows, members, and our founders.
Since 2020, ECI has taught 11 fellowships in North, South, Central America, as well as Asia and Australasia, leading to over 100 different ongoing initiatives across the globe.
ECO LEAGUE
Led By: Lia Morrison
Lia chose to reinvent her school’s environmental club and continues to be an active voice for young people in her community. As president, the club has completed extensive research pertaining to the suppression of Indigenious Peoples, textile industry, and local food waste/insecurity. She has become an outgoing advocate for the climate crisis and hopes to continue her first annual, city-wide food drive for years to come! Learn more here!
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE MAGAZINE
Led By: Rhea Kareparambil
This magazine aims to promote acceptance within the school community, while raising awareness about environmental issues. Participants write, conduct interviews, create videos, make artwork, take photos, and utilize other mediums to convey their message. In the future, Rhea hopes to expand the club into an organization with magazine club chapters in various schools. She also hopes to promote action on environmental issues through hosting volunteering opportunities!
EPJ SUSTAINABILITY CLUB
Led by: Zeeshan Shariff
The EPJ Sustainability Club is a club that consists of highschoolers and middle schoolers. The first and latest project of the EPJ Sustainability Club is a neighborhood Compost Bin that collects food waste from houses in the community for composting, such that the food that would normally be thrown away can be used to create soil which can then be given back to the community. Currently 10 houses are contributing their food waste and we have 2 compost bins but we plan to expand soon to 50+ houses and around 10 compost bins.
CLOTHES SWAP
Led by: BISC Student Sustainability Team
To actively reduce the impacts of fast fashion and the number of clothes going to landfill, ECI hosted a clothes swap where individuals exchanged their old clothes for clothes donated by others at the event.
ENERGY EDUCATION
Led by: Davis Mamantov
Davis taught 4th graders the basics of renewable and non-renewable energy production. The curriculum included electrolysis, hydroelectric energy, and solar energy and more. He demonstrated each form of energy production with assistance from the class. They also learned and discussed about how they could utilize their knowledge of energy production to positively influence their community.
GREEN PLANET
Led by: Meenakshi Menon
Green Planet is a youth led organization local to Cary, North Carolina, attempting to educate the community on all things sustainable living. Their mission is to build a community of environmently responsible individuals who are determined to make difference and build a sustainable, healthy and GREEN environment!
ENVIRONMENTAL COUNCIL
Led by: Solemei Scamaroni
Solemei started an environmental council in school that works to transform her academic community located in the heart of Houston’s energy corridor into a hub of sustainability. The council, comprised of elementary through high school students, works on collecting environmental data about her institution and advocating for environmental reform.
SCHOOL COMPOSTING SYSTEM
Led by: Students of the British International School of Chicago
After witnessing the large amount of food waste at their school, members of ECI created a composting system to allow students to reduce their food waste, whilst educating them on the impacts of food wastage. This initiative involved over 40 individuals who assisted in running the composting system and that children put the correct items in the compost.
SUSTAINABLE FASHION AUCTION
Led by: ECI Board
We hosted a sustainable fashion auction via Instagram which raised over $200 in funds for ECI. The purpose was to educate people about the environmentally damaging effects of fast fashion, and to promote sustainable clothing in a fun, interactive way, whilst raising money for a great local cause.
CLIMATE INFORMATION TRANSLATION WORKSHOPS
Led by: Chloe Young & Georgia Scarr
ECI partnered with Climate Cardinals to help fulfill their mission of providing environmental education to all by making it more accessible to those who don't speak English. We gathered a group of high school students to translate Wikipedia pages on climate change into Spanish, French, Mandarin & German.
ENVIRONMENTAL TEAM
Led By:Â Stephanie Muoka
Stephanie started a youth-led environmental team in her neighborhood for her initiative. Some projects the team has in mind are a trash cleanup in a forest reserve near the neighborhood and a holding a workshop for children in the community so that they might be more environmentally conscious!
SECOND-HAND POP UP
Led by: Robbie Austin
This is initiative is meant to combat fast fashion through up cycling clothes and donating the profits. Clothes will be collected via thrift stores and a donation box, and will be sold in an in-school pop up. All of the proceeds will be donated to a Chicago based sustainability charity.
CLOTHING EXCHANGE
Led By: Lucia Collins
Lucia's initiative is organizing a clothing exchange at her school to combat fast fashion. In this way, people can find new clothes and pass on ones that they no longer wear, and hopefully inspire them not to throw away old clothes and, when they do buy new ones, to choose secondhand.
COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION WORKSHOPS
Led by: Chloe Young &Â Georgia Scarr
We have worked with several schools, organizations and individuals to provide interactive presentations that educate the participants on the causes and impacts of the environmental crises, as well as the role we all play in creating solutions.
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To see an example of our presentations, click here.
PLASTIC WATER BOTTLE BAN
Led by: Students of the British International School of Chicago
Members of ECI worked with the British International School of Chicago to ban plastic water bottles at the school, in order to reduce plastic waste and raise awareness of more sustainable solutions, such as Boxed Water and reusable water bottles.
ENVIRONMENTAL PAMPHLETS
Led by: Sophia Zheng
Sophia's initiative involved making virtual newsletters and pamphlets on the topic of environmental health. She sent these newsletters to residents in her neighborhood and nearby areas. The goal of her initiative is to provide actionable steps to mitigate the consequences of climate change, as well as to inform on how human health can be negatively affected by negative environmental change.
NEWSLETTER SUSTAINABILITY SEGMENT
Led by: Mary Churchill
Mary sought to inform her community about sustainable practices. So, she created a sustainability segment within an established newsletter. She hopes to change the way people think and act all while they support the environment.