2010 Awards Ceremony
Carmel Green Teen Program Awards Second Round of Grants
On March 27, 2010, the youth-driven Carmel Green Teen Micro-Grant Program awarded checks totaling over $3400 in grant money to five local youth groups to fund their volunteer eco-friendly, green projects. At the ceremony held at the Japanese Gardens, Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard congratulated the participants and outlined Carmel’s many environmental initiatives including LED street lights, round-abouts, hybrid police cars, bike paths, and more.
“This ceremony is about your efforts, though,” he said. “You should be proud of yourselves for caring about our environment and taking action. I am so proud of every one of you.”
While outlining the background of the Carmel Green Teen Micro-Grant Program, its youth leader and CHS student Lauren Gibson noted, “They say it takes a village to raise a child. Well, it takes a community as wonderful and caring as ours to help a youth group win a $10,000 online environmental grant contest. This truly has been a community effort – working together to help empower kids to make Carmel a greener community, one youth project at a time.”
The goal of the Carmel Green Teen Micro-Grant Program, funded by Green Works natural cleaners, is to challenge area youth to use their skills, creativity and energy to help make Carmel/Clay Township in Indiana a greener community by funding youth-inspired environmental projects.
To date, ten environmental youth projects have been awarded funding totaling over $6440 through this program. The newest projects receiving funding are listed below. Additional project applications are currently being accepted.
Boy Scout troop 180 will plant 50-75 trees indigenous to Indiana in the northeast corner of West Park to help filter pollution, to create animal habitats, and to provide beauty and shade for those visiting the park. The scouts will work with the Carmel Clay Parks and Recreation department throughout this project. Volunteers wishing to participate in the tree planting should meet at West Park on Saturday, April 17 from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. Grant award: $825.
“Trees play key roles in habitats of all animals, including me and you,” said Bradley Sale of Boy Scout Troop 180, “They reduce carbon dioxide in the air and replace it with oxygen.”
Towne Meadow Elementary School Brownie Troop 88 will promote the use of reusable water bottles and discourage the use of disposable water bottles through their project, Ban the Bottle, Try the Tap. In addition to providing reusable water bottles for many Towne Meadow students, they will educate their classmates with announcements, presentations, games, and posters. Grant award: $650.
“Our long-term goal is to hopefully eliminate the use of plastic water bottles in the cafeterias of all Carmel schools,” said one of the Brownies who spoke at the ceremonies. Brownie Troop 88 will offer many learning opportunities to students, including illustrating for them with a sculpture, the number of water bottles used in one day at their school.
Flutter Flowers – Carey Grove Park
Flutter Flowers – Clay Middle School
Girl Scout troop 1166 requested two Carmel Green Teen Micro-Grants for separate butterfly bush projects. The troop will first create a butterfly bush garden at the Clay Middle School Eco-lab. This hands-on teaching lab will provide valuable lessons in ecology for the Clay Middle School students while encouraging habitats for more butterflies. Troop 1166 will also prune and plant additional butterfly bushes at Carey Grove Park. Second only to bees, butterflies are important pollinators of food and ornamental plants; they are also an important part of the food chain. Educational plaques will be added to each project site. Grant awards: $547.96 and $461.23.
“We would like to thank the Carmel Green Teen Micro-Grant Program for funding our butterfly bush projects,” said Emily Rodriquez of Girl Scout troop 1166.
The MOSAICS School will build an Organic Teaching Garden for students and their families. MOSAICS School provides a special educational curriculum for students who have difficulty functioning in school due to problems at school and/or in the students’ lives. The MOSAICS’ Family Garden will provide an additional setting to help enhance the students’ ability to accept responsibility for their learning. Grant award: $1000.
“We are excited about the variety of ways this green space can be used to improve lives. From labs for students, to learning how to garden with the Garden Club, to providing families with fresh, wholesome produce, the garden will be inspiring,” said CJ of MOSAICS School.
The Carmel Green Teen Micro-Grant Program is administered by a committee of teens from Carmel Area Roots & Shoots (CAR&S) and adults from Carmel Green Initiative, with staff from United Way of Central Indiana’s Youth as Resources providing organizational support. CAR&S, a local youth group of about a dozen Carmel High School students, is one of over 8,000 worldwide Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots groups that encourage youth to make positive changes that demonstrate compassion for people, animals, and the environment.