Environmental Student Action Challenge Grant Program – Canada

Students are encouraged to share the whole journey: from identifying an environmental need to coming up with a solution, from overcoming challenges to celebrating their successes, so that the whole province can celebrate with them.

Goal

• The primary goal of ESAC is to encourage and support innovation in addressing environmental problems. They want to provide opportunities and resources for students to cultivate both scientific process skills and find hope and positivity in their own actions.
• By utilizing a pedagogical model of inquiry-based projects, students will develop a deeper understanding of their environmental topic, including the complex intertwining of scientific and social factors, and how local actions can have big global impacts. It’s no exaggeration that Alberta’s students have the power to change the world!

How much funding is available?

• The Government of Alberta will award up to $1,000 in total funding to successful applicants.
• A single school or school association may receive up to two awards within a single school year.
• Funding may cover up to 100% of approved project-specific costs. Additional support through community sponsorships may be sought by the project, but no additional funding from other Government of Alberta sources is permitted.

What type of projects are eligible?

• Project considerations Successful applications must demonstrate four important goals:
  • Identify a clear local environmental issue the project will focus on.
  • How the inquiry project will provide a meaningful educational experience for students?
  • How the inquiry project will benefit the wider school and community?
  • How the outcomes will benefit the land, air, water, and biodiversity in Alberta?
• For older students, they are particularly interested in projects that connect the health of ecosystems with the carbon footprints and how they might address this through innovative science solutions. E.g.: your students calculate the carbon sink capacity of an acre of naturalized grassland or wetland ecosystems and come up with a proposal to restore ecosystems to offset school or community carbon emissions. A few examples of potential Alberta environmental issues include:
  • Fighting aliens: By identifying invasive species in water or on land, students could work on projects to remove weeds, plant native species, and educate their community about the risks of introduced and invasive species.
  • Making a splash: By monitoring indicators of water quality or quantity, students could contribute to Alberta databases, compare water quality year to year and create awareness of the importance of watersheds.
  • Clearing the air: By monitoring or researching air quality, students could design educational tools to teach about the impacts of poor air quality to the health, biodiversity and the environment.
  • Auditing for awesome: By raising awareness of the cumulative effects of everyday habits, students could challenge their school or community to make a measurable difference in emissions. Pick a consumption or waste pattern and come up with a plan to move the needle! Could you discourage idling cars? Reduce your electricity use by 30%?
  • Discovering the wild world: By tracking and documenting wildlife, students could use wildlife camera data to record biodiversity data, compare species richness within ecosystems, or create a data-informed solution to a human/wildlife conflict.
  • Connecting the dots: By assessing and analyzing waste output as more than just garbage in the landfill, students could propose and create waste reduction solutions that help reduce carbon emissions, too.

Who can apply?

• ESAC was established to support student-led, inquiry-based projects, that identify a student-generated solution to a local environmental problem. The program is open to all students, Kindergarten to Grade 12, registered in a school funded by the Government of Alberta.
  • Projects must be conducted by a school community or student group. The ESAC grant is not designed for individuals.
  • Projects must include an adult supervisor (teacher) and administrative (ideally, principal or vice-principal) support.

For more information, visit Ministry of Alberta Environment and Parks.