Across the country, young people are bringing their creativity
and motivation to improve their communities' responses to natural
hazards. Earth Force is excited to announce the top winners in the
RISE Challenge - a national program to help more young people take
action to help their communities become more resilient.
DENVER, May 29, 2023
/PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Across the country, young people are bringing
their creativity and motivation to improve their communities'
responses to natural hazards. Earth Force is excited to announce
the top winners in the RISE Challenge - a national program to help
more young people take action to help their communities become more
resilient to natural hazards.
Here are the 2023 winners:
RISE Challenge Colorado
1st Place ($1,000): Estes Park Middle School - Estes Park, CO
Project Title: EPMS Resilience Team
Project Summary: After years of evacuations due to more
wildfires, Estes Park Middle School Resilience Team built upon
their work last year to engage state officials about wildland urban
interface codes and building practices that create resilience
against wildfire. Students visited the State Capitol to meet with
Senator Cutter and Gov. Polis to advocate for CO Senate Bill 23-166
that establishes a Wildfire Resilience Code Board. This Board will
work to ensure community safety from and more resiliency to
wildfires by reducing the risk of wildfires to people and property
through the adoption of statewide codes and standards. This Bill
was signed May 12th, 2023! In addition to their advocacy, the
Resilience Team planted trees and participated in community events
that bring awareness to watershed health.
RISE Challenge Big Sky
1st Place ($1,000): Glacier High
School - Kalispell, MT
Project Title: Pulling Our Share
Project Summary: Students in Montana face an increasing amount of
uncontrolled wildfires. Part of the issue is that forests are being
altered at an increasing rate thanks to the growing population of
noxious invasive weeds. After a forest fire, invasive weeds have a
blank canvas to grow before the indigenous plants have a chance to
take root. Their solution? Increase their community's resilience to
wildfires by organizing noxious weed pulling groups. This will give
the native species a better chance to repopulate after a wildfire
before the noxious weeds can take over.
RISE Challenge Illinois
1st Place ($1,000): Libertyville
High School
Project Title: Libertyville APES-Eastern Shoreline Erosion
Project Summary: After being unable to use their school's field
due to ongoing flooding, the winning students wanted to make a
change. The students decided to install a native pollinator buffer
strip along a 300 foot section of frequently flooded (and therefore
unusable) land between their school's softball practice field and a
nearby lake. The project will mitigate flooding, create habitats
for pollinators, and educate the community about pollinators,
native plants, and stewardship.
"The importance of being resilient in the face of natural
hazards is universal," says Vince
Meldrum, President and CEO at Earth Force. "Resilience
emerges from the ability of communities, with support from all
levels of government and the private sector, to plan and prepare
for, respond to, recover from, and adapt to new conditions. The
RISE Challenge is a proven method for young people to participate
in these efforts."
About Earth Force:
Earth Force is a national 501(c)3 organization. We are the home
of Environmental Action Civics. Our mission is to engage young
people as active citizens who improve the environment and their
communities now and in the future. Through Earth Force and its
network of partners, young people get hands-on, real-world
opportunities to practice civic skills, acquire a deep
understanding of the environment, and develop the skills and
motivation to become lifelong leaders in addressing community
issues. Visit www.earthforce.org to learn more.
About the RISE Challenge:
The RISE Challenge is a partnership among FEMA, Earth Force, the
ASFPM Foundation, and local environmental partners. Part classroom
lesson, part competition, and part summit, the Challenge engages
students in the exploration of their communities to determine their
vulnerabilities to natural disasters and tasks them with developing
their own ideas for making their community more resilient. Learn
more at www.earthforce.org/rise
Pull Quote
Earth Force is excited to announce the top winners in the RISE
Challenge - a national program to help more young people take
action to help their communities become more resilient.
Media Contact
Alyssa McConkey, Earth Force, 1
3034330016, earthforce@earthforce.org, www.earthforce.org
SOURCE Earth Force