Detroit Zoo Hosts Green Prize Competition For Students

ROYAL OAK, MI — Calling all green students, the Detroit Zoo wants to hear from you.

Entries are now open for the third annual Green Prize, a competition that encourages local students to develop sustainable solutions for their schools.

The Detroit Zoological Society is looking for creative ideas from K-12 classes and green teams in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties. Students are encouraged to research green practices – from incorporating renewable solar energy to eliminating plastic water bottles – before creating a strategy for implementation.

“As a leader in environmental sustainability, we are committed to bettering the world for both humans and wildlife,” said Rachel Handbury, Detroit Zoological Society manager of sustainability. “This competition gives us the opportunity to engage local students and schools in joining us on our ‘Green Journey.’”

Here's what students need to do to apply:

• Identify an environmental or sustainability issue
• Propose a solution that will address the issue
• List the material and labor needed to implement the solution
• Describe the positive impact this solution would have on the environment
• Submit a video, artistic rendering of the project or any other method that portrays the green journey

Past winners of Green Prize include Poupard Elementary School, whose students produced a creative video to help campaign for a water refill station at their school; the West Bloomfield High School EARTH Club, whose members helped switch the science department to LED lights and installed solar panels; Willow Woods Elementary School, whose students proposed reducing plastic lunch waste by collecting it all, presenting it to children and parents to encourage reusables, and then recycling as much as they could; and West Maple Elementary School, whose students proposed building raised garden beds to grow fruits and vegetables for their lunches.

All 2020 Green Prize entries should be submitted to rhandbury@dzs.org by April 1. The top entry winner will receive $1,000 toward their project and a class trip to the Detroit Zoo. Cash prizes will also be awarded to second and third place winners.

The top three entries will be announced on Earth Day April 22 and showcased during GreenFest, the DZS’s celebration of Earth Day, which will be held on May 10 at the Detroit Zoo.