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EarthEcho International, the global nonprofit founded by Philippe Cousteau, Jr., grandson of French explorer and oceanographer Jacques Cousteau, is accepting submissions for the 2021 OURECHO CHALLENGE national STEM competition for Middle School students.
OURECHO CHALLENGE is designed to engage young problem solvers in studying, respecting, and protecting the diversity of species and ecosystems that make life on earth possible. Teams of students, guided by a teacher or mentor, are challenged to address the decline in biodiversity by identifying threats to natural resources in their communities and developing innovative solutions.
“During last year’s inaugural OurEcho Challenge, we were blown away by the ingenuity, passion, and determination of young leaders ready, willing, and able to take on the growing global decline of biodiversity,” said Philippe Cousteau, Jr., founder of EarthEcho International. “The Challenge provides students with a platform to turn their love of nature into a plan of action to support the diverse native species and habitats that exist in their own communities and to inspire others to do the same.”
EarthEcho will select ten finalist teams to compete for three project grants ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 to turn their ideas into reality. The deadline to submit is April 22. Teams submitting entries will:
- EXPLORE natural resources in their community and region with the help of the free online student and educator resources at OurEchoChallenge.org;
- IDENTIFY threats to local ecosystems and biodiversity in their community;
- SOLVE the problem with a process or prototype to help repair or maintain biodiversity in their community; and
- SHARE a narrative entry at ourechochallenge.org describing the proposed solution on or before April 22, 2021.
ANNUAL EARTHECHO WATER CHALLENGE GETS UNDERWAY WITH A WEEK OF VIRTUAL STUDENT FORUMS
This month EarthEcho International also launched a new edition of the EARTHECHO WATER CHALLENGE. This yearly event, which celebrates the United Nations’ World Water Day, involves more than 1.6 million citizens from 146 countries in conserving and protecting water resources worldwide. This year the EARTHECHO WATER CHALLENGE features the World Water Week Student Forum, a week-long series of student seminars (March 22-26) where classrooms learn about water monitoring, local protection, water industry careers, and more. Students will converse with peers and share their own experiences taking action to implement change in their communities. Participants will also have the opportunity to connect with experts from Xylem Inc., Love A Sea Turtle, National Aquarium, Smartfin, OCEARCH and Hugo Neu Corporation. Register for the Student Forum here.
The EARTHECHO WATER CHALLENGE runs annually from March 22 through December 31 and involves three easy steps:
- Test – It all begins by understanding the state of water quality in your community. Get started by purchasing a simple test kit at monitorwater.org;
- Share –Enter your data online through the EarthEcho Water Challenge database and share your stories and photos on our website at monitorwater.org or through social media using #MonitorWater; and
- Protect – Armed with knowledge about local water resources, use the information and tools available at monitorwater.org to protect local water resources every day.
EARTHECHO IS RECRUITING NEW WATER CHALLENGE AMBASSADORS
World Water Day 2021 also marks the continuation of the EarthEcho Water Challenge Ambassadors program. Young environmental enthusiasts ages 14-22 are invited to apply for the program beginning April 1. The Water Challenge Ambassadors increase knowledge of local water resources throughout their communities by leading citizens through water quality monitoring events and water restoration and conservation programs. To learn more about this year’s Water Challenge Ambassadors, visit http://monitorwater.org/ambassadors.
For more information, please visit www.monitorwater.org. All Water Challenge participants are encouraged to follow state and national guidelines regarding COVID-19 restrictions and safety measures.
Follow EarthEcho International on Facebook: www.facebook.com/earthecho Twitter: www.twitter.com/earthecho and Instagram: www.instagram.com/earthecho/ or learn more at www.earthecho.org.
