Project Menu for Leadership Students

Looking for a leadership project that matters? Here’s some criteria to consider.

  • It changes peoples behavior
  • It impacts a large number of people
  • you can measure the results and prove that you have had an impact
  • your work builds on the knowledge of other people and projects

Project Menu

  • reduce personal waste (Organize Pack Your Trash Week)
  • dramatize Consumer Awareness 101 (TV Archeology / Sweatshop Simulation)
  • organize bike to school week, measure and publish CO2 reductions
  • learn to speak “Carbonese” and join the Cool School Challenge
  • restore local salmon habitat
  • plant trees to reduce CO2 (inquiry on cars, trees and the carbon cycle)
  • purchase 100% renewable energy for your school, home, place of worship
  • create one or more rain gardens to filter stormwater runoff
  • install waterless urinals in the boy’s bathrooms and measure savings
  • rip up asphalt and install pervious pavers in school parking strip
  • educate home owners on shoreline natural landscaping
  • eliminate styrofoam lunch trays and staff room coffee cups from the landfill
  • eliminate toxic chemicals from school and home cleaning supplies
  • eliminate toxic chemicals from school science labs and art room
  • establish a campaign to take back old medications from medicine cabinet
  • educate community pharmacies on taking back used and old medications
  • organize a healthy salmon car wash campaign (100% of families pledge)
  • certify your school or home yard as National Wildlife Habitat
  • increase sustainable materials purchases (office, classroom, custodial, home)
  • measure and increase recycling program effectiveness
  • launch an e-waste pick up system in your school, home, place of worship
  • map community green businesses, then give them more business
  • connect food service to local food producers
  • develop a healthy food policy for the school district to adopt
  • manage food waste through composting
  • sign up neighbors for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) subscriptions
  • create a student volunteer plan to support your neighborhood farmer’s market
  • partner with community neighbors to develop a peapatch garden on campus
  • establish School Green Team and begin Green Schools Report Card
  • establish a plan for shifting school fleet to hybrid, natural gas or biofuels
  • establish a plan for shifting school maintenance vehicles to plug in electric
  • launch a campaign to boycott bottled water on ethical and economic grounds
  • host a sustainability issues candidates forum in your school auditorium
  • host a sustainable event (PTA 100 mile Potluck / Sustainable Prom)
  • purchase sweatshop-free athletic gear, t-shirts and band uniforms
  • build awareness of sustainable seafood through MSC labeling
  • establish sustainability indicators to create annual community “report card”
  • organize an annual sustainable student’s go to congress day to lobby
  • lead an op-ed letter and essay writing campaign to local newspaper and blogs
  • organize this menu of projects as an online service to sophomores and juniors
  • teach what you know to elementary or middle school students