KACEE and MEEA announces $25,000 in EPA Environmental Education Subawards supporting green schools and green careers across Kansas and Missouri
From Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education and Missouri Environmental Education Association
TOPEKA— The Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education (KACEE) and the Missouri Environmental Education Association (MEEA) are proud to announce the award of $25,000 in Environmental Education Subawards funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These subawards will support student-led Green Schools and Green Careers projects across Kansas and Missouri during the upcoming school year.
The funded projects span rural and urban communities, early childhood through higher education, and reflect a strong emphasis on student leadership, hands-on learning, environmental stewardship, and career exploration in sustainability, conservation, engineering, agriculture, and environmental science.
“These projects demonstrate the power of student voice and place-based learning,” said representatives from KACEE and MEEA. “Students are not just learning about environmental challenges — they are designing solutions, collecting data, engaging community partners, and building pathways into green careers.”
Kansas and Missouri Schools & Organizations Receiving Awards: — Piper High School Earth Club — Chanute High School — USD 231 Gardner Edgerton High School — Sterling College / Sterling Grade School — Auburn Washburn School District (Washburn Rural Middle School and Washburn Rural North Middle School) — Washburn Rural Middle School — STEMS on the VINES / SOTV Creators Clubs — High Point R-3 — City Garden Montessori — Northwest Missouri State University / Horace Mann Laboratory School — Garden City High School — Mize Elementary, USD 232 De Soto — Prairie Moon Waldorf — Rolla Outdoor Collaborative School — Earth’s Classroom — rootEd Missouri at Arcadia Valley High School — University City High School — Ritenour Middle School / Ritenour School District
Highlights from Funded Projects
Student-Led Sustainability & Pollinator Projects: Multiple schools will create native gardens, Monarch Waystations, pollinator habitats, and fruit tree guilds. Students will research native species, design and build garden infrastructure, and monitor biodiversity and environmental impact.
Climate, Energy, and Water Solutions: Projects include student-designed floating wetlands to improve water quality, school energy investigations to reduce utility use, indoor air quality monitoring, and the virtual design of a solar-powered sustainable neighborhood to address the urban heat island effect.
Green Career Exploration: Students will participate in park-based learning experiences, wildlife rehabilitation partnerships, renewable energy tours, college-career fairs focused on green industries, and year-long field science certification programs led by environmental professionals.
Intergenerational & Community Partnerships: From college students mentoring elementary learners to collaborations with watershed coalitions, wildlife rehabilitators, universities, and municipal sustainability offices, these projects connect classrooms to real-world environmental work.
Hands-On STEM and Systems Thinking: Students will lead composting and vermicomposting initiatives, reduce paper waste through audits and digital tools, grow food for school gardens and livestock, and collect phenology and temperature data to study climate impacts.
One example comes from Chanute High School, where a student-led Green Team is launching a comprehensive sustainability initiative that includes a certified Monarch Waystation, expanded composting systems, and tree-planting workshops for younger students — all while managing budgets, outreach, and data collection.
At Sterling Grade School and Sterling College, students will collaborate to plant and monitor native trees, collecting heat and phenology data and contributing observations to the U.S. National Phenology Network, demonstrating how trees mitigate climate impacts.
In Missouri, organizations like Rolla Outdoor Collaborative School and Earth’s Classroom are providing immersive outdoor education and field science experiences that prepare students for future careers in conservation and environmental science.
Building the Future of Green Schools and Careers
These EPA-funded projects support the broader Green Schools framework, which integrates environmental education, healthy school environments, and workforce development. Collectively, they will engage hundreds of students in authentic learning experiences that build leadership, critical thinking, and a sense of responsibility for their communities and the planet.
For more information about Green Schools, Green Careers, or the work of KACEE and MEEA, please visit www. kacee.org and www.meea.org.
