Student teams awarded grants for community decarbonization project
Sunnyvale, Calif. – 12 student teams from across Silicon Valley have been selected by Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) to receive Education Fund grants. The grants will support the proposed student projects aimed at reducing carbon emissions and promoting climate action within their local communities. The selected teams are comprised of students from middle schools, high schools, and community colleges in six SVCE communities.
Now in its fourth year, the Education Fund empowers diverse and talented student groups to tackle local climate challenges through creative, community-driven problem-solving. This year’s projects range from solar-powered biking research to renewable energy workshops.
“It is truly inspiring to see these passionate young minds already working to solve climate issues in their communities,” remarked remarked Tina Walia, SVCE Board Chair and Saratoga Councilmember. “These students are working with their neighbors to affect real and lasting environmental change!”
The awarded student teams and their projects are as follows:
- Sherman Oaks Dual Immersion Middle School (Campbell): Creating a solar-powered school announcement system.
- West Valley College Lab Rats Club (Saratoga): Engineering solar-powered electric bikes to donate to students.
- Compass Point Mentorship (Sunnyvale): Collecting environmental data from the Alviso community using solar-powered sensors.
- Dr. Bike (Cupertino): Hosting bicycle repair workshops and promoting safe cycling.
- Morgan Hill Youth Climate Action (Morgan Hill): Organizing professional development for teachers on climate and environmental education.
- EcoValley (Cupertino): Leading workshops on upcycling art, renewable power, and more for local youth.
- Environmental Outreach Club (Los Gatos): Distributing native tree saplings to offset approximately 10% of the community’s carbon emissions.
- Harker Green Team (Saratoga): Building an upcycling app for students to swap and share items like books and clothes.
- Young Women Leaders (Morgan Hill): Hosting a youth conference on green career development, skill workshops, and related topics for young women.
- Utmos Atmos (Cupertino): Organizing conferences, competitions, and presentations to raise student awareness about climate change.
- FUHSD Climate Collective (Sunnyvale): Facilitating a district-wide showcase of environmental literacy instruction at the Fremont Union High School District’s Earth Day event.
- Green Ninja Project (Saratoga): Leading a student film festival focused on creating educational videos about climate solutions.
Students will use the SVCE grant funding to execute their projects over the remainder of the 2024 school year.
The Education Fund is part of SVCE’s educational initiatives designed to support and engage youth in environmental and sustainability efforts. To date, SVCE has awarded over $300,000 in youth program funding since 2018.
Explore the Education Fund student groups at www.svcleanenergy.org/education-fund/
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About Silicon Valley Clean Energy
Silicon Valley Clean Energy is a not-for-profit, community-owned agency providing electricity from renewable and clean sources to more than 275,000 residential and commercial customers in 13 Santa Clara County jurisdictions. As a public agency, net revenues are returned to the community to keep rates competitive and promote clean energy programs. Silicon Valley Clean Energy is advancing innovative solutions to fight climate change by decarbonizing the grid, transportation, and buildings. Learn more at SVCleanEnergy.org.
SVCE Contact
Michaela Pippin, Principal Communications Specialist | 408-549-2690 | Michaela.pippin@svcleanenergy.org
