and

and

and the following Connecticut Science Centers

Audubon Greenwich
The Children's Garbage and Trash Museums
The Children's Museum
Connecticut Audubon Society
Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo
The Discovery Museum
Eli Whitney Museum
Kellog Center for the Environment
Mystic Aquarium and Institute for Exploration
SoundWaters
Stamford Museum and Nature Center
Yale Peadody Museum of Natural History
About the Program Calendar Participate
 2009 Winners Announced!

CONNECTICUT SCHOOL STUDENTS WIN THE KEEP CONNECTICUT COOL CHALLENGE AWARDS

On May 30th, Connecticut students faced the judges for the 2009 Cool It Climate Change Challenge Awards at Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic. Six prizes from $1,000 to $3,000 were awarded for the students' climate change solutions. The top prize winners were Danbury High School and Coventry High School, each winning $3000. The schools to win the $1000 prizes were as follows: Irving A. Robbins Middle School, Hillcrest Middle School, Harbor Elementary School, St. Peter-Sacred Heart School.

Projects included recycling and energy efficiency actions in schools, such as energy audits, thermostats and sensors, light replacements and energy saving behaviors. Others included replacing Styrofoam trays in lunchrooms, raising climate awareness with student and community TV messages, family forums, film festivals, energy fairs, and music events. Also represented were projects to purchase rain forest land and carbon sequestration, support local farms, purchase solar installations and a "green" school store. Many teams presented proposals to their board of education and town councils.

This year 16 teams submitted plans for judging. Towns represented included Coventry, Danbury, East Lyme, Fairfield, Farmington, Lebanon, Meridan, New London, Stafford Springs, Stamford and Trumbell. Keep Connecticut Cool wasstarted in 2006 as the Cool It Challenge, hosted by Clean-Air-Cool Planet and funded by the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation. Theprogram has beenadministered by the Institute for Sustainable Energy at Eastern ConnecticutState University since 2007, and changed names to Keep Connecticut Cool in 2008.To date 47 teams, involving more than 450 students have worked to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in their schools and communities.

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2009-Phase One Winners

Each category is a $1000 prize

Teamwork: Harbor Elementary School, New London, CT

Collaboration: St. Peter Sacred Heart Middle School, Danbury, CT

Phase One Grand Prize Winner

Best overall team project, $3000 prize

Innovation, Teamwork and Collaboration: Coventry High School, Coventry, CT

2009-Phase Two Winners

Each category worth $1000

Teamwork: Irving A. Robbins Middle School, Farmington, Ct

Collaboration: Hillcrest Middle School, Trumbull, CT

Phase Two Grand Prize Winner

Best overall team project, $3000 prize

Innovation, Teamwork and Collaboration: Danbury High School, Danbury, CT
 

Sign-Up for Email Updates
For more information, email KOHLL@easternct.edu or call 860-465-0256. Keep Connecticut Cool is funded by the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund.