Our 25-26 Eco-Schools
Action Plan

Seeds of Stewardship is the umbrella project of our 25-26 Eco-Schools US Green Flag Certification Action Plan. 

At Carver Elementary, our National Wildlife Federation Eco-Schools Action Plan is brought to life through Seeds of Stewardship, which turns student curiosity and care for the natural world into meaningful, measurable conservation and stewardship action. The activities outlined in our 2025–26 action plan are the very work our students engage in throughout the year: building a seed library, removing invasive species, creating and maintaining schoolyard habitats, protecting endangered species, collecting and sharing scientific data, contributing to citizen science platforms, growing plants indoors, curating a herbarium, and serving our community through community service. Each Action reflects Eco-Schools’ core pillars of Environmental Quality, Biodiversity, Health & Well-Being, and Community & Curriculum Engagement, while giving students authentic opportunities to explore, design, measure, and communicate real ecological stewardship. Through this framework, Seeds of Stewardship not only supports the goals of Eco-Schools but also fosters empowered learners who understand that their local actions contribute to global sustainability. 

Tell Your Eco-Schools U.S. Story

We share the story of our work so others can learn from us and join in. Telling our story helps spread ideas that make schools and communities better places to live.

Create an Eco-Code

Our EcoCode shows what we believe and how we care for people and the planet. It helps us make fair, thoughtful choices and work together as a community.
 

About Our Eco-Schools Program

EcoSchools helps us turn our ideas into action. We learn how teamwork, leadership, and partnerships help solve real-world problems.
 

Become a Citizen Scientist

We collect real data and share it with scientists. Our observations help protect nature and show that kids can contribute to important research.
 

Restoring Biodiversity Balance in the Schoolyard

We remove invasive plants and restore native habitats. This helps wildlife, protects local ecosystems, and keeps nature in balance.
 

Indoor Gardening and Greenhouses

We grow plants indoors to learn about food, energy, and sustainability. Growing plants teaches us how to care for living things year-round.
 

Bird Friendly Schoolyards

We create a bird friendly schoolyard and start a youth birding club.

The Action Team's Goals

During the 2025–2026 school year, Carver’s Eco-Action Team focused on connecting students to nature while increasing biodiversity across our campus and within the Ogeechee River Basin through student-led stewardship, habitat restoration, citizen science, and environmental education. Guided by the question, “What lives here, and how can we care for it?”, students worked to restore native habitats, remove invasive species, improve ecosystem health, expand biodiversity monitoring, and strengthen relationships between students, wildlife, and the local environment.

Our Eco-Action Team also aimed to build a schoolwide culture of stewardship by embedding environmental learning into the regular school day through Outdoor Education, citizen science, gardening, birding, restoration ecology, and community partnerships. Through authentic scientific inquiry, hands-on conservation work, and peer leadership, students developed the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to become environmental stewards capable of creating meaningful ecological impact within their school and community.

The team also prioritized strengthening reciprocal partnerships with families, local organizations, schools, scientists, and conservation groups in order to support shared stewardship goals and contribute meaningful data and restoration efforts to larger environmental initiatives throughout coastal Georgia. Through these collective efforts, Carver’s Eco-Action Team worked to demonstrate that local student action can contribute to broader environmental resilience, biodiversity conservation, and community sustainability.

The Action Team's Purpose and Role at Carver

The Seeds of Stewardship Action Team serves as the school’s student leadership team for environmental stewardship, scientific inquiry, and community engagement. The team provides structure and continuity for campus-wide conservation work by helping plan, coordinate, and sustain projects such as habitat restoration, invasive species removal, native seed collection, citizen science, and endangered species protection. Action team members act as student scientists, planners, and ambassadors, modeling responsible stewardship and sharing knowledge with peers, teachers, families, and community partners. The team fills a unique niche by connecting classroom learning to real-world action, using data and field observations to guide decisions, and ensuring that student voice drives both the vision and implementation of Carver’s Eco-Schools work. Through this role, the action team strengthens school culture, builds leadership capacity, and ensures that environmental responsibility is embedded in daily practice rather than treated as a one-time event.

Community Impact

Through Seeds of Stewardship, students increased green space and native plant cover across the campus by restoring habitats, planting pollinator gardens, and stewarding forest, wetland, bioswale, and courtyard areas. These actions improved ecosystem health, supported biodiversity, and strengthened climate resilience, particularly in areas affected by stormwater and flooding. Students addressed outdoor water quality by restoring wetland and bioswale habitats, removing invasive species, and using soil and plant data to improve water filtration and habitat function. Indoor gardening and seed propagation supported conversations around food systems and food access, while providing hands-on learning connected to food security. Collectively, these actions supported student wellness, environmental health, and community resilience by addressing local ecological challenges through student-led stewardship.

Student Impact

Students demonstrated strong growth across academic, social, and leadership domains through sustained participation in student-led stewardship. Field investigations, habitat restoration, seed collection, and citizen science required perseverance, problem solving, and collaboration. Students developed real-world skills such as data collection, observation, planning, and communication, while deepening their understanding of ecosystems, biodiversity, and conservation. Many students showed increased confidence when presenting findings, explaining stewardship decisions, and advocating for endangered species protection. Regular outdoor learning strengthened students’ connection to nature and fostered a strong sense of ownership, responsibility, and pride in their work, resulting in high engagement, positive behavior, and emerging leadership across grade levels.