This year’s Youth Resilience Projects tackled some big environmental challenges and made tangible reductions in flooding, river pollution, and carbon emissions. Nearly 3,000 students participated in environmental action projects in Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, and Virginia Beach.
Congratulations to every student, educator, and parent for improving the health and resilience of the Elizabeth River watershed, and for inspiring all of us to do our part.
Each school will receive beautiful recycled glass awards for their trophy case displays!
8th-graders started a Native Plant Learning Garden containing native plants that excel at absorbing excess rainwater, reducing local flooding during rain events while attracting native insects and birds to improve local biodiversity in their school’s urban setting.
900 5th-grade students from Norfolk Public Schools planted more than 1,000 native wetland plants to stabilize the soil along a portion of the Southern Branch, reducing erosion from the waves caused by ships passing in the Intracoastal Waterway and improving the soil’s sponge-like nature to reduce local flooding.
The Pond Pals from kindergarten and 2nd grade worked together to renovate the school’s pond, replacing the liner and filtration setup and installing a new rain barrel to capture rainwater that will be used to fill the pond and water the native plants surrounding it. They hope to attract native frogs and insects to their renovated habitat!
To reduce the local impact of single-use plastics, 6th-grade students created a mini-garden from used plastic bottles collected within the watershed. Their mini-garden contains native plant species.
Tiny but mighty, this homeschool family (a 5th, 2nd, and 1st-grader) participated in the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Oyster Gardening Program. They raised 500 oyster spat in their Watery Garden – cages located in the Elizabeth River – and will return them to CBF this summer for relocation to oyster reefs in the Bay.
Twelve high school students from Portsmouth participated in a 2-week summer camp to study and grow oysters, culminating in the release of 4,000 oysters along the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River!
The Plastic Bag Initiative seeks to reduce carbon footprint and runoff pollution impacts by eliminating the use of plastic bags at Commissaries and other shops across the military bases in Hampton Roads. The Commissary at Naval Air Station Oceana has committed to this as of 2025 and has asked the youth to facilitate the transition to reusable bags via a summer awareness campaign!
Students tackle some of the river’s most important challenges to understand it better and help it heal. Get your student or group started on a Youth Resilience Project today! Grant funding may be available for project supplies.
Project submissions are due by Friday, May 9th, 2025. All projects will be recognized as Resilient River Star Schools and shared on our website!
Youth Resilience Projects and Resilient River Star School Funding made possible by:
The Blocker Foundation, Bank of America, Beazley Foundation, Cox Foundation, Dollar Tree Foundation, Dominion Energy, National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, TC Energy, and VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION & RECREATION.
Thank you for your interest in the Elizabeth River Project’s Ryan Resilience Lab. We’re delighted that our site is in high demand. As the Ryan Resilience Lab is operated by a small non-profit with a big environmental mission, please help us make sure your event is a great fit.
Our priority is to host groups with relevance to our mission: to restore the Elizabeth River through equitable collaboration with diverse communities, governments, and businesses. When space and staff support are available, we are happy to host such groups free of charge, but do request that you consider an organizational membership and allow us to offer the opportunity for individual memberships.
Please fill this form out at least 30 days in advance of the event.
