Eli (11), Link (9), and Hudson (8) Nowlin
Marco Island, Florida
Shutterstock.com (Background); Courtesy of Kids for Urban Trees (Planting Trees)
Kid Eco Heroes!
Every day is Earth Day for these kids who work to help nature around them.
By Alice Sun
From the March/April 2026 Issue
Key Focus Area:
Human Impacts,
Standards
Hooray for Earth Day!
Watch a video about Earth Day.
Owl Watchers
Shutterstock.com (Background); Courtesy of Audubon Western Everglades (Eli Nowlin)
Eli Nowlin helps a biologist tag an owl living in his front yard.
Florida’s burrowing owls have a problem. As new housing and businesses boom, they’re losing places to build their underground nests. That’s why the Nowlin family agreed to host a family of owls in their yard!
A biologist from a program called Owl Watch dug a hole in the Nowlins’ front yard and set up a perch. Adult owls moved in. They started raising a family.
Every day, Eli and his two siblings, Link and Hudson, kept a close eye on the birds. They watched the owls build their nest, feed their young, and play by their burrow, Eli says. He even got to help a biologist place a metal band on some of the owls. This allows scientists to track how many birds live in the area.
Everyone hopes these efforts will encourage more people to make space for these at-risk birds.
Tree Planters
Shutterstock.com (Background); Courtesy of Kids for Urban Trees (Planting Trees)
Nirbhuy Arun (far left), Alexis Nicholson (second from right) and volunteers with Kids for Urban Trees at a tree planting event
Nirbhuy Arun (10) and Alexis Nicholson (11)
Richland, Washington
When they were younger, Nirbhuy Arun and Alexis Nicholson experienced playing in places where equipment was literally too hot to handle under the summer sun. Playgrounds, filled with metal bars and fences, were “scorching,” Nirbhuy says. “When we researched this for a science project, Alexis and I realized this wasn’t a problem for just me and my friends. This was a problem for all of eastern Washington.”
Inspired, the duo founded Kids for Urban Trees. The program brings kids together to plant trees in schools and parks that need cooling shade. They’ve now planted more than 700 trees! “We’re trying to help inspire kids to make a greener, cooler place,” Alexis says. “We provide them equipment so they can help make a difference.”
Forest Restorers
Shutterstock.com (Background); Tim Gruber/The New York Times/Redux (Roots, Alex Rozumalski)
Alex Rozumalski holds a log he prepared for growing mushrooms.
Tim Gruber/The New York Times/Redux
The Green Crew removes an invasive plant and inspects its roots.
Hannah Barisonzi (17) and Alex Rozumalski (17)
Bloomington, Minnesota
For Hannah Barisonzi, meaningful conservation work meant getting her hands dirty. So she started an organization called Green Crew, which gets young people outside helping local forests. This includes removing invasive species of plants, planting flowers for pollinators, and even growing mushrooms!
All these actions can restore connections in the local ecosystem, making forests stronger and more resilient to stress. Kids who participate say it’s a great way to make a difference. “I get to do cool projects and put my knowledge to work,” says Alex Rozumalski. He runs the Crew’s mushroom program.
Our environment faces so many challenges. It can feel very hopeless, says Hannah. “I love so many parts of Green Crew, but my favorite thing is bringing hope back to people.”
What kinds of actions can you take to help the environment in your area?
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