Country of Residence
United States
Age
15
Project title
Small Seed: Big Impact
Project Summary: Describe your project in one sentence
I started Small Seed: Big Impact to make mangrove restoration something students can take part in themselves. By growing mangrove propagules using recycled egg cartons, students can learn about coastal ecosystems while helping restore mangroves and protect Miami’s shoreline.
Website URL(s) or social media handles.
https://youtu.be/5Xa2nfIEjxI https://marble-fend-75597004.figma.site/ www.linkedin.com/in/bagaya-kristena-samuel-a606b2407
Project Category
My project is an existing project that I started
Project Stage
Growth (We’ve moved past the very first activities and are beginning to have consistent weekly or monthly impact)
Founding Story: What was the spark that led you to start your project? What was the "Aha!" moment that led you to get started and see the potential for this to succeed?
I have always lived around Miami’s coast, so mangroves were something I saw without always thinking about what they were doing for us. That changed when I stepped into the water to help plant mangroves and ended up cutting my foot on glass. Later, I learned that the water I had been standing in was also saltwater. That experience made me realize how much was happening in these ecosystems that I had never really noticed. I started thinking about how I could get other students to see mangroves differently too. I didn't want environmental conservation to feel like something that only scientists or organizations could do. I wanted students to have a way to actually participate. That became the idea behind Small Seed: Big Impact. I began looking for a simple way students could help grow mangroves, which led me to use biodegradable egg cartons to grow mangrove propagules. What started as an idea became a project involving collection drives, growing, planting, and community outreach. I realized that something as small as one student collecting an egg carton or planting one mangrove could become part of something much larger.
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve? Why does it matter to you and your community?
Mangrove ecosystems are disappearing because of coastal development, pollution, and climate change. This matters especially in Miami, where mangroves are part of the natural environment around our communities. They help protect shorelines from erosion and flooding, provide habitat for marine life, improve water quality, and store carbon. But the problem is not only the loss of mangroves. There is also a disconnect between people and the ecosystems around them. Many students know that climate change and environmental issues are important, but they may not know what they can actually do about them. I see this as both an environmental problem and a community problem. If young people are going to be part of creating healthier communities in the future, they need opportunities to take action now. Restoration can seem like something that belongs to scientists, environmental organizations, or adults, but students can also contribute. Small Seed: Big Impact addresses both sides of this problem by helping restore mangroves while giving students a simple, hands-on way to become involved in protecting the ecosystems around them.
Your Solution: How are you solving this problem? Share your specific solution.
Small Seed: Big Impact combines hands-on mangrove restoration with student participation and environmental education. Instead of asking students to simply learn about mangroves, I give them a way to participate in the restoration process. One part of the project is collecting biodegradable egg cartons that can be used to grow mangrove propagules. Students can participate in collection drives and help with the growing process. Once the seedlings are ready, they can be donated and used for mangrove restoration and planting efforts with organizations working to protect coastal ecosystems. The project also focuses on education. Students learn why mangroves matter, how coastal ecosystems work, and how small actions can contribute to restoration. This makes conservation something they can see and participate in rather than just something they hear about in a classroom. I also connect the project with people and organizations already working in environmental restoration. This allows the project to go beyond the school and connect student efforts with real conservation work in the community. My goal is to make environmental action accessible. A student does not need to be an expert in marine science to participate. They can start by collecting materials, helping grow a seedling, learning about mangroves, or joining a planting effort. Each individual action is small, but together those actions can support larger restoration efforts.
Impact: How has your project created impact / made a difference so far? Or, if at an early stage, what will impact look like?
Small Seed: Big Impact has already created impact by connecting students with hands-on mangrove restoration and environmental education. So far, approximately [NUMBER] students have directly participated through collection drives, growing, planting, or other project activities. The project has also reached over 400 students through school-wide awareness and outreach. Beyond the numbers, I have seen students become more interested in environmental issues when they have a way to participate themselves. Instead of conservation being something they only learn about, they can contribute to it directly. The project has also connected student action with local environmental organizations working on shoreline protection and habitat restoration. Through these connections, mangrove seedlings grown through the initiative can contribute to restoration efforts outside of school. One of the impacts I am most proud of is that the project has encouraged other students to think about environmental problems as something they can act on. Small Seed: Big Impact is not only about growing mangroves. It is about showing young people that they can recognize a problem, create a solution, and involve other people in making that solution happen.
Your Innovation: What is different about your project compared to other programs or solutions already out there? How is your project new or innovative?
Mangrove restoration itself is not a new idea. What is different about Small Seed: Big Impact is the way I make restoration accessible to students and connect a simple school activity with real environmental work in the community. I wanted to remove some of the barriers that can make environmental action feel difficult. Students do not need specialized equipment or advanced knowledge to begin participating. Using biodegradable egg cartons as part of the growing process gives students a simple and familiar material they can collect and connect to a larger purpose. The project also combines several things that are often separated: restoration, recycling, education, and youth leadership. A collection drive can lead to growing mangroves, which can lead to planting, while students learn why the ecosystem matters along the way. Another important part of the project is that I am connecting student participation with organizations that already have experience in environmental restoration. Instead of creating an isolated school activity, I want student work to contribute to restoration happening in the real world. Most importantly, I want the model to be something other students could replicate. A young person does not have to wait until they are older to start making environmental change. They can begin with a small idea, involve their school and community, and build from there. That is where I see the biggest potential of Small Seed: Big Impact.
How many people are on your team?
6
Your team: What role(s) do your team members play? How do you share leadership with them?
I lead Small Seed: Big Impact with my family. I organize the project, develop activities, coordinate outreach, and work with school and community partners. While I am the main organizer, I rely on students, teachers, administrators, and community organizations to help make the project possible. Students participate in collection drives and restoration activities, while teachers and administrators help support school-based activities and connect me with opportunities to expand the project.
What’s Next: What are the next steps you plan to take to grow or strengthen your project over the next year? If your project is still in the idea stage, describe the steps you will take over the next three months to launch or begin developing it.
Over the next year, I want to grow Small Seed: Big Impact from a student-led restoration project into a model that can involve more students and reach more parts of the community. My first goal is to increase student participation through additional collection drives, growing activities, and hands-on restoration opportunities. I also want to continue strengthening relationships with local environmental organizations so that the mangroves students help grow can contribute to real restoration efforts. I plan to create clearer instructions and materials that explain how students can participate and how the growing process works. This will make it easier for new students to get involved and allow the project to continue even as students graduate. I also want to expand the educational side of the project by creating more opportunities for students to learn about mangroves, coastal resilience, pollution, and climate change through activities rather than only presentations. Ultimately, I want Small Seed: Big Impact to become something that can be repeated by other students and schools. My next step is not just growing more mangroves. It is growing the number of young people who believe they can be part of restoring the environment around them.
How do you encourage other people to join your project or learn about the problem you’re working on? If you have a new idea, tell us how you will do this in the future.
I try to make environmental action feel approachable instead of overwhelming. Students may care about environmental issues but not know where to begin, so I give them simple ways to participate, such as collecting biodegradable egg cartons, helping with mangrove propagation, joining planting activities, or learning about the ecosystem. Collection drives are one way I involve students because they allow someone to contribute even if they cannot participate in every part of the project. I also encourage students to share what they learn with their friends, which helps the project spread through the school community. I want students to see that they do not have to start with a huge project. They can start with one small action and build from there. When students see that their contribution can become part of an actual restoration effort, the problem feels more understandable and the solution feels more possible. I also work with teachers, school administrators, and community organizations to create opportunities for students to participate beyond the classroom. My goal is for students to leave the project not only knowing more about mangroves, but also feeling confident that they can identify problems and create their own solutions.
