This project provides funding to soundwaters, INC

The Environmental Protection Agency Region 1 awarded a $233,334 Project Grant to Soundwaters, Inc. under the Environmental Education Grants Program (CFDA 66.951). The grant will fund environmental education activities in Fairfield, Greenwich, and Stamford, Connecticut from July 1, 2022 through October 31, 2023.

Soundwaters will utilize its 80-foot teaching vessel to provide floating classroom experiences for 805 community members, with a focus on low-income students and families. Activities will include water quality testing, learning about Long Island Sound animals, and understanding the impact of daily behaviors on the Sound's health. Bilingual educational videos and communications will also be created. Subrecipients will provide opportunities for participating students and families to attend Soundwaters' educational sailing events. The project aims to increase environmental awareness and knowledge, while encouraging responsible actions to benefit the local marine environment.

To implement its project, which will design, demonstrate, and disseminate environmental education practices, methods, and techniques, that will serve to increase environmental literacy and encourage behavior that will benefit the environment in fairfield, greenwich, and stamford, connecticut. The grantee will do this by utilizing soundwaters' 80' teaching vessel as a floating classroom where children and parents will learn together about their local environment and how their daily behaviors can contribute to the protection of the marine environment of long island sound. June through september, students and their families will test water quality, learn about water quality, meet a wide variety of long island sound animals and understand the impact of their daily behaviors on the health of long island sound. Activities:this project will increase public awareness and knowledge about environmental issues in southwest connecticut (fairfield, greenwich, stamford) and provide students and community members the skills necessary to make informed decisions and to take responsible actions. Activities to be performed during this project period include: test water quality in long island sound, meet a wide variety of long island sound animals and understand the impact of their daily behaviors on the health of the sound and encourage all families to join future soundwaters stewardship events, such as our monthly coastal clean-UPS. Also, bilingual education videos and communications will supplement the learning process. Subrecipient:the subgrantees will provide low-income students and their families participating in their after school and summer programs the opportunity to the soundwater, INC. Educational sail events to learn about water quality, the effects of marine debris on marine life and human actions that can affect the quality of long island soundoutcomes:IT is anticipated that this project will result in the following deliverables: have over 805 community members (students and families), from environmental justice communities, participate in educational ecology sails focusing in long island sound. Expected outcomes of the project include: hands on educational activities during the sails to learn about water quality, reduction of marine debris, coastal cleanup and the effects of their actions on the sound. Bilingual videos will also be created on these topics. Intended beneficiaries are students and families and/or community members participating in these educational sails.