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Yahoo
3 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
'Sort of saddening': Santa Fe student's video on deforestation wins international award
Fourteen-year-old Alisha Wald may live in a desert state. But the recent graduate from the Mandela International Magnet School in Santa Fe has seen the creep of deforestation in the rainforest firsthand. Every few years, Wald visits her grandparents in Malaysia. Across the road from their home is a rainforest. Each year, Wald sees it shrink bit by bit. "It was sort of saddening to see that land that was right in front of my grandparents' home was slowly disappearing," said Wald, who will enter ninth grade in the fall. "It made me think of all the animals, since we used to go on trips to the rainforest and we saw all the animals there, like monkeys, and I just thought about all the biodiversity and all the creatures that are affected from just the deforestation." Wald recently won first place in the World of 8 Billion International Student Contest for her video on the rainforest, competing against thousands of students in 67 countries. The contest, which for middle schoolers comes with a $600 prize, asked students to make videos about the impact of a growing global population on three topics: child well-being, rainforest ecosystems and sanitation. The organization behind the contest, Population Connection, is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that says it "educates young people and advocates progressive action to stabilize world population at a level that can be sustained by Earth's resources." There's a high global demand for food from the tropics, Wald explained in her video. But deforestation in the rainforest can lead to a loss in biodiversity and an increase in carbon emissions; a 2021 study published in Nature found that, in areas of the Amazon rainforest impacted by deforestation, forest areas that had once acted as carbon sinks — absorbing carbon — were now releasing it. Rainforest Deforestation Deforestation isn't a problem limited to the world's rainforests, Wald said. The loss of trees and biodiversity in the rainforest is a global issue. "That really stuck out to me about how, as it's burned or chopped down and degraded, it really impacts it ... as the carbon increases and goes up to the environment," Wald said. "I tried to use data to really dig deeper into my topic. But through that, I built on the idea of how it impacts everyone, not just those 1 billion people directly." But Wald wasn't just trying to identify an issue — she also was looking for solutions. Initially, Wald, who plans to study engineering, was thinking high-tech solutions. But her world geography teacher, Amanda Burkybile, encouraged her to look at existing practices to address deforestation. Enter agroforestry. Agroforestry mixes native trees with crops and livestock, rather than cutting down trees to establish a monoculture. "I learned about agroforestry, and through research it said that it's existed for thousands of years," Wald said. "It was essentially just introducing the land and like planting and agriculture with other animals and other native plants to make it replicate the land in a way, make it just better for the overall environment." The practice can help sequester carbon, Wald said. Her mother, Azuhana Azid, said she watched her daughter painstakingly edit her video into just 60 seconds. "She likes to try everything, and when she tries something, she wants to do the best that she can," Azid said. Wald, a clarinet player and striker for the soccer team, is heading to Santa Fe High School next year. Wald also took first place in the Santa Fe Public Schools District Science Fair earlier this year and received an honorable mention in the Aldo Leopold Writing Contest for her essay on her connection to nature. Wald will be recognized for her video Tuesday in an online ceremony.
Associated Press
20-05-2025
- General
- Associated Press
Young Visionaries Shine in Global Spotlight: Winners Announced in World of 8 Billion Student Video Competition
'Teachers tell us that the contest provides excellent learning opportunities to research a timely issue, develop solutions and use technology to communicate their messages.'— Pam Wasserman, Senior VP for Education, Population Connection WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, May 20, 2025 / / -- Bold ideas. Big impact. In just 60 seconds. That's what 18 creative and solution-driven students delivered in the annual World of 8 Billion video contest, hosted by Population Connection. The competition drew more than 4,600 students from 67 countries – including Uzbekistan, Canada, India, and Uganda - as well as 45 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, all committed to exploring the intersection of population growth and global challenges. See the winning videos. This year's contest asked students to tackle some of the most pressing issues of our time— Child Wellbeing, Rainforest Ecosystems, and Sanitation—through one-minute videos packed with research, storytelling, and solutions. These topics reflect the far-reaching effects of population growth: - The physical, mental, and emotional state of children greatly depends on their access to resources, the safety of their communities, and the reliability of the services around them. - Climate change, mining, agriculture, and deforestation threaten the biodiversity and health of rainforests, which not only provide habitat for wildlife, but critical resources that humans rely on and benefit from. - People have always struggled for proper sanitation - access to clean water for drinking and cleaning, as well as a system for safely handling human waste. It is crucial for public health and has been recognized as a human right. And the students delivered. With compelling messages and creative approaches, winners proposed innovative solutions such as solar-powered composting toilets, farm-to-family partnerships, agroforestry, and reimagining public transit. 'The thousands of students who took part in this year's contest showed depth of thought, creativity, and a sense of collective responsibility for our environment and the wellbeing of people in their communities and around the globe,' said John Seager, President of Population Connection. 'Teachers tell us that the contest provides excellent learning opportunities to research a timely issue, develop solutions and use technology to communicate their messages,' added Pam Wasserman, Senior Vice President for Education. Winners didn't just earn recognition—they also took home cash prizes. Each high school first-place winner received $1,200, second-place winners earned $600, and honorable mentions were awarded $300 each. Middle school first- and second-place winners received $600 and $300, respectively. The contest is run by Population Education, a program of Population Connection. Winners were selected by a panel of 51 judges that included educators, filmmakers, and subject matter experts. 🎥 Check out the winning videos and meet the young changemakers. 🌍 Learn more about the World of 8 Billion contest. Ana-Maria Gutierrez Population Education [email protected] Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content 'as is' without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
