Students will investigate visible environmental evidence on school grounds, connect local observations to Earth systems and human activity, and develop a preliminary problem frame for the essential question.

Students will analyze local environmental evidence, stakeholder perspectives, and existing technologies to produce individual evidence portfolios and a team design brief. They will explain Earth-system and community relationships, establish measurable design specifications, critique two peer teams, revise from feedback, and pass a design-readiness gate before prototyping.

Students will use their community evidence and design briefs to answer, “How can we design a solution that reduces human impact on natural systems while responding to a real environmental problem in our community?” They will generate and compare concepts, build a safe prototype, design a controlled test, and collect quantitative baseline data for later refinement.

Students will analyze prototype performance, make and test a targeted revision, finalize evidence portfolios, and prepare a stakeholder-facing multimedia pitch that answers the essential question with scientific evidence, test data, ethical reasoning, and acknowledged limitations.

Students will defend, present, and evaluate their tested sustainability solutions, then use stakeholder feedback to reflect on evidence, engineering decisions, and future improvements.