Project Verdance: growing a thriving future in Wauconda
Wauconda High School’s Future Business Leaders of America members Michael Scheck and Alexus Teran launched Project: Verdance after learning about FBLA’s national Community Service Project competition, which challenges students to design and document efforts that improve their local communities.
To better understand local concerns, Scheck and Teran distributed a community-wide environmental survey that received more than 330 responses from students, staff, and Wauconda residents. The survey revealed that 93% of respondents were concerned about the local environment, while 84% were unsure what types of pollution affect Wauconda. Litter emerged as the most common concern.
The data helped shape Project: Verdance, an initiative designed to raise environmental awareness at a local level while creating a model that could expand in the future. The name “Verdance” comes from the word “verdant,” meaning green, thriving, and full of life, combined with the suffix “-ance,” representing a state of being and continuous growth.
As the project developed, Scheck and Teran met with environmental and civic leaders to gain feedback and support. The initiative received encouragement from Jennifer Walling, CEO of the Illinois Environmental Council; Richard McLaughlin, mayor of Island Lake; and former Illinois State Representative and local business owner Sam Yingling, reinforcing the project’s potential impact beyond the school community.
To support their educational mission, Scheck and Teran recruited a 24-member volunteer team made up of FBLA chapter members who helped conduct additional initiatives throughout the fall. In November, FBLA members carried out trash audits at Wauconda High School to better understand waste habits. Students recorded improperly discarded items during lunch periods and found more than 1,000 recyclables and 500 compostables are thrown away daily.
FBLA member Jackson Savage said the data was critical to raising awareness.
“This initial data will act as a benchmark for improvement,” he said. “As a soft goal, we hope to see a 10 percent reduction in recyclables and compostables being thrown in the trash. To meet that goal, we will be testing various methods, such as making recycling bins more accessible in lunchrooms, setting up posters and having volunteers intervene with students before they throw away their trash.”
In December, the Verdance Volunteer Team launched Verdance for Veterans, a textile waste reduction initiative that paired environmental action with community service. After collecting more than 50 fabric donations, including materials from Pieceful Gathering Quilt Shop, students upcycled the textiles into warm, no-sew blankets and donated 35 blankets and holiday cards to the local veteran’s organization, American Legion Post 911.
After months of research, planning, and community engagement, Project: Verdance culminated in its primary initiative: environmental education.
Verdance Volunteers developed and delivered mini lessons to students at Robert Crown Elementary School, reaching nearly 400 students. The lessons focused on recycling, climate change, carbon footprints and waste reduction through hands-on activities designed to make environmental concepts accessible and memorable.
Beyond in-person outreach, Project: Verdance expanded its awareness efforts through social media. The team launched an educational video series, Mini Mic Mondays, and reached more than 30,000 views across platforms, using short-form content to breakdown environmental topics for a wider audience.
Looking ahead, Scheck and Teran hope to further involve the community through initiatives such as neighborhood cleanups and hands-on sustainability projects, encouraging residents to turn awareness into action.
“Our advice is simple,” Teran said. “Start by learning what’s happening around you. Environmental Advocacy can only stem from awareness.”