Celebrating Earth Day one drawing at a time

We're excited to announce the winners for our Solution to the Pollution Earth Day coloring book design contest! Students in grades K-12 from across Washington submitted artwork based on one of six statements about how we can all help keep our water clean.

Here are the winners, organized by the statement they illustrated:

Statement 1: Picking up pet waste stops it from washing into the water when it rains.

• Hendrix H., Seattle
• Naomi K., Seattle

Statement 2: Trees and shrubs are awesome in many ways! They can stop pollution before it gets to the water and shade it to keep it cool for fish and frogs.

• Peytan B., West Richland
• Mackenzie W., Ocean Beach

Statement 3: Rain gardens are good at keeping chemicals, oil, and other pollution out of streams, rivers, and lakes.

• Lua P., Spokane
• Hanna L., Ocean Beach

Statement 4: Cover crops like grasses, clover, and even sunflowers help keep soil healthy and stops it from washing into nearby rivers and streams.

• Alice K.
• Brianna W.

Statement 5: Fertilizers and pesticides can help our lawns stay alive, but they can also harm the creatures living in the stream if you don't use them with care.

• Niranjan, Maple Valley
• Rose J., Ocean Beach

Statement 6: Keeping cows and other farm animals out of streams and lakes keeps the water clean for everyone.

• Mya P., Ocean Beach
• Alma D., Seattle

You can view, download, and print the full coloring book now!

Solutions to nonpoint pollution

At Ecology, every day is Earth Day, and this contest helped kids learn about the pollution found in their everyday lives. The good news is there are many simple solutions like picking up pet waste or planting a rain garden that can help.

We call this type of pollution "nonpoint pollution" because it doesn't come from a single, identifiable source. Instead, it comes from many everyday activities that add up over time. Rain can wash bacteria from animal waste and chemicals from lawns or farms into nearby waterways. It can also look like the loss of trees next to streams that provide shade to help keep water cool and stop pollution from getting to the water.

One pile of dog poop washing into a river may seem like a small amount of pollution, but when it is happening everywhere and over time, it can become a large problem. Because these problems are so widespread, nonpoint pollution is one of our toughest water quality challenges.

All of the statements from the coloring contest educate and empower youth to reflect on how they can reduce nonpoint pollution, now and into the future. There are small, easy, everyday actions that anyone can do, like picking up pet waste and throwing it away. Or larger actions that take more planning and resources like building a rain garden or keeping livestock fenced and out of waterways.

Because there are so many sources of pollution, Ecology works on many different solutions to nonpoint pollution. We develop cleanup plans for watersheds across the state, and we work with landowners to share best practices on how to prevent pollution from their properties. We provide about $15 million each year in clean water funding to support projects that reduce nonpoint pollution. Finally, we and our many partners across the state provide resources and hold events, like this contest!

Outreach like this helps people know what they can do to help prevent and be a solution to the pollution. Check out to Learn more about our holistic approach to nonpoint pollution.

Amazing results

Overall, the youth in Washington understood the assignment, and delivered amazing drawings based on these statements. The contest received a total of 55 submissions from across the state, including Seattle, Walla Walla, Maple Valley, Spokane, Odessa, Ocean Beach, and West Richland. The creativity of the students brought the statements to life - many designs featured cows, frogs, fish, flowers, and Washington's landscapes.

You can view all of the submissions to the contest on our coloring book contest webpage.

Some teachers even used the contest as part of their lessons. Kelli Hughes-Ham, a visual arts teacher at Ocean Beach Schools, used the project to teach her students about line weight.

"They had fun with it! Being middle-schoolers, they are still understanding their own impact on the Earth," Hughes-Ham said. "Our science teacher touches on these topics enough that they were familiar with solutions to pollution."

With so many strong entries, it wasn't easy to pick winners. We asked our Water Quality Program staff to vote on their favorites. They looked for:

• Creativity and quality of the artwork

• How well the art represented the chosen statement

• Understanding of the solution to the pollution

• How well the art reflected the beauty of Washington

Two winners were selected for each statement. The number of submissions for each statement varied, with Statement 4 - cover crops - being the most popular.

Overall, staff had a hard time picking their favorites, but all were impressed with the artistic quality and variety of submissions.

"I love seeing all of the creativity and how much the kids care about water quality! Everyone did a great job representing the work we do to support cool and clean water for people and the environment," said Jon Kenning, Water Quality Program Manager.

Thank you to everyone

We want to extend a big thank you to all the students, teachers, and families who participated and helped make this coloring book possible. Your creativity and care for Washington's environment shines through every drawing.

The winning artwork will help teach kids across the state about simple, meaningful ways to prevent pollution for years to come!