On March 18th, more than 100 Miami-Dade County middle school students filled the Betty T. Ferguson Auditorium as finalists in the first Green Heart STEM Challenge (GHSC) in Miami. Captain Planet [himself] danced with students as excitement built for the pitching competition that would determine which solutions would take home the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes and advance to the Idea Incubator.
This one-of-a-kind event, focused on the EARTH element, was made possible by Accenture, City of Miami Gardens, Delta Air Lines, Publix Super Markets Charities, Susan J. Klein, Whole Foods Markets, and our partnership with Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS).
During the summer of 2025, students and teachers alike heard the first rumblings of the 2026 Green Heart STEM Challenge coming to Miami. Team Planet began reaching out to schools across Miami-Dade County with the help of M-DCPS Administrative Director Cristian Carranza. Team Planet members recall the shock and excitement educators felt upon learning that their students had the opportunity to carry their solutions through to implementation with grant funding from the Foundation.
“Funding student ideas so they can take ACTION is one of the elements that make the Green Heart STEM Challenge stand apart from other STEM opportunities,” explains Lauren Stone, Special Projects Manager.
By the time the Challenge’s registration closed in December, over 560 Miami students were signed up to join the 2026 EARTH Platform and begin learning about the EARTH-related concepts: Food, Forests, Mangroves, and Soils. Maximo, a 2024 Green Heart Challenge participant and winner, played a key role in creating the 2026 EARTH Platform.
“I’ve seen myself grow through the program and wanted to ensure that future students were able to see themselves reflected within the lessons,” Maximo expressed.
On January 19th, 2026, the platform opened to all participants, and students could discover lessons handpicked by Maximo.
“Not only were we able to develop a standards-aligned curriculum, with Maximo’s help, we were able to ensure that that curriculum was also truly student-centered and that we delivered ideas in a format that his peers could relate to,” explains Latoya A. Henry, COO.
Student-led solutions were submitted in early March, where teams proposed an Action Plan that addressed the root causes of their identified problem, chose relevant stakeholders, showcased credible research, and offered a detailed outline for project implementation. They also submitted a creative, two-minute video that shared their inspiration and project plans.
Team Planet saw an array of subsection focuses, with many honing in on food accessibility, food waste, and a desire to ensure that peers had enough nutritious food both at school and at home.
From these projects, eight finalist teams were invited onstage to pitch their solutions to the judging panel. Judges asked follow-up questions to these top teams in addition to the question, “If your team were to win the Green Heart STEM Challenge Implementation Grant, how would you use it?”
When Sherman Gant, Director of Educational Development in the City of Miami Gardens, was asked how the Finale’s pitching component could help shape student futures, he said, “It opens doors and their eyes to see potential,” Sherman continued, “It gives them opportunities to be exposed to different things. Some students might take the lessons they have learned to present business plans, and maybe they can start their own business.”
Each presenting student team delivered their pitches with a deep understanding of their identified issue and an unmistakable passion for their projects. At the end of the day, each student walked away with medals and trophies in hand, along with the pride of having claimed their power by working to make a difference in their community and their environment.
Listed below are the Winners from the 2026 Miami EARTH Finale:
1st Place – The Countertop Cultivators, Homestead Middle School
Mentor Educator: Christina Airado
Problem: Our school is located in Homestead, a major agricultural hub that feeds the country. However, many families in our school community live in a “food swamp”, an area where processed, low-nutrient food is cheap and readily available, while fresh, nutrient-dense produce is expensive or hard to access. This disconnect creates a nutritional gap for students and separates us from our community’s agricultural roots.
Solution: Upcycle 2-liter plastic bottles into self-watering containers for their “Micro-Harvest Kits.” These containers will house high-yield, regrowing crops (e.g. loose-leaf lettuce, spinach, or herbs) that allow families to grow and harvest fresh nutrients directly on their kitchen counters.
2nd Place – The Smart Cookies, North County K-8 Center
Mentor Educator: Patricia Cook
Problem: The main issues we observed were compacted soil from foot traffic where there are no sidewalks or walkways, and soil erosion where the soil is not covered. We identified these soil health issues in our community through observing the soils around our school and in our neighborhood.
Solution: Educate their classmates on the importance of not cutting across green space, where overuse causes soil compaction and the death of plantings. The team will lay a concrete pathway for students to take shortcuts, as well as install raised beds for flowering and edible plants, bringing beauty and function to a degraded area.
3rd Place – The Sand Savers, John F. Kennedy Middle School
Mentor Educator: Marc Gauthier
Problem: People are affected by beach erosion which is caused by a combination of natural forces and human activities that remove more sand from the shore than is replaced. Erosion rates exceed 5 meters per year in extreme cases and costs local beaches over $500 million dollars annually to be maintained properly.
Solution: Educate their community on the importance of implementing groins and jetties to reduce sand loss. Objectives include meeting with the Town Council for additional funding and structuring volunteer events to install groins and jetties.
Interested in participating in next year’s FIRE challenge? Sign up for Green Heart STEM Challenge Updates!