© 2023 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Volume XL, Issue 2 Page 17

Abstract 

This NOAA Planet Stewards project was designed to reduce the carbon dioxide in 

our environment through tree planting around the Defiance, Ohio area. Locations 

included a nature preserve, a therapeutic riding center called Lily Creek Farms, and 

the Defiance Elementary School, along with local church grounds and backyards. 

The project was responsible for planting 112 trees with a calculated 1,322 pounds 

of carbon absorbed for the first year which will continue to grow in years to come. 

Once the trees are fully grown, they will remove 5,555 pounds of carbon dioxide 

from the atmosphere each year. Students involved in the project showed an increase 

from pretest to post-test about their desire to do science, choose a STEAM- related 

(Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) career for their future job, and take 

care of the environment. 

The Project 

The concentration of carbon dioxide has increased in the 

world especially after the industrial revolution. Earth’s 

global average surface temperature in 2020 statistically tied 

with 2016 as the hottest year on record, continuing a longterm warming trend due to human activities. Yearly surface 

temperature compared to the 20th-century average from 

1880–2022.

The town of Defiance, Ohio has a strong interest in reducing 

carbon dioxide to mitigate the risks of global warming. 

Defiance City has been recognized by the Arbor Day 

Foundation for planting trees and is aware of the impact 

trees have on our community as a whole. Defiance was 

awarded the Tree City USA Growth Award in 2020. Knowing 

this information made it easy to decide to focus on planting 

more trees to help to improve our air quality. In 2020, it 

was estimated that about 79% of the greenhouse effect is 

caused by carbon dioxide, a heat-trapping gas that prevents 

the releasing the heat into space. (EPA, 2021) This excess 

Planting Roots in our Community: 

Leaving a Legacy Behind

Julie Houck, Defiance Elementary, Defiance, Ohio

Figure 1. Blue bars indicate cooler-than-average years; red bars show 

warmer-than-average years. NOAA Climate.gov graph, based on data fro

the National Centers for Environmental Information
© 2023 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Page 18 The Earth Scientist

greenhouse gas creates a phenomenon known as the 

“greenhouse effect.” Heat from the earth is trapped in 

the atmosphere due to high levels of carbon dioxide 

and other heat-trapping gasses that prohibit it from 

releasing the heat into space.

One way to help reduce carbon dioxide is to plant 

trees because they act as carbon sinks. We were able to 

partner with our Soil and Water Department and many 

other community partners to help with this project, 

including Defiance Dream Center, YELP, Defiance City 

Schools, Defiance College, Defiance City, Lily Creek 

Farm, Defiance Soil and Water, Paulding Soil and 

Water, and Toledo University GLOBE B-WET. 

Students were a part of a leadership 

organization called YELP, Youth Engaged 

Leadership and Philanthropy. This group 

consisted of students grades 4 – 7 who had 

an interest in helping in their community. 

We found a local nursery in the town that 

helped the students select native trees 

to plant at an equestrian center called 

Lily Creek (http://www.lilycreekfarms.

org/) where they had trees die along their 

sensory trail for students with special 

needs. We planted trees in October and 

then we were able to go back to measure 

the trees and do a field trip where the 

students got to learn about careers on the 

farm and ride the horses.

Another tree-planting location was a 

78-acre nature preserve in Defiance called 

the Penney Nature Center (https://www.

defianceswcd.org/penney-nature-center.html). It consists of 

wetlands, woodlands, and prairie land. It has an outdoor classroom 

and provides a nature camp to students over the summer. We 

were able to partner with the Defiance Soil and Water Department 

to plant trees there in April with volunteers from our County 

Commissioner’s office and other local volunteers. 

Defiance Elementary School was the focus of May tree planting. 

The local nursery helped students to analyze the soil to determine 

the best trees to plant and each grade level planted a tree. We 

collected data using the GLOBE protocols for trees, measuring 

the height of the trees and the diameter of the trunks. We also 

estimated how much carbon has been sequestered over the time 

of the project and the prediction of how much it will sequester 

over the next 5 years. The students learned about the importance 

Figure 2. Total U.S. Emission

in 2021 = 6,340 Million Metric 

Tons of CO2 equivalent (excludes 

land sector). Percentages may

not add up to 100% due to 

independent rounding. Land

Use, Land-Use Change, and 

Forestry in the United States 

is a net sink and offsets 12% 

of these greenhouse gas 

emissions. This net sink is not

shown in the above diagram. All

emission estimates from 

the Inventory of U.S. Greenhous

Gas Emissions and Sinks:

1990–2021

Image 1. Getting ready to plant trees at Lily 

Creek Farms, a therapeutic riding center 

providing healing opportunities through the use 

of equine-assisted activities. Photo credit: Julie Houc

Image 3. Penney Nature Preserve in Defiance Ohio where over 

100 trees were planted with Defiance Soil and Water

Photo credit: Julie Houck

Image 2. Student at Lily Creek Farm 

Riding Center. Photo Credit: Julie Houc

79.4%

CO2

11.5%

CH4

3.0%

HFCs, PFCs, SF6 and NF3

6.2%

N2O

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2023). Inventory of U.S.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2021
© 2023 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Volume XL, Issue 2 Page 19

of planting trees, how to measure trees, taking air and surface temperatures, and different 

STEAM careers. This lesson series provided many ties to the Next Generation Science 

Standards (NGSS, 2013). 

Students created their own class book titled, “What They Want to Be”, about their aspirations 

when they grow up. Students went through the writing process and chose a career that was 

of interest to them. They peer-edited each other’s work and completed final copies were sent 

off to the publisher. They were very interested in STEAM careers and several picked careers 

that we had explored during our class career explorations. 

Table 1. Connections to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS, 2013)

Performance Expectation

3-5-ETS1-1 Define a simple design problem that can be solved through the development of an object, tool, process, or system and includes several 

criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost. (3-5-ETS1-1

3-5-ETS1-3 Plan and conduct an investigation collaboratively to produce data to serve as the basis for evidence, using fair tests in which variables are 

controlled and the number of trials considered. (3-5-ETS1-3

Dimensions Classroom Connections

Science and Engineering Practices

Developing and using models

• Modeling in 3–5 builds on K–2 experiences and progresses to building 

and revising simple models and using models to represent events and 

design solutions

• Students create a model of a tree (tower) and then measure it using 

blocks. They will relate how they measure the blocks to find the height

of the tower to how they can count the size of themselves to measure 

a tree height

Disciplinary Core Idea

ETS1.A: Defining and Delimiting Engineering Problems

ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions

ETS1.C: Optimizing the Design Solution

• Students create a model and design a way to measure using 

nonstandard measurements. They are creating a possible solution and

designing a way to measure the height of a tree

Cross-Cutting Concepts

Scale Proportion and Quantity

• In considering phenomena, it is critical to recognize what is relevant at 

different size, time, and energy scales, and to recognize proportional 

relationships between different quantities as scales change

• Students see the connections between the proportional relationships 

of the tree to themselves. They also compare nonstandard units to the

tower and how these relationships change

Image 5. Defiance Elementary 

School tree planting

Photo credit: Annabelle Houck

Image 4. Student recording her data after 

measuring the surface temperature and 

tree data

Photo credit: Julie Houck
© 2023 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Page 20 The Earth Scientist

Lesson: Engineering for Height https://docs.google.com/

document/d/1fjsWBjDTS2CHw0N_TmEGtub-Wt0dX6LUtQPNfNJ4kz4/edit?usp=sharing

Additional trees were planted 

in areas around the community, 

including a local church and ministry. 

Native plants and apple trees were 

planted at Hebron Ministries by 

volunteers. The apple trees were 

selected specifically to help with 

their food outreach program. Trees 

were also planted in neighborhoods 

and yards. 

During the summer, we were able 

to share this project with Honor 

Academy students who represented 

four different counties (Defiance, 

Henry, Fulton and Williams) at a 

week-long camp in Archbold, Ohio. 

These students also learned about 

GLOBE protocols and the importance 

of trees, conducted air and surface 

temperature measurements, met with 

a scientist from Toledo University, and went outdoors each day. We used a Terra Rover to 

collect temperature measurements and compare them to our data. 

Conclusion

Over 600 elementary students and 30 volunteers from four local counties (Defiance, Henry, 

Fulton and Williams County) were involved in this project. The students calculated that 

this project reduced the amount of carbon (1,322 pounds of carbon for the first year) and 

the amount will continue to grow in years to come. Once the trees are fully grown they will 

remove 5,555 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year. Over the span of 

40 years there will be over 100 tons of carbon sequestered 

from this project.

Students showed an increase from pre-test to post-test about 

their desire to do science. In the end of year survey, 20 out of 

27 students selected at or above 4 out of 5 for liking science. 

At the beginning of the year, 10 students listed liking science 

at 3 or below. 

Students also grew in their knowledge about the importance 

of planting trees and in STEAM careers. Multiple presenters 

such as Joshua Hall, a computer programmer, visited 

throughout the year in-person or virtually to highlight what 

they did in their specific job and answer questions from the 

students. In their book about future jobs, 14 out of 21 students 

picked a STEAM career.

Images 6 and 7. Trees were planted at Hebron Ministries in Defiance Ohio. Photo credit: Julie Hou

15

10

5

0

1 2 3 4 5

0 (0%)

7 (25.9%) 8 (29.6%)

12 (44.4%)

0 (0%)

Do you like science?

27 responses

Figure 3. In the year-end survey, 20 out of 27 students selected at 

or above 4 out of 5 for liking science. At the beginning of the year, 10

students listed liking science at 3 or below
© 2023 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Volume XL, Issue 2 Page 21

As a result of the Planet Stewards funding and seeing the impact it could make on my 

students, I was encouraged to try for an Ohio Environmental Education Fund grant in 2023. 

The superintendent of my school reached out to me to work on it and I was amazed at the 

number of community partnerships I had already created. It was fairly easy to continue in 

my environmental endeavors because I had the experience through Planet Stewards. I do 

not believe I would have had the courage to write the grant had I not had such a wonderful 

experience. I also think the community support and ability to partner together made it 

more manageable to take the next step and my school was selected to receive the Ohio 

Environmental Education Grant. 

I was able to share the results and the impact of this Planet Stewards project on my students 

and my teaching practice at the 2023 GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit 

the Environment) Annual Meeting in Denver Colorado.

References 

EPA. 2021. Overview of Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Emission estimates from the Inventory of 

U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990–2021. https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/

overview-greenhouse-gases#:~:text=Total%20U.S.%20Emissions%20in%202021,of%20these%20

greenhouse%20gas%20emissions

NGSS Lead States. 2013. Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States. https://www.

nextgenscience.org/search-standards

STEAM Careers 

Presented to Students

• Nurse

• Eye Doctor

• Computer Programmer

• NASA Scientist

• Civil Engineer

• Environmental Specialist

• Candy Maker

• Astronaut

• Equestrian Trainer

Image 8. Joshua Hall sharing about his job as a Computer Programmer

Photo credit: Julie Houck

Image 9. Student book page of STEAM career

From What We Want to Be by Mrs. Houck’s 2021-2022 Class (Published by Student Treasures https://

studentreasures.com/)

About the Author

Julie Houck became a NOAA Planet Steward in 2021. She is a K-5 STEAM Teacher at Defiance

Elementary in Defiance, Ohio. She has been teaching for 20 years and has also taught students in

Australia, Germany, and China. She earned her Bachelor of Early Childhood Education from Cedarville

University and her masters from Regent University. She has been a part of GLOBE Mission Earth for

three years and is also a GLOBE trainer. She is a My NASA GLOBE product reviewer, an NSTA member,

and an Ohio STEM Learning Network Fellow. Julie can be contacted at jhouck@defianceschools.n