The Expo of Awesome was held at the University of B.C. Okanagan on May 15, and more than 400 middle school students from across the Central Okanagan presented their ideas on how to fight climate change. 

Students in Grade 6 to 8 worked in groups with community mentors to create an idea that supports greener living through a program called C.A.R.E., Climate Action Ripple Effect. 

"It is a program that is funded through a charity called the Fresh Outlook Foundation," explained C.A.R.E. Coordinator Aaron Veenstra. "The goal is to bring climate awareness to teachers and then funnelling down to their students."

There were 100 projects on display which included topics like food sustainability, product recycling, and gardening. 

Students had the opportunity to compete for funding that would bring their projects to life. 

Teacher Consultant with School District 23 and a judge of the event Lindsey Stevens said 30 community members volunteered their time to mentor the students and prepare them for the expo. 

"We've done a lot of research of building up actionable hope for our youth in light of all the climate and eco-anxiety going on," Stevens said working with mentors helped the students realize that they can make a difference in the world. "That's one of the things that we really appreciated with having the community involved."

Constable Neil Bruce Middle School students Quinn Soukeroff and Kezia Griffin presented their Eco-Splash Paints in hopes of receiving funds. 

"Dyes are really toxic and poisonous for the earth," said Griffin. The pair wanted to find a cleaner solution to adding colour to paint and opted for dehydrated flower petals which are boiled and strained for their colour before being added to their own paint recipe. 

When asked what they found challenging in the project, Soukeroff brought up the paint recipe. "We put baking soda in and it didn't have the same affect on the paint as flour did. Flour thickened it, where the baking soda just dissolved."

C.A.R.E.'s Veenstra said there's no limit on how many competing projects could be funded and no set dollar amount for each. Instead, students presented their projects and asked for a specific dollar amount, in a science fair meets Dragon's Den way. The projects awarded funds will be decided in the coming days. 

Learn all about the Expo of Awesome by visiting .