Youth across Ohio are finding more opportunities to directly interact with environmental science thanks to Ohio Sea Grant’s efforts in the state’s 4-H program.
Through Ohio 4-H, Ohio Sea Grant offers project books on topics like sustainability and fishing, giving hundreds of kids and teens the tools to lead their own science projects. The latest project book, titled Be a Sustainability Hero!, launched in 2025 and helps youth explore their waste habits and resource usage.
“We want kids to know they can make a difference based on what they learn through these projects,” said Jill Bartolotta, Ohio Sea Grant Education Specialist.
Each year, kids and teens in 4-H use project books as guides to complete hands-on, learn-by-doing projects. The Ohio 4-H program engages more than 155,000 youth each year through over 200 of these books, spanning topics from animal science to STEM and the arts. Completed projects get judged by county experts, with the potential to move on to the Ohio State Fair in Columbus.
Previously, Ohio Sea Grant developed two project books about fishing, authored by Extension Program Leader Tory Gabriel. These Outdoor Adventurer books, introducing kids to fishing at beginner and intermediate levels, have sold more than 5,000 copies since 2018.
More recently, Bartolotta and partners in Ohio State University Extension recognized a need in the 4-H space: few projects focused specifically on sustainability, despite growing awareness among youth about environmental challenges. Adding a project that sparks sustainable practices could fill this critical gap, empowering young people to better understand resource use and take action in the future.
“With 4-H, it was a group that we hadn’t quite worked with yet, beyond Stone Lab field trips or college students,” Bartolotta said. “We realized we should be talking to them about sustainability.”
For the project, Bartolotta worked alongside Audrey Dimmerling, team leader and 4-H Educator for Columbiana County; the late Beth Bollas, co-author and extension program assistant for Community Development in Lake County, Dan Remley, field specialist for family and nutritional Wellness and assistant professor for OSU South Centers, and Alisha Barton, family and consumer science extension educator in Miami County.
“We’re excited to provide youth with an opportunity to explore ways they can personally make a difference not only in their own lives but within their community,” Dimmerling said. “The process was unique as it came from a collaboration across program areas. It was great to work with a varied group of educators all with a love for our environment and working with children.”
The book guides kids and teens through hands-on activities focused on waste management and water and energy use. Participants learn how people generate waste, why too much waste is a problem, and what people can do to reduce waste – with the goal of ultimately becoming a “sustainability hero” by educating or helping others.
“We’re asking youth to research their own use of electricity and water and the trash they throw away,” Bartolotta said. “It helps them understand what they use in their daily lives and how they can take steps to be more sustainable. It’s about putting on that cape and trying to be a hero or a champion within their community based on what they’ve learned.”
In its first year, Sustainability Hero projects were completed by 242 4-H club members, with eight youth showing their projects at the Ohio State Fair. State projects included creating items like a bird feeder out of repurposed materials, a poster on the process of recycling, and a letter written to a school principal requesting the reduction of plastics used in the cafeteria. Bartolotta, along with Ohio Sea Grant student intern Samantha Holtz, will be judging projects at the 2026 Ohio State Fair.
Most recently, the project book passed a National 4-H peer review in July, meaning the book was approved by an independent team of educators from around the country.
“Overall, feedback has been very positive for the book,” Bartolotta said. “It comes down to really simple things we can do to make a difference, especially when we tell others about it and those people make a difference too.”
For the Outdoor Adventurer project books, Gabriel said he’s enjoyed seeing their success over the years, helping thousands of kids learn how to fish. He also serves as a leader at Ohio 4-H Sea Camp, which engages teenagers ages 14-17 in hands-on learning about aquatic science on Kelleys Island each summer. The annual camp has introduced hundreds of young people to Lake Erie since it was started by Ohio Sea Grant and Ohio 4-H extension staff in 1984.
“For both the project books and Sea Camp, we want to give kids the tools, but also the hands-on experiences, to confidently enjoy our aquatic resources,” Gabriel said. “The more they interact with Lake Erie, the more they learn about it and appreciate it, which leads to all kinds of benefits.”
In recent years, Gabriel has even had the pleasure of judging 4-H fishing projects from Ottawa County, observing passion and growth from kids across a wide range of ages.
“By the end of projects or camp, kids should know the basics of fishing and how to do it safely and confidently, allowing them to continue to grow long after the project,” he said. “They should also gain an appreciation for the other species and habitats that support the fishery, plus an environment-focused ethos to help maintain and support the aquatic resources that we all ultimately rely on.”
Ohio Sea Grant is supported by The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) School of Environment and Natural Resources, Ohio State University Extension, and NOAA Sea Grant, a network of 34 Sea Grant programs nation-wide dedicated to the protection and sustainable use of marine and Great Lakes resources. Stone Laboratory is Ohio State’s island campus on Lake Erie and is the research, education, and outreach facility of Ohio Sea Grant and part of CFAES School of Environment and Natural Resources.