About CFK

Caring for the Kenai is an environmental awareness contest for high school students that provides an opportunity for a cooperative effort by industry, businesses, local and state government, school districts, non-profit organizations, environmental groups, and the media to increase public understanding of our communities environmental and natural disaster challenges.

Entrants begin with an environmental issue they wish to address and develop a solution specific to that issue. Entrants will do research, perform experiments, and conduct interviews in order to learn as much about their topics as possible. Then, each entrant, or team, writes a proposal (essay) including such information as the problem (s)he is attempting to solve, what has been learned about this problem, and the entrant’s solution to the problem.

Proposals are collected and judged. Through an extensive process of judging, nearly 600 proposals are narrowed down to 12 finalists. After the finalists and teachers are notified of their standings, they begin preparing for an oral presentation. They have several weeks to prepare for this presentation in front of a panel of 7 judges, an audience, and streamed live over the internet.

Letter From Governor Parnell

CFK gets its message to a larger segment of the population than just students and teachers. The program’s main message – “We are all environmental decision makers” – reaches parents and the community at large. Parents learn about CFK when students discuss and work on their projects at home. In addition, local media co-sponsors assist in getting the message out to the public. Industry, government, educators, regulators, and private citizens work together to promote both educational and environmental innovations.

  • CFK has received legislative citations from local and state government for creating a model school/business partnership.
  • The American Diabetes Association chose CFK to receive their “Leaders in Innovation” Award in the category of education.
  • The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District has included the CFK program as part of their Science and Language Arts Curriculum for grades 9-12.
  • The Pledge & Promise environmental awards, sponsored by Sea World and Busch Gardens, has recognized the KPBSD, CFK, and Unocal for the contribution in providing creative stewardship over the planet’s natural resources.
  • CFK has been included as part of Alaska’s Promise for Youth book, which is Alaska’s commitment to America’s Promise 2000. The program, headed by General Colin Powell, is an effort to reach 2 million young people with an opportunity to give back to America through their own services.
  • Six CFK winners have received Presidential Environmental Youth Awards for Region 10 in the past six years and honored personally by the President of the United States.