A $1,900 donation by the Weston Kiwanis Foundation will substantially advance Weston High School environmental initiatives, including the creation of a pollinator garden in a vacant courtyard and work on an international study.

Checks were presented at the Kiwanis club’s April 6 meeting. In the photo above, from left to right, are Harry Spencer of Kiwanis, high school seniors Emily Kolodney and Emmy Brennen, and Keith Johnson of Kiwanis.

$1,400 goes to the pollinator project, where fundraising continues through April 22 in pursuit of a matching grant from Sustainable CT.

$500 goes to the school’s Sustainable Solutions program, where students may be able to participate in an international study on soil carbon capture. The money will be used to buy sampling and testing equipment needed for the project.

Michael Aitkenhead, who teaches the course, said researchers are calling for volunteers around the world to join in the yearlong study. Most are from universities, he said, but “we plan to have Weston be the first high school participant.”

The idea of the study is to determine if “carbon gardens” can be created in various soils and climates to ramp up the natural process where carbon is taken out of the air and stored in soil for millions of years.

If the idea proves out, said Mr. Aitkenhead, “on a global scale it can make a huge dent in reducing the amount of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. But more research needs to be done.”