Ever since I was a little girl, I have been fascinated by the plants and animals around me, whether in my backyard, at my school, or in my broader community. This started at home, when my family and I studied the birds that would visit our garden to eat the native seeds mix we would leave out. In elementary school, I was part of the “Aqua Eagles” science club and raised wild native brook trout and educated my classmates about the Chesapeake Bay watershed. I love my science class at the Takoma Park Middle School science magnet program and am a member of “The Starling Squad,” where I take lessons from birds in flight when building and flying drones. This summer I was selected to be part of an Agricultural Sciences Camp for Montgomery County and learned about biomedical applications to tree and plant health to protect Maryland’s agriculture.
In my community, my sister Sufyana and I have been members of the Islamic Community Center of Potomac’s Green Team for several years and actively participate in the Sacred Grounds effort, a National Wildlife Federation program that is focused on creating native wildlife habitats to foster a connection between faith and caring for the environment.
As Green Team members, we have planted a native plants garden to catch stormwater run-off and learned about the importance of attracting pollinators and native species to create a sustainable outside garden space that can be both beautiful and nurture the environment – and not require too much maintenance after getting established.
Photo: Aydina and her little sister Wilaya filling bird baths in the National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat she planted at her home in Potomac using native plants, inspired by her participation in the Sacred Grounds effort.
The Sacred Grounds effort inspired me to also plant a native plants garden at my home that is now certified by the National Wildlife Federation as a wildlife habitat. The butterfly bushes and other native flowering plants I put in my garden attract pollinators such as bees and butterflies, and my bird feeder and bird baths attract songbirds and migratory birds. I also digitally log the birds that I see as part of a citizen scientist bird tracking program, eBird, which informs scientific bird research worldwide.
Now, using resources shared by the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection, Sufyana and I have developed an app, https://ramadanrecycling.com/iccpnative, to match native plants with animals of the Maryland/Piedmont Region to make it easy for our community to know what native plants to plant in their home and business gardens to attract native species, pollinators, and other animals whose presence would benefit the environment.
What I have learned also informed my nature + technology idea for “The Farm Car: Driving a Better Future.” This was an innovation essay that I wrote about a self-driving Farm Car with a native plants garden on the roof that is managed with an artificial intelligence assistant to help with planting, watering, and harvesting. The Farm Car filters carbon dioxide from its exhaust to provide energy for plants, which use carbon dioxide to grow and then release clean oxygen. My essay was the Grand Prize winner in the national Dare to Soar competition of the Transportation Federal Credit Union, which serves the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Federal Aviation Administration, and others, and was cited for being novel in promoting mobility and healthy living. I used the money earned from the Grand Prize to support The Starling Squad at my school.
I look forward to continuing to learn about the natural world around me, both in the great outdoors and the lab, and finding ways to connect nature and technology for the benefit of my community. I am grateful for being a member of the Green Team and the Sacred Grounds effort, and the STEM program at Takoma Park, all of which have seeded and now sustain my growing love of nature, science, and technology.
Photo: Aydina receiving the Grand Prize in the Dare to Soar national competition of the Transportation Federal Credit Union from Deputy Assistant Secretary for Administration at the U.S. Department of Transportation, Keith Washington.
Left Photo: Aydina and sister, Sufyana planting native plants as part of ICCP Green Team and Sacred Grounds Partnership. Right Photo: ICCP Green Team
We are proud to share Aydina’s Green Story as a wonderful outcome of the work supported through the Clean Water Montgomery Grant Program, a partnership between the Chesapeake Bay Trust and Montgomery County Government. The National Wildlife Federation and the Islamic Community Center of Potomac are grantees of this program that work to empower communities to restore nature. Learn more about the grants that played a part in this story, below.
National Wildlife Federation – $50,000
This award supported a cohort of six “Sacred Grounds” congregations of different faiths (including Islamic Community Center of Potomac) to reduce stormwater and increase wildlife habitat. Through a behavior change campaign, congregants planted “Native Plant Starter Kits” at home as an initial action and congregations installed demonstration gardens onsite.
Islamic Community Center of Potomac – $19,690
This award implemented programming and education on composting, recycling, and waste reduction. Focus groups and interviews with congregation members informed an educational program that included multilingual signage, social media videos and posts, and a workshop series. Finally, the grantee developed a community waste management operations manual with best practices and protocols for recycling and composting that will be shared with other Islamic community centers in the region and nation.
