Conserve With Crayons Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 21, 2026

Contact:  Luke Zilverberg, Chief Executive Officer

Conserve with Crayons

Conservewithcrayons@gmail.com                 

 

SOUTH DAKOTA: Transform a fun coloring activity into an opportunity to learn about conservation and the importance of protecting our natural resources. Conserve with Crayons, a newly established 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization inspires the next generation of conservationists through creativity, education, and engagement by hosting free conservation-themed national coloring contests for all ages up to 18 years old.

 

These coloring contests will promote learning and a chance for children to grow up caring for our natural resources, as each contest focuses on a different ecosystem, species, or conservation topic and includes educational fact sheets and other free resources filled with age-appropriate information about wildlife and their habitats.

 

The coloring contests are free to enter with new contests every three months. To encourage participation and maximize educational impact, substantial cash prizes will be awarded per contest, with larger prizes as the organization grows. These prize incentives help attract families, increase engagement, and turn childhood creativity into lifelong protection for the planet.

 

During the inaugural year, contest themes will feature important ecosystems including wetlands, forests, grasslands, and rivers. The first coloring contest will begin November 1, 2026, and focus on wetland conservation. There will also be free member only contests throughout the year that will challenge kids in a different way than coloring.

 

Coloring templates are provided for ages 5 and below; ages 6 to 18 will color freely and their artwork will be judged by professional artists. The submission form on the website includes a required question related to each ecosystem that must be answered to show the children are learning.

 

Conserve with Crayons is the vision of Chief Executive Officer and parent of three, Lucas Zilverberg. “As a Grassland Ecologist in South Dakota, I’m passionate about protecting ecosystems and inspiring the next generation. I saw an opportunity to combine creativity with conservation education in a way that could reach children and families across the country,” states Zilverberg.

 

Conserve with Crayons will soon offer a free mentorship program which allows you to connect one-on-one with experienced conservation, wildlife, and outdoor specialists who are excited to share their knowledge.

 

Sponsorship Opportunities:

Prizes will be funded by business sponsorship partners who want to join Conserve with Crayons in their mission to spark a lifelong passion for wildlife conservation and habitat protection in children and families.

 

Four sponsorship levels are available to help fund contest prizes, educational materials,

outreach efforts, scholarships, and future program growth to help staff spread conservation awareness, with the goal of reaching at least 5,000 families within the first year, while building a program to inspire and educate children for years to come.

 

Sponsorship support and donations will also allow us to offer scholarships of $250, $500, or $1,000+ to kids, teens, and young adults who want to learn more about protecting wildlife, habitat, and conservation, and can be used for conservation camps, schools, or college.

 

As the Conserve with Crayons program grows, its education staff aims to expand their reach and impact, bringing educational initiatives to schools and communities nationwide.

 

Why conservation awareness matters:

• Worldwide, 2.8 billion children and 73 million in the U.S. largely lack awareness of critical environmental issues, including conservation, habitats, and current threats to wildlife.

• Many schools have limited funding for hands-on conservation education.

• Many children do not have access to learn about the outdoors, therefore Conserve with Crayons is bringing education to everyone’s doorstep.

• Engaging children early builds a pipeline for future conservationists, and land stewards.

• Coloring nature-related topics sparks creativity, imagination, makes children think about what they are coloring, and improves retention.

• Family participation strengthens learning and engagement, connection to conservation, and strengthens the bond within families.

 

Visit ConserveWithCrayons.org to find additional information about the organization, scholarship programs, future initiatives, and to explore sponsorship opportunities.

 

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