Lucile Morehouse
2025 Eco-Hero
HONORABLE MENTION
Lucile Morehouse
Age 14
Boswell, Oklahoma, USA
Lucile's Pollinator Project: Sowing Seeds of Change Across the Globe
At just 14, Lucile Morehouse has transformed personal tragedy into widespread environmental action through "Lucile's Pollinator Project." Inspired by the devastation of a tornado that destroyed her family's beehives when she was six, and her subsequent understanding of the critical role of pollinators, Lucile launched her ambitious initiative at age 11. Her mission: to raise donations, purchase, and package pollinator seed packets for free distribution, directly combating the severe decline in pollinator populations.
Lucile's project demonstrates remarkable growth and impact. Starting with a $500 Youth Enhancement grant from the Oklahoma 4-H Foundation, she initially distributed 600 seed packets to 16 states in 2023. Bolstered by donations, she scaled up significantly, distributing 2,000 seed packets to 34 U.S. states, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Her commitment to ecological integrity led her to partner with the USDA / Turner Seeds to ensure her packets contained native pollinator species, recognizing their crucial importance.
A true hands-on leader, Lucile meticulously packages thousands of seeds, designed her own logo, and created educational handouts and YouTube videos to guide recipients on planting and even creating "no-mow" mini-meadows. Her passion is infectious, earning her interviews on local TV (KTEN, Fox 23 where she received the Noble Cause Award) and radio, as well as a finalist spot for the 2024 Global Youth Award in London, leading to her appointment as a Global Youth Ambassador.
Lucile is a powerhouse educator, having conducted multiple presentations and workshops across Oklahoma, including for hundreds of youth at the Beavers Bend 4-H Camp and the Choctaw County Fair, where she taught about traditional Japanese seed clay balls. She also presented at the Oklahoma City State Fair, inspiring one individual to commit to planting 60 acres of pollinator seeds. Beyond distributing seeds, Lucile fosters connection by asking recipients for photos of their growing flowers and the pollinators they attract, directly verifying her project's impact. She keenly observes the poverty levels in her rural community, the second poorest county in Oklahoma, ensuring her seeds and knowledge are always accessible for free and with respect to all.
As the youngest 4-H Oklahoma State Ambassador, Lucile embodies exceptional leadership. Her 4-H Educator, Brooke Hall, praises her "strong leadership skills" and "can-do mentality." Lucile’s diverse interests include martial arts—she is now a 1st recommended black belt in Taekwondo and has also started Brazilian Jiu Jitsu—farm work, and a collaboration with the Smithsonian Museum on a video about mental health in farmers. For the future, she aims to distribute 10,000 seeds before graduating high school, create a non-profit for her project, and, after pursuing a degree at Oklahoma State University, hopes to become a lawyer and environmental activist. Notably, she is also in the process of writing and passing a bill in Oklahoma legislature to help native insects, demonstrating her powerful commitment to influencing state policy. Lucile proves that from a small town, "One seed at a time. One person at a time. One pollinator at a time." can achieve a global impact.
