Thursday, October 1, 2026
Nine-year-old Elizabeth Ruderman is encouraging her community to think differently about energy conservation — one light bulb at a time.
The Island Park Girl Scout recently earned first place in the Customer Impact category at the first Girl Scouts of Nassau County Science Fair for her project, “Flip the Switch: Saving Electricity.”
The event, titled “Solutions for a Better World: Girls Building a Brighter Future,” took place April 25 at the Yes We Can Community Center in Westbury. With the support of National Grid, Girl Scouts at all levels were urged to explore science, technology, engineering and math through the company’s “4C” pillars: customer, colleague, community and clean.
Projects were judged by a panel of National Grid employees, and all of the participants received a STEM Career Exploration badge, a medal, a T-shirt and a commemorative patch.
Elizabeth’s project focused on teaching people how to conserve electricity and make environmentally friendly choices in their everyday lives. Using handmade electrical circuits, she demonstrated how different types of light bulbs use different amounts of energy and explained how families can reduce electricity waste at home.
“I wanted people to save electricity, because a lot of things get wasted because people make not really smart choices,” Elizabeth said.
The project built on previous environmental initiatives she had explored in Girl Scouts, including water conservation and pollution-awareness efforts. After hearing about the science fair, she decided to expand her interest in sustainability into a project centered on electricity use.
“I thought, let’s add on to that project and say how to save electricity, because a lot of it goes to waste,” she said.
Elizabeth spent nearly two months researching energy use, learning how circuits work and building her presentation. One of the most challenging aspects, she said, was constructing functional electrical circuits to compare incandescent and LED light bulbs.
“It was one of the most complicated things I’ve ever done,” she said.
One example from the project compared six incandescent bulbs with six LED bulbs in a living room setting, showing how switching to LEDS could significantly lower electricity use and household energy costs.
Elizabeth also included practical conservation tips, such as turning off lights when leaving a room and making smarter energy choices at home. Beyond the scientific knowledge, she said, the experience strengthened her confidence and public speaking skills.
“I learned how to present my thoughts and how to speak more directly to people,” she said.
Elizabeth’s mother, Amanda Ruderman, said that scouting has played a significant role in inspiring her daughter’s passion for environmental advocacy and community education.
“Girl Scouts is so much more than selling cookies, and is very important to her,” she said. “She has really been a champion in her community for conservation efforts.”
Elizabeth previously earned the prestigious Girl Scout Summit Award as a Daisy, and continued working toward the award as a Brownie, since it is the highest award available at both levels. Her environmental projects have included an Earth Day cleanup at Levy Park, in Merrick, where she collected a bag of litter and educated residents about pollinators by helping community members create “seed bombs” — small clusters of seeds, compost and clay designed to be thrown into neglected areas to grow flowers, herbs or vegetables.
She has also partnered with the Island Park Public Library on educational displays promoting water conservation and sustainability.
Elizabeth said that seeing the impact of her projects helps keep her motivated. “My parents help me stay focused, but I like seeing what happens at the end and if I can change something,” she said.
According to Anjelica Battiste, program manager at the Girl Scouts of Nassau County and the science fair organizer, the event was created with a grant partnership with National Grid and was in development since last summer.
“This was the first time we offered it,” Battiste said. “We wanted Girl Scouts to showcase projects inspired by the four pillars and explore STEM in a way that connected to real-world issues.”
More than 50 scouts took part, from kindergartners through high school seniors. Battiste coordinated communication between participating families and National Grid while overseeing planning, informational sessions and project support throughout the year.
In addition to the competition, the event featured a panel discussion with female National Grid employees, who shared their experiences working in STEM-related careers and encouraged girls to explore future opportunities in the field.
“I think it’s very important for girls to know that these opportunities are there,” Battiste said.
Elizabeth hopes her work inspires other young people to pursue causes they care about and continue making a difference in their communities.
“Find something you’re passionate about, think of ways you can make a change, even if it’s small or big,” she said. “Keep up with it because you can make a change.”
