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Greening the Next Generation
Issue 2 June 2009
masthead 5

Dear Green Schools Supporter-
 
It seems like my initial newsletters are filled with the phrase "first-ever". Whether I'm writing about last month's Bike-to-School Day, Mission High's Green Prom, the 2012 by 2012 tree-planting campaign, or the Youth Unity Eco-Fest taking place this weekend, it seems SFUSD is abuzz with environmental firsts. Is it a sign of the times, a result of SFUSD's new Environmental Service Learning Initiative (ESLI), or a total coincidence? Who knows. What's important is that more and more of our students are learning how to lead healthier and greener lives, whether on a bike, in a garden, or on the dance floor. Enjoy this edition of Greening the Next Generation and don't forget to spread the word.
 
Nik Kaestner
Director of Sustainability
SFUSD

P.S. If you are looking for ways to fund your green school dreams, stay tuned for the mid-summer grant edition of this newsletter.


FIRST EVER
Youth Unity Eco-Fest on June 6th
Environmental Summit and Block Party for Youth by Youth
Ecofest Logo The San Francisco Youth Unity Eco-Fest is taking place tomorrow from 10am to 6pm at the San Francisco Civic Center Plaza. The event will showcase student projects from the Environmental Service Learning Initiative (ESLI) and celebrate youth involvement in the environmental movement. In addition, workshops and a Green Resource Faire will feature many local environmental organizations. A bicycle-powered sound stage and an interactive earth pledge/art installation are just some of the eco-friendly family activities in store for the day.
 
The entire event was planned by a group of ten committed youth leaders who are working to make the green movement more accessible to historically excluded communities. Supported and sponsored by the City and County of San Francisco, SFUSD, ESLI, Global Exchange and the Youth Unity Coalition for Action Now (YU-CAN), students will have the opportunity to learn, network and become involved with environmental projects that teach them about climate change, environmental justice, and the policy initiatives that the city of San Francisco is taking to address environmental challenges. Find out more at SF Eco-Fest.
District Cuts its IT Carbon Footprint
New Server to Cut Energy Use by 85%
Server The SFUSD IT Department recently completed work on a brand-new virtual server farm that will replace 60 physical servers spread throughout the District with only 9 machines located in a dedicated server room. Thanks to an efficient cooling system and the use of the latest computing technology, the change has resulted in an 85% reduction in energy use. Furthermore, the new server is the basis for other efficient technologies that SFUSD hopes to pilot in coming years, including thin client desktops that dramatically reduce the energy needed by desktop machines and power management software that will remotely adjust energy settings on District computers. The new server will also allow the IT Department to expand its service offering to teachers and staff while keeping energy use in check. For more information, contact Sean Rozell, Director of IT Infrastructure.
Green Schools Making News
Environmental Efforts Around the District
Kid BikerOn May 28th, SFUSD celebrated its first Bike-to-School Day as over 20 schools successfully organized commuter convoys to safely accompany students to class. Along with the Department of Pubic Health, the SF Bicycle Coalition, and the SF YMCA, the District set a goal of encouraging 1% of its students - 550 kids - to opt for this environmentally and healthy form of transportation. Check out the story on Streetsblog.

Mission High School held its first-ever Green Prom, with prom-goers generating power for the speakers, recycled materials used for decorations, and party waste largely diverted from the landfill at the zero-waste Golden Gate Club. Planning for the event was supported in part by the Environmental Service Learning Initiative (ESLI), which is providing environmental education and youth empowerment  opportunities at seven SFUSD high schools.

The garden at Willie Brown Jr. Academy was bursting with ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, peas, flowers, plums, apples, and succulents as the school threw a garden party to honor community supporters on June 1st. The garden is a thriving example of similar programs at numerous SF public schools that incorporate the students' regular curriculum by teaching them about biology, geology, ecology, and agriculture using gardens as a backdrop.
TEACHER TRAINING & RESOURCES
Environmental Science Center (ESC)
The ESC hosts overnights for SFUSD elementary students and provides a monthly calendar with free kid friendly events as well as K-5 activities.

Classroom Earth  Teachers can get grants to learn how to incorporate environmental topics in creative and informative lessons for their high school classes. Grad-level credit is available.

Elementary Summer Reading Check out this list of books devoted to environmental issues. A great read during the school year as well.

Teen Summer Reading
More books, but this time for the older crowd. English teachers can deal with environmental issues as well!

Save the Redwoods
Get a free Redwood Transect Kit to teach students about redwood forests, and apply for grants so they can actually go visit them.


GRANTS & FUNDING

For Green Projects
(September 20)
Bright Ideas Grants up to $10,000 are awarded to schools with innovative  solar projects, environmental
curricula, science field trips, green school projects, and professional development.

For Solar Schools
(September 22)
Demonstration solar installations are available for up to forty schools in the PG&E service territory. Over twenty SFUSD schools have received this grant.

For School Gardens
The SF Green Schoolyard Alliance maintains a list of garden resources and grants for schools working to develop school gardens and green schoolyards.

For Energy Projects
The Alliance for Climate Education is offering free, engaging high school assemblies about global warming, as well as scholarships and  grants up to $20,000 for school that sign up.

For Just About Anything
The Green Schools Initiative has compiled a list of green school fundraisers that generate revenue while going easy on the planet.