September 2013 News 

In This Issue
NEEEA Conference and Award
MassRecycle 18th Annual Recycling Awards
Green Cup Challenge
America Recycles Day
Recycle Bowl 2013
Registration for New England Campus Sustainability Forum
NAAEE & Green Schools National Conference
Grant Opportunities
Save the Date...

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Greetings!

  

We hope you had as much fun this summer as we did, and now we're ready to go Back to School Green Schools Style!

 

This year, bring year-round Sustainability& STEM Education to your students & schools and become a Member today.

  

   

Become a Green Schools Member and receive:

 

* Green Schools 10 Environmental/STEM-focused Units/Themes, including; Pledges, Lesson Plans, School-based Challenges, and more, so you can Green Your School year-round!

 

* Special MEMBERS ONLY monthly School & Student Newsletters with timely information to give your students & school the upper hand! ($priceless)

 

* Access to our Green Student & Green Teacher Certificates. Plus, your school may be featured as a National Green School of the Month!

 

* Access to National Green Schools Society (and Junior NGSS) Membership ($150 value) and more...

  

Read about the benefits of Membership


ATTENTION STUDENTS:

The Green Schools Student Ambassador/Internship Program develops leaders with a passion for improving school communities while preserving our environment. Topics addresses in this program include: STEM, Environmental Health, Sustainability, Conservation, Renewable Energy, Waste Management, Green Jobs, and more. Students actively work to improve their school and/or greater community by carrying out a customized service projects/Internships. Students will also be asked to share timely information with your school organization with regards to grants, awards, and special opportunities made available only through this program.

 

The Future: Green Schools connects students to Higher Education + Workforce Development opportunities through STEM, Environment, Political Science,

Environmental Education, Wellness, and other Career Pathways.

 

*FREE when your School becomes a Member.

 

Basic Membership (FREE)

* Subscription to Green Schools News (Monthly subscription)

* FREE access to Green Schools' Handbook

  

We look forward to working with you and your students, and bringing The Green Difference to your School & Community!   
Upcoming Webinar on Taking Action to Manage Asthma in Schools

 

EPA's Back-to-School Webinar:
Managing Asthma in Schools  

Tuesday, September 24, 2013, from 2 - 3 p.m. EDT.


Register to hear from two environmental health leaders who engaged their school districts to take action on asthma.

 

Are you interested in expanding your approaches for improving the indoor air quality (IAQ) in schools to help students and staff manage their asthma? If so, join this webinar to learn how two innovative asthma programs with unique challenges have worked to improve asthma outcomes in their local schools. This webinar will feature:

 

1.     A school nurse from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, who champions asthma management for her district and will share tips and lessons learned for flood preparedness; and

 

2.     A professor from University of Turabo, Puerto Rico, who leads innovative interventions in over a hundred schools facing some of the highest asthma rates in the U.S.

 

Both speakers will discuss the ways in which their programs are grounded in EPA's IAQ Tools for Schools guidance. 

 

 

NEEEA Conference and Environmental Education Award

November 1-3, 2013           

Salve Regina University 

Newport, Rhode Island

 

Green Schools and Manchester Essex Regional School District will be leading a workshop entitled:

 

Best Practices for developing Environmentally Literate Students!

Workshop Description: Learn the recipe for success when developing Environmentally Literate Students for the 21st Century!  This workshop showcases multiple Award-winning EE programs for the Environmentally Literate Student & Teacher/Informal Educator. Learn how to deliver best practices when it comes to experiential education in Environmental Education through service learning opportunities that truly engage K-12 students in innovative projects that impact our schools and communities.

 

 Download the Conference brochure and register soon!

  • Choose from over 40 workshops and field trips
  • Hear keynote speaker, David Orr, Founder of the Oberlin Project and Chair of the Environmental Studies Program at Oberlin College
  • Create connections across environmental and educational fields
  • Grow from cross-sector networking and collaboration
  • Meet New England's 2013 Environmental Education Award winners.
  • Learn how to increase environmental literacy
  • Help create and maintain effective, safe and healthy green schools throughout New England
  • Win the New England Eco-Trivia Crown!

Nominate an Outstanding classroom teacher, non-formal educator or program for a NEEEA 2013 Environmental Education Award - Deadline is September 15th 
 

 

MassRecycle 18th Annual Recycling Awards 

Nominate today! Recycling Awards Nominations Are Open

 

 

 

Tuesday, November 5th, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Hanover Theatre in Worcester, MA

  

MassRecycle invites you to join them in recognizing the outstanding achievements by individuals, public servants, municipalities, businesses and organizations in promoting recycling and waste reduction in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

 

Have someone in mind?  

Read more about eligibility and the review process on their website


Complete your nomination here!

 

Green School Alliance Green Cup Challenge

Mark Your Calendar for the Green Cup Challenge

  

 

 The Green Cup Challenge invites all K-12 schools to: measure and reduce energy use; improve recycling & waste reduction programs; and promote water conservation. The GCC empowers students, raises awareness about climate change and resource conservation, and unites school communities around a common goal. 

 

Green Cup Energy Challenge

Students, teachers and staff discover they have the power to save energy in their schools, and that their actions can translate into financial savings for their school, and positive change for the world. 
Raise awareness about recycling and waste reduction. The Recycle Challenge™ generates excitement and encourages good habits that last long after the Challenge ends. During the Challenge, schools unite to "Recycle Right, Reduce Waste, and Rethink Consumption." 
 

2013-2014 Challenge Dates:

  • NYC DOE Energy Challenge: October 2-30, 2013 -- Registration now open HERE  
  • National Recycle Challenge: November 4-27, 2013 -- Registration opens Aug. 30th
  • National Energy Challenge: Jan 15-Feb 12, 2014 -- Registration opens Sept. 30th

 

Schools Around the Country Successfully Implementing New Meal Standards

 

 

Today a news report claimed that schools across the country are dropping out of the National School Lunch Program because the standards are too difficult to implement.

 

The truth is that the vast majority of schools across the country are meeting the updated meal standards successfully, which is so important to help all our Nations children lead healthier lives. Even before the new standards took effect and more resources were available, many schools across the country were leading the way with healthier options and appropriate portion sizes. In fact, schools that adopted the changes earlier report that participation increased as students and parents became accustomed to the healthier options. USDA continues to provide additional flexibility and technical assistance to schools as they all now work to offer healthier meals. We also encourage the very few eligible school districts that have chosen not to participate in the program to take steps to ensure all children will still have access to healthy, affordable meals during the school day.

 

Here are some of the many examples of schools that have been successful in implementing these changes.

Visit the USDA Blog to read a success stories from your state!

 

 

America Recycles Day 2013

 

 

 

 Do you know all about what is recycled in your community? Are you interested in sharing recycling information with family and friends or conducing a recycling collection event? If so, why not host an America Recycles Day Event!

 

 

 

America Recycles Day, a national initiative of Keep America Beautiful (KAB). Takes place annually on November 15, recognizes the benefits of recycling while providing an educational platform that helps raise awareness about the value of reducing, reusing and recycling - every day - all throughout the year.

 

Online event registration is now open at Americarecyclesday.org for local organizers to schedule events in their communities and gain access to valuable resources to plan, promote and host events.  This year we have switched our registration process over to Re-TRAC Connect. A complete step by step how- to- registration guide can be found on the Host An Event page of the ARD website. 

 

 To support event organizers, there are best practices guides for hosting events, activity ideas, downloadable posters and banners, media outreach tools, sample proclamations, and much more. Events can be scheduled any time during the fall, but should be held as close to November 15 as possible. For more information, log on to www.americarecyclesday.org

 

To learn more, join an upcoming webinar on Tuesday, September 24, 2013 - 2:00-3:00 pm EST- Register

 

 

Recycle Bowl 2013

 

Are you looking for a fun and creative way to increase school recycling participation in your community? Keep America Beautiful's, third annual, "Recycle-Bowl," is a comprehensive nationwide recycling competition for elementary, middle and high-school students. Public, private and charter schools are eligible. 
 
Registration is now open on the Recycle-Bowl website at http://recycle-bowl.org. The first 1,000 schools to register will receive a Recycle-Bowl coordinator toolkit. The competition runs from October 21 through November 15, culminating on America Recycles Day. Participating schools will track and report how much recyclable material they collect for a chance to win prizes.

 

At the close of the four-week competition, the school in each state (and the District of Columbia) that collects the most recyclable material per capita will win $1,000. A national champion will then be chosen from the top statewide winners to receive additional prizes. Schools that collect material from the community will compete in a separate category for first-, second- and third- place cash prizes. Prizes will also be given to the most improved school and schools that use the competition to start recycling for the first time.

 

New this year

  • National School District Champion for those systems that can't break-out school specific data. A cash prize will be given.
  •   Waste Reduction Champion for those schools that can track their trash data, along with recycling data. Bragging-rights only.
  • Food Scrap Collection Champion for those schools that are composting. Bragging-rights only.

Want more information? Join us for an introductory webinar on Thursday, September 26, 2013 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM EDT. Register 

 

  
Early Bird Registration is Open for the New England Campus Sustainability Forum

 

You're Invited to the 

New England Campus Sustainability Forum  

September 20th, 2013

Hosted by the Colleges of the Fenway  

550 Huntington Ave 

Boston, MA 02115

 

Learn, Network, Get Inspired!

 

   

The New England Campus Sustainability Forum (NECSF) is co-organized by the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE), AASHE, Clean Air - Cool Planet, the Colleges of the Fenway, GreenerU, the Northeast Campus Sustainability Consortium and Second Nature. The topic of this year's Forum is Climate Change & New England Campuses: Impacts and Solutions.  


Speaker Announcement! NECSF welcomes 
Mary Powell,  CEO of Green Mountain Power, and Dr. Beverley Wright, professor, Sociology, founding director of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice (invited), to speak at this year's forum. 
 
This year's closing plenary will focus on Fostering Resilience: How Colleges and Universities Can Make Themselves and Their Communities More Equipped for the "New Normal."

 

Please visit www.necsf.com for more information. 

 

 

NAAEE & Green Schools National Conference

 

 

 

Register for the 42nd North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) Conference! This year, the conference will be held in Baltimore, Maryland from October 9 - 12, 2013. The conference will focus on connecting students to the environment, environmental leadership and greening formal education. Notable speakers will include Ellen McCallieStephen Ritz, and Ovie Mughelli - just a glimpse of some of the inspirational leaders in the environmental and educational realms. 

 

 

Register before September 20, 2013.

 

 

 

 

Register for the 4th annual Green Schools National Conference (GSNC) in Sacramento, California! The conference  will be held March 27 - 29, 2014. The theme this year will be "Working Together for Healthy, Sustainable Schools." Do you have a green school or a project you would like to share? GSNN is looking for conference presentations from YOU, our innovative, green teachers!

  
Grant Opportunities
DoSomething.org Seed Grants  Deadline: Ongoing

Are you working to start a community action project or program with your friends? Do you need money to put your ideas into action? A $500 Do Something Seed Grant is given out every week to help young people just like YOU! These grants can be used towards project ideas and programs that are just getting started, or to jump-start your program and realize your ideas for the first time. These grants can also be used towards projects that are already developed and sustainable, towards the next steps of your project and organization to help you as you look to expand your project and grow your impact. Click Here   

 

 

Save the Date...


Green Schools 1st Annual Golf Tournament
Thursday, September 19th
Norton Country Club, Norton, MA
9:00 a.m. Shotgun Start

Sincerely,

Robin Organ

Founder and Executive Director

Green Schools