November 2015 News
In This Issue
Student Spotlight
Green Schools Joins No Planeta B
Watch "Worse Than Poop!"
Competitions
Resources
Start a NGSS Chapter
Engage Your Fellow Students
Check Out Our Partners
Grant and Scholarship Opportunities

Interact With Green Schools!


 

Green Schools Sponsors

 

  

 

   

 

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NGSS student
co-president Ehasanuzzaman Satu and Green Schools Executive Director
Robin Organ
It's been an exciting fall for Green Schools and conference season is heating up for our Green Schools student leaders! National Green Schools Society student co-president Ehasanuzzaman Satu joined Green Schools Executive Director, Robin Organ, and our new Director of Students and Schools, Hannah Traggis, to present an inspiring talk at the 2015 Massachusetts STEM
Summit in a session titled 'Impactful Teaching and Learning and Environmental Restoration through Citizen Science'. 
Robin Organ with Congressman Joe Kennedy and Green Schools Director of Students & Schools Hannah Traggis




Green Schools students made another
appearance at Harvard University's Igniting Innovation Summit, Saturday November 14 to share their stories and successful Green-O-Vations within their schools and communities while Robin spoke on a panel session 'Design Thinking to Greening the Planet'.

To wrap up a very busy week, all Green Schools students are invited to add their voice to discussions about the Massachusetts Environmental Literacy Plan on Wednesday, November 18th, 6-9PM, at MA Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, Westborough MA. If Interested, please email Robin or Hannah!

Meet National Green School Student Leadership Council Officer Avalon Theisen
I am Avalon Theisen, and am currently 14 years old. When I was 8, I started taking environmental classes at a local homeschool co-op. I was really interested by herpetology and conservation. Through this co-op and citizen science classes, I learned that frogs and other amphibians are indicator species because they indicate the health of their environment: if frogs are plentiful in an area, it is healthy. If the frogs are disappearing or dying out, then we must do something to help. Unfortunately, frogs and other amphibians, are dying out at a very fast rate around the world. I heard of SAVE THE FROGS!, America's largest and only non-profit dedicated solely to amphibian conservation. They created SAVE THE FROGS! Day to spread awareness about amphibian conservation and action. That year, I made a speech for the Tampa Bay Area SAVE THE FROGS! Day for 2009, and I continued to host SAVE THE FROGS! Day events in the following years. Read More
Green Schools Joins No Planeta B to #CutTheRedTape

Green Schools joins No Planeta B initiative to catalyze Climate Action from Students, Schools, and their communities around the globe in lieu of the United Nations Climate Change Negotiations (COP21) in Paris in December.

SIGN THE SCHOOL DECLARATION- Schools commit to non-binding climate change mitigation actions such as implementing reduction strategies and reducing CO2 footprint, going paperless and/or meatless Mondays to name a few. Your commitment will be shared at a special UN event in Paris!

 STUDENTS TAKE ACTION!Sign the Petition to World Leaders in Paris at the United Nations Climate Change Conference and share it with your friends & family! It's Time to Act-On-Climate for our future generations!



Watch "Worse Than Poop!" 
Produced and Directed by Vanessa Warheit, "Worse Than Poop!" is a six minute video for kids about carbon dioxide pollution and clean transportation.  

Watch the film (pw: CO2@caca)

More information about the film is at worsethanpoop.com

Lesson plans (go to Lesson 2)
Competitions
Nature's Voices Project 3rd Annual Student Stories Contest for 6th-12th Graders

The Nature's Voices Project and Green Schools Alliance are excited to announce the 3rd Annual Student Stories Contest! Students grades 6-12 can win a cash prize and paid trip to share their story as a keynote speaker at the Green Schools Conference and Expo March 31-April 1. We are looking for inspiring stories about how Green Schools and environmental education experiences transform young people's learning and lives.  Stories may also be published on our NaturesVoices.org website. Read Anna-Belle's winning story from the 2015 conference here.

Contest Deadline: December 20, 2015 Learn More 








World of 7 Billion Video Contest
Back by popular demand, the World of 7 Billion student video contest can help you bring technology and creativity into your middle and high school classes. The contest challenges your students to create a short (60 seconds or less) video illustrating the connection between world population growth and one of three global challenges dealing with either Deforestation, Public Health, or Water Scarcity. Students can win up to $1,000 and their teachers will receive free curriculum resources. The contest deadline is February 25, 2016. Full contest guidelines, resources for research, past winners, and more can be found at www.worldof7billion.org/student-video-contest .


Students between the ages of 13 and 21 are invited to participate in the national Young Reporters for the Environment competition. The competition asks students to investigate an environmental issue and report on it choosing one of three different media types: writing, photography or video.  Submission deadline: Tuesday, March 15, 2016 Learn More
Resources
Start a National Green Schools Society Chapter TODAY!
Now is the time to sign up for a National Green Schools Society Chapter for your school and students. Complete a NGSS Application TODAY. 
National Green Schools Society (NGSS) provides a k-12 student recognition and awards program for environmentally focused students who are creating extraordinary impact in schools, organizations, and 
communities. Many of our students join NGSS to receive recognition for environmental service projects, environmental activism and leadership, environmental STEM projects (E-STEM), school projects that focus on the environment, and group projects. NGSS often is the catalyst to start or restart an environmental club in a school, and it serves as a continual motivator for students and advisors to maintain the club each year. This year we worked with students in public, private, charter, and home school.

For 2014-2015 school year, we recognized an array of student projects that include:
  • Environmental service project building trails in the Puerto Rico rainforest
  • Recycled art and ocean project
  • Elementary education program created and delivered by high school students
  • School garden programs and outdoor classrooms
  • Student-led divestment from fossil fuels activism on a state-wide level
  • Student leadership working with a town sustainability committee
  • Science experiments looking at global warming and ocean acidification impacts
Superintendents, administrators, and teachers say that NGSS is a no-brainer - it helps them to recognize environmentally focused students and highlight their achievements.
Engage Your Fellow Students!
Ask your fellow students to join the NGSS Chapter! Put up this flyer around your school with information on your chapter or team's next meeting. 
Check Out Our Partners

When you become a National Green Schools Society Chapter you can get started right away with environmental service projects from our outstanding partners. We know that it is common for students and advisors to wonder about where to go for project ideas or they may have a hard time getting the environmental club started during the first few months of the year. To help you get started and keep the momentum going, check out our partner programs and pick one. We have carefully selected these partner programs because they are well supported, easy to implement, and really deliver on environmental impact in schools and communities. At the end of the year, apply for NGSS recognition using the projects and programs from our partners or use your school-based projects! All of these programs are FREE.


Eco-Schools USA
Eco-Schools is an internationally acclaimed program that provides a framework to help educators integrate sustainability principles throughout their schools and curriculum.

 

Alliance for Climate Education (ACE)
ACE does two things best. First, it teaches climate science that puts teenagers at the center of the story. The live, in-school assembly is award-winning and proven to work. Second, it gives every student a chance to take action. 


 The Center for Green Schools at the US Green Building Council (USGBC)

Green Apple Day of Service
Green Apple is a global movement to put all children in schools where they have clean and healthy air to breathe, where energy and resources are conserved, and where they can be inspired to dream of a brighter future. 


 Green Schools Alliance

Green Cup Challenge
The Green Cup Challenge invites all K-12 schools to measure and reduce energy use, improve recycling and waste reduction and promote water conservation. 

Planet Aid
Planet Aid is a nonprofit organization that collects and recycles used clothing and shoes to protect the environment and support sustainable development in impoverished communities around the world. 

 

Click to learn more about each partner 
Grant and Scholarship Opportunities

 The Karma for Cara Foundation is encouraging kids 18 and under to apply for funds between $250 and $1,000 to complete service projects in their communities. Whether it is turning a vacant lot into a community garden, rebuilding a school playground or helping senior citizens get their homes ready for winter, they want to hear what project you're passionate about. Learn More


VolunTEEN Nation International Service Project Grants - Dealine: Rolling 

Students (ages 13-22) from the United States going abroad to volunteer or study in a developing country are encouraged to apply for an international service-learning mini-grant from VolunTEEN Nation. Grants are for up to $300 to create a service project in a developing country while you are visiting that country. Learn More
  

Sincerely,

Robin Organ

Founder and Executive Director

Green Schools