Newsletter - EE-News ~ March 14, 2007

Deadline: April 30, 2007
NAAEE will offer prizes for selected film and video programs that tell a positive story of how individuals and communities have come together to solve environmental problems. The Film and Video Festival is one element of a larger effort by NAAEE to re-invigorate the use of arts and culture in the EE field. The winning programs will be shown at NAAEE's 2007 conference on November 14-17, 2007, in Virginia Beach.
http://www.naaee.org/conference/film-festival-2007/

 

Nominations Deadline: April 1, 2007
NAAEE recognizes high-quality environmental education in several areas through its annual awards program.  Take this opportunity to acknowledge those individuals and organizations in environmental education that deserve to be recognized for all their success in demonstrating excellence in environmental education.

Nominations Process and Categories >>

Deadline: May 15, 2007
A program of the Earth Island Institute, the annual Brower Youth Award recognizes six young people (ages 13-22) for their outstanding activism and achievements in the fields of environmental and social justice advocacy.  Each of six recipients will be awarded a $3000 cash prize, a trip to California for the award ceremony and camping trip, and ongoing access to resources and opportunities to further their work at Earth Island.
http://www.broweryouthawards.org/article.php?list=type&type=12

Deadline: May 1, 2007
Turnaround Management Association (TMA) is accepting entries for the 2007 Butler-Cooley Excellence in Teaching Awards Program. This award will honor three to five teachers who have changed the outcome of students' lives and the communities in which they live with a $5,000 cash stipend and travel expenses to the annual TMA Conference.
http://www.turnaround.org/about/awards.asp

Deadline: June 1, 2007
Two grant opportunities from the NEA Foundation for the improvement of education:

• The Learning & Leadership Grants for teachers, education support professionals, and higher education faculty and staff to engage in high-quality professional development and growth. The grant  amount is $2,000 for individuals and $5,000 for groups engaged in collegial study.
• The Student Achievement Grants provide $5,000 to improve the academic achievement of students by engaging in critical thinking and problem solving that deepen knowledge of standards-based subject matter. The work should also improve students' habits of inquiry, self-directed learning, and critical reflection.

http://www.neafoundation.org/grants.htm

Deadline: March 28, 2007, 5 p.m. PDT
The Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) announces Round II of the Natural Science, Wildlife, and Environmental Education (EE Partnership) Grant Program. Only official non-profit (IRS 501 c) organizations may apply, must be partnered with at least one Washington State public school, and must show a 50:50 match of cash revenue or in-kind contributions. Round II Grants total $125,000 with grant minimums of $20,000 and maximums of $30,000.
Grant applications must be posted online:
http://www.k12.wa.us/curriculumInstruct/EnvironmentSustainability/Grants.aspx

Deadline:  April 30, 2007
This service-learning grant program "GreenWorks!" from Project Learning Tree® (PLT) will help fund neighborhood environmental improvement projects that partner PLT educators and their students with local businesses or community organizations.  Grants up to $5,000 are available.
http://www.plt.org/cms/pages/21_22_18.html

Deadline: April 2, 2007
For Earth Day 2007, the U.S. EPA Region 8 is sponsoring this art challenge for students (Grades 6-12) in Region 8 Schools (Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming). Students are asked to draw "What is Climate Change?" with no teaching premise, to see what students think climate change is, based on what they already know from school, media, and parents. Winners will be chosen based on the most creative and representative drawings and the drawings will be featured on the R8 Web site and in the new R8 EPA office building.
http://www.epa.gov/region8/ee/ccart.html

Deadline: May 9, 2007
During the week of Earth Day (April 22 through April 29), U.S. students in grades 5-8 can participate in this Institute for Global Environmental Studies (IGES) photo contest by taking a photograph of something that is changing in their local environment and submitting the photo and a (400 words or less) scientific explanation. IGES will award the top three winners cash prizes ($100, $75, and $50). The top 10 winners will receive their photograph in a special frame commemorating Earth Day 2007 and the top 50 will be published on the IGES Web site.
http://www.strategies.org/EarthDayPhoto

Deadline: March 31, 2007
5th- and 6th-grade students are invited to submit a poster showing people how to "fight the bite" of mosquitoes and ticks. Two winners from each state will receive a $50 bond. Two Grand Prize winners (one from each grade) will get a $1,000 bond and trip to the awards ceremony in Atlanta, Georgia.
http://www.fightthebitecontest.org/

Governor Martin O’Malley has proclaimed April as Environmental Education Month in Maryland! The request was made to the Governor's Office from the Maryland Association of Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE). During EE-Month as the weather warms, all around the state K-12 teachers and school partners will engage students in environmentally-based projects.

MAEOE, Maryland's professional environmental education organization and Affiliate of NAAEE, just held the largest affiliate EE conference in the US – 518 registered participants!
http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/programs/environment/

July 19-20, 2007 ~ Shelburne Farms, Vermont
EFS calls on us to help students understand the connection between the environmental integrity, economic vitality, and social well-being of the planet. Education can be a transformative experience that engages all learners in a life-long journey.  EFS provides the framework for making that learning essential to community and personal development.  Using various strategies, educators provide students with place-based meaningful experiences that engages them as decision-makers creating sustainable communities.
Contact: Jen Cirillo, 802-985-8686 x31 or jcirillo@shelburnefarms.org
http://www.sustainableschoolsproject.org/

June 18-21, 2007 ~ Shepherdstown, West Virginia
This course (OUT8163) teaches the knowledge, skills, instructional tools, and strategies to educate others about birds and their conservation. Participants learn to teach others basic bird identification, explore a wide array of resources with emphasis on festivals and citizen science, practice educational activities, and identify potential cross-cultural connections. Classroom and field activities are explored.  Note: This is not a bird identification course.
Contact: Juanita Gustines at (304) 876-7956 or Juanita_Gustines@fws.gov
Register online >>

Discovery Southeast in partnership with Alaska Discovery, Alaska Natural History Association, U.S. Forest Service, and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game are offering three Teacher Training Expeditions for 2007. Courses are accredited for three professional development (level 500) credits through the University of Alaska Anchorage.

• June 5-11: The Brown Bears of Admiralty Island
• June 26 - July 2: Seals, Ice and the Wilderness Idea
• July 19-25: Whales of Icy Strait

http://www.discoverysoutheast.org/content/view/32/40/

May 7-11, 2007 ~ Wichita, Kansas
EE leaders from every state and other countries will share in a range of professional development opportunities, including an awe-inspiring field trip to the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, and a private evening visit to Exploration Place with guest speaker Chad Pregracke of Living Lands and Waters.  Conference attendees will receive in-depth training on new PLT curriculum materials, learn how to address the needs of special audiences, share ideas for strengthening environmental education and the PLT program in their state, and more. 
http://www.plt.org/cms/pages/40_163_42.html

Deadline: April 16, 2007
The Leopold Leadership Program at the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University invites mid-career academic environmental scientists from North America to apply for the 2008 fellowships that provide scientific leadership, communications, and outreach training.
http://www.leopoldleadership.org

July 7, 2007
Live Earth, a 24-hour concert on 7/7/07 across all seven continents, will bring together more than 100 of the world's top musical acts to engage an audience of more than 2 billion people through concert attendance and broadcasts. The Live Earth audience, and the proceeds from the concerts, will create the foundation for a new, multi-year global effort to combat the climate crisis led by The Alliance for Climate Protection and its Chair, Vice President Al Gore. SOS was founded by Kevin Wall, who won an Emmy as Worldwide Executive Producer of Live 8. On February 15, Wall announced 25 of the 100 top musical acts that have answered SOS's call and are performing at Live Earth.
http://liveearth.msn.com

Participate in EE Week and enhance the educational impact of Earth Day.

Sign-up online and visit the Web site for:

Deadline: April 12, 2007
U.S. Diversity, Global Education, and Democracy's Unfinished Work Network for Academic Renewal Conference on October 18-20, 2007, in Denver, Colorado will highlight current research and promising practices pertaining to the creative integration of civic, diversity, and global work on campus and how this integration can strengthen student learning and help create new and sustaining institutional structures.
http://www.aacu.org/meetings/civic/index.cfm

The Environmental Education Council of Marin (EECoM) is seeking to learn about important environmental justice issues in communities throughout the county. Please help by participating in this five-minute survey.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=570933322394

Deadline: March 15, 2007
The Wisconsin Association of Environmental Education (WAEE) invites presentation proposals for the 2007 Midwest Environmental Education Conference that addresses the theme “No Child Left Inside,” October 18-20, 2007, Stevens Point, Wisconsin. The keynote speaker will be Richard Louv, author of the book Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder.
http://www.uwsp.edu/cnr/waee/Events/fall07.htm

May 24-27, 2007 ~ Alberta, Canada
The Trails to Sustainability Conference is a national EE conference designed for all teachers and educators.  This event will provide the opportunity to learn more about the many paths to environmental stewardship and a vibrant society and economy - while enjoying the spectacular setting of the Rocky Mountains’ Kananaskis Valley, SW Alberta, Canada. Conference offered through a joint partnership with the Global, Environmental, and Outdoor Education Council of the Alberta Teachers’ Association (GEOEC), the Canadian Network for Environmental Education and Communication (EECOM), and the Alberta Council for Environmental Education (ACEE).
http://www.trailstosustainability.ca

Exploring Environmental Issues: Biodiversity is a new addition to the PLT collection that uses biodiversity as a window through which secondary students investigate the environment. Educators and students get a broader view of concepts and larger connections — not just biological, but political, cultural, ethical, and economic as well.  Educators are permitted to use any of the online materials on the PLT Web site.
http://www.plt.org/cms/pages/36_124_120.html

The Center for Life Sciences Education at Virginia Commonwealth University presents The Secrets of the Sequence Video Series for teachers to incorporate advances in the life sciences into their classrooms. Each of the 50 short (8-10 minute) videos comes with a lesson plan and activities.
http://www.pubinfo.vcu.edu/secretsofthesequence

Debuts: March 25, 2007, at 8pm ET on the Discovery Channel
Planet Earth showcases global habitats from deep oceans to mountains in unparalleled detail. The 11-part series will air Sunday nights, March 25 through April 22, and concludes with an 11-hour Earth Day marathon showing each episode.
http://dsc.discovery.com/guides/planetearth/planetearth.html

The Newton Marasco Foundation (NMF) nationwide Centennial Celebration will be hosting public showings of the critically acclaimed play, A Sense of Wonder, based on the life and works of Miss Carson throughout 2007. Other year-long Centennial Celebration events are also planned.
http://www.newtonmarascofoundation.org/RCC/rcc.cfm

Making a contribution to supporting NAAEE's work to improve the EE profession has never been easier.

This email bulletin is provided by NAAEE, with funding from the Environmental Education and Training Partnership (EETAP).  EETAP is funded by U.S. EPA's Office of Environmental Education. The NAAEE promotes excellence in EE and serves environmental educators for the purpose of achieving environmental literacy in order for present and future generations to benefit from a safe and healthy environment and a better quality of life.

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