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EPA is currently welcoming applications from public school teachers for the third annual Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators. 

The award recognizes outstanding K-12 teachers and their local education agencies nationwide for excellence in integrating environmental education into their lessons and connecting students with their communities and the natural world. Winners will receive $2,000 to support their professional development in environmental education and each winner's school will also receive a $2,000 award to help fund environmental education activities and programs that support the teacher. 

Applications are due by February 28, 2014. 

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Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs

BOSTON - December 13, 2013 - The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) today announced funding for a competitive grant program to support municipal energy manager positions throughout the Commonwealth. Continuing the Patrick Administration's efforts, energy managers will assist cities and towns in reducing energy use, cutting greenhouse gas emissions and lowering energy costs.

"On-site, municipal energy managers can deliver tremendous benefits to cities and towns across the Commonwealth. We've seen it happen," said DOER Commissioner Mark Sylvia. "These grants open up that opportunity to all communities. Energy managers can support the Patrick Administration's statewide goals at the local level, helping to reduce energy use, lower energy bills and generate economic development."

The program is open to all Massachusetts municipalities, as well as regional school districts, that do not already employ a local energy manager for more than 15 hours per week. DOER's grant will provide support for a local energy manager position for two years.

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The NSTAR Challenge is a program for grades K-12 that promotes energy efficiency and sustainable living. As part of the program, students are tasked with grade-specific assignments to showcase their energy knowledge. A panel of judges will review students' work and select winners from each grade. Through this program, NSTAR hopes to build an energy-efficiency standard among students in their communities, inspiring them to live sustainably and be more conscious of their energy usage in their daily lives.

Registration and Submission

In order for students' work to be considered for the Challenge, they must register online or by mail prior to their submission. Registration forms are due by January 13, 2014. 

Registration forms are available here. 

Green Schools National Conference: Student Summit

(March 27-29, 2014 Sacramento, California)

Build your skills and knowledge, and make connections with like-minded students from across the country that will last a lifetime. Return to your school energized and ready to lead new environmental projects with a deeper understanding of sustainability and the world we live in. 

Learn More

Green Scholars - A 21st Century Experiential Approach to School-Based Environmental Sustainability:

Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA

Friday February 7th 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM

Do you want to bring an environmental sustainability program to your school that requires neither a classroom nor funding beyond this one-time training?

Participants will:

1. Receive 15 PDP's or 6 Contact Hours depending on choice.

2. Discuss how to apply Scholars as a leading strategy for sustainable school development.

3. Join an expanding wide network of organizations, educators, & sustainability leaders.

4. Learn techniques for managing students effectively and efficiently.

5. Receive FREE Green Schools Basic Membership including our Green Schools Handbook

[Learn how to identify and apply principles of creating green & healthy learning environments through Education in Action and be able to connect with a like-minded network of Environmental Educators.]

Location: Manchester Essex Regional High School, 36 Lincoln St., Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA

Tuition: $199 includes workshop fee, complete rubrics, lunch, PDP's or Contact Hours, sample successful projects and manual.

Contact: Lead Trainer Eric Magers for questions @ greenteam@mersd.org or 978.525.6469

Register here

Join MITS (Museum Institute for Teaching Science) on February 27th, March 19th and April 17th  for PDS sessions in the traditional format; a full day workshop  divided into 2 sessions V a scientific presentation and a skill-based  session.

March 19th will feature a special workshop  with Dr. Jacob Foster of the Massachusetts DESE.

February 27th

STEM in Motion: Studying the Mechanics of Movement  

David J. Willis, UMass Lowell

Meeting of the Minds: Teachers & Informal Science Educators Working  Together  

Michelle Scribner-MacLean, UMass Lowell

March 19th

The New Massachusetts Science, Technology/Engineering Curriculum Frameworks: What Do They Mean for You, Your Programs & Your Institution?

Dr. Jacob Foster, Massachusetts DESE

Sandra Ryack-Bell, Museum Institute for Teaching Science (MITS)  Rosemary Rak, Museum Institute for Teaching Science (MITS)

April 17th

Exploring the Biodiversity of Massachusetts:

Ants as a Case Study of Exploration and Education  

Dr. Aaron M. Ellison, Harvard University, Harvard Forest

For more information visit www.mits.org 

Recycle Your Used Markers with Crayola

 Ever wonder if there was a better way of disposing old markers than just throwing them away to the landfill? Well now there is! Crayola has partnered with fuel company, JBI, Inc. to send old Crayola markers to be turned to fuel.  And Crayola will even pay for the shipping! 

Last year, JBI produced 317,000 gallons of fuel using things like shampoo and pill bottles.  

To learn more about the program and sign up your school, go here

CHECK IT OUT!

 

Students can explore jobs that reflect their interests and aptitudes via surveys and games.

Middle and high school students can use the Massachusetts Career Information System (MassCIS) to engage in career exploration activities and develop career plans.

Go to http://www.connectsemass.org/stem/workforce.html.

The Value of Environmental Education

By NAAEE

A  must watch video about the field of Environmental Education, the interconnectedness of EE, how it builds community and changes lives for future generations.

Watch it Now!

The Earth Day Network is accepting entries from high school students to the 2014 Healthy and Sustainable School Food Journalism Competition. The competition is designed to highlight the hard facts about school food in the words of students who eat it. Articles and photographs must be about the importance of healthy, sustainable food served in school; what the student's school community is doing to combat climate change; and how the student's school is promoting environmental education. All articles must have been published by the participant's school newspaper or news media. 

For complete contest guidelines and links to last year's winning articles visit the Earth Day Network Web site.

Public primary and secondary education around the world is increasingly shaped by pressure for accountability. In many countries, particularly more industrialized ones, curriculum is standardized; classroom teachers submit plans that indicate the progress students are making on curriculum benchmarks, and tests measure whether students know the required information. In the U.S., this is driven by education policies such as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, which links federal funding with student performance in a way that school districts as well as individual teachers and administrators are held accountable for the outcomes of their students on standardized tests. By emphasizing the results of math and reading tests as primary indicators of success, state education agencies have created incentives for these subjects that can negatively affect instruction in nontested subjects like social studies. Some teachers turn their attention toward preparing students for tests to the exclusion of integrative and creative learning opportunities. A 2008 study by the Center on Education Policy reveals that in the process of attempting to meet state and federal standards, environmental education, social studies, and other nontested subjects were sacrificed to spend more time on high-stakes testing subjects like reading and math. A similar cutback in outdoor activities and fieldtrips was noted in the study.

Simovska, V. "The Changing Meanings of Participation in School-based Health Education and Health Promotion: the Participants' Voices." Health Education