April 2017 News

In This Issue
Webinar...Soak Up the Rain
Show The White House Your Support for Mother Earth
High Performance School Tour
National Healthy Schools Day 2017
Back from the Green Schools National Conference and Expo
Learn More About Planet Aid
Welcome to Project Green Schools
It's Yearbook Time... Think Tree-Free!
News from a 2016 Green Difference Award Winner
"A Plastic Ocean" Screening Well Attended
Resources
PD
Competitions, Programs and Grants
Conferences
Feature YOUR Business or Organization in Our Newsletter

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Green Strides Webinar Series and Resources

 

 

 

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On behalf of the Boston Bruins, the Boston Bruins Foundation, Walmart and Project Green Schools it gives us great pleasure to announce the WINNERS and GRAND PRIZE WINNER of the Green Up New England Challenge!

Congratulations for transforming your schools and communities into GREEN SPACES. Thousands of individuals across New England have been directly impacted as a result of your work and we applaud you.

GRAND PRIZE WINNER: 
Epiphany School Greenhouse & Garden Ed Program (MA)

Best Green Schools Practices:
Environmental Eagles (MA)
Andover Public Schools (MA)

Best Green Community Practices:
The Compass School (RI)
Lincoln-Sudbury HS Environmental Club (MA)

Energy Reduction: 
Solar/Pellet/LED Inter-Lakes School District (NH)
Campbell Recycling Advocacy Project CRAP - Campbell High 
School in Litchfield (NH)

Waste Reduction: 
Deep Roots - Charter Oak IB Academy (Conn)
KUA food waste pork project (NH)

Honorable mentions:
  • 7B Growing Green School Garden - Andrews Middle School - Medford (MA)
  • Beverly Schools Compost Initiative (MA)
  • Trex Plastic Recycling Challenge - Blackstone Valley Tech (MA)
  • Green School Initiative at Ismailia Governroate (MA)
  •  Aquaponics/hydroponics system for raising edible plants and fish-Medford (MA)
  • Green Wars - Manchester (MA)
  • Sustainability as Lens to View the World: Curriculum Initiative - Sage School (MA)
  • Wellesley's Bates Elem. School Food Waste Reduction and Landfill Diversion (MA)
Webinar
Soak Up the Rain New England Webinar Series
Tuesday, April 11th
3:00-4:30 EST To Register
Earth Day in Schools: Hear about what educators are doing to 'soak up the rain' in schools & communities

From rain gardens to green roofs, to tree plantings and more, schools across New England have made real strides in soaking up the rain. 

Join us for a presentation on student-led green infrastructure projects that have made a difference. Hear about Green Infrastructure practices that don't cost a fortune and meet the state educational standards.

Presenters include:
Robin Organ, Executive Director and Founder, Project Green Schools, Mansfield, MA. 
John Kelly, Environmental and Technology Instructor, Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School, Bourne, MA 
Ruth Steward, Executive Director, Worcester Tree Initiative, Worcester, MA
Show The White House Your Support for Mother Earth
  Send a letter or postcard to the White House to show support for Mother Earth and the need to address climate change. The goal is to have 1,000,000 letters/postcards sent by kids prior to Earth Day (April 22, 2017).  #kids4planetearth
High Performance School Tour at Francis T. Bresnahan Elementary School in Newburyport, MA
What better way to celebrate National Healthy Schools Day  this year than touring a high performance school? Join us at the Francis T. Bresnahan Elementary School in Newburyport, MA for an informational exploration of this CHPS Verified Leader  school project. 

When: April 4, 2017 at 3:15 PM - 5:00 PM
Where:  333 High Street, Newburyport, MA - Bresnahan Elementary School
Who: Architects, Engineers, Facility/Energy Managers, School Administrators, Sustainability Advocates,  Other Schools Community Stakeholders
Learn More and Register
 National Healthy Schools Day 2017
National Healthy Schools Day is a day of action and awareness where people and organizations promote and advocate for making sure children in schools across the nation are able to learn and thrive in healthy environments.  Learn More
There's Still Time To Get Those Nominations In!
Green Difference Awards
May 19, 2017 MA State House
Complete a nomination form  online NOW ! Nominations must be received by April 7, 2017. 

MA/RI Green Student of the Month
Thanks to a grant made possible by the Walmart Foundation students in grades K-12 in the states of Massachusetts or Rhode Island can be nominated for Green Student of the Month for the 2016-2017 school year.  Accepting nominations until May 2017. Nominate a Student. 
Check out our 2016 Green Difference Award winners!
Back from the Green Schools National Conference and Expo
Project Green Schools was proud to once again partner with the Green Schools National Conference and Expo held in Atlanta, GA on March 21-22, 2017. We had a chance to see friends and colleagues from  Green Schools Alliance, Sustainable Florida,  Green Bronx Machine , EPA, Collaborative for High Performing Schools, the Center for Green Schools, Eco Rise, and others. Together we can make The Green Difference. Truly inspiring event and was surrounded by changemakers.
Robin Organ pictured with Olivia of One More Generation.

Excited to finally meet Carter and Olivia of One More Generation  in person for the first time! Carter recently spoke to the UN in March 2017 on a panel discussion.   Check it out! Carter starts speaking at 24:09.

Learn More About Planet Aid
Planet Aid has been a partner of Project Green Schools for over seven years and has helped carry out student environmental service projects since then. They are a nonprofit organization that collects and recycles used clothing and shoes (you may have seen their striking yellow bins) and also supports sustainable development in impoverished communities around the world.
 
Read more and LEARN how you can host a bin!
Welcome to Project Green Schools
Project Green Schools is excited to announce three new members joining our Advisory Board!

Joining our Advisory Board

James Cohen, former Mayor of Portland, is a lawyer at Verrill Dana LLP.

Karen Gatz is the Senior Mathematician for Lockheed Martin Energy.  

Adam Jankauskas is the Founder of City Compost  

Learn more about each of our new members. 
It's Yearbook Time... Think Tree-Free!!

FutureBook is the only yearbook provider in North America that is partnered with "Trees for the Future", offers Bamboo Paper, vegetable based inks, water based laminates, and FSC paper. 

Here are some great reasons to consider printing with FutureBook's bamboo paper stock: 

* Bamboo paper's carbon footprint is dramatically smaller than tree paper.
* Bamboo grows and is ready for harvesting much quicker than trees; it can be harvested in one to five years, and the stalks can be repeatedly harvested for 20-50 years.
* And more...

News from a Project Green Schools Chapter
We are more than delighted to share the work of one of our amazing Chapters in Peabody, MA. Below is an article the students wrote for their school newspaper.  Congratulations to Diane Bugler and her students for tremendous green work!

Captain Samuel Brown School's Environmental Eagles Newsletter 
"First of all, we just recruited 4th graders for our Environmental Eagles team. We looked for 4th graders that have good grades, appropriate work habits, and are willing to contribute to our team. We are also in need of a business to provide us with used ink cartridges. The cartridges help fund our field trips, get school supplies, and many other 5th grade events. We accept ink cartridges of any size, especially larger ones. If you know or work at a company that uses ink cartridges please inform Mrs. Bugler. You can contact her at her email at buglerd@peabody.k12.ma.us.
Read the full article
"A Plastic Ocean" Screening Well Attended
Keep Massachusetts Beautiful (KMB) hosted an exclusive screening of the documentary "A Plastic Ocean" on March 9 at the Showcase Cinema DeLux in Foxboro to a crowd of nearly 100 people. KMB is grateful for the sponsorship from Project Green Schools that helped secure the one-night-only screening. The issue of plastic in our oceans starts locally, in our own communities. KMB chose to screen this film in March to kick off the Great Massachusetts Litter Cleanup season taking place throughout April and May in nearly 100 communities across the Commonwealth. To organize a cleanup in your community, or to volunteer for an existing cleanup, visit 
Resources
Professional Development  
June 5-9, 2017 - Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
June 26-30, 2017 - Emory and Henry College, Emory, VA
Applications are due April 13, 2017. 
 
Summer Institute in Education for Sustainability with Children's Environmental Literacy Foundation (CELF)
 July 10-13, 2017 at Manhattanville College, Purchase, NY. T
Learn More and Register. Discounts are available for schools teams and those registering prior to May 1, 2017. 
Competitions and Programs 
Conferences
April 18 - April 21, 2017  - Palm Springs, CA

Global Health & Innovation Conference
April 22-23, 2017 | Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut


April 29, 2017 - San Pedro, CA 
Join Project Green Schools Now
D id you know when you become a   Free Member  of Green Schools you have access to our 12 Pathways to Greening Your School? 
 
The   12 Pathways to Greening Your School are designed for you to use September - June (1-10) with two serving as year-round learning tools. But, you can put them in any order that aligns with your program. 

May's theme is Ecosystems and Biodiversity.  Here are a few resource highlights:
 
Guides and Curricula 

Games

Useful Links
 
If you'd like to have access to all of these Pathways please become a  FREE MEMBER NOW !
Feature YOUR Business or Organization with Project Green Schools 
Project Green Schools (PGS) is a multiple award-winning 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization, organized for innovative Environmental Education [EE], STEM Education, and Environmental Literacy purposes. PGS' mission is to create Greener & healthier students & schools through Innovative Environmental Education, Leadership, and Action! Project Green Schools provides  a number of Hands-on programs and resources to help you develop the Next Generation of Students & Schools!
 
The most active green schools organization on social media! PGS reaches between 20,000-40,000 individuals per week, and is the leading place to receive Green Schools News!

Consider a listing level that works for you:  

Gold Listing  - $250...3 Featured Business articles or ad in both newsletters and posts on Social Media [Twitter/Facebook] Year Round plus banner ads ½ year on our website (home page). Choose your time of year!
  
Green Listing  -  $500...6 Featured Business articles or ad in both newsletters and posts on Social Media [Twitter/Facebook] Year Round plus banner add 1 year on our website (home page). Choose your time of year!

Your articles could be featured in our monthly newsletter r eleased the first of the month


Send us an  email  to get started on listing your business or organization in our monthly newsletters!
Sincerely,

Robin Organ

Founder and Executive Director

Project Green Schools