education

Making the Grade

ShermaineWaugh — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 21:11:34 -0400

The college selection process is a rigorous one. As a rising senior, I know how difficult it is to search for a school that meets all your needs, be they class size, student teacher ratio, best dorms, or even best parties. Every little thing counts in order to make sure your four years go smoothly. But when cruising college campuses and digging through acceptance stats, how many of us stop to think about how a school best our meets ecological needs? I doubt most even have a clue how to tell just how green their dream college or university really is.

It might not be a top priority for some, but for those young men and women who are becoming increasingly environmentally aware, it is important for them to have this information at hand. read more »

Greening Sleep Away Camps Through Infrastructure and Education

laurenmr — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:24:10 -0400

Congratulations to Adi Segal, the Green Camp Initiative Coordinator, for all of his successes with Camp Ramah in the Berkshires!

Adi Segal has united with the staff at Camp Ramah in the Berkshires to form a commendable community-benefiting venture, which emphasizes the deeply-rooted Jewish value of environmentalism. The Initiative works to make the Berkshires Camp, and other sleep away camps, more environmentally sustainable through educating and leading by example. It raises awareness about environmental issues; increases conscious activism among staff and campers; and decreases the amount of waste (i.e. solids, water, energy, etc.) produced in the camp, thereby reducing its Eco-Footprint. It strives to reach all 600 campers and 200 staff members so that they will leave camp with a new eco-friendly mindset, bringing the message of environmentalism home to their communities. read more »

Bring Eco-Olympics to Your School!

Wayneho Kam — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 21:17:24 -0400

Let the games begin!

Every fall, the East Campus dorms at Duke University partake in a month-long waste, water, and energy reduction competition. Students earn points for their residence hall and prizes for themselves by doing their part to reduce their ecological footprints and to become educated about the environment. Here are the highlights:

Recycling Rate- Residence halls with fewer amounts of recyclable materials in their trash bags (on an unannounced day during the competition) score higher.

Energy Reduction- The greater the dorms reduce electricity usage below their per capita (based on historical consumption data), the more points they receive.

Online Impact Survey- Residence halls are scored according to the percentage of residents that finish a survey, thereby helping the university assess the level of environmental literacy of the freshmen class. read more »

Eco-Reps on the Web!

ShermaineWaugh — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 21:46:09 -0400

The Barnard Eco-Representatives one of Conscious Lifestyle’s ventures, has a new website! These 10 students from Barnard College organize educational programming to help students live “environmentally-conscious” lifestyles. On their site you can learn even more about the EcoReps, what they do, and even get involved in Earth-friendly campus happenings. Take a look at their Green in NYC page, which has lots of good info about eco-friendly activities, restaurants, bakeries, farmers’ markets, and thrift stores in New York City. There are also some good tips on green living in general. Check out the The Eco-Reps today! read more »

Small Town, Big Ideas: Michigan’s Laker School Goes Green by Utilizing Wind Power

ShermaineWaugh — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 22:23:48 -0400

The Laker School in Michigan has taken great strides in going green. As one of the windiest places in the country, the small, rural, school gathers their power from wind. Giant, utility-scale wind turbines provide the Jr. High with year-round power, thanks to the District’s zest for embracing renewable energy. read more »

Want to Green Clean Your School? Here's How

Susan — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 11:15:10 -0400

Operating on the belief that “children learn best through experience. If their schools are green, children will learn to live that way,” the Center for Environmental Education is an online resource for students and teachers at K-12 schools, bursting with information and how-to’s for greening their environments. Available on its Web site is “Blueprint for a Green School,” which gives suggestions for three levels of action in ten categories: curriculum, energy, environmental health, food, green building, maintenance, procurement, recycling and waste, transportation, and water. Students and teachers can also learn more about reducing greenhouse gas emissions and climate change issues here.

In addition, there’s a searchable collection of reviewed environmental curricula, and a soon-to-come section on demonstration schools, with profiles of schools that are in the process of change. read more »

Thoreau Inspires Outdoor School

ShermaineWaugh — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 17:20:52 -0500

I won’t lie to you. Camping is not one of my favorite things to do. The outdoors is a beautiful thing, but I’d take the comfort of a good book and my nice warm bed over dirt floors any day.

Matt Schlein and his class of nineteen high school students would most likely disagree. Although what they’re doing might not be considered ‘camping,’ it certainly is roughing it. Schlein, New York Native and teacher started a foundation that raised the money to buy 260 acres of land to use as a classroom. read more »

Fundraising Goes Green: The Earth (and Your Friends and Relatives) Thank You

Susan — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 15:13:24 -0500

Although I don’t think the Girl Scouts are going to be selling boxes of CFL lightbulbs instead of cookies any time soon—why change a good and delicious thing?--groups of other stripes are always looking for creative ways to raise money for their organizations. Now your group can choose to sell recycled paper goods, green home cleaners, energy-efficient showerheads, and yes, low-energy lightbulbs through several Web-based green fundraising organizations. read more »

Climate Change Teach-In To Be Held Across America

Susan — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 10:45:36 -0500

Focus The Nation is an educational initiative on global warming solutions for America occurring at more than 1,000 universities, colleges, high schools, middle schools, places of worship, civic organizations, and businesses, in all 50 states on Jan. 31, 2008.

The teach-in has two goals: to formulate policy solutions that can be implemented immediately; and to explore a new model of collaborative, interdisciplinary education on a national scale, needed to tackle the interconnected social, environmental, and political issues of climate change. read more »

So What Are You Going to Do With the Rest of Your Life?

Susan — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 09:58:03 -0500

MonsterTRAK, an online career and recruitment Web site, wants to help you out with that major decision. It has developed GreenCareers, a site for college students and recent graduates listing environmentally responsible jobs and internships. GreenCareers includes entry-level, part-time, volunteer, and internship opportunities at organizations of all sizes that positively impact the environment. These are both "green jobs" and jobs at "green companies." The site also features career advice and articles on living green, green activism, and related news. read more »