School News You Can Use – April, 2016
YIPPEE! It’s almost Earth Day!!! flavorwire.com
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
- Conference News – Countdown to Conference!
- CLUB News – Allenstown Wins NH State Recycle-Bowl; Burke Town School hosts USDA Teacher Training
- In The News – Eco-Schools USA Spring Cleaning
- Contests, Scholarships & Fundraisers – State Farm Grants
- EPA & NHDES News – Wild NH Day
- Activity – Foods That Grow Themselves & Sandwich Bag Compost
- Green Calendar
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CONFERENCE NEWS
The Conference is only 1 month away and the Countdown has begun!!!
greenvillagerecycling.com
COME TO THE CASTLE FOR ROYAL TREATMENT !
May 17, 2016
NRRA’S 35TH EMERALD ANNIVERSARY CONFERENCE & EXPO &
7th Annual School Recycling Conference
To see what workshops are being offered, check out our Conference Brochure !
SAVE TREES! Here’s the link to our On-Line Registration Form.
And for those without on-line capabilities, here’s the link to Conference Registration Form.
Conference Registration Grants Available for NH Schools
NH Schools Grant Assistance
NH schools may apply for financial assistance for the Conference through NH the Beautiful. Here is their Grant Application Form.
Last Chance for School Award Nominations!
With so many schools on vacation, we are extending nominations for one more week – to Earth Day, April 22!
This year’s Conference theme is “It’s Not Easy Being Green.” Despite the challenges, we know there are teachers, students and staff who are fighting to stay green.
Does your school have an individual, program or event that deserves special recognition for outstanding work in recycling?
Winners will be announced and recognized at our Conference Awards Luncheon on May 17.
Please follow this link to the nomination form. Deadline for nominations has been extended to April 22, 2016.
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CLUB NEWS
Allenstown Wins NH Recycle-Bowl!
Congratulations Allenstown Elementary for winning the NH State Recycle-Bowl.
We hope to share a picture of their award in the next issue!
A full list of winners by category and region is available on the Recyc
le-Bowl website, or you can click this link: http://recycle-bowl.org/2015-recycle-bowl-winners/
NJ-Egg Harbor City Community School, Egg Harbor City, NJ (State and National Champion!)
NH-Allenstown Elementary, Allenstown, NH
ME-No Entry
VT-Thaddeus Stevens School, Lyndon Center, VT
MA-Capt. Samuel Brown School, Peabody, MA
CT-King Low Heywood Thomas, Stamford, CT
Burke Town School Provides Recycling Training
to Students & Staff
West Burke, VT –Burke Town School hosted Educators from Northeast Resource Recovery Association (NRRA) who presented a Garbage Guerillas Workshop to 24 sixth-graders on March 30. In addition, staff and teachers of Burke Town School were the first to view updated recycling curriculum made possible through a grant from USDA Rural Development to NRRA.
Garbage Guerillas is a workshop designed to raise awareness of recycling possibilities by examining the current waste stream. NRRA’s School CLUB Educator Charen Fegard, coached the students on the importance of recycling, reviewed Act 148-Universal Recycling requirements and offered ideas on how they can each help protect their environment at school and at home. She reviewed the types of recycling and how to properly and safely sort through a sample of school trash. Ms. Fegard then labeled student volunteers by recycling categories, such as metal, paper, compost, etc. Armed with gloves, the remaining students sorted several bags of typical school waste. At the end of the presentation, the students had a visual record of how much material could have been recycled and diverted from the landfill.
In addition to the workshop, a STAR Assessment was done of the entire school. Facilities Manager, Marc Brown guided the NRRA team on a school-wide tour. The STAR is NRRA’s proprietary school recycling inventory and review which identifies the five key areas of recycling. The report produced from this data offers clear, unbiased suggestions for future improvements as well as a baseline for examination of the positive effects of change. Overall, the school scored high marks for their functional, sustainable and green policies.
A second presentation was made by NRRA Educator and USDA Grant Manager Cindy Sterling to BTS staffers. They provided valuable feedback and insights on how best to conduct outreach to other schools. The USDA grant funded a complete overhaul of the recycling curriculum, bringing it up-to-date and in line with Common Core Standards. USDA’s goal is to make recycling education accessible to schools in areas that might not otherwise have access. The BTS staffers were offered the new curriculum and encouraged to train their peers as well as staff from area schools, thereby bringing recycling education to a wider audience.
Special thanks to the Burke Town School staff and especially Facilities Manager, Marc Brown, for making this event a success.
Student sorters at Burke Town School are labeled by recycling category in preparation for trash sort. (NRRA photo)
Cindy Sterling (far right) of NRRA presents new recycling curriculum to the staff of Burke Town School in Vermont. (NRRA photo)
Charen Fegard of NRRA admires the new drinking fountain/water bottle filling station installed at
Burke Town School. (NRRA photo)
To see all of the Burke Town School pictures, click HERE
Are you a recycling instructor in need of updated curriculum?
dunnscornerschurch.org
As part of our USDA grant initiative, NRRA is seeking assistance from teachers and school administrators in the targeted regions of Carroll, Coos, and Grafton counties in NH, and Bennington, Caledonia, Essex, Franklin, and Orleans counties in VT.
NRRA is updating our Recycling Curriculum to meet the needs of Common Core. We need your help in providing professional development workshops for in-service teachers, decision makers, and department professionals to present these revisions and get your feedback.
If you or your school is interested in assisting with this project, please contact NRRA’s School CLUB at [email protected].
NRRA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).
To file a complaint of discrimination write, USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice or TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
BCSWA Website Up and Running
The Bennington County Solid Waste Alliance serves the communities of: Arlington, Bennington, Dorset, Glastenbury, Manchester, Pownal, Rupert, Sandgate, Searsburg, Shaftsbury, Stamford, Sunderland and Woodford, VT.
The Alliance website is now up and running and full of useful links. Here is the link to the Alliance Webpage. They also have their own School Newsletter!
Work for the BCSW Alliance continues with surveys being sent to regional businesses and institutions.
Free workshops Still Available
Outreach to the Alliance schools has begun. BCSWA schools interested in receiving FREE programming before the end of this school year should contact: [email protected].
Speaking of Bennington County Schools . . .
We found this in the USDA newsletter-courtesy of the Manchester Journal
Farm to School grows in Dorset
By Andrew McKeever
amckeever@ manchesterjournal.com @manjourn on Twitter
Posted: 03/16/2016 09:45:40 AM EDT
Students line up for lunch at the Dorset School last week. Val Reppin, the food service coordinator, helps serve it out as well. (Andrew McKeever — Manchester Journal)
DORSET — Lunchtime at The Dorset School brings the usual commotion and conversation seen in school cafeterias everywhere, but that outwardly familiar scene masks a subtle difference.
As students line up to be served their hot lunches from a cart alongside a wall in one end of the school’s gymnasium, which doubles as the lunch room, many will be eating food that often comes from local farms, or even from their own gardens right at the school.
“Farm to School,” as the program is known, is not new and not limited locally to The Dorset School. A survey conducted in 2012 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that 89 percent of Vermont schools participate in some way in farm-to school activities, and state officials suspect the number is actually higher. Only one though, has a corporate executive refugee and foodie fireball like Val Reppin, Dorset’s food service manager and chef. Now in her third year wearing her hot peppers-themed chef’s hat and doling out the day’s lunches to a waitng line of students, she has merged art and science not only in terms of crafting enticing and unusual offerings that students of generations past would never have associated with school lunch.
The other alchemy results from blending the school’s food budgets to maximize what she obtains locally and what comes in through the Department of Agriculture’s school food program.
“She’s become a master at using the commodity orders from the government and using them creatively by pulling in other things,” said Rosanna Moran, Dorset’s school principal.”She can plan on her own rather than work in a large system where everything is bulk ordered. We have an excitement with the kids — she makes tofu and the kids eat it! — roasted broccoli — she’s getting them to try things they might not try at home.”
Dorset already had a farm-to-school program in place when she arrived in 2013. Reppin plunged into helping it grow and evolve, she said.
“I purchase as much local food as I can,” she said. “I find that it’s such a dance to get as much good government product as I can, to save some money over here to buy that fresh product over there.”
She buys products from several local farms and suppliers. Much of what comes through the conventional pipeline is also good quality food and much of it is sourced from Vermont farms, she said.
There are homemade soups and a fresh salad bar on offer each day. Friday pizza is usually a big hit. Reppin likes to talk with the students, find out what they like or would be open to trying, and keeps track of what goes over well and what doesn’t work. She’ll spend time with the little kids, teaching etiquette and table manners. She’ll talk nutritional values with the older kids, who are also “farmers” in their own way.
A few years ago, Reppin got the “wild idea” to use some of the school’s grounds to plant their own gardens to grow vegetables and flowers. At last Thanksgiving Day, the school threw a dinner for 400 members of the school community which featured home-grown potatoes, herbs and apples. Rave reviews followed.
There’s a small greenhouse out back, along with a couple of raised garden beds, and the flower garden. There’s a therapeutic effect that may be almost, if not more valuable, than the nutritional one, she said.
“If a kid’s having a hard day, they can go out, pull some weeds, pick some flowers — whatever,” she said. “It’s therapy for them.”
It also saves some money, especially when it comes to herbs, which can eat through a budget. Plus, there’s another side benefit — kids are more likely to eat vegetables, if they’ve grown it themselves, she said.
The kids have a voice in what they plant and grow. One of the science classes made a project of growing kale last year, and presented her with a bouquet of them, Reppin said.
“I had one girl bring heirloom tomato seeds from Italy,” she said. “When you put those on a fresh salad and a kid can try something that exotic, they get it.”
Kids can opt in or out of the school lunch program, one day at a time. If they sign up for school lunch, it’s $3.25; $4 for adults. Reppin gets a count of the number of students who’ve indicated they’ll be customers of the school’s lunch program that day, and prepares the volume needed. It varies from one day to the next, and the day’s offerings often influence the decision-making. But business is on an upswing. She averages about 150-170 lunches served per day, up from around 100 served up three years ago. Students can bring their own lunches whenever they want. Many who bring their own lunches do so because they are vegan or vegeterian. In response, she has tried to create options for those students, she said.
And she tries to discuss healthy options and good food versus not-so-good food choices. It may take a couple of tries before they are willing to bite on something new and unfamiliar, she said.
Sometimes just having the food out there will tempt one student to try it, and when word gets back to the others that it’s not so bad, others will dive in.
“I’ve found lately that peer pressure is a good thing in the lunchroom,” she said with a laugh.
For Dorset’s school board chairman, David Chandler, the personalized food service program led by Reppin, with its emphasis on buying local produce as much as possible, and the educational component of nutrition and being tuned in to what the kids want, or are willing to try, is an example of local initiatives that hopefully will not be lost or downgraded as school districts move along the track of consolidation under Act 46.
That’s the legislation that is encouraging school districts to hold conversations with neighboring districts with an eye towards merging them into one larger governance unit. Dorset is taking part in such a discussion with Manchester, Sunderland, Danby, Mt. Tabor and the Mountain Towns RED.
“I think when you’re pushing economies of scale, a lot of the individual stuff gets forgotten,” he said.
The school board had one of its best showings of parents and residents at a board meeting last year where the food program was part of the agenda. The food service fits in closely with other programs, like recycling, that are reducing costs and offer teachable moments, which are important to preserve in the post-Act 46 world, he said.
“I always worry about knee-jerk decisions as opposed to carefully thought through decisions, and when you’re in a big situation you don’t always have the time to pay attention to what is happening in a small part of one of the many big decisions that are faced. And that can have a a big impact on the experience of the local community,” he said.
Plus, the food is darn good, he added.
Would you like to host a TOLD, Garbage Guerrillas or another Workshop at your school? Let the CLUB Help!
- Improves academic performance, especially in science and math
- Can lead to financial savings for schools
- Decreases the school’s carbon footprint through practical solutions that reduce energy and water consumption
- Reduces school waste and conserves natural resources
- Encourages student environmental awareness and stewardship
- Increases parental involvement
- Helps students and teachers develop stronger relationships with their communities
Previous EPA EE-funded research at over 200 New England schools completed by the NRRA School Recycling CLUB (the CLUB) found that the single most challenging area for school recycling programs was in providing curriculum integrations that brought recycling and sustainability into classrooms to be used as the subject matter for meeting state and local curriculum standards. The intention of the CLUB programs is to address just that issue in schools across all six New England states. Our goal is to use the CLUB’s workshops and technical assistance programs, all experiential and hands on, as a tool for educating K-12 students about consumption, proper diversion of waste, the resulting impacts on climate change and what they can do to change it. Through these offerings, we are also afforded the opportunity to link these priorities to curriculum standards. In addition, these workshops will model, for educators or community leaders, exemplary ways of teaching in creative, effective, and efficient methods about human health threats from environmental pollution as well as how to minimize human exposure to preserve good health. Click here to learn more or contact us at [email protected] or call 1.603.736.4401 ext. 19
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IN THE NEWS
From our Friends at the National Wildlife Federation (NWF)
SPRING CLEANING
As spring emerges in the south, and will soon follow in the north, it’s time to
get the Eco-Action Team and the school community together for a spring garden cleanup.
- Weeding and Composting
Before the Spring season gets too far gone, it’s important to pull young weeds from your gardens, learning areas, and walkways. Remember: Don’t compost weeds. The seeds will germinate in your compost and cause a headache later in the season. - Garden Beds
Compost any annuals from last season and cut back any perennials that were not cut back in the fall. Cut back woody flowers and shrubs at the base once you start to see new growth or buds. Move mulch away from the base of your plants. As the weather warms your garden plants and shrubs do not require the extra protection. Remember: As cleaning occurs, have students collect seeds. Collected seeds could be used as a fundraiser to support outdoor learning. - Make Plans
Plan out the needs of the existing school garden(s). Will you be expanding? Perhaps adding a new garden such as a Monarch Recovery Garden, a salsa garden, or a hummingbird garden. Do you have tools and/or hoses that need replacing? This is a great opportunity to have the Eco-Action Team design the expansion or addition and include research on local native species, along with soil, water and light needs. - Soil and Fertilizer
This is the perfect time to have students do soil tests. The results will allow students to decide what natural amendments need to be added. If your school gardens are healthy and don’t require added amendments, then a thin layer of manure based compost will work nicely. - Cool Climate Gardens
It may be too early to start planting if your school is in the northern regions of the U.S. Consider starting late spring and early summer seeds inside, in the science lab or use vertical hydroponic gardens. If you have not already you can plant cool weather crops, such as broccoli, peas, cabbage and spinach.
EARTH MONTH IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER!
Below is a list of ideas, tips and events to help your Eco-School celebrate Mother Earth.
- Celebrate Earth Day, April 22, 2016! Plan a school and community wide event to include:
- Garden toursLocal speaker series (parks department, zoo, master naturalist and gardener, etc.)
- Wildflower and tree plantings
- Eat local and enjoy a meatless meal
- E-recycling event
- Special announcements and giveaways all day
- Reading in the garden, sidewalk poetry, student photo contest, junk couture, etc.
- Apply for an Eco-Schools USA Award!
- Certify your Schoolyard Habitat!
- Celebrate Arbor Day! April 29, 2016. Plan a tree planting, donate to the National Wildlife Federation’s tree bank to help supply free trees for events and learn more about how trees help wildlife through our Trees for Wildlife program.
- Get ready for Endangered Species Day, May 20, 2016. While not technically a part of Earth month, there are many plans and activities that can take place in preparation for celebrating the schools favorite endangered species. Better yet, research local or state endangered species, invite your state’s fish and wildlife service or zoo to speak to students and collaborate on a save the species campaign!
REGISTER TODAY TO BE A GLOBE TEACHER!
Learn about this unique, completely online, self-paced and free professional 
development. Free science equipment to the first 40 schools to register, complete the training, and take the measurement pledge!
Kindest Regards,
The Eco-Schools USA Team
Spring Cleaning = Green Cleaning
Did you know that many of the cleaning products in your home and school contain harsh chemicals? Here is a fun game to find and replace toxins in your home, thanks to the U.S. Library of Medicine.
We found this link through the EPA’s Clean, Green and Healthy Schools Update – April 2016
ToxMystery (Grades 1-5): Teaches elementary school students about toxic substances in the home. Game format; includes lesson plans and activities. Also available in Spanish.
Just click HERE to get started!
cliparts.co
Interested in green cleaning? If you would like to host a workshop in your school, please consider The CLUB’s Healthy Home, Clean Waters Workshop or our Technical Assistance Training for facilities staff on Green Cleaning & Indoor Air Quality Evaluation & Review.
From our friends at EPA’s WW & FRC April 2016
Look for the Safer Choice Label When Shopping for HouseholdCleaners
About 75% of Americans thoroughly clean their homes during the spring. Make a safer choice!
Whether cleaning the oven, washing the car or doing laundry, we all want our family, community, and the planet to be protected. EPA’s Safer Choice label helps you find products that have ingredients that are safer for kids, pets, and the environment. When you see the Safer Choice label on a product you can be sure it contains ingredients EPA has reviewed for safety and performance.
If you’re looking to do some spring cleaning, look for the Safer Choice label. With more than 2,000 products that qualify to carry the label, it’s easy to find one to use in your kitchen, bathroom or backyard. Read a blog post by EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy on how the label helps you make informed choices.
Watch a video about how to find products with the Safer Choice label.
With all of these leaping lambs, we thought you might want to know more about wool recycling!
From our friends at Waste360
March 29, 2016
Recycling waste wool a step closer
Professor Raston, left, and Dr Boulos with dirty wool cleansed by the new green chemistry technique.
From the shearing shed to catwalk, world stockpiles of waste wool are suddenly in fashion with Flinders scientists who have found a way to give them high value.
Flinders University researchers have developed clean technology to dissolve waste wool and unwanted woolen products to produce a high-value protein called keratin and other byproducts with varied potential applications.
Well known on packaging of popular hair products, the scientists have worked out how to distill keratin from wool using a non-toxic, biodegradable chemical process to ‘dissolve’ the wool fibers with an eye on potential end uses in the cosmetic, pharmaceutical and even animal feed markets.
The South Australia Premier’s Professorial Research Fellow in Clean Technology at Flinders, Professor Colin Raston, says the discovery is an outstanding example of reducing waste in a safe way to make use of – and create value – from an existing resource.
“The future of clean technology is rapidly growing as the cost of producing expensive substances is offset against the benefits of low-cost, efficient, and environmentally sustainable recycling processes such as this,” Professor Raston says.
“After breakdown using a choline-chloride-urea solvent ‘melt’, the keratin nano-materials can be further refined and freeze dried to form a protein powder, to be used for a range of products ranging from wound healing in bandages to animal feed stock.
The ‘green chemistry’ process is simple, efficient, and environmentally friendly, says Dr Ramiz Boulos, who worked on the breakthrough technology with Professor Raston and fellow researchers Dr Katherine Moore, Daniel Mangos and Dr Ashley Slattery.
“Sheep wool is clearly an abundant bio-material, with the wool weaving industry worldwide discarding tonnes of low grade non-spin wool fibres every year and much more landfill from wool garments from human waste,” Dr Boulos says.
“Our system makes use of a waste stream, deemed unsuitable for the clothing industry, to produce an additional revenue source.”
Dr Boulos, who previously demonstrated a similar process to deconstruct his own hair, says the benign eutectic melt used to break down wool and human hair creates the opportunity to extract the valuable keratin with another straight forward process, such as simple dialysis techniques and then concentrated using freeze drying.
“The final product would be highly useful for electro-spinning to form keratin bandages or for implantation into a hydrogel, both of which have demonstrated clear wound healing advantages.”
The research, funded by the Australian Research Council and Government of South Australia, was supported by Flinders Microscopy and the Australian Proteome Analysis Facility through the Federal Government’s National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy.
The paper, Wool deconstruction using a benign eutectic melt, has been published by the Royal Society of Chemistry journal RSC Advances.
For the original article, click HERE.
Can Roundup Continues
It’s the perfect time to
join the School Challenge
March Madness is upon us with the potential for lots of aluminum cans to be recycled. Get in the game by registering today at http://www.canroundup.com/login/. Don’t let $1,000 being offered to the school recycling the most aluminum cans per student in every state (including the District of Columbia) slip away. There is also an additional $5,000 awarded to the top national recycling school.
Al the Can wants to recognize your school’s environmental commitment and true green spirit. It is easy! Collect Cans. Recycle. Report. Upload Receipts. There is still time to make the GACR leaderboard. The last day to collect cans is April 22. You have until April 28, 2016 to recycle, report and upload your receipts at http://www.canroundup.com/login/. Now start recycling aluminum beverage cans and secure the win!
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Contests, Scholarships & Fundraisers
State Farm Youth Advisory Board Grants Now Available $25K-$100K
Jennifer Young [email protected]
Dear Community Partners,
We appreciate the many organizations and schools that support their local communities, and want to let you know of grant opportunities currently available from the State Farm® Youth Advisory Board (YAB).
What you Should Know
Four million dollars will be granted to quality, youth-led, service-learning initiatives throughout the United States. Grants range from $25,000 to $100,000, and applications must be submitted online by April 29, 11:59pm EST. Complete details and contact information are available at www.sfyab.com.
Each grant request must focus in one of the following issue areas:
Community Safety and Justice
- Access to Higher Education/Closing the Achievement Gap
- Economic Empowerment and Financial literacy
- Environmental Responsibility
- Health and Wellness
- Arts and Culture
To give you an idea of the programs we’ve funded in the past, you may visit the Projects page.
Thank you for your interest and please feel free to share this information with your partners.
*Please note, private schools themselves are not eligible for YAB funding, due to the YAB focus on impacting the public K-12 arena. However, if a private school collaborates with and engages a K-12 public school, and that public school agrees to apply for the YAB grant opportunity with support from the private school, that would be an eligible partnership.
Sincerely, Jennifer Young
Community Field Specialist – NJ, CT, NH, VT & ME
P: 973-739-5206 I F: 973-739-5225 I [email protected]
Sunoco Rewards Scholarships
We are now accepting applications for our 2016 Sunoco Rewards scholarships. This year, Sunoco is offering two $1,000.00 scholarships to two future marketers.
Creative Design Scholarship
One of the ways that we communicate with our customers at our Sunoco stations is through point-of-purchase (POP) signage.
Two of our highly visible POP are the Perimeter Pole Sign (PPS) and the Pump Topper Sign (PTS). The PPS is placed in large frames along the exterior of our station lots. The PTS sits in a frame on every pump at many of our stations.
As future graphic designers, we would like to see what type of creative concepts you can develop for our retail POP around our high quality fuels.
Learn more about our creative design scholarship.
Digital Marketing Scholarship
With nearly 75% of adults in the United States using sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest, it is no surprise that Social Media has become an integral part of brand marketing. Marketers around the world continue to grapple with how best to use these evolving networks to reach the markets where they operate daily.
Digital Marketers are always looking for new tactics and platforms to help them connect and communicate with consumers. We would like to see a digital marketing campaign that could be implemented for Sunoco Racing.
Learn more about our digital marketing scholarship.
The deadline for both scholarships is May 31st, 2016.
If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected].
Here is the link to the Sunoco Scholarship page.
Team Earth Poster Contest Suspended … for Now.
Having received no entries by the deadline of April 15, the Team Earth Poster Contest has been suspended. We will leave it to the schools to decide how best to display their Bronze, Silver and Gold Level Stickers.
However, this is a great opportunity to have schools personalize their display by having their students provide the creativity.
Don’t forget to send in pictures from your Team Earth activities so we can post them in the next newsletter!
$$$$$$$$$$ Other School Grant Opportunities $$$$$$$$$$
(Collected from NWF Eco-Schools Newsletter – August, 2015)
http://www.nwf.org/Eco-Schools-USA/Newsletter.aspx?s_email_id=20150819_ECO_ENG_Educators|#schoolyardhabitats
DonorsChoose.org – Can list on site up to 4 months
http://www.donorschoose.org/about
Helps classrooms and students in need
DoSomething.org offers many ways to earn scholarship money.
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EPA & NHDES NEWS
Celebrate Wild NH Day-Tomorrow!
Courtesy of NH Fish & Game
NH Fish & Game will host Wild NH Day on Saturday, April 16, from 10 am – 3 pm. Admission is FREE and will be held at 11 Hazen Drive, Concord, NH.
Discover WILD New Hampshire Day is a fun way for the whole family to explore New Hampshire’s wildlife resources and legacy of outdoor traditions. Browse educational exhibits presented by environmental and conservation organizations from throughout the state.
See live animals, big fish and trained falcons. Try your hand at archery, casting, fly-tying and B-B gun shooting. Watch retriever dogs in action. Get creative with hands-on craft activities for the kids. Plus, check out the latest hunting and fishing gear and gadgets.
For more information, visit Wild NH Day
From our Friends at EPA
Apply for Teacher Award by May 16
Teacher awardees and their schools each receive up to $2,500 for environmental education.
EPA is now accepting applications for the Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators (PIAEE).
The award recognizes outstanding K-12 teachers who employ innovative approaches to environmental education and use the environment as a context for learning.
Teacher awardees receive up to $2,500 to further their professional development in environmental education. Past winning teachers led unique programs such as conserving nearby aquatic ecosystems, building a hydrogen fuel-cell powered Model T car, and developing outdoor laboratories and classrooms. Applications are due May 16, 2016.
NH Envirothon 2016 – Invasive Species
2016 NH Envirothon is here!
Competition Day will be Tuesday, May 24, at McLane Audubon Center, Concord, NH.
Current Issue Challenge: Invasive Species
Registration Form
EPA Welcomes Westford Academy as a new Food Recovery Challenge Participant
Westford Academy started on-site composting at the high school in September 2015. Currently WA composts students fruit scraps and the kitchen’s food scraps and collects 40-50 lbs food scraps per day to compost in their on-site bins. Westford Academy is the second k12 school to join the Food Recovery Challenge in New England and the first New England high school to join. Check out the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70EkbQNXdko
EPA just sent out this tweet about Westford Academy in Westford MA joining the Food Recovery Challenge..feel free to share
Welcome @westfordacademy, the 1st #NewEngland high school to join @EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge! http://go.usa.gov/cv3Y9
Tweet link: https://twitter.com/EPAnewengland/status/714469198349660162
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ACTIVITY
Foods That Grow Themselves
Courtesy of Jerry James Stone & Chris Rooney
Click HERE to view the source.
From our friends at HowWeeLearn.com
Make a Sandwich Bag Compost
April 20, 2015 by Sarah
Earth Day is coming up (April 22nd, just a few days away) making this idea perfect for today!
The idea of composting is AMAZING – taking food waste and garbage, turning it into rich soil, to then grow food again. AMAZING! But it is tough for children to really understand this. It takes time … a lot of time. But not when you do it on a teeny tiny scale.
We made a little compost a few weeks ago, and it worked great! The kids could really get the idea for how a compost works – and best of all you only need two things:
Sandwich bags and a straw.
That’s it! Well, of course your food waste, “browns” (like egg cartons), and water too.
Within a couple of weeks you will have soil.
The idea is very simple. We used a small sandwich baggie with a zipper top. Then we added our items to be composted, including some vegetables and some egg cartons.
You want your compost to be about 60% egg carton and 40% food waste (veggies are fastest). Chop everything up SUPER small to speed along the process.
We zipped the top, but put a little straw in for some air.
We added a little drizzle of water (about two tablespoons or so, just so everything gets mushy).
That’s it! Now, we just need to mush it around a little each day, add some water when needed, and be patient. In a few weeks we will have some (albeit not much!) gorgeous, rich compost.
Now if that is not a wonderful reminder about the importance of composting, then I’m not sure what is. Perfect for even the littlest of environmentalists!
Pop on over to CBC kids to read all the details!
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GREEN CALENDAR
04/16/16 – Wild NH Day – For more information on this FREE event, visit: Wild NH Day.
04/22/16 – Earth Day – To plan your event, see future newsletters and visit www.earthday.org.
04/29/16 – Arbor Day – To plan your event, visit www.arborday.org.
05/17/16 – NRRA School CLUB Conference – Come join us in celebrating NRRA’s 35th Anniversary at the Radisson in Nashua! Check out our Conference Page for more information.
06/05/16 – World Environment Day – To plan your event, visit www.unep.org.
06/08/16 – World Oceans Day – To plan your event, visit www.worldoceansday.org.
Happy Earth Day to All!
2016 winning design by Brandon Schafer
Courtesy of: http://blog.earthdayfestivalbismarck.com/
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WHAT IS YOUR SCHOOL CLUB UP TO? The NRRA School CLUB always loves to hear what its members and other schools are doing to recycle and help the environment so we can share it through our newsletter. There are so many different things being done, and you are our best source of information about what is working in your school. It can be a new program, a long-term project that’s been proven over time, a field trip, etc. Always feel free to contact me or submit something and you may see it in the next School News You Can Use! – Gwen Erley, [email protected] 1-603-736-4401 Ext. 19