In This Issue...
The
traditional school year is now in full swing and so is another season of
workshops provided at no-cost to California's educators. The Board sponsors
these workshops to help teachers access our waste management curriculum and get
hands-on experience with the standards-based lessons before incorporating them
into their classrooms.
Kelley
Roberts, a teacher at Farragut Elementary School in Los Angeles County,
experienced noteworthy results in her classroom after attending one of the
Board's vermicomposting workshops in January:
"I just wanted to let you know what a success we have had with our worms
since you presented the vermicomposting workshop in January. I had no idea
what enthusiasm worms would generate with my students--even the ones who
initially expressed sheer disgust with the thought of worms! At the conclusion
of our first encounter (during which we made observations about the worms,
their habitat, and feeding behavior), the children thanked me numerous times
for providing them with a first-hand scientific experience.
I
thought about my students' reaction many times during the days that followed.
Education has become driven by standardized assessment results. Teachers feel
a great deal of pressure to keep a rapid instructional pace in order to cover
information in textbooks. I think this has resulted in a decrease of
experiential learning opportunities. Unfortunately, the incredible power of
experiential learning has been overlooked. So, thank you for reminding us
about the excitement inherent in true learning!"
You
can experience similar results in your classroom, too. Check our event
calendar for an upcoming workshop in your area. We hope to see you there!
Top
Does Your School Need Some Free Quality Compost?
The
California Department of Education and the California Integrated Waste
Management Board are pleased to announce a new donation program for the "A
Garden in Every School" Program. Participating supermarkets statewide
are providing up to 2.5 tons of quality compost delivered free of charge to any
public school. The compost is created from the supermarkets' produce trim and
wax-coated produce
boxes mixed with landscape trimmings.
One ton equals roughly 10 large wheelbarrows of quality compost.
One large wheelbarrow is enough to supplement one
12-foot by 12-foot garden already comprised of good soil. If
your school garden project would like to order some free compost, please e-mail compost@communityrecycling.net
or call 1-800-500-1630.
Top
Here's an example of a successful school district waste
reduction program. Perhaps you can find aspects of this program that will work
in your district!
The Windsor Unified School District (WUSD), in Sonoma County,
implemented single-stream (or "mixed") recycling in all their schools in an
effort to reduce garbage costs, help the environment, and teach their students
about sustainability. In a collaborative effort between the district’s local
hauler, custodial staff, students, teachers, and administrators, all WUSD
schools have successful recycling programs in place.
Close collaboration has been
necessary to make sure the day-to-day functions of the program are carried out
successfully. While the hauler is responsible for all outside recycling
dumpsters and school education and training, students and custodial staff help
is needed to get recycled material from classrooms and break/lunch areas to the
outside bins. The success of the recycling program is largely due to each
school’s cooperation throughout the district.
With the new program, students and staff may mix all paper,
cardboard, aluminum, tin, glass, plastic containers # 1–7, and milk, juice, and
soy/rice milk cartons in one single container. All the mixed recycled material is taken to the hauler’s high-tech sorting machine for
separation. Mixed recycling has made recycling easier for WUSD schools and has
helped them increase their recycling rates! For additional information, contact
Dan Wells, Director of Maintenance, at (707) 837-7796.
The Windsor Unified School District is an excellent example of
how California schools are reducing waste flows to local landfills and saving
money in the process. If you have a waste reduction technique or program to share with
the Board, please contact Terri Gray at
(916) 341-6252.
Top
Jiminy Cricket’s Environmentality Challenge is an opportunity
for your class and all other fifth grade classes in California to
think green. The program is a challenging and fun hands-on experience that will help
fifth graders learn more about their environment and California and
show them why it’s cool to care about the earth. It encourages
students to think and act environmentally at school, at home, and in their
community. The program is the result of a unique partnership between The Walt
Disney World Company, the California
Environmental Education Interagency Network (CEEIN), and the U.S. Fish &
Wildlife Service.
Jiminy Cricket’s Environmentality Challenge is a two-part
program consisting of the Pledge and the Class Project Competition. The level of
commitment is up to you and your students. The Pledge takes a small commitment,
while the Competition entails a more comprehensive class project. At either
level, Jiminy Cricket’s Environmentality Challenge can easily incorporate
California Education Content Standards into your existing curriculum by using
the environment as a context to strengthen your students' skills in language
arts, science, and mathematics while learning meaningful environmental concepts.
By participating in Jiminy Cricket’s Environmentality Challenge, your class
has a chance to win an all-expenses-paid field trip to The Disneyland Resort.
The field trip includes an awards ceremony to celebrate your victory.
An assortment of complimentary educational curricula materials
are available to assist you, along with an informational hotline 1-800-290-0299
and Web site.
Key dates to remember: Entry forms must be postmarked or
faxed by November 14, 2002, and completed class projects must be received
by noon on March 4, 2003.
Top
Check out the new education
pages on the Cal/EPA Web site. This is the one place where you can find
contact information and education products and services offered by each of the
boards, departments, and office of the Cal/EPA.
The
Air Resources Board fights air pollution in California and offers
information, activities, and lessons for students and teachers in the "Know
Zone."
The
Department of Pesticide Regulation encourages schools to use integrated pest
management (IPM) practices and assists school districts with implementing the
Healthy Schools Act by offering tools, templates, and other resources.
The Department of Toxic Substances Control protects Californians
from exposures to hazardous wastes and provides hard copies of the No Waste
Anthology, Hazard House Workbook, activity books, crosswords, and pledges for
teachers and students.
The
California Integrated Waste Management Board finds ways to reduce, reuse,
and recycle garbage to keep it out of California’s landfills and offers
curriculum, activities, and assistance to educators and school districts.
The
Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment assesses the health risks
that chemicals in the environment may present to humans.
The
State Water Resources Control Board has collected and reviewed curriculum
materials that focus on watershed stewardship and monitoring, and will assist
educators in identifying appropriate curricula for integration into K–12
education.
Top
In the winter issue of Environment Matters, look for exciting news about grants and information on an upcoming
special edition of infoCycling, a Board publication.
If you or one of your colleagues would like to be notified when the next issue
of Environment Matters is available to view, please subscribe to our
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Matters Listserv .
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