Natural Resource Conservation Workshop For School Kids

Editor's Note:  We stumbled across this great video from the Georgia Farm Monitor on a recent workshop held in GA which also gave out some scholarships. What could be better than a fun filled week of learning and a potential scholarship to further education for our youth?




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Lexus and Scholastic to Award $500,000 in Grants and Scholarships

/PRNewswire/ -- Since launching in 2007, the Lexus Eco Challenge has inspired and empowered more than 8,500 middle and high school students to learn about the environment and take a stand to improve it. From educating the community about the benefits of solar ovens to producing bio-fuel from used fast food oil, students across the country have tackled a wide range of topics and issues. Students are once again invited to participate in the third annual Lexus Eco Challenge for a chance to win part of $500,000 in grants and scholarships.

The Challenge has two distinct elements:
-- Standards-based supplementary educational materials - encourages
teachers to integrate creative lesson plans into their classrooms to
help teach students about the environment.

-- Competition to reward environmental action - helps young people apply
what they've learned in class through the program and empowers them to
make improvements in their community by participating in the
environmental team challenges.

"We're anxious to see what this third year brings," said Mark Templin, Lexus group vice president and general manager. "The competition is getting tougher as we see the teams working harder to plan and implement innovative, creative and effective programs. It's clear that the Lexus Eco Challenge is making a difference, and it's encouraging to know that we're inspiring the next generation to become responsible stewards of the environment."

The Challenges and Rewards

The Lexus Eco Challenge registration opens on Sept. 28, 2009, and will conclude with the announcement of the first-place and grand-prize-winning teams during Earth Month, April 2010. Middle and high school teams, comprised of 5-10 students and one teacher advisor, are invited to participate in one or both of the two initial challenges, each addressing different environmental elements - land/water and air/climate.

For each of the challenges, teams will define an environmental issue that is important to them, develop an action plan to address the issue, implement the plan, and report the results. Submission deadlines are: Challenge #1 (Land/Water) - Nov. 6, 2009 and Challenge #2 (Air/Climate) - Jan. 19, 2010.

Each of the challenges will have 16 winning teams - eight middle school and eight high school teams. The winning teams will each receive a total of $10,000 in scholarships and grants to be shared among the students, teacher and school. In addition, the winning action plans will be featured on a special Web page to inspire other students to take action in their communities.

In mid-February, the winning teams from the first two challenges will be invited to participate in the Final Challenge. Teams will be asked to reach beyond the local community and inspire environmental action around the world through innovative ideas that are communicated to a wide audience. From the Final Challenge entries, 14 first-place teams and two grand-prize-winning teams will be selected. Each of the 14 first-place teams will receive a total of $15,000 in grants and scholarships, and the two grand-prize-winning teams will each receive $30,000. The money will be shared by the students, their teacher advisors and their schools.

Judging Criteria

All entries for the initial two challenges will be judged on a variety of criteria, including the overall action plan and team effort, the quality of writing, and supporting materials. A select panel of judges will consider questions such as: does the action plan show the team's clear understanding of the environmental issue; does the action plan clearly describe the results; does the action plan communicate a persuasive argument; and does the action plan communicate team effort?

Full program information including rules and entry details can be viewed at www.scholastic.com/lexus .

Teaching Tools for the Classroom

The Lexus Eco Challenge educational materials developed with Scholastic are designed to align with national teaching standards for science, social studies, civics and language arts.

In addition to providing teachers with the information necessary to participate in the challenges, the Web site (www.scholastic.com/lexus) also has extensive tools for them to use in their classrooms. For each challenge, the Web site has lesson plans and teacher instructions including questions to help guide a discussion about the current challenge topic, facts about the topic, and guidelines for a specific classroom project.

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National Middle School Green Competition Urges Kids to Change Their Communities In 2009

/PRNewswire/ -- Now in the final months for entries, the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge is encouraging middle school students across the United States to kick off 2009 by "going green" and implementing environmental change in their local communities. The website for this entirely web-based challenge, http://www.wecanchange.com/, is host to lots of kid-friendly activities such as virtual interactive labs, an eco-footprint game, an environmental IQ quiz, online journals, video clips-plus many more resources for both students and adult advisers.

Teams of two to three students in sixth through eighth grade, under the mentorship of a teacher or adult supervisor, will identify an environmental issue in their community, research the issue using scientific investigation, and create a replicable green solution using web-based curriculum tools powered by Discovery Education.

Teachers and adult supervisors are invited to participate in any of Discovery Education's January online webinars, which will provide additional information about the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge. Webinars will be offered Tuesday, January 13, at 4:30 PM (ET); Wednesday, January 14, at 5:30 and 6:45 PM (ET); and Thursday, January 15, at 5:30 PM (ET). To register, go to https://discoveryed.webex.com/ and click on "Events Center" at the top, then click on "List of Events" at the left and scroll down to "Other Events." Lastly, click on a "Register" link for your preferred webinar.

Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge submissions from middle school students will be accepted through March 15, 2009. A total of 51 teams representing each state and the District of Columbia will be selected as state finalists and an additional 50 teams will be eligible for honorable mention awards. Three of the state finalist teams will be selected as national finalists, and one of those will be named the inaugural grand prize-winner. State finalist and national finalist teams will be announced in Spring 2009.

All student teams entering the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge will receive prizes for their participation. Top-performing teams, as judged by a panel of environmental experts and science educators, will earn cash, teacher education materials and unique "Discovery Experience" trips. The grand prize-winning team will receive a comprehensive prize package, which includes an appearance on Planet Green, Discovery's 24-hour eco-lifestyle network and a once-in-a-lifetime Discovery Adventure Trip, accompanied by a Discovery TV personality.

The Siemens Foundation, Discovery Education and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) have partnered on the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge to educate, empower and engage students, teachers and communities to become "Agents of Change" in improving their communities nationwide. The initiative expands to elementary schools in 2009 and to high schools in 2010.

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UGA College of Environment and Design Receives Top Rankings in 2009

The University of Georgia College of Environment and Design's landscape architecture programs again received top national rankings. The bachelor's program was ranked first in the nation, and the master's program was ranked second in the 2009 edition of America's Best Architecture & Design Schools.

This continues a history of high ratings for the programs, which have both placed in the top five for the past five years - as long as landscape architecture programs have been nationally ranked. This is the second time that the bachelor's program has been ranked the best in the country.

Graduates of the College of Environment and Design also placed first in three of seven skill assessments considered in the ranking: sustainable design, security design and computer applications. CED graduates ranked second in two other assessments-analysis and planning and construction methods and materials.

Both the graduate and undergraduate programs offer Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification as part of the curriculum. Only 14 percent of the programs surveyed nationally can match that claim, putting the UGA programs on the cutting edge of sustainable design.

The America's Best Architecture & Design Schools rankings are the design industry equivalent of the U.S .News and World Report college rankings. To produce the rankings, trade publication DesignIntelligence asks employers which schools' recent graduates are best prepared to face the demands of the profession. This means that the high rankings will not only attract students to the college, but also serve as an endorsement for graduating students seeking employment.

UGA's College of Environment and Design is the only college in the United States dedicated specifically to landscape architecture and historic preservation, and features the largest landscape architecture faculty anywhere.

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Johnson Controls Announces Call for Creative Energy Projects Entries

/PRNewswire/ -- Johnson Controls (NYSE:JCI) , the global multi-industrial leader in energy efficiency and sustainability, has developed an innovative program to engage kindergarten through 12th grade students across North America in developing ways to make the environment more energy efficient.

"Students play an important role in using energy resources wisely, which reinforces our business of providing energy efficiency solutions for consumers and businesses," said C. David Myers, president, Building Efficiency, Johnson Controls. "Each year, we continue to be impressed by the enthusiasm and ingenuity students and teachers exhibit in demonstrating ways to preserve the environment and conserve energy."

This is the eighth year for the Igniting Creative Energy competition, which provides national winners with valuable educational experiences including the opportunity to meet national leaders and energy policymakers in Washington, D.C. The Challenge, a program developed and funded by Johnson Controls and the National Energy Foundation, is a competition that encourages students to learn more about energy and the environment.

According to Bob Poulson, president of the National Energy Foundation, "It's vital to instill in students the idea that they can creatively contribute to conserving natural resources. It results in improved leadership, character development and service to others, not to mention a better environment."

Student entries should demonstrate an understanding of what an individual, family or group can do in their home, school or community to conserve energy and help the environment. Students may choose to express their ideas in any creative format such as science projects, essays, stories, artwork, photographs, music, videos, web based applications, multimedia projects, etc. They may also submit recent service projects.

Contest Rules and Prizes

The Challenge is open to all students in grades K-12 in the U.S. and Canada, excluding Quebec. All entries are due by March 13, 2009; and winners will be announced April 17, 2009.

A total of four grand prizes will be awarded to three students and one teacher. Three students, one in each grade cluster, whose work best addresses the Challenge criteria, will receive a hosted trip to Washington, D.C. for themselves and a parent or legal guardian. Also, the teacher with the highest average score of student work from 15 or more qualifying entries will also receive a trip for two to Washington, D.C. for the same rewarding educational experience. While in Washington, D.C., students will share their winning Challenge entries with government and energy leaders during the 20th Annual Energy Efficiency Forum, June 15-16, at the National Press Club.

In addition to the national winners, the highest scoring student in each state or province will be recognized. Schools may also be eligible to receive a $1,000 U.S. charitable donation to help beautify their school, educate their students, or impact their community.

Official rules about the contest and a downloadable entry form can be found at the official Challenge Web site, http://www.ignitingcreativeenergy.org/.

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