SEEK Bulletin - October 1, 2014

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SEEK

Greetings from SEEK!

Fall is a great time to get outside and enjoy the ever-changing colors and beauty in nature. Visit the SEEK Calendar to find places to explore and environmental education events to attend.

Check out SEEK's Resources section, Jobs, Internships, Volunteer Opportunities, and more! And don't forget to Like SEEK on Facebook for timely news.

In this issue:


partner highlight

Hartley Nature Center

Hartley

Hartley Nature Center is a Duluth city park and features 660 acres of diverse forest, field, pond and wetland habitats. Skiing, mountain biking, and hiking trails which include overlooks of Lake Superior are activities you can participate in at Hartley. Hartley also offers educational programming that's "hands-on" and "feet-in" for school field trip programs, parent-child nature programs, youth and community group programs, volunteer opportunities, sponsorship programs, and occasional adult evening programs.

New this Fall is the opening of Hartley Nature Preschool! The preschool's mission is to inspire life-long connections with nature through education, play, and exploration. It has over 1,000 square feet of classroom space with natural lighting and an outdoor nature playground. There are still a few open spots for this year and they're accepting applications to get on the list for future years.

If you’re interested in working in the environmental education field, Hartley's year-long and seasonal internships give college students the perfect setting to gain on-the-ground experience.


SEEK Calendar

Professional Development

October

  • October 2: Webinar: Media Literacy and Sustainability Education
  • October 3: Minnesota Master Naturalist Advanced Training Big Woods Big Rivers - Listening Point Sigurd Olsons Gateway to the Wilderness will be held in Ely
  • October 4: Free Tour of Minnesota's Renewable Energy  
  • October 4-5: Como Zoo Teacher Workshop: Our Changing Climate will be held in Saint Paul
  • October 4: Environmental Education Cohort: Teaching with Trees will be held in Bloomington  
  • October 4: Minnesota Master Naturalist Advanced Training-Invasive Blitz will be held in Duluth
  • October 7-11: North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) Annual Conference and Research Symposium will be in Ottawa, Canada  
  • October 12-18: Earth Science Week 2014: Earth's Connected Systems
  • October 12-18: National Wolf Awareness Week   
  • October 14: Our World Speaker Series: Paul Greenberg's American Catch will be held in Apple Valley
  • October 16: 2 Green Chemistry Sessions at the Education Minnesota Teachers' Conference  
  • October 16-17: Education Minnesota Professional Conference will be held in Saint Paul
  • October 17: Workshop: Analyzing Human Impact in Malaysia with the Zoo Quest STEM Teacher Guide will be held in Apple Valley  
  • October 18: Nature View Photography Workshop will be held in Fergus Falls  
  • October 19-25: National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week 2014: Lead-Free Kids for a Healthy Future
  • October 21: Our World Speaker Series: The Role of Zoos in a Changing World will be held in Apple Valley
  • October 21: Webinar: Transformative Education
  • October 25: Workshop: Collaborative Discovery: An Urban Adventure will be held in Saint Paul

Visit the SEEK Calendar for more information about these events.


News

EE News

naaee

Last Call to Register for the 43rd North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) Conference
The 2014 NAAEE conference will be held October 8-11 in Ottawa, Canada's vibrant capital city, with the Gold LEED Ottawa Convention Center as the center of activity. Join more than 1,000 of your environmental education colleagues for this outstanding professional development opportunity. This year's conference theme is Building Momentum for the Next Chapter.

Elementary teachers are invited to participate in the Environmental Education Cohort series on October 4th
You are invited to join a dedicated group of elementary educators focused on integrating and embedding environmental education and outdoor instruction into everyday school instruction. This group typically meets the first Saturday of each month from 9:30-12:00 at the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Bloomington. Come prepared to spend time outdoors at each session. Join us for one Saturday morning workshop or as many as you can! If you attend at least 3 sessions you're eligible to receive a classroom set of Jeffers Journals for your students.

New Guidelines to Bring Nature Play to Every Community 
The National Wildlife Federation and Natural Learning Initiative created these guidelines, titled Nature Play & Learning Places. Nature Play & Learning Places is a tool for those who manage areas where children gather, including park and recreation professionals, educators, urban planners, and developers. The guidelines explain how to design a nature play and learning area and provide detailed descriptions of activity setting designs including entrances, pathways, plants, and permanent play structures. Guidance is also provided for managing soil, plants, and other natural elements at nature play areas, and for managing risk, including an eight-step risk management protocol.

Will Your School by Crowned the 2014 National Recycling Champion? Sign up by Oct 15 to participate!
Recycle-Bowl is a free recycling competition and benchmarking tool for K-12 school recycling programs to promote waste reduction activities. There are lots of ways to get involved, tools and resources to get you started, and the chance to be crowned the 2014 National Champion! Recycle-Bowl is separated into 3 divisions, the School Division, the Community Division and the Open Division. Schools may choose to register for any of the 3, based on eligibility requirements, collection practices during the competition, and the school’s ability to meet division standards. Registration closes October 15. The competition begins October 20 and runs through November 15, 2014 (America Recycles Day).

Green Chemistry

Two Green Chemistry Sessions Presented at the Education Minnesota Teachers' Conference on October 16th
Join the Minnesota Green Chemistry Forum at Saint Paul's RiverCentre on Thursday, October 16th, 2014 for free educational workshops and presentations featuring local and national leaders in green chemistry education. Green chemistry is the science of designing and producing safer materials that are energy efficient, use renewable feedstocks, use benign reagents and components, and will degrade at the end of their useful lifetime. Session 1: Going Green in the Chemical Sciences Classroom and will be held 2:50pm to 3:50pm and Session 2: Green Chemistry in the High School Classroom and will be from 4:30pm to 6:30pm. Certificates provided for CEU credit applications

Dovetail Partners Releases Updated Environmental Quiz
Dovetail Partners, a Minneapolis-based environmental think-tank, announced the release of its updated 2014 Environmental Quiz. The Environmental Quiz is a great tool to use as the first part of a teaching unit to help students maintain interest in the discussion of forests and forestry, for stimulating questions, or for providing a basis for more in-depth investigation of issues raised. The Environmental Quiz was developed at the University of Minnesota in 1991 for use in a course dealing with a broad array of economic, social, and environmental issues. As of July 1st, 2014 the Environmental Quiz has been updated with new statistical information from the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the USDA Forest Service. A PowerPoint Presentation is available that can be used in conjunction with the printed environmental quiz or as a stand-alone presentation tool.

Spirit of Innovation

Conrad Foundation's Spirit of Innovation Challenge - Registration Deadline: October 16
Students ages 13-16 are invited to “Get Your Genius On” and create innovative products to benefit humanity; winning ideas receive scholarships and project support! The program challenges teams of 2-5 students to use science, technology, engineering and math skills along with creativity, collaboration and entrepreneurship to develop innovative products and services to benefit humanity and address global sustainability. Participation is free. The 2014-2015 categories include: Energy & Environment and Health & Nutrition. There is a cost for teams to participate.

Labels 101: How to Spot Scary Ingredients - Reading and Understanding Food Labels
Heading to the grocery store? Don't forget your glasses. There's a lot of label reading to be done. Sadly your glasses can't help you figure out which product label and packaging marketing claims are legit, and which are not. Still, decoding food labels doesn't require a PhD though it sometimes can feel like it should. The only food label logo that is both strictly defined and regulated by the government and requires third party certification is USDA organic. Healthy Child Healthy World offers several tips for choosing healthy foods.

Many Parks will be Fee-Free on November 11th to Honor Veterans Day
Several federal land management agencies offer fee-free days for 2014, including Veterans Day on November 11. A fee-free day is when parks, refuges and rangelands offer free entry or waive the standard amenity fee for visitors. Veteran's Day is a free entrance day at Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and U.S. Forest Service lands.

IGES art contest

Students in Grades 2-4 are Invited to Enter Wilderness Wonder Art Contest - Deadline: November 14
The Institute for Global Environmental Strategies invites young scientists and artists in grades 2-4 to explore the wonders of the wilderness! This year's contest theme is Wilderness Wonder. 2014 marks the 50th anniversary of the 1964 Wilderness Act. This law protects nearly 110 million acres of wilderness areas from coast to coast. In honor of this, students are invited to take a walk in nature, observe, and express what they see through their artwork. Our annual science and art contest is designed to give teachers, parents, and children great flexibility in how they participate.

New London-Spicer High School cuts energy in half by switching to milk dispensers 
Katelyn Larsen, Minnesota GreenCorps member for the Recycling Association of Minnesota, completed a pilot study on bulk milk dispensers at New London-Spicer High School. The study was designed to test the feasibility of using bulk milk dispensers in K-12 public schools as well as provide a sustainable alternative to milk cartons in areas where carton recycling is not possible. Larsen tailored the project to understand both the environmental and economic costs and benefits associated with switching to dispensers. The project was supported heavily by the Jeffers Foundation, SilverKing, and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

Teachers gain clean energy knowledge through Center for Renewable Energy Education & Demonstration (CREED) 
The CREED program strives to help teachers strengthen their science, technology, engineering and mathematics curricula by integrating energy education into their lessons. CREED hosted K-12 teachers from across Minnesota at the Laurentian Environmental Center (LEC) during the summer, and toured energy efficiency and renewable energy sites. After the workshop, teachers said they felt more equipped to pass the knowledge about the energy field on to the students in our community.

compost

Announcing the 2015 International Compost Awareness Week Poster Contest – Call for Entries Deadline: November 15
The US Composting Council (USCC) announces the annual call for posters for the International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW) poster contest. The contest runs from September 20 until November 15, 2014 and is open to anyone who wishes to share their artistic creativity to promote this year’s theme: “Be Loyal to Your Soil: Compost!” The overall winner will receive a $500 prize; and divisional winners will be highlighted on the USCC website and in social media.

Free Weekly Lecture Series: Frontiers in the Environment: Big Questions
Frontiers in the Environment lecture series explores the frontiers of knowledge in climate change, renewable energy, land use, food security and many other environmental hot topics. Our speakers provide the audience with a true understanding of the issue, its global significance and breakthroughs on the horizon. Join us Wednesdays from noon to 1:00pm through November 19th at the U of M's St. Paul Campus for a presentation and Q&A session, followed by a casual get-together in the IonE Commons. The lectures also air live on the Web via UMConnect.

Amazon Rainforest Workshop

Apply for $1000 Scholarships for the 2015 Educator Academy in the Amazon Rainforest and Machu Picchu: Deadline: March 1
The July 1-11, 2015 Educator Academy in the Amazon Rainforest is a life changing, cross-curricular professional development workshop for K-12 educators to use and learn instructional approaches and protocols while exploring one of the world’s most important natural resources – the Amazon Rainforest. PLT Certification, BirdSleuth resources and and PD Hours included. $1000 scholarships available to defray costs.


Browse EE Resources

General Resources

Healthy Nursery

Healthy Nursery Toolkit
Between the paint flame-retardants in mattresses and chemicals in baby lotions, the typical nursery environment is fraught with risky chemicals that can impact a child's health. To help guide parents through this instrumental stage of a child's life, Healthy Child Healthy World created the Healthy Nursery Toolkit. You can download these free resources that include easy steps and expert advice to create a safe & healthy nursery for your baby! Parts of the toolkit include an Infographic (pictured) and an E-book which is an interactive guide for parents to create a safer nursery that includes chemicals to avoid, easy steps for safer shopping, and expert advice.

Natural Start Alliance

Natural Start Alliance: Resources for Early Childhood Environmental Educators
The Natural Start Alliance is a coalition of educators, parents, organizations, and others who want to help young children connect with nature and care for the environment. Natural Start is a project of the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE). If you work with young children, or care about connecting young children with nature and the environment, the Natural Start Alliance will help you connect with educators and parents, find resources, keep up to date on research, learn about professional development opportunities, and more.

Wildlife Nation

Wildlife Nation: Connecting Kids with Wildlife
Wildlife Nation is an online program from the National Wildlife Federation devoted to connecting kids of all ages with wildlife and nature. This on-the-ground community of adults teams up with kids to go outside and do activities like creating habitat, planting trees, fishing, camping or other team inspired activities. The Wildlife Nation website offers ideas for Things to do; Places to go; Developing Happier, Healthier, Smarter Kids; Outdoor Play; learning about Wildlife; creating Wildlife Habitats; Wildlife Benefits, how to Camp and Fish, and more. There is also a Wildlife section where you can read the wildlife tip of the week, discover local wildlife through photos, videos and blogs, ask a wildlife expert your questions and more. You can sign up to be part of a team or find resources on their website.


Funding Resources

Green Partners Environmental Education Program - Deadline: October 15
The Green Partners Environmental Education Program supports organizations to actively educate and engage Hennepin County residents in making positive environmental changes in their daily lives.  Three levels of funding are offered: 1. Seed Group: Receive free field trip transportation and activity supplies. 2. Root Group: Up to $8,000 to implement a project based on existing resources. 3. Branch Group: Up to $15,000 to implement an innovative project. Eligible organizations include non-profit organizations, community and youth groups, multicultural organizations, congregations, private and public schools, and park districts.

Ben & Jerry's

Grassroots Organizing for Social Change Grants ProgramDeadline: October 15
The Ben & Jerry's Foundation offers grants to non-profit, grassroots organizing groups that are working towards progressive social change by addressing the underlying conditions of societal and environmental problems through constituent-led organizing and activist strategies. One-year grants of up to $20,000 are available. Eligible applicants are non-profit grassroots organizations in the United States typically with budgets under $500,000, or organizations that have a sponsoring agency with this status.

National Education Association (NEA) Learning & Leadership Grants - Deadline: October 15
The NEA Foundation's Learning & Leadership grants support public school teachers, public education support professionals, and/or faculty and staff in public institutions of higher education for one of the following two purposes: Grants to individuals fund participation in high-quality professional development experiences, such as summer institutes or action research; or Grants to groups fund collegial study, including study groups, action research, lesson study, or mentoring experiences for faculty or staff new to an assignment. The grant amount is $2,000 for individuals and $5,000 for groups engaged in collegial study.

National Education Association (NEA) Student Achievement Grants - Deadline: October 15
Student Achievement Grants provide $2,000 and $5,000 awards to improve the academic achievement of students by engaging in critical thinking and problem solving that deepen knowledge of standards-based subject matter. The work should also improve students' habits of inquiry, self-directed learning, and critical reflection.

Lowe's

Lowe's Toolbox for Education Grants - Deadline: October 15
These $2,000 - $5,000 grants are for permanent facility enhancements (both indoor and outdoor), such as school nature trails, landscaping projects, gardens, playground upgrades, and other projects that encourage parent and community involvement.  Non-profit public K-12 schools or parent groups associated these schools are invited to apply.

The Lorrie Otto Seeds for Education Grant Program - Deadline: October 15
This grant program gives small monetary grants to schools, nature centers, and other non-profits in the U.S. with a site available for a stewardship project. Successful non-school applicants often partner with a youth group (scouts, 4-H, etc.) and a site owner. Libraries, government agencies and houses of worship are eligible subject to youth participation. Cash awards range from $100 to $500. Funds are restricted to the purchase of native plants and seed for the grant-award year.

Every Day Capacity Building Grants - Deadline: October 30
The National Environmental Education Foundation Every Day Grants will strengthen the stewardship of public lands by providing "Friends Groups" with grant funds of up to $5,000 to help build their capacity to serve public lands. Twenty five grants will be awarded to those groups who make the best case for how the funds will build their capacity to better serve the lands they love.

Community-Based Research Program - Deadline: October 30 
The U of M's Center for Urban and Regional Affairs has a Community-Based Research Program that provides graduate or undergraduate student assistance for community-based applied research projects, program planning and development, program evaluation, and other short-term projects. Student assistantships are generally 200 hours (10 hours per week) during spring or fall and 260 hours (20 hours per week) during summer. Apply by October 30 for spring semester assistance - mid-January through May.

samsung

Samsung's Solve for Tomorrow Education Contest Deadline: October 31
Public school teachers in grades 6-12 are invited to participate in this contest to increase the pursuit of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education. Five teachers per state will be selected to submit a lesson plan outlining how they will address the challenge, "Show how STEM can be applied to help your local community." One state winner will receive a Samsung camcorder and laptop to create a video showcasing their solution to the challenge. State Winners will receive a minimum of $20,000 in technology for their school.

Whole Kids Foundation

Whole Kids Foundation School Garden Grant Program - Deadline: October 31
The Whole Kids Foundation launched the School Garden Grant Program initiative to educate students on healthy eating habits, sustainability conservation and community awareness. The School Garden Grant program provides a $2,000 monetary grant to a K-12 school, or a non-profit working in partnership with a K-12 school, to support a new or existing edible garden on school grounds.

The Lawrence Foundation - Deadline: November 1 
The Lawrence Foundation provides grants to support environmental, human services, and other causes. We make both program and operating grants and do not have any geographic restrictions on our grants. Award amounts vary. Nonprofit organizations, public schools, and libraries are eligible for contributions or grants. (Note: Religious, charter or magnet schools are NOT eligible for funding.)

American Honda Foundation grantsDeadline:  November 1
Grants of $20,000 to $75,000 are provided in the fields of youth education and science education to K-12 schools, colleges, universities, trade schools, and others for programs that benefit youth and scientific educational institutions. The American Honda Foundation supports youth education with a specific focus on the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects in addition to the environment.

Ramsey County Public Entity Innovation Grant - Deadline: December 31
This program provides financial assistance to public entities to create and implement innovative programs that increase waste reduction and residential recycling efforts, initiate residential organic management programs, expand public space recycling and address bulky waste management. Eligible applicants include municipalities, Independent School Districts, park boards, watershed districts, libraries and other public entities in Ramsey County. Public entities with creative ideas are encouraged to apply! 

School Recycling Bin Grant for Ramsey County Schools - Deadline: December 31
This program provides recycling bins and containers to increasing recycling in public K-12 schools in Ramsey County. Benefits from this program include increased opportunities for waste reduction, recycling and organics management in schools. It will also create greater efficiency and potential cost savings for schools by developing a resource management approach to waste and recycling.  

archery

Archery in The Schools Equipment Grants - Deadline: April 1, 2015
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resource's Archery in the Schools program introduces Minnesota students to archery by providing schools with the best equipment, training, and curriculum available at the lowest possible price. The DNR's financial assistance is for schools or non-profits and provides archery equipment through a competitive grant program. Schools will be required to provide $1,600, and the DNR will fund the rest. The equipment's retail value is nearly $5,000. The application period opened July 1 and grants will be reviewed as they are received.


SEEK stands for Sharing Environmental Education Knowledge and is the online home of Minnesota's environmental education resources.

For further information visit the SEEK website or Facebook page or contact Colleen Schoenecker, SEEK Coordinator, at seek.pca@state.mn.us or 651.757.2700 or 800.657.3864

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