kansas green schools program · state-based green schools program • collaborative with project...
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KANSAS GREEN SCHOOLS PROGRAM
August 9, 2017 Kansas Environmental Conference
Laura Downey, Executive Director
A Little KACEE Background
• Founded in 1969
• Public/Private Partnership with more than 500 individual and organizational members
• Founded by then Superintendent of Public Education Merle Hayden as an advisory council to the KSDE
• Affiliate of the North American Association for Environmental Education
What We Strive For
• VISION: Growing a healthy, vibrant and resilient Kansas through the power of environmental education
• MISSION: Accelerate environmental literacy in Kansas through non-biased, science-based environmental education.
What is Environmental Education?
Environmental education may best be defined as a process directed at creating awareness and understanding about environmental issues that leads to responsible individual and group actions.
• Focuses on processes that promote critical thinking, problem solving, and effective decision-making skills
• Good environmental education teaches kids HOW to think and not WHAT to think.
What We Do:
• Professional Development
• Networking Events
• Leadership Development
• Recognition Programs
• Resources and Direct Support
• Kansas Green Schools Network
Kansas Green School Program
• One of the nation’s largest state-based Green Schools program
• Collaborative with Project Learning Tree GreenSchools! and the National Wildlife Federation’s Eco-Schools USA
• Established in 2008 in partnership with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Bureau of Air
• Expanded to include Bureau of Water, Bureau of Waste Management, Bureau of Environmental Remediation
• Currently sponsored by the Bureau of Air and Bureau of Water, Watershed Management Section
Kansas Green School Program
The Kansas Green Schools Network is a network of 450 schools and 19 school districts from around the state.
Map at www.kansasgreenschools.org/
What is a Green School?
• Establish a Green Team
• Engage students, teachers, administration, staff and community in investigating the environmental footprint of the school in five areas
• Collect data, analyze, make a plan and implement
• Share the plan and Celebrate
• Get Recognized
Five Areas to Investigate
•Energy•Waste and Recycling•Water•Healthy School Environment•The Learning Community
*Investigations are free to schools
Green Schools in ActionWaste and Recycling
• Complete High School Maize
• Teacher attended professional development
• Began recycling
• Work now with four schools in district and recycle more than 15 tons of paper annually
• Composting
• Community Pick Up
• School Gardens
Green Schools in Action Water• Wyandotte High School
• Started with gardens
• Focus on Water, investigation of the local watershed, water testing, water use at school
• Grants to support community water study
• Lead teacher honored as Presidential Innovation Awardee for Environmental Education
Green Schools In ActionEnergy• Horace Good Middle School
• Students build energy models for wind and solar energy generation
• Home of the “Dancing Monkey”
• Field trip to Sunflower Electric Plant
• Connections between energy, recycling, air quality and more.
Green Schools In PracticeHealthy School Environment
• Erie High School investigations led to use of “greener” cleaning solutions and highly coveted parking for carpoolers
• Southwest Elementary in Pratt implemented Walk to School day programs to encourage kids to walk or bike to school, achieving a dual goal for health and air quality.
Green Schools In PracticeLearning Community
• Service Valley Charter School
• Early Childhood Workshop for educators
• OWLS Funding
• Pocket Prairie with young students as both a conservation effort and a learning site
Green Schools Recognition
• Kansas Green School of the Year
• Three Levels of Recognition, Silver, Gold and Green Globe
• US Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools • Five Schools in Kansas
Sample Learning Activity
On the Horizon
• Early Childhood Green Schools
• School Gardens
• Dashboard for Impact
• Green Gatherings
How to Get Involved
• Get your children’s school involved• Volunteer at a local green school• Become at Green School Partner at
www.kansasgreenschools.org• Sponsor teachers to get professional
development• Get involved with KACEE • Attend the Kansas Environmental Education
Conference, Nov. 3-4 in Hutchison