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MA DOER's DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF GREEN COMMUNITIES/GREEN RIBBON SCHOOLS JOINS US FOR THIS SPECIAL TRAINING!  

Register By August 3rd! Register HERE!

Develop Your 21st Century Green School Modeled after the 3 Pillars of Success!

Modeled after the US Department of Education's Green Ribbon Schools Program, learn how to implement the 3 Pillars and exemplary practices in your K-12 school.

36 Lincoln Street, Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA

Friday August 8th 8:30 am - 4:00 pm

By Heather Gillis Harris 
 

PLAINVILLE - On May 28, representatives from the Plainville School District attended an award ceremony at the Massachusetts State House and were recognized by Project Green Schools with an Outstanding Commitment to Greenovation Award.

The Greenovation award recognizes schools for outstanding work in the fields of environment, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) and Innovation, said Project Green Schools President and Plainville resident Elizabeth Nowakowski.

Nowakowski nominated the Plainville School District for the award.

"As a Plainville resident, a parent and the current president and board member of Green Schools, it was clear to me that Plainville Schools deserved a GreenDifference award," she said. "The entire school community has been working on many different initiatives in the areas of wellness, environment and STEM, and what we needed to do is recognize all that hard work."

Green Schools enjoyed being surrounded by friends, partners and true Green Schools Leaders at the 2014 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Ceremony on July 22nd. 

White House Council on Environmental Quality Acting Chair Mike Boots and U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce Mark Schaefer joined U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today to congratulate the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools and District Sustainability Awardees on their achievements at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.

At the event, 48 schools were honored for their exemplary efforts to reduce environmental impact and costs, promote better health, and ensure effective environmental education, including STEM, green careers and civics. In addition, nine districts were honored with the District Sustainability Award.

Representatives from honored schools and districts received sustainably crafted plaques and banners in recognition of their achievements.

Pictured: U.S. Department of Education's 

Secretary Arne Duncan
 

"Healthy, safe and sustainable facilities combined with wellness practices like outdoor physical activity, nutritious food and hands-on environmental learning form a strong foundation for a quality education," said Secretary Duncan. "Today's honorees are leading the way on incorporating best practices to reduce facility costs and increase achievement, health and equity, for all schools-not just aspiring green schools."

"The 2014 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools are leading by example for the rest of the country," said Acting Chair Boots. "As they take important steps to improve public health and reduce environmental impacts, like cutting carbon pollution and improving water quality, today's honorees are also increasing efficiency and cutting costs. That's exactly the kind of leadership we need to build a cleaner and safer world." ~U.S. Department of Education

  Pictured: Associate, Schools Advocacy U.S. Green Building Council, Nate Allen, Green Schools Executive Director, Robin Organ, U.S. Green Ribbon Schools Director, Andrea Suarez Falken

Photos from the ceremony can be found here and evening reception here. 

Video recording of the afternoon is here. 

You can find the press release, blog and Director Andrea's closing remarks 

Schools and districts to use the many resources and webinars on our Green Strides pages so that they may reduce environmental impact and costs; improve health and wellness; and teach effective environmental education, eventually qualifying to apply for the prestigious Green Ribbon Schools Award. 

 "Climate change poses a direct threat to the infrastructure of America that we need to stay competitive in this 21st-century economy. That means that we should see this as an opportunity to do what we should be doing anyway, and that's modernizing our infrastructure, modernizing our roads, modernizing our bridges, power grids, our transit systems, and making sure that they're more resilient. That's going to be good for commerce and it's obviously going to be good for communities." -- President Obama, delivering remarks at the Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience Meeting, July 16, 2014

Check out this recycling and composting video from The Anne Hutchinson School, a 2014 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools school.

Depressed? Maybe It's in the Air

Elise Miller, MEd, CHE Director 

"When I spoke with a colleague earlier this week, she said, "Just breathing this air makes me depressed." She lives in an urban area where high temperatures and heavy smog are the norm at this time of year. I don't think she meant she was clinically depressed, but her remark may have some physiological truth in it.

Until just recently, most of the research on air pollution has looked at associations with respiratory concerns. Just last week CHE hosted a call on air pollution and asthma [see:  Breathing Deep: Air Pollution, Health, and Public Health Policy]. But more recently studies have found links to other health outcomes - including cardiovascular disease, diabetes/obesity, cognitive function, and yes, mental illness.

Last month, a new study suggested that exposure to air pollution in early life may contribute to the onset of schizophrenia and autism. Other research has shown that air pollution may be associated with depression [see: Air Pollution Linked to Learning and Memory Problems, Depression and Smog in our Brains].

These are very preliminary findings, but coupled with studies on the impact pesticide exposure (some airborne) on the neurocognitive function and mental health of farm workers, it is clear this is an area of research that needs further exploration. And I would say the need is rather urgent, given these statistics:

• Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide, followed by anxiety.  
• It is estimated that up to 1 out of 5 children in the United States experience a mental disorder in a given year and an estimated $247 billion is spent each year on childhood mental disorders.
• Cumulative mental health issues--depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, among others--cost the U.S. economy about a half-trillion dollars.

Even if air pollution only contributes to a small fraction of mental illness, can you imagine what cleaner air would do to reduce those rates of disease and costs to the economy, not to mention the emotional toll on so many people, including their families and friends? Even the suggestion that this is an issue of 'jobs vs. the environment' seems almost laughable, if it weren't so tragic. If people don't have clean air, then they may not be able to work because they're either too depressed, in the emergency room with an asthma attack, or disabled by cardiovascular disease. It's that simple. In this country we may be able to point to having higher air quality than 30 years ago, but as more coal plants are being built in China and more diesel cars and trucks are on the road in India, we are all impacted more than ever before and likely more than we even realize.    

I applaud those of you, both in this country and abroad, who are focused on reducing air pollution in a number of important ways--from promoting the development of renewable energy technologies to pressing for stronger regulatory actions. May your initiatives and our collective efforts prevail. And in the meanwhile, I hope all of you are able to take some time away from your desks this summer to be in nature where the breathing is easy--or at least, easier."

Check out this FREE EPA document as well as their

Quick Assessment Checklist to help create healthier 

school environments!

Use the voluntary assessment foldout to help you reduce and prevent exposures to common environmental health hazards in your school. Each topic area covered below has low or no-cost steps which can be taken to improve your students' environmental health. This tool also highlights waste reduction and energy efficiency strategies to help conserve valuable, financial resources. 

IMAGE: MASHABLE. GETTY CREATIVE, FANATIC STUDIO 

By Sylvan Lane 

The science behind what makes our planet's temperature rise is pretty straightforward. Pollutants like soot and greenhouse gases like methane and carbon dioxide trap heat within the earth's atmosphere, the global average surface temperature goes up, ice caps melt, sea levels rise and extreme weather events become even more extreme.

However, American college students are coming with with some of the coolest ways to battleclimate change and clean up domestic energy production.

From earning rewards while tracking your energy consumption to recharging your battery with a run, here are six projects giving a greener future the old college try.

Ending the United States' dependence on fossil fuels is easier said than done. But REECycle, a process developed by students at the University of Houston, might make fueling the clean, green break from oil, coal and natural gas easier.

Efficient electric motors and wind turbines depend on neomagnets made from neodymium and dysprosium, two rare earth elements (REE) that are difficult to find and harmful to mine. However, REECycle has developed a way of reclaiming these elements from trashed electronics, and then reselling them for profit.

Let's Begin...

Watch Now

Dasani Bottled Water Has 4 Ingredients: Tap Water, Known Teratogen, Lethal Drug, and Salt

 Posted Wednesday, February 19, 2014

"I remember the first time I tasted Dasani bottled water. It was 2004 and I was at a gym in Orange County, California. The drinking fountain at the gym was out of order so I purchased a bottle of water from a vending machine. I cracked open that lid and-YUCK! I had never tasted water so disgusting. Who knew water could have such a strong taste? At the time, I assumed my taste buds were off and eventually I drank Dasani bottled water again... always with the same reaction. Gross! I've finally learned my lesson. Unless I'm extremely parched, I would rather remain thirsty than drink Dasani. While everyone's bodies are different, I personally have a visceral reaction to Dasani. After drinking Dasani, my stomach sometimes hurts and I almost always have terrible dry mouth. Have you noticed any of these side effects after drinking Dasani? ....

Read Full Article 

 Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle in your garden with these five foods that can keep growing (and regrowing) even after you've gotten a good meal or two out of them

1. Celery

2. Ginger
3. Garlic

4. Sweet Potatoes

5. Green Onions

Learn How

Posted: 10/04/2013 5:07 pm EDT  |  Updated: 10/06/2013 5:30 am EDT 

It's not an accident that most major metropolises are situated on or near bodies of water. Cities like New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles all boast beautiful views, robust economies, and ... atrocious traffic. Which is why it's also not an accident that all four of these cities are trying to become more bike friendly, with San Francisco in the lead, New York impressively innovating, and LA pedaling to keep up.

But what if these cities could go even further? What if they could promote bike transportation while also using their coastal conundrum to their advantage?

Enter Judah Schiller and his water bike.

"Tired of shelling out $6-15 a month for chemical laden Liquid Dishwashing detergent? I wastoo, so I created Mom's Super Dishwasher Sauce, a super concentrated Dishwasher safe* dishwasher liquid that actually works and it handles 64 loads of dishes for less than .02� per Load, and does NOT leave a film on your dishes, maybe I should seriously call it Awesomesauce!...

While this recipe is pretty simple and doesn't require cooking of any kind, it does require that you follow the directions completely, or it won't come out properly. (Trust me, I made 13 batches of homemade dishwashing soaps before I finally perfected this one. So, take advantage of my willingness to trash my own kitchen in the name of DIY & MYO!)"

Click for recipe and more!