Welcome Our New Green Schools Coordinator!

Deborah Rogers Curtis joined the Show-Me Green Schools Team in December, 2023 as the Green Schools Coordinator at the Missouri Gateway Green Building Council. Deborah spent the past 13 years in education, first as a teacher, then as an administrator, all in St. Louis Public Schools. For the past four years, Deborah served as the Principal of Patrick Henry Elementary School, a 2023 winner of the US Department of Education Green Ribbon Award. Deborah brings her experience in schools with her to work with districts and schools across the region to ensure all schools have the opportunity to go green.

Deborah is married to Rob, an insurance consultant who works exclusively with educators for financial planning. Deborah and Rob have an eight-month-old baby girl named Tess, who smiles constantly and is incredibly proud of herself when she sits up all on her own. Deborah and Rob also have a massive dog named Hank, who believes the best day on earth consists of sleeping under the covers on any bed he's not supposed to be on. Deborah's hobbies include hiking and traveling (usually together), and her ideal day is doing anything outside. Welcome, Deborah, to our Show-Me Green Schools Team!

Connect with Deborah via LinkedIn

Connect on the Quest: Designing, Planning and Maintaining Outdoor Spaces

Join us on February 7^th for Connect on the Quest, a virtual speaker series for all Show-Me Green Schools participants and interested parties. This event will take place on Zoom from 4:30-5:30pm. We will hear from three guest speakers: Dr. Bob Coulter (Director of Litzinger Road Ecology Center), Emily Williamson (Science Teacher at Brentwood Middle School), and Brian Nikodym (Green Schools Committee Co-Chair and Green Schools Quest Mentor). Speakers will discuss designing, planning, and maintaining outdoor spaces. Please register in order to obtain the link. 

Save the Date! The 17th annual Green Schools Event will take place at University City High School on April 25th, and our Green Schools Quest participants will have an opportunity to showcase the projects they've been working on for the past six months. More details on event registration to follow. All are welcome!

Register Here

Green Schools Committee Names New Co-Chairs

Congratulations, Brian Nikodym and Tori Cheatham, on being named this year's Co-Chairs of the Green Schools Committee! Brian Nikodym is a retired Project Lead the Way teacher at Brentwood Middle / High School, where he is still quite active, and is a dedicated member of his church, St. John's UCC. He also serves as a community advocate. Tori Cheatham has been at Renew for almost four years and now serves as the Director of Outreach & Education. She has her M.S. in Environmental Science from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and works in the St. Louis office assisting with various advocacy efforts. Thank you, Brian and Tori, for serving as our Co-Chairs!

View Committee List

Funding Available for Indoor Air Quality Improvement in Schools

The United States Environmental Protection Agency opened grant funding to monitor and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants at schools in low-income and disadvantaged communities. The goal of the grant is to help schools develop and adopt comprehensive indoor air quality management plans to address air pollution and energy efficiency. Funding opportunities close March 19th, 2024. There is an informational webinar on February 12th, 2024 at 12:00pm.

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earthday365 Funding Available for Reusable Materials in Cafeterias

earthday365 is offering grants to replace single use disposable plastics in St. Louis area schools for amounts up to $5,000 through a funding opportunity in partnership with the EPA. Examples of reusable items include water bottles, plates/cutlery/cups for community (or PTO) events, water coolers, or cafeteria trays. Completion of this form is due by February 29, 2024.  

Apply Here

Publicize your school garden's achievements in American Public Gardens Association's Public Garden Magazine!

Public Garden welcomes proposals for editorial content related to all aspects of public gardening. The goal of the magazine is "to share your successes (and occasional failures) with others in order to elevate all gardens." Content proposals are accepted on an ongoing, rolling basis.

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Join National Academies for a free workshop, "Climate Change and Human Migration: An Earth Systems Science Perspective"

March 18-19, 2024

This workshop will address how an Earth systems science approach could be used for climate change impacts, including temporary or permanent displacement of people. This two-day workshop is free and virtual.

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Visit The Plant Doctor at the Missouri Botanical Garden for Help in Your School or Home Garden

The Missouri Botanical Garden offers support for all of your planting needs through "The Plant Doctor." Now is the time to ask your winter growing questions in preparation for spring blooms and harvests! The Plant Doctor has in-person visiting hours from 9:00am-3:00pm, Monday-Friday, or can be reached by email at plantinformation@mobot.org.

Access Resources Here

Volunteer Opportunity for High School Students at the St. Louis Zoo

Zoo ALIVE (Active Leaders in Volunteer Education) is a high school student volunteer program at the St. Louis Zoo. This program allows teenagers to strengthen their connection to the nature and animals while simultaneously ensuring they make a difference in the world through conservation. Students are from diverse backgrounds, which allows students to hone their social and leadership skills. Students must be at least 15 years old by May 1st in order to be eligible for this program.

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Planning Against Panic

How do you consider when your organization should respond to humanitarian and environmental events taking place in your community or country or around the world? How do you handle a crisis taking place in your organization or field? In this eeWEBINAR, Founder and Strategist Kristen Grimm of Spitfire Strategies provides concrete questions to ask yourself when dealing with a crisis. She offers guidance in anticipating what issues or events warrant a response and when to decide not to engage. This webinar is filled with specific recommendations on how your organization can plan, handle, and respond during a crisis.

A crisis communication plan is a series of steps created to guide your organization through an emergency or other unexpected event. It outlines when to respond (internally and externally) and ways to address similar crises in the future. This 60-minute webinar offers guidance for those expected and unexpected events that are part of our organizational lives.

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The State of Outdoor Policy: A Recap of 2023 and What’s in Store for 2024

In this eeWEBINAR presented by the Youth Outdoor Policy Partnership, we explore state policies that advance youth outdoor engagement and education. Joined by state legislators and partners, we take a look back at some of the policy successes of 2023 and hear about some of the most promising opportunities for 2024. YOPP is a partnership of NAAEE, the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators, Nuestra Tierra Conservation, and the Children & Nature Network.

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EPA Tools and Resources Webinar: Food Waste

This webinar, recorded on January 17, 2024, highlighted two new EPA reports quantifying methane emissions from landfilled food waste and updating recommendations for managing wasted food. These reports provide decision-makers with important data on the climate impacts of food waste through landfill methane emissions and highlight the urgent need to keep food out of landfills. This webinar provides an overview of the findings of these two reports:

From Field to Bin: The Environmental Impacts of U.S. Food Waste Management Pathways

Quantifying Methane Emissions from Landfilled Food Waste

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Commissioning, Retro-commissioning, and Ongoing Commissioning for School Air Quality and Energy Efficiency

In this webinar hosted by the Center for Green Schools, we explored new and existing building commissioning as cost-effective strategies for improving school indoor air quality and energy and utility savings. View the recording to gain insights from industry experts about how various types of commissioning can help you achieve your energy and air quality goals while providing compelling data to support making the case. School district staff discussed the advantages and practical advice for successfully integrating commissioning, retro-commissioning, and monitoring-based commissioning into your district's capital and budget planning.

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