Profiles of Environmental Education Grants Awarded in District of Columbia
- Indicates a Headquarters grant
Earth Conservation Corps $16,000
Annette Gantt, 2000 Half Street Southwest, Washington, DC 20024
The Youth Advocate Program
The Youth Advocate Program (YAP) is a dropout prevention, after-school mentoring program for in-school youth. Through hands-on and community-based environmental education and service projects, the Junior Corps Members (JCMs) are exposed to their natural environment as they learn the importance and benefits of becoming environmental stewards. The students receive environmental experience that supports the Washington, DC, public school science standards and learn how their interaction between the environment and their communities plays an important role in preserving the environment. Volunteers clean trash out of the river and along its shoreline while learning about other topics such as conservation and the ecosystems.
National Council for Science and the Environment $115,035
Susan Carlson, 1101 17th Street Northwest, Suite 250, Washington, DC 20036
EnvironMentors Educator Training Project
Founded in 1992, the EnvironMentors program matches high school students with faculty, graduate and undergraduate students and science and environmental professionals in one-on-one mentoring relationships. This project strengthens the capacity of high school teachers to deliver this EnvironMentors model to under-served students. Teachers are provided with the resources and skills to help the students develop the research and critical thinking skills necessary for students to pursue college degrees and careers in environmental fields. First, teachers participate in an orientation webinar, which provides a comprehensive overview of EnvironMentors, its major program components, the research project process, and the class integration and club-based delivery models. Participants in the training program then attend six webinars designed to support teachers in each distinct state of the program model. Participating teachers also meet with the director and coordinator of the host university chapter to learn about programs available to students at the university and to plan events, field trips, and workshops. Finally, teachers are equipped with an updated version of the EnvironMentors Teacher-Coordinator Manual, with instructions to incorporate the program into their high school science program and curriculum. Key partners include the Alabama State University, University of California-Davis, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
North American Association for Environmental Education $170,759
Brian Day, 2000 P Street Northwest, Suite 540, Washington, DC 20036
Environmental Education Associations: Building Capacity at the Core
The North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) is made up of non-formal educators and state affiliate members, who provide critical support to educators at the state level for increasing environmental literacy. This project provides additional leadership and supports the Affiliate Network's (Network) current efforts through two major initiatives. Through a partnership with the network, NAAEE develops a strategic plan to increase environmental literacy and systematically increase the capacity of the Network. In addition, the Network creates a business plan to ensure the long term sustainability of the Network and individual affiliates. In developing strategic and business plans for the Network, participants learn the skills to help their affiliates replicate those processes, thereby increasing the capacity of those associations to deliver environmental education throughout the country. To ensure the successful completion of the project, NAAEE provides the initial organizational structure and holds an Affiliate Leadership Summit to draft the initial strategic and business plan for the Network. A series of follow-up webinars allow for critical support needed to address challenges, share experiences, and promote learning, as each Affiliate organization implements the plans in their state.
The Ocean Foundation $14,500
Frances Marie Kinney, 1990 M Street Northwest, Suite 250, Washington, DC 20036
Ocean Connectors: Youth for Environmental Conservation
Ocean Connectors: Youth for Environmental Conservation crosses borders and cultural boundaries by linking students in the United States and Mexico to create a sense of community based in stewardship of coastal resources. The program uses two of California's migratory aquatic species, the endangered green sea turtle and the gray whale, to teach ocean conservation principles. The migratory patterns of these species are the living symbol of connection between low-income youth in San Diego and students living in Baja California Sur, Mexico. Participating youth connect with nature and learn practical methods to protect ecosystems within their own communities through pen-pal letter exchanges, class presentations, and field trips. They study the connections between terrestrial and oceanic ecosystems and experience scientific research first-hand.
National Council for Science and the Environment $24,625
Susan Carlson, 1101 17th Street NW, Suite 250, Washington, DC 20036
EnviroMentors DC Chapter: College and Careers Access Pathway
Students engage in workshops designed to increase their understanding on the many, varied environmental careers available at both the professional and technical levels, the wide variety of environmental college degree programs and the desire among these programs to increase student diversity inclusion. It also emphasizes the array of scholarships, fellowships, and grants available for underrepresented students interested in pursuing environmental science degree programs. Specifically, this project provides the students with career development priorities. The goal of the program is to interest and prepare underrepresented high school students in the Washington, DC, area for college degree programs and careers in science and environmental fields. Among EnvironMentors’ guiding precepts is the belief that full inclusion in the environmental workforce of all cultural and socio-economic groups — particularly those most heavily affected by environmental, health, and justice issues — is needed to achieve environmental sustainability at the local, regional, and national levels.
Casey Trees Endowment Fund $17,030
Robin Dublin, 1425 K Street, NW, Suite 1050, Washington, DC 20005
Urban Conservation Youth Leadership Program
Activities under this project, which addresses preserving and protecting natural habitat within an urban setting, focus on natural and human impacts to watersheds, including rivers, estuaries, and bays that eventually empty into the Atlantic Ocean. This grant curricula and activities foster a voluntary commitment to amend behaviors and focus on achievements that will protect and improve the 40-acre natural camp habitat. This project also allows the students to study the relationships among organisms in terrestrial food chains, animals, the resources they share, and their interdependency. Students study how the streams and ponds of the camp are supplied with water, and where the water goes once it leaves the camp, along with the impacts of potential pollution and runoff. Additionally, students are exposed to environmental careers.
Environmental Literacy Council $15,000
Kenneth Green, 1625 K Street, NW, Suite 1020, Washington, DC 20006
A Critical Review of Energy Literacy in K-12 Environmental Education Materials
The Environmental Literacy Council has reinvigorated its review of environmental education materials and science textbooks by launching a review of materials related to energy literacy. Areas where current educational materials are considered to be falling short on teaching the fundamental scientific and economic concepts are identified to help students develop a deeper understanding of environmental issues related to energy literacy. A report generated through the review process will form the basis for the Energy Literacy Resource Guide. Middle school science teachers, curriculum coordinators, and science supervisors in school districts across the country are the target audience for this grant.
William James Foundation $15,440
Ian Fisk, 1400 16th Street, NW, Suite 101, Washington, DC 20036
Smart Fuel Project
The William James Foundation Smart Fuel project engages middle school teachers and students of the Wissahickon Charter School located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Students learn to create biodiesel, a climate-friendly, vegetable oil-based fuel that reduces almost all criteria pollutants and can be used in any diesel vehicle. This program includes three major components: (1) biodiesel processor design and development, (2) on-site processing, and (3) community outreach. The main audience is middle school teachers and students, who will also provide community outreach and education on the creation and effects of biodiesel. Based on safety and other design features outlined by Smart Fuel and a system designer, students participate in the actual design of the system. The students also participate in construction and processing. Finally, the students host an evening “view and brew,” where they open the processor to the community to explain how biodiesel is created and its environmental benefits. Particular attention is paid to include other middle school students in field trips to the processor.
National Environmental Education and Training Foundation $22,700
Susan Carlson, 1707 H. Street, N.W. Suite 900, Washington, DC 20006
Washington, DC EnvironMentors Academic Preparation Program
The District of Columbia EnvironMentors Academic Preparation Program project establishes a sustained investigative- and experience-based academic framework within the district public school system to help build an environmental workforce and public who are more knowledgeable about and representative of the full diversity of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. EnvironMentors meets these goals through a new 2-year program that exposes urban high school students to environmental science and careers through rigorous science projects. Students achieve this through skills workshops, mentor participation, classroom presentations, Chesapeake Bay Watershed field trips for experiments and study, workplace internships, and college and career guidance. The DC EnvironMentors Academic Preparation Program supports the DC Public Schools (DCPS) academic reform initiatives. The DCPS Office of Career and Technical Education has adopted the model of inner school pre-career academies to focus students academics in specific career areas and provides students with smaller learning environments. Inner School Pre-Career Academies have proven a successful school reform model in other large urban school districts and are strongly recommended by the Council for Great Urban Schools.
The Earth Conservation Corps $19,560
Jill Smith, First and Potomac Avenues, Washington, DC 20003
The Saturday Environmental Academy
Using classroom and field experiences on the Anacostia River, the Earth Conservation Corps (Saturday Environmental Academy) helps middle school students gain an appreciation for the natural world and their place in it. The academy also helps students understand the interaction between the environment and their communities and provides an integrated educational experience that supports school studies in math, science, writing, English, geography, and social studies. The project encourages environmental stewardship practices that will help clean up the Anacostia River and the surrounding communities and exposes students to a number of environmental careers.
Living Classrooms Foundation $21,756
John Dillow, Henson Center, 2000 Half Street SW, Washington, DC 20024
Many public school teachers in the District of Columbia (DC) are currently being asked to teach subjects that they are not familiar with or to eliminate class time for environmental science in order to focus on other curriculum requirements, such as reading. As part of the project, the Living Classrooms Foundation (LCF) has coordinated with the DC Environmental Education Consortium and the DC Public Schools to select 10 teachers in need of environmental education assistance. During the project, these teachers participate in two hands-on workshops; supplies, curriculum materials, and support are provided for all the workshop participants. Teachers who attend each workshop earn a corresponding field experience for their classes. The two workshops address river ecology and shad and herring restoration. At the close of the project, the teachers will meet with LCF to critique their experience with the project and discuss how it may have helped them bring environmental science into their classrooms.
National Environmental Education & Training Foundation $20,000
Dena Imbergamo, 1707 H Street, Suite 900, Washington, DC 20006
EnvironMentors Project Inner School Academy
In partnership with Coolidge Senior High School, the Washington EnvironMentors Project (WEP) is developing the EnvironMentors Project Inner School Academy (EP-ISA), which is a structured, 2-year environmental science academic program. EP-ISA prepares students for college degree programs and professions in environmental science, natural resource management, and watershed protection. The academy includes in-school environmental curricula, an out-of-school mentoring and career awareness program, and workplace-based internships and provides significant financial support for college studies.
Alliance to Save Energy $80,000
Marrilee Harrigan, 1200 18th Street, N.W., Suite 900, Washington, DC 20307
Green Schools Program in Philadelphia
The Green Schools program uses energy-saving actions to teach science, math, English language arts, and social studies to students in the nation’s fifth largest school district. Through the project, schools receive training, instructional materials and tools, and ongoing program support. The project assists teachers with the design of service-learning projects and provides hands-on, real world learning opportunities correlated with the new Pennsylvania state education standards. Program partners include the School District of Philadelphia, the Municipal Energy Office, the U.S. Department of Energy Regional Office, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the Philadelphia Area Labor-Management Committee, and the Energy Coordinating Agency.
Self Reliance Foundation $21,232
Johnathan Hilton, 529 14th Street, N.W., Suite 740, Washington, DC 20045
Asthma and the Environment
Asthma is a chronic disease with no cure, and its prevalence among children has been rising steadily for the past 20 years. The goal of this project is to create a bilingual, interactive, traveling exhibit to educate Hispanic children and their parents in a culturally sensitive manner about environmental asthma triggers and the impact they can have on the control and management of asthma. The project also seeks to educate the target audiences about preventive measures that will minimize exposure to environmental asthma triggers.
World Wildlife Fund, Inc. $11,224
Margaret Williams, 1250 24th Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20037
Living Planet Club
This 2-phase project supports the implementation of World Wildlife Fund's Living Planet Club in three Alaska native villages in the Bering Sea region. In the first phase, a team of specialists works with students and village educators to teach data collection methods, journaling techniques, mapping skills, and core ecological concepts. Secondly, the entire team relocates to a study site to conduct a rapid bioassessment, applying their newly acquired skills. Students then prepare exhibits to share their findings with the community. The data collected also serve as baseline information for monitoring long-term change in the area.
Discovery Creek Children's Museum $35,000
Laura Hamilton, 5125 MacArthur Boulevard, NW, Suite 10, Washington, DC 20016
DC Baywatch Program
The DC Baywatch Program, created to foster an understanding of and appreciation for the Chesapeake Bay, targets students in grades 3 through 6 in Washington, D.C.’s public schools. The project incorporates hands-on and inquiry-based education for students, professional development workshops for teachers, and development of a web-based educational component. Set in the unique, natural settings offered by the Discovery Creek Children’s Museum, the program engages students in interactive education in the environmental sciences by providing them opportunities to explore the tributaries and rivers that feed the Chesapeake Bay, touch the animals and birds that depend on the watershed, and participate in activities that develop critical-thinking skills. Through such hands-on experiences, the students develop a connection to their natural world, a sense of ownership of their communities, and a desire to take action to protect and preserve the natural treasures of their watershed. Teachers also participate in professional development workshops to ensure that the critical-thinking skills developed during the project continue to strengthen after the program has ended. Key partners in the project include the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the Smithsonian Institution Environmental Research Center, the Scales and Tales program of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and Project WET.
District of Columbia Public Schools $25,000
Geraldine Okwesa, 410 East Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002
Stuart-Hobson Museum Magnet Middle School �- School Reform and Teacher Training
Under the project, the current seventh-grade life science and pre-algebra curricula are modified to include an ecological and statistical study of the pollution problems that affect the way in which plants and animals live and thrive in the rivers and tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The changes in the curricula are designed to increase students’ abilities to apply mathematical skills in their science classes. Approximately 120 students are expected to participate in the program.
The George Washington University $5,000
Helen Spencer, 2121 I Street, NW, Suite 601, Washington, DC 20052
Impervious Surface Study
The goal of the project is to document the increase in the amount of land in Loudoun County, Virginia that is covered with roads, parking lots, and structures and to inform citizens and elected officials of the potential effects of such development on stream flows and water quality. The data and results of the analysis conducted under the study are shared with citizens and elected officials who decide how to set public policy to shape the future landscape of the county.
The Tides Center/CAYA $5,000
Michael Atkins, 2008 10th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001
Educator Training Project
The project incorporates environmental service learning as a teaching methodology through which students learn academic content and skills while participating in activities that meet real community needs. Through service projects, students work for social change related to environmental issues. Teachers in Washington, D.C. attend workshops to help them to identify local environmental problems. The educators are trained to integrate environmental education into coursework and subject areas. That process includes constructing a vision of a better community, identifying available resources, and plotting a course of action. Educators share the process with their low-income, culturally diverse students and teach that all people have a right to a safe, healthy, productive, and sustainable environment. Children in kindergarten through grade 12 pursue service learning projects to spread the word to the community.
Kalorama Citizens Association $10,500
Michael Gould, P. O. Box 21311, Kalorama Station, Washington, DC 20009
The Marie Reed GLOBE Project
At Marie Reed Community Learning Center, a public school, 30 students in fourth through sixth grade are benefiting from Project GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment). Project GLOBE is an international environmental research and education program that teaches elementary and high school students to conduct environmental investigations based on a systematic method of collecting data about the earth's environment and to learn how the global environment functions. Students attend a new, after-school and summer program at Marie Reed that provides classroom instruction and field work at the Project GLOBE site in nearby Rock Creek Park.
Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy Institute $5,000
Donna Degnan, 801 Buchanan Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20017
Students Impacting Their Urban Environment
This program adapts existing environmental education curricula and field methods to develop a functional environmental education theme unit for predominately minority special education students in an urban multicultural setting at the Kennedy Institute, an ungraded, 12-year special education day program. Participants strengthen their awareness of real-life local environmental issues. Students learn about urban air and water pollution and the effects of such pollution on human health and the local ecosystem. They also study the effects of population growth and decline on urban areas and the effects of such changes on climate, as well as discussing job opportunities in the environmental field.
The Environmentors Project $5,000
David C. Rubinstein, 5301 Broad Branch Road, NW, Washington, DC 20015
Trenton High School Outreach Program
Through the Environmentors Project, a community-based educational program for low-income communities, 30 Trenton teenagers become involved in environmental issues that affect their community. Students participate in an eight-month mentorship with a professional, during which they learn about environmental careers, environmental health risks in their communities, and community action choices. The knowledge, skills, and discipline acquired in the course enable the students to serve as environmental resources for their communities. (Project in Trenton, NJ)
American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) $5,000
Dr. Jonathan Deason, 1010 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20001
Lead-Based Paint Abatement Curriculum Development
Participants in this project will develop a curriculum for teaching employees of the industry lead-based paint abatement practices to protect human health and the environment.
ASACC Student Association Environmental Education Program $5,000
Carol Cross, 1643 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20009
ASACC Student Association Environmental Education Program
This project will enable student leaders to educate members of their community about pollution prevention and recycling issues using the grassroots network of community college student activities associations. The audience will be comprised of at least 1,000 community college students representing the students attending two-year colleges across the country.
New Columbia Audubon Society $4,651
Pat Durkin, P. O. Box 15346, Washington, DC 20003
A Model Community-Composting and Butterfly Habitat Restoration in a Racially Diverse Neighborhood in Downtown Washington, DC
This project will serve as a model for the use of native plants and community-created compost to restore extirpated butterflies on fragmented urban landscapes and to encourage environmental awareness, connection to nature, and a sense of cooperative stewardship among residents of racially and culturally diverse inner-city neighborhoods.
World Wildlife Fund $39,850
Judy Braus, 1250 24th Street NW, Washington, DC 20037-1175
Windows on the Wild
The purpose of this project is to increase environmental literacy of middle school students, strengthen the links between formal and nonformal educators, and enhance training for educators at formal and nonformal institutions by using biodiversity as an organizing theme. "Windows on the Wild" will test biodiversity training materials and hold training workshops for educators in Seattle and Chicago to develop a national model for biodiversity education. Educators targeted for training include school teachers and nonformal educators at the middle school level from local zoos, aquariums, nature centers, and environmental education programs such as Project Wild and Project Learning Tree.
Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments $25,000
Stuart Freudberg, 777 North Capitol St., NE, Washington, DC 20002
Public Education about Non-point Source Pollution from Vehicles
The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments will establish a public education campaign to teach minority communities about reducing non-point source pollution generated from vehicles. The goal of the project is to increase used oil recycling and antifreeze, battery, and tire returns in minority communities by 10 percent. The environmental objective is to increase awareness of non-point source pollution in such communities.
District of Columbia Public Schools, Paul Junior High School $12,750
Geraldine C. Okwesa, 8th & Oglethorpe, NW, Washington, DC 20011
Outdoor Laboratory Center
This grant provides funding for an outdoor laboratory center, designed by the industrial arts students at the high school to create a commitment by minority 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th graders to improve attitudes, behaviors, and practices concerning environmental protection.
League of Women Voters Education Fund $39,117
Elizabeth Kraft, 1730 M Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036
Managing Solid Waste Community Education Train-the-Trainers Program
This grant funds a national workshop, which is part of Phase II of the League of Women Voters two year "Managing Solid Waste Community Education Train-the-Trainers Program." Phase II will train state and local League members nationwide on municipal solid waste management issues (including source reduction and recycling) and options.
Friends of the Earth $12,000
Washington, DC 20005
Guide to Environmental Education Resources
This grant funds a project to develop and distribute a printed guide of available environmental education resources and activities for Washington, DC students, senior citizens, and others.
The Terrene Institute, Inc. $4,993
Washington, DC 20036
Water Pollution Board Game
This grant funds a project to develop a simplified version of a board game that teaches students and the public about basic principles of water-pollution control, including the relationship among water-quality standards, land-use practices, and the installation of best management practices for pollution control in a free-market system.