No Child Left Inside Bill Reintroduced: What it means for North Carolina

Update! The NCLI was introduced in the House and Senate on Thursday, July 14, 2011!

NCLI Act? N.C. Environmental Literacy Plan?
What does it all mean?

This piece by Sarah Yelton, the formerPreK-12 Environmental Education Program Consultant for the Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs, spells out what NCLI could mean for North Carolina, why we need an Environmental Literacy Plan and the steps being taken to develop it. An earlier version of this story appeared in the Environmental Educators of N.C. Newsletter.

My guess is that many of you have heard the term “No Child Left Inside” by now. It’s a term that has been floating around for a few years and is used most often to refer to federal legislation that will have a significant impact on the state of environmental education in North Carolina and across the country.

So why is this important for North Carolina? The NCLI Act establishes and sets aside funding for two new federal grant programs for environmental education. School districts will be able to partner with EE centers, non-profit organizations, natural resource agencies, colleges and universities and others to develop and evaluate new programs for teacher professional development and capacity building in environmental education. These might be teacher training institutes, programs that provide outdoor experiences for students, new policy approaches for incorporating EE into the curriculum at the state or district level, or evaluating the effectiveness of EE in improving student achievement, to name just a few examples. But to be eligible for either of these grant programs, North Carolina must have in place a plan that ensures graduates of our state educational system will be environmentally literate.

To position North Carolina to take advantage of the funding made possible through NCLI as soon as it becomes available, the N.C. Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) entered into a partnership to develop a state environmental literacy plan in the fall of 2008. In April of 2009, the Environmental Literacy Plan (ELP) Working Group, which includes stakeholders from the education and environmental communities such as EENC and the NC Association of EE Centers, convened for the first time with DPI and DENR Office of EE and Public Affairs staff to begin developing the environmental literacy plan.

When complete, North Carolina’s environmental literacy plan will describe how DPI will measure the environmental literacy of students, including relevant academic content standards regarding EE and a description of how the plan relates to graduation requirements. It will also provide for teacher professional development opportunities that support environmental literacy of students and explain how DPI will implement the plan, including securing funding and other necessary support. The team has already completed a first draft of the ELP plan, which is available for public review: http://www.eenorthcarolina.org/ncenvliteracyplan.html. A second draft will be available by late spring or early summer. Individuals can sign up for email alerts for ELP updates at the link.

The Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs and NCDPI held an event May 12, 2010 at Wiley International Studies Magnet Elementary in Raleigh to officially kickoff the ELP partnership. News 14 Carolina did an excellent video and report. Visit this link for the complete story. Senator Josh Stein delivered remarks, as well as State Superintendent June Atkinson and N.C. DENR Secretary Dee Freeman.

Great video from the N.C. Environmental Literacy Plan Kickoff

An earlier version of the NCLI Act passed the U.S. House of Representatives with broad bi-partisan support before the 110th session of Congress ended in 2008. The NCLI Act was listed as one of 4 key pieces of legislation that will impact the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (No Child Left Behind). In North Carolina, Representatives Price, Shuler and Etheridge signed on as co-sponsors of the 2009 bill. 

We will continue to provide updates on the progress of the North Carolina Environmental Literacy Plan and the 2011 No Child Left Inside Act.  

Community/School Garden Site in Charlotte Location for Nourishing North Carolina Kickoff

 A successful community and school garden partnership in Charlotte will the the location for the Nourishing North Carolina program kickoff event. Four of the garden's 24 plots are used by Winterfield Elementary School, which is located near the garden. Students work in the garden and the school integrates the garden into its curriculum.

The goal of Nourishing North Carolina is to establish at least one community garden in each North Carolina County. More about how to partcipate in this grant program can be found on their website.

Here is the kickoff announcement from Nourishing North Carolina:

Nourishing North Carolina - A Kickoff Event

Please join us as we launch Nourishing North Carolina, the first initiative of its kind to create, maintain or sustain 100 community gardens – one garden in each of North Carolina's 100 counties. We're growing this comprehensive, statewide program through a unique partnership with the North Carolina Recreation and Park Association.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina has a long-standing commitment to improve the health and well-being of North Carolinians. Nourishing North Carolina continues to build upon this legacy and will help ensure that North Carolinians in every county have the means of sustaining a local source of healthy food.
Want to learn more? Join us June 7 in Charlotte as local officials and garden enthusiasts come together to kick off this exciting initiative. Come take a garden tour and learn how Nourishing North Carolina is establishing roots in the Charlotte area.

Where: Winterfield/Sheffield Community Garden
Adjacent to Winterfield Elementary
3100 Winterfield Place
Charlotte, NC 28205
When: June 7, 2011
10 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Please RSVP by June 1

Chapel Hill High wins Green Your School Challenge through DoSomething.org and HP

North Carolina's youth continue to rack up the awards!

As reported in the examiner.com: Chapel Hill High School of Chapel Hill, NC was one of ten winners announced May 10, 2011 for the DoSomething.org & HP’s Green Your School Challenge.


Chapel Hill High School’s “green plan” involved seven main tasks that addressed the focus topics of contest. They installed motion-sensor light switches in the teacher lounges, hosted an earth week with plenty of green-inspired events, created a Facebook page to promote their efforts, grew a community garden, decorated recycling bins, built a recycling center, and created a paper re-use program. Technology played a huge role in the school’s success in the contest.

Read the entire post by Kelly Partner.

NC Teen Wins Planet Connect Grant

Alex Hall of Gastonia was one of only ten teens in the nation to win a Planet Connect grant. From the Cleveland County Star:

"Alex Hall will be spending a part of his summer helping to stop erosion at Crowders Mountain State Park.

Hall was one of only 10 students across the country chosen for a Planet Connect environmental grant. Planet Connect is a program of the National Environmental Education Foundation created in partnership with The Weather Channel." 

Read more about his project:  Teen helps preserve Crowders Mountain

Update! National Environmental Summit for High School Students To Be Held at Catawba College Center for the Environment

UPDATE! Registration for the summit has been reduced! 

The cost for the National Environmental Summit for High School Students is $150 (a $50 deposit, which is refundable if the participant attends the summit, and $100 for the program, room and board).

High school students from around the country will converge at the Catawba College Center for the Environment this summer for the National Youth Environmental Summit, "Redesigning Our Future." The college expects 200 rising high school juniors and seniors to attend, where they will work with sustainability designers, scientists and engineers from the Rocky Mountain Institute of Colorado, the Center and Catawba College professors.

The Catawba College news notes:

Scheduled for July 20-24, 2011, with follow-up activities through May 2012, the summit will emphasize whole systems thinking, helping students become collaborative leaders and effective communicators. Summit leaders will provide knowledge and analytical skills that will help the participants return to their schools and communities empowered to have a tangible impact.

One of the distinctive elements of the summit is that it will involve multiple disciplines. Students will explore the concept of environmental leadership through the perspective of their own skills and interest in the arts, humanities, education, history, business, science and technology. They will learn how essential elements of these varied disciplines — creativity, expression, innovation, observation, experimentation and teamwork — are critical to their effectiveness as environmental leaders.

"This summit has an ambitious goal, but it is one that is within our reach," says Center Executive Director John Wear. "We want these young leaders to develop their considerable talents so they can make the world a better place. And that will involve nothing less than redesigning our future."

The cost for participants is $200, which includes tuition, meals, lodging, activities and materials. Limited scholarship assistance is available so participants should apply early.

The N.C. Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs is a promoting partner on the Environmental Summit, and encourages rising high school juniors and seniors in North Carolina students to apply. The deadline to apply is June 1.

More details on the conference, the application and scholarships are available on the Center for the Environment website.

North Carolina Envirothon Winners Announced

RALEIGH – State officials have announced the winners of the North Carolina Envirothon, the annual environmental science competition for middle and high school students held at a park near Burlington in late April. The five winning high school teams earned cash awards, a plaque and medallions.

They are as follows:

1st – the Sequoias, of West Johnston High School, won $200 and a trip to the North American Canon Envirothon in July.

2nd– the FFA Anti-Derivatives, of Bartlett Yancey High School in Caswell County, won $150 and a chance to compete in the National FFA Competition.

3rd – DC Endemic, of Davidson County Home School, won $100.

4th – Sub-Chronic Exposure, of Enloe High School in Raleigh, won $75.

5th – Natural Disasters, of Durham 4-H Envirothon, won $50.

The winning middle school teams also earned cash awards, a plaque and medallions. They are as follows:

1st – the Bodacious Baboons, of McGee’s Crossroads Middle School in Johnston County, won $125.

2nd – DC Awesome Opossums, of Davidson County Homeschool, won $100.

3rd - Awesome Possums, of McGee’s Crossroads Middle School in Johnston County, won $75.

4th – The Octopi, of the H.O.M.E. School in Cumberland County, won $50.

5th – Organic Waste, Home School of Wilson County, won $25.

More than 100 middle and high school teams competed in the Envirothon competition at Cedarock Park in Alamance County April 29-30. Winners were determined by combining test scores from the Envirothon curriculum’s five subject areas: forestry, soils and land use, aquatic ecology, wildlife and current environmental issues. Teams study resource materials related to these areas throughout the year to prepare for the event.

When students arrived at Cedarock Park on Friday, they reviewed everything they learned by meeting with resource professionals from the N.C. Division of Forest Resources, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, N.C. Division of Water Quality, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation, N.C. Division of Water Resources and the N.C. Division of Soil and Water Conservation. The teams took academic tests on Saturday and an awards ceremony was held later that day.

The Envirothon is sponsored by the state’s 96 local soil and water conservation districts and their association, with organizing support from the N. C. Division of Soil and Water Conservation. For information about the Envirothon, visit http://www.ncenvirothon.org/ or contact your local soil and water conservation district.

Don't forget about those Grants and Contests!

Several new grants have been added to the N.C. Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs grants listing. Several expire in May, so be sure to check them out before it is too late. There are a wide variety of grants for environmental education centers, schools and various community development projects that are related to or would support environmental education or related programs.

EE Grants

And don't forget the EE Contests and Awards page. Many of these carry cash awards for projects, and many are good projects for schools, environmental education centers and other groups. Scholarships are also listed on this page.

EE Contests

Exciting Upgrades to the Statewide EE Calendar!

Some of you may have noticed some changes to the N.C. Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs online events calendar.

The EE Calendar is now searchable! Using the search menus at the top left, you can choose to only show nearby events and/or ones that include a keyword(s). With the toggle buttons on the right, you can choose to view:

*Only professional development events for environmental educators (e.g., workshops, conferences, symposia);
or
*Only public programs (e.g., celebrations, summer camps, festivals, hikes, classes); or

*All events, which shows both public and professional development events.

We hope these latest updates make our EE Web site even more enjoyable and easy to use! Give it a test run today!

North Carolina Environmental Education Calendar

Prairie Ridge Ecostation's Brittain wins Order of the Long Leaf Pine

Mary Ann Brittain is not only an outstanding science educator with the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, she is now a recipient of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, one of the most prestigious awards bestowed by the Governor of North Carolina. The award, which recognizes individuals with a proven record of extraordinary service to the state, was presented to Brittain by Tom Earnhardt, host of UNC-TV’s “Exploring North Carolina” television series and President of the Friends of the Museum, at a Board meeting Thursday.

During Brittain’s 43 years of service to North Carolina, she has successfully established many innovative, award-winning programs which have had a tremendous impact on students, teachers and Museum visitors. As Director of Prairie Ridge Ecostation for Wildlife and Learning, the Museum’s 45-acre outdoor learning facility in west Raleigh, Brittain has led the conversion of a former cow pasture into an amazing field station for outdoor education. By recreating the traditional biodiversity once found in this area — planting hundreds of native trees, shrubs, grasses and wildflowers — Brittain and her co-workers have prepared an unmatched urban classroom/laboratory for generations to come. Now, amazing wildlife abounds for visitors and school groups to enjoy in an ideal setting for experiential learning about the natural world.

Previously, as Director of School Programs at the Museum for 23 years, Brittain began the Museum’s volunteer program and created hands-on natural science programming in the Museum and across the state for students and educators. She developed Curiosity Classes, hands-on natural science programs for groups visiting the Museum’s classrooms, and developed the award-winning UTOTES (Using the Outdoors to Teach Experiential Science) program, which has been a catalyst for schools to get students involved with learning about the world they live in by using their school grounds as outdoor teaching laboratories. 

The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in downtown Raleigh documents and interprets the natural history of the state of through exhibits, research, collections, publications and educational programming. Find more information online at www.naturalsciences.org. Hours: Monday-Saturday, 9am-5pm and Sunday, Noon-5pm. General admission is free. The Museum is an agency of the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Dee Freeman, Secretary.

National Environmental Summit for High School Students To Be Held at Catawba College Center for the Environment

UPDATE! Registration for the summit has been reduced!
The cost for the National Environmental Summit for High School Students is $150 (a $50 deposit, which is refundable if the participant attends the summit, and $100 for the program, room and board).


High school students from around the country will converge at the Catawba College Center for the Environment this summer for the National Youth Environmental Summit, "Redesigning Our Future." The college expects 200 rising high school juniors and seniors to attend, where they will work with sustainability designers, scientists and engineers from the Rocky Mountain Institute of Colorado, the Center and Catawba College professors.

The Catawba College news notes:

Scheduled for July 20-24, 2011, with follow-up activities through May 2012, the summit will emphasize whole systems thinking, helping students become collaborative leaders and effective communicators. Summit leaders will provide knowledge and analytical skills that will help the participants return to their schools and communities empowered to have a tangible impact.

One of the distinctive elements of the summit is that it will involve multiple disciplines. Students will explore the concept of environmental leadership through the perspective of their own skills and interest in the arts, humanities, education, history, business, science and technology. They will learn how essential elements of these varied disciplines — creativity, expression, innovation, observation, experimentation and teamwork — are critical to their effectiveness as environmental leaders.

"This summit has an ambitious goal, but it is one that is within our reach," says Center Executive Director John Wear. "We want these young leaders to develop their considerable talents so they can make the world a better place. And that will involve nothing less than redesigning our future."

The cost for participants is $150, which includes tuition, meals, lodging, activities and materials. Limited scholarship assistance is available so participants should apply early ($50 is a refundable deposit).

The N.C. Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs is a promoting partner on the Environmental Summit, and encourages rising high school juniors and seniors in North Carolina students to apply. The deadline to apply is June 1.

More details on the conference, the application and scholarships are available on the Center for the Environment website.

Congressman Sarbanes Plans to Reintroduce the No Child Left Inside Act

U.S. Representative John Sarbanes (MD) discusses environmental education and his plans to reintroduce the No Child Left Inside Act in a recent Earth Day blog post on his website.

“In the coming weeks, I will reintroduce the No Child Left Inside Act (NCLI) so that children have the opportunity to make the environment a priority year round. NCLI promotes environmental education by creating new federal grant opportunities for environmental education curriculum development and teacher training. States that participate in the grant program would develop a K-12 plan to ensure high school graduates are environmentally literate. The legislation is supported by a coalition of over 2,000 organizations in the educational, environmental and public health arenas.

Robust environmental education is a down payment to grow the next generation of scientists, promote environmental stewardship, and encourage Americans to live healthier lifestyles. Across the globe, protecting clean air and water, finding alternatives to the finite supply of fossil fuels, global warming, and many other challenges are increasingly acute: they are issues that confront today’s young people every day. Our country also has a growing public health crisis – our kids are spending less time outdoors learning and exploring and more time inside hooked up to video games or surfing the web. Increasing outdoor instructional time will lead to our children having a greater, more active appreciation for nature. Environmental education is not only about protecting the natural world, it has also been shown to improve the physical health of our young people and to have a measurably positive impact on student achievement in science, reading, math, and social studies. “

Read the complete post on Rep. Sarbanes website.