Welcome back Eco-Forcers!
Hope you all had an amazing summer. I know I don't even need to ask whether you all were making smart environmental decisions....I have the utmost faith in you!
Lots of things to share:
Our Green School family is growing throughout the state, region and across the world! Yes, for the 2009-2010 school year, there will be a total of 20 schools that will receive some form of the Greening Youth Foundation program. You may be wondering how are we going to do it? Well, here is how...
Greening Youth Foundation was awarded a five year contract from the United States Department of Interior to execute a Youth Conservation Corp. This funding will provide industry certification and assist in job creation and summer employment opportunities for young adults and youth. Additionally, through a partnership with AmeriCorp, Green Corp members will administer our Green School Initiative to many more schools throughout the Southeast. In fact, this past week Greening Youth Foundation trained, certified and graduated a group of young adults through Georgia State University's Green Corp program so that they can be ready for you guys in early September! Isn't this exciting???!!!!
So, although you may not see Dolly Detective (Ms. Ruth), Mr. Mike, Mr. James or me every Eco-Force club meeting or while recycling, just know that we are still very much involved and will be gently guiding the Green Corp members to show them the ropes ;0)
Oh, we also conducted an environmental workshop for the (Atlanta Falcon player) Ovie Mughelli Foundation Football Clinic this summer in Charleston, SC. Ms. Sauda and I had a blast conducting mini workshops for 120 boys!! The session was concluded with a fun game of Environmental Jeopardy and Football Recycle Relay.
I mentioned earlier that Eco-Force is growing wings. Well, with the assistance of our board member, Christa Sanders, there will be an Eco-Force club in Accra, Ghana this year!
Lastly, we will be revamping our website...big time! So, look forward for opportunities to communicate with your fellow Eco-Forcers via the GYF website.
That's it. Are you all ready? Hope so, because the fun has only begun!
Cheers,
Angelou
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
The 3 R's and Summer Fun!
Hello Environmental Detectives,
As you embark on your summer adventures, remember to be a great example by not littering and following the 3 R's (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle). As you help with organizing summer outings or parties, encourage your parents to buy in bulk in order to use less (Reduce) packaging. At the various gatherings you may attend, encourage others to not litter and to always Recycle
materials that can be recycled ie. (paper, plastic, cardboard, glass, tin, aluminum) . When Dolly vacations with her family at the beach, she does not have access to curbside recycling. Therefore, she gathers all the recyclables and transports them to the recycling center in town. This maybe an extra step but it is WORTH IT! As you pull out your summer clothes and put aside the ones that don't fit anymore, remember to Reuse. Hand them down to a younger sibling or give them to a charity. You can also Reuse by creating a sand pail and scoop to take to the beach by following these simple directions:
You will need:
As you embark on your summer adventures, remember to be a great example by not littering and following the 3 R's (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle). As you help with organizing summer outings or parties, encourage your parents to buy in bulk in order to use less (Reduce) packaging. At the various gatherings you may attend, encourage others to not litter and to always Recycle
materials that can be recycled ie. (paper, plastic, cardboard, glass, tin, aluminum) . When Dolly vacations with her family at the beach, she does not have access to curbside recycling. Therefore, she gathers all the recyclables and transports them to the recycling center in town. This maybe an extra step but it is WORTH IT! As you pull out your summer clothes and put aside the ones that don't fit anymore, remember to Reuse. Hand them down to a younger sibling or give them to a charity. You can also Reuse by creating a sand pail and scoop to take to the beach by following these simple directions:
You will need:
- two plastic milk jugs
- hole punch
- twine
- paint and paintbrush
- To make the sand pain, cut the top off the milk jug. The bottom will become the pail.
- Punch two holes on two opposite sides. Thread a length of twine through the holes. Knot them together to form a handle.
- To make the scoop, leave the cap on the jug. cut away the bottom of the jug and the two sides below the handle to form a giant scoop.
- Decorate the pail and scoop with paints.
Have a terrific Summer!
Dolly
Saturday, May 30, 2009
ED S. Cook Elementary School has taken CLEAN, GREEN, and THRIFTY to a new level by developing “Green Glop”. Under the direction of Deborah Weems, the Cook entrepreneurs have created an environmentally safe laundry detergent that definitely gets your whites whiter, colors more vibrant and is affordable. The students have packaged washing soda, borax, Ivory Soap, and essential oil to create a detergent that they sell as a fund raiser for their school.
Way to go Cook!
Way to go Cook!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
So long Eco-Forcers...see you next year!
The school year has come to an amazing end and Greening Youth Foundation is incredibly proud of all of our green partner schools. To say that Craig Eco-Force, Brookwood Eco-Force, St. John Neumann Eco-Force, Cook Eco-Force and the J.C. Magill Environmental club accomplished a tremendous amount during its first year of inception would be a gross understatement. Therefore, we can't wait to celebrate with our partner schools. Ms. Ruth and I know that all of you will enjoy our EDIBLE LUSCIOUS LANDFILL! Yummy!
To share a few of the Eco-Force accomplishments, the clubs created Green Day challenges for the entire school, recycled unprecedented amounts of cardboard and paper, collaborated in the construction of outdoor classrooms, conducted creative fundraisers and not to mention made being green really cool...it became contagious!
Although the year end is only days away, let's not let the momentum end. Over the summer, challenge yourselves, families and friends to make wise environmental decisions. The simplest thing that you can do is to remember to recycle, conserve energy and water, encourage your family to buy local produce, and whenever possible- walk or bike instead of driving.
To all of our 5th grade Eco-Forcers who are graduating and are headed to middle school, we still hope that you will continue to be involved with Eco-Force. As you know, we need all of the help we can get! And, if you happen to be an officer, be prepared to pass the torch during our last meeting/party ;0)
It has been a pleasure working with all of you and your parents. Greening Youth Foundation looks forward to an exciting, productive and even greener 2009-2010 school year!
Cheers,
Angelou
To share a few of the Eco-Force accomplishments, the clubs created Green Day challenges for the entire school, recycled unprecedented amounts of cardboard and paper, collaborated in the construction of outdoor classrooms, conducted creative fundraisers and not to mention made being green really cool...it became contagious!
Although the year end is only days away, let's not let the momentum end. Over the summer, challenge yourselves, families and friends to make wise environmental decisions. The simplest thing that you can do is to remember to recycle, conserve energy and water, encourage your family to buy local produce, and whenever possible- walk or bike instead of driving.
To all of our 5th grade Eco-Forcers who are graduating and are headed to middle school, we still hope that you will continue to be involved with Eco-Force. As you know, we need all of the help we can get! And, if you happen to be an officer, be prepared to pass the torch during our last meeting/party ;0)
It has been a pleasure working with all of you and your parents. Greening Youth Foundation looks forward to an exciting, productive and even greener 2009-2010 school year!
Cheers,
Angelou
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Message from Craig Eco-Force President..
Hey everybody,
Happy Earth Day I want you really to think back today and ask yourself, did I....
REDUCE
REUSE
RECYCLE?
You guys might not know this, but I am the ECO-force President at my school, and I just wanted to say that it is so so so so so so sooo important to recycle. That's the reason our lakes and oceans are being polluted, there's so much trash they don't have anywhere else to turn for landfills, the oceans are... How would you like it if the trash trucks came over to your house and just dumped millions even hundreds of billions pieces of trash into your house???
Well, I am actually thinking of you, so do it, recycle and love our beatutiful EARTH♥
Thanks for reading,
Macie
MACiE♥BUShEll
Happy Earth Day I want you really to think back today and ask yourself, did I....
REDUCE
REUSE
RECYCLE?
You guys might not know this, but I am the ECO-force President at my school, and I just wanted to say that it is so so so so so so sooo important to recycle. That's the reason our lakes and oceans are being polluted, there's so much trash they don't have anywhere else to turn for landfills, the oceans are... How would you like it if the trash trucks came over to your house and just dumped millions even hundreds of billions pieces of trash into your house???
Well, I am actually thinking of you, so do it, recycle and love our beatutiful EARTH♥
Thanks for reading,
Macie
MACiE♥BUShEll
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
HAPPY EARTH DAY...take action!
Happy Earth Day everyone!
The Earth Day Fun Festival was an absolute success. The event had over 450 people in attendance from Brookwood Elementary, Craig Elementary, JC Magill Elementary and St. John Neumann Regional Catholic School- all there to enjoy the festivities and practice conservation!
It certainly warmed my heart to see all of our young environmentalists showing up to the event with loads of items to be recycled- it looked like a Six Flags ride line!
The GYF team is very thankful to: our sponsors- REI and STA Apparel, the volunteers, parents, community members, teachers, Eco-vendors and our Eco-Force club members for helping to put on such an enjoyable and informative community event.
Although we know that we should be doing something each and every day to celebrate our Earth, today is particularly a good day to demonstrate some of your actions. Use this day to spread the word to others. Help promote the day by wearing something green and when people ask or comment engage them in conversation.
Here are some items you can talk to them about...
Saying no to plastic bottles.
Americans use 2,500,000 plastic bottles every hour!
Recycling plastic saves twice as much energy as burning it in an incinerator- not to mention the amount of oil required to make a plastic bottle.
Recycle every single aluminum can you use.
An aluminum can thrown away will still be a can 500 years from now. Whereas, a used aluminum can is recylced and back on the grocery shelf as a new can in as little as 60 days.
Recycle your paper.
If every American recycled just one-tenth of their newspapers, we would save about 25million trees a year!
*On average, it costs $30 per ton to recycle trash, $50 to send it to the landfill, and $65 to $75 to icinerate it. The choice is yours.
For more information and tips to make you more energy-efficient at home, at work, and on the road visit the US Department of Energy website: www.eere.energy.gov/consumer
If we all do our part, it will make a difference now and for the next generation...
Cheers,
Angelou
The Earth Day Fun Festival was an absolute success. The event had over 450 people in attendance from Brookwood Elementary, Craig Elementary, JC Magill Elementary and St. John Neumann Regional Catholic School- all there to enjoy the festivities and practice conservation!
It certainly warmed my heart to see all of our young environmentalists showing up to the event with loads of items to be recycled- it looked like a Six Flags ride line!
The GYF team is very thankful to: our sponsors- REI and STA Apparel, the volunteers, parents, community members, teachers, Eco-vendors and our Eco-Force club members for helping to put on such an enjoyable and informative community event.
Although we know that we should be doing something each and every day to celebrate our Earth, today is particularly a good day to demonstrate some of your actions. Use this day to spread the word to others. Help promote the day by wearing something green and when people ask or comment engage them in conversation.
Here are some items you can talk to them about...
Saying no to plastic bottles.
Americans use 2,500,000 plastic bottles every hour!
Recycling plastic saves twice as much energy as burning it in an incinerator- not to mention the amount of oil required to make a plastic bottle.
Recycle every single aluminum can you use.
An aluminum can thrown away will still be a can 500 years from now. Whereas, a used aluminum can is recylced and back on the grocery shelf as a new can in as little as 60 days.
Recycle your paper.
If every American recycled just one-tenth of their newspapers, we would save about 25million trees a year!
*On average, it costs $30 per ton to recycle trash, $50 to send it to the landfill, and $65 to $75 to icinerate it. The choice is yours.
For more information and tips to make you more energy-efficient at home, at work, and on the road visit the US Department of Energy website: www.eere.energy.gov/consumer
If we all do our part, it will make a difference now and for the next generation...
Cheers,
Angelou
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Earth Day Fun Festival a week away!!!
With the Earth Day Fun Festival ONLY a week away, I hope all Eco-Force members are busy working on their costumes for the recycle parade and exhibits for the environmental awareness displays! The clock is ticking.....
To all who are planning to come out for the festival: Eco-Force clubs, Brookwood Elementary School, REI, Monkey Giggles, Greening Youth Foundation staff, STA Apparel, Buck's Pizza and Chic-Fil-A are all preparing for the fun and FREE community event. Please start gathering your recyclable items to bring to the event. Check the event page on this website to get specific information regarding what items to bring and how many tickets will be provided.
Come out next Saturday to celebrate the Earth, the hard work and accomplishments of our partner green schools....and have some fun!!!
To all who are planning to come out for the festival: Eco-Force clubs, Brookwood Elementary School, REI, Monkey Giggles, Greening Youth Foundation staff, STA Apparel, Buck's Pizza and Chic-Fil-A are all preparing for the fun and FREE community event. Please start gathering your recyclable items to bring to the event. Check the event page on this website to get specific information regarding what items to bring and how many tickets will be provided.
Come out next Saturday to celebrate the Earth, the hard work and accomplishments of our partner green schools....and have some fun!!!
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Dolly Detective is off to another school.
Dolly is so excited to meet with the environmental detectives at Craig Elementary School tomorrow morning. It will be a dynamic encounter where these third grade students will assist Dolly in finding ways to reduce, reuse, recycle and compost.
Dolly knows that her detectives from Brookwood Elementary , St. John Neumann and Cook Elementary are doing their part to make sure "Green" decisions do make a difference.
Dolly would like for the detectives out there to blog about what you are doing to inspire others to be good stewards of our planet.
Dolly loves her Detectives!
Dolly knows that her detectives from Brookwood Elementary , St. John Neumann and Cook Elementary are doing their part to make sure "Green" decisions do make a difference.
Dolly would like for the detectives out there to blog about what you are doing to inspire others to be good stewards of our planet.
Dolly loves her Detectives!
Whole Foods event: Thank you for your support!
Greening Youth Foundation's Whole Foods 5% Day was a rousing success!
The day was fun-filled with environmental activities that included making edible, luscious layered landfills, creating wind mills and a brief lunch and learn about our organization. The children and parents seemed to enjoy the activities.
The GYF team would like to extend a warm thank-you to the entire Whole Foods team. All of the staff were very helpful. As the Whole Foods team exhibited their eco-friendly products and organic recipes throughout the store, they always encouraged the shoppers and informed that 5% of the proceeds would benefit the Greening Youth Foundation. The Marketing Team Leaders went above and beyond the protocol to make the event a success!
Our illustrious board member, Denene Millner Chiles, came out and conducted a couple of the activities with the children AND led the lunch and learn. We would also like to thank our Spelman College volunteer who came out to help with the activities.
The Greening Youth Foundation would not be able to do the work that we do in elementary schools throughout the metro-Atlanta community without your support.
Thank You!!
The day was fun-filled with environmental activities that included making edible, luscious layered landfills, creating wind mills and a brief lunch and learn about our organization. The children and parents seemed to enjoy the activities.
The GYF team would like to extend a warm thank-you to the entire Whole Foods team. All of the staff were very helpful. As the Whole Foods team exhibited their eco-friendly products and organic recipes throughout the store, they always encouraged the shoppers and informed that 5% of the proceeds would benefit the Greening Youth Foundation. The Marketing Team Leaders went above and beyond the protocol to make the event a success!
Our illustrious board member, Denene Millner Chiles, came out and conducted a couple of the activities with the children AND led the lunch and learn. We would also like to thank our Spelman College volunteer who came out to help with the activities.
The Greening Youth Foundation would not be able to do the work that we do in elementary schools throughout the metro-Atlanta community without your support.
Thank You!!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Greening Youth Foundation Whole Foods Market 5% Day
Please join us tomorrow at Whole Foods Market on Johns Creek Road (5945 State Bridge Road) for 5% Day.
What this means is that 5% of the proceeds on that day will be donated to benefit the Greening Youth Foundation. GYF would really love you and your family's support because the money received tomorrow will be used to support our environmental education programs in elementary schools in Gwinnett and Fulton County.
We will be doing all sorts of fun things tomorrow...
Story book time and organic snacks
Environmental games
Building an edible Luscious-Layered Landfill
Lunch and Learn for adults and more...
See you tomorrow!
What this means is that 5% of the proceeds on that day will be donated to benefit the Greening Youth Foundation. GYF would really love you and your family's support because the money received tomorrow will be used to support our environmental education programs in elementary schools in Gwinnett and Fulton County.
We will be doing all sorts of fun things tomorrow...
Story book time and organic snacks
Environmental games
Building an edible Luscious-Layered Landfill
Lunch and Learn for adults and more...
See you tomorrow!
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Earth Day Fun Festival!!
Make sure you clear your calendars (and your parents') on April 18th from 11:00am- 2:00pm for Greening Youth Foundation's Earth Day Fun Festival. The festival will be held behind Brookwood Elementary School in Snellville, GA.
You will be able to meet Eco-Force members from Brookwood Elementary, Craig Elementary, Cook Elementary, St. John Neumann Regional Catholic School and JC Magill's science club. There will also be people there who just want to celebrate the earth!
Please encourage your friends and families to bring the following recyclable items to the event: laptops, toner cartridges, printers, tennis shoes, plastic bags, computers, and cardboard.
When you bring a recyclable item, you will get a ticket that can be used for the following things:
moonwalks, cotton candy, popcorn, carnival games and lots of fun!
Admission is free!
See you on April 18th...and help spread the word!
You will be able to meet Eco-Force members from Brookwood Elementary, Craig Elementary, Cook Elementary, St. John Neumann Regional Catholic School and JC Magill's science club. There will also be people there who just want to celebrate the earth!
Please encourage your friends and families to bring the following recyclable items to the event: laptops, toner cartridges, printers, tennis shoes, plastic bags, computers, and cardboard.
When you bring a recyclable item, you will get a ticket that can be used for the following things:
moonwalks, cotton candy, popcorn, carnival games and lots of fun!
Admission is free!
See you on April 18th...and help spread the word!
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
State Representative "Pedro" Marin responds to Eco-Force member's concern!
January 20, 2009
Re: The Use of Plastic Bags
Dear Miles:
Thank you so much for your letter and your interest in saving our environment. If everyone had the interest and showed the initiative you have, the world would be a much better place to live. I assure you that I will support our newly elected president, follow his green initiatives and do everything I can on the state and personal level to ensure my behavior is eco-friendly.
Thanks again for your letter. Study hard and do well in school and maybe one day you'll be making the decisions to keep Georgia clean and safe.
Best Regards,
Pete "Pedro" Marin
State District 96
Re: The Use of Plastic Bags
Dear Miles:
Thank you so much for your letter and your interest in saving our environment. If everyone had the interest and showed the initiative you have, the world would be a much better place to live. I assure you that I will support our newly elected president, follow his green initiatives and do everything I can on the state and personal level to ensure my behavior is eco-friendly.
Thanks again for your letter. Study hard and do well in school and maybe one day you'll be making the decisions to keep Georgia clean and safe.
Best Regards,
Pete "Pedro" Marin
State District 96
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
"SAVING THE POUCHES"
By: Craig Elementary ECO- Force President, Macie
About every week, at our meetings, we have four centers. One of them is called "Juice Pouch Brigade" What we do there, is, everyday we have kids bring in their empty juice pouches. After one of our moms brings the bin in on Tuesday, we first have to empy them, take out the straw, clean them, and bundle them into groups of 50. SO far we have saved 4,000 pouches from going to waste!
If you have any comments, please post, I would love to hear your say on what our group is doing!
By: Craig Elementary ECO- Force President, Macie
About every week, at our meetings, we have four centers. One of them is called "Juice Pouch Brigade" What we do there, is, everyday we have kids bring in their empty juice pouches. After one of our moms brings the bin in on Tuesday, we first have to empy them, take out the straw, clean them, and bundle them into groups of 50. SO far we have saved 4,000 pouches from going to waste!
If you have any comments, please post, I would love to hear your say on what our group is doing!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
"Stop the leaking!" a message from Brookwood Eco-Force's President
I'm Kelly Costello from Brookwood Elementary Eco -Force club (I'm the President!) and I'm blogging about a leaky faucet in our science lab. The club and I have collected about 3 quarts maybe more. It's bad because our school is wasting so much water a day! Our club is trying really hard to collect the water from the sink and use it to water plants on our playground.
If you have any comments on what I'm saying please post them! I would love to hear your opinions on the topic.
If you have any comments on what I'm saying please post them! I would love to hear your opinions on the topic.
Friday, January 2, 2009
The Earth-If We Act Now We Can Reverse the Problems
An Essay By Aradhita, 12 Years Old
Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
"Soon Mother Earth will turn lifeless and bare, the future it writes - there isn't one there !"
It may be too shocking to be the truth, but it is true that at this pace mankind is destroying our beloved planet, and there might be no future neither for her, nor for us as inhabitants of this planet. It is high time that we realize the damage we have done to poor Mother Earth, as there is very little time and a lot left to do. Why doesn't everyone realize that we are indebted to Mother Earth for her kindness to us since the human evolution?We are not helpless. If we want, we can do a lot. We can be generous for a change!
We can reuse and recycle many objects. Joining and forming environment clubs is yet another solution. Schools can also organize awareness campaigns, as in the end, it is awareness at all levels that will help improve the situation. A Chinese proverb also says - "If you are thinking one year ahead, sow a seed; if you are thinking ten years ahead, plant a tree; and if you are thinking a hundred years ahead, educate the people." Education of the environment is also really important, thus, we should try and watch videos and read about the topics.Thus, there is still hope. With efforts of each one of us, we will not only be able to arrest the decay, but reverse it as well.
It will be our way of giving back to Mother Earth what earlier generations have depleted.
Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
"Soon Mother Earth will turn lifeless and bare, the future it writes - there isn't one there !"
It may be too shocking to be the truth, but it is true that at this pace mankind is destroying our beloved planet, and there might be no future neither for her, nor for us as inhabitants of this planet. It is high time that we realize the damage we have done to poor Mother Earth, as there is very little time and a lot left to do. Why doesn't everyone realize that we are indebted to Mother Earth for her kindness to us since the human evolution?We are not helpless. If we want, we can do a lot. We can be generous for a change!
We can reuse and recycle many objects. Joining and forming environment clubs is yet another solution. Schools can also organize awareness campaigns, as in the end, it is awareness at all levels that will help improve the situation. A Chinese proverb also says - "If you are thinking one year ahead, sow a seed; if you are thinking ten years ahead, plant a tree; and if you are thinking a hundred years ahead, educate the people." Education of the environment is also really important, thus, we should try and watch videos and read about the topics.Thus, there is still hope. With efforts of each one of us, we will not only be able to arrest the decay, but reverse it as well.
It will be our way of giving back to Mother Earth what earlier generations have depleted.
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