2010 National Arbor Day Foundation Poster Contest deadline March 5

5th grade teachers and students are invited to participate in the 2010 Arbor Day National Poster Contest sponsored by the Colorado Tree Coalition, the National Arbor Day Foundation, and Toyota Motor Corporation. School winners will be eligible to compete in the State Contest. The Colorado State Winner receives special recognition locally and also competes nationally. All school winning posters are displayed at the Colorado State Capitol and all school winners and teachers receive great prizes! Don't miss out on this engaging and impactful opportunity to teach fifth grade students about the important role trees play in our environment. Download your free 2010 Arbor Day National Poster Contest materials here http://www.arborday.org/kids/postercontest/index.cfm and help foster the next generation of tree stewards or contact Donna Davis directly at dodavis@lamar.colostate.edu or at: Colorado Tree Coalition Poster Contest Coordinator, c/o Colorado State Forest Service, 208 Santa Fe Ave, Suite #21
La Junta, CO 81050.

Colorado GreenSchools!

Metro Denver has been chosen by the national PLT office as one of five regions to participate in Year Two of the Corporation for National and Community Service’s Learn and Serve STEM Grant. Five schools from each region are selected to participate in a two-day GreenSchools! training. Visit GreenSchools for more information. The investigations are available for all to use, but free registration is necessary.

Colorado Green Schools are from Denver -Cole Academy of Arts and Science, Escuela Tlatelolo, and Lake MS, and from Aurora -Quest K-8, and Hinkley HS. Each school sent a GreenSchools! Team, composed of students and school staff, for training in service-learning, PLT, and the GreenSchools! program. Our training was hosted at Lake MS which was used as a laboratory for learning the investigations. The unique student and teacher training model is proving very successful.

Teams attended a two day training in November conducted by national PLT leaders to learn how to investigate environmental topics of concern at their schools. Each school receives equipment and materials valued at $1000 to explore energy and water use, waste and recycling, landscaping and outdoor features, and overall environmental quality. They then decide on a problem or issue they'd like to improve, and create an action plan. Each team will receive a $6000 GreenWorks grant to implement their plan.

Stay tuned for more about our PLT GreenSchools! Visit our student page to follow their experiences.

New Grant Opportunities

Toshiba America Foundation Grants
Deadline: February 1, 2010
The Toshiba America Foundation promotes quality science and mathematics education in U.S. K-12 schools by supporting programs that improve teaching and learning in science and mathematics. Awards range from $1,000 to $50,000. Visit the Toshiba website to learn more and download an application.

Irwin Andrew Porter Foundation Grants
Deadline: March 31, 2010
The Irwin Andrew Porter Foundation funds environmental education programs that show evidence that the creator thinks "outside the box." The quality, innovation, thoughtfulness and effectiveness of the project are all considered in determining the winners of this grant. Grant amounts may range from $500 to $30,000. Visit the Foundation Website to review the grant guidelines and submit an application.

Get Ur Good On Grants
Deadline: February 22, 2010
Get Ur Good On Grants are available for youth-led service initiatives on Global Youth Service Day, April 23-25, 2010. Available to children and youth around the world, YSA's Get Ur Good On Grants will award 100 $500 grants to support projects addressing critical community needs such as poverty, education, and environmental sustainability. To learn more about Get Ur Good On Grants and to take the eligibility quiz, visit www.YSA.org/grants.



Disney's Planet Challenge Announces Funding for Classroom Environmental Science Projects

Disney announced a new granting initiative to supplement its free environmental learning competition for fourth through sixth grade classrooms, Disney’s Planet Challenge. Disney is collaborating with DonorsChoose.org, an online charity that connects individual “citizen philanthropists” with classrooms in need, to match donations and fund 50 percent of each Disney’s Planet Challenge classroom environmental science project that qualifies.

Disney is providing a $100,000 grant to DonorsChoose.org that will be applied towards the Web site’s “Double Your Impact” feature which will fund 50 percent of environmental science classroom projects for Disney’s Planet Challenge, a program developed by Disney in collaboration with NSTA, West Ed K–12 Alliance and a number of federal and state government agencies. To participate, between now and December 18, fourth through sixth grade educators across the U.S. can find out more at www.Disney.com/planetchallenge.

EPA Environmental Education Grants
Deadline: December 15, 2009
EPA seeks proposals to support environmental education projects that promote environmental stewardship and help develop knowledgeable and responsible students, teachers, and citizens. EPA issues Environmental Education Grants from Headquarters as well as its Regional offices. Regional offices fund projects from $5,000 to $50,000. EPA Headquarters funds projects from $50,001 to $200,000. Most grants awarded will be in the $15,000 to $25,000 range. Following instructions is an important part of the application process, so please read carefully!

Toyota International Teacher Program
Application Deadline: January 6, 2010
The Toyota International Teacher Program offers fully-funded, international, professional development opportunities for U.S. educators. The program aims to advance environmental stewardship and global connectedness in U.S. schools and communities through creative, interdisciplinary, and solution-based teaching methods. The 2010 Toyota International Teacher Program will take place in Costa Rica, June 18 – July 3. Visit their website to review eligibility criteria and the full aplication.

NEA Foundation Green Grants
Deadline: February 1, 2010
Public school educators are eligible to apply for NEA Foundation Green Grants worth up to $5,000 for the development and implementation of ideas, techniques and approaches for teaching "green" concepts. Big Green Help Grants target environmental education as an area of promise in helping students develop a sense of environmental stewardship. NEA’s Green Grants to Public School Educators support projects that integrate green-related topics with standards-based content areas to increase student engagement and improve academic achievement.