APRIL 2017 S E R T IN THIS ISSUE: Sustainability Last month we talked about Earth Hour. This month the focus is on Earth Day. Why do we care so much about the planet? Quite simply, because we must! Renewable Energy Wind power, solar power, geothermal energy, hydroelectric power, and biomass are the main forms of renewable energy. MCPS purchases all of these renewables, and we also produce solar energy. Recycling Spring has sprung, and that means that there are specific things that you need to remember about your dumpsters and yard waste. Team Activities It’s almost me for MAEOE’s annual youth summit. Do you know of a student who’d be a great keynote speaker? Have them apply! Also, make sure to get those WATTS UP? posters submied by May 1. EACH YEAR ON APRIL 22, people around the world celebrate Earth Day, focusing on the planet’s environment and holding acvies to raise public awareness about the negave effects polluon has on Mother Earth. The idea for Earth Day was proposed by Senator Gaylord Nelson who had witnessed the damage caused by a massive oil spill in 1969. Nelson was inspired by student involvement in the an-Vietnam War movement and realized that if that same energy were focused on the environment, change would take place. In 1970, his staff of 85 concerned cizens organized a naonal “teach-in” that focused on educang the public about the environment. They were able to convince 20 million people across the United States to parcipate in protests, rallies, and other public events on April 22, 1970 to raise awareness about the environment and find ways to protect the planet. By 1990, the event had gone global with 200 million people in 141 countries parcipang. To celebrate its 40 th anniversary, the Earth Day Network launched a campaign in 2010 to plant 1 billion trees—a feat that was accomplished in 2012. Through the years, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) has made intenonal, environmentally-friendly decisions in the areas of building construcon and maintenance, resource conservaon, transportaon, materials and waste cycles, and informaon technology. MCPS connues to be a leader in green and healthy-schools iniaves and integrates environmental literacy into the curriculum at all grade levels. Those who support Earth Day understand that awareness and educaon are foundaons for progress. This is why we promote Earth Day within our MCPS system. Some schools will hold special assemblies or have school spirit weeks that focus on Earth Day while others will host community cleanup acvies. These acons not only help us make our earth a beer place to live, they also teach our students to be responsible environmental stewards and future leaders. “Our air, water, soil, forests, oceans, rivers, lakes, scenic beauty, wildlife habitat, minerals, that is the wealth of the country.” ~Gaylord Nelson
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APRIL 2017
S
E
R
T
IN THIS ISSUE:
Sustainability Last month we talked about
Earth Hour. This month the focus
is on Earth Day. Why do we care
so much about the planet?
Quite simply, because we must!
Renewable Energy Wind power, solar power,
geothermal energy, hydroelectric
power, and biomass are the main
forms of renewable energy. MCPS
purchases all of these renewables,
and we also produce solar energy.
Recycling Spring has sprung, and that means
that there are specific things that you
need to remember about your
dumpsters and yard waste.
Team Activities It’s almost time for MAEOE’s annual
youth summit. Do you know of a
student who’d be a great keynote
speaker? Have them apply!
Also, make sure to get those WATTS
UP? posters submitted by May 1.
EACH YEAR ON APRIL 22, people around the world celebrate Earth Day,
focusing on the planet’s environment and holding activities to raise public
awareness about the negative effects pollution has on Mother Earth.
The idea for Earth Day was proposed by Senator Gaylord Nelson who had
witnessed the damage caused by a massive oil spill in 1969. Nelson was
inspired by student involvement in the anti-Vietnam War movement and
realized that if that same energy were focused on the environment, change
would take place. In 1970, his staff of 85 concerned citizens organized a
national “teach-in” that focused on educating the public about the
environment. They were able to convince 20 million people across the United
States to participate in protests, rallies, and other public events on April 22,
1970 to raise awareness about the environment and find ways to protect the
planet. By 1990, the event had gone global with 200 million people in 141
countries participating. To celebrate its 40th anniversary, the Earth Day
Network launched a campaign in 2010 to plant 1 billion trees—a feat that was
accomplished in 2012.
Through the years, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) has made
intentional, environmentally-friendly decisions in the areas of building
construction and maintenance, resource conservation, transportation,
materials and waste cycles, and information technology. MCPS continues to be
a leader in green and healthy-schools initiatives and integrates environmental
literacy into the curriculum at all grade levels. Those who support Earth Day
understand that awareness and education are foundations for progress. This is
why we promote Earth Day within our MCPS system. Some schools will hold
special assemblies or have school spirit weeks that focus on Earth Day while
others will host community cleanup activities. These actions not only help us
make our earth a better place to live, they also teach our students to be
responsible environmental stewards and future leaders.
This newsletter is produced by the School Energy and Recycling Team (SERT)
program and distributed to SERT leaders, Green Teams, building service personnel,
and others who are interested in conservation and sustainability. As part of the
Montgomery County Public School Department of Facilities Management, the SERT
program provides opportunities for all schools to participate and receive incentives
and recognition for their energy conservation and recycling efforts. We support
a balanced environment for the integration of all students to work together in a
culturally diverse environment, and strive to provide the resources, support, and
vision of the future for a successful conservation program at each school.
Promoting the connections between human behavior and its impact on the
environment reinforces our culture of conservation and increases participation
in our mission to conserve resources and recycle actively.
THE SERT TEAM:
Richard Benjamin, program manager
Helen Blankfeld, information specialist
DJ Connelly, facilitator
Terina Garcia, facilitator
Linda McLaughlin, program technician
John Meyer, recycling manager
Jim Stufft, facilitator
Department of Facilities Management | SERT PROGRAM | 45 W. Gude Drive, Suite 4000 | Rockville, MD 20850 www.GreenSchoolsFocus.org | Main: 240.314.1090 | Fax: 301.279.3005 | [email protected] | @MCPSsert
APRIL 2017
Maryland Green Schools Annual Youth Summit Tuesday, May 18, 2017 Sandy Point State Park
WATTS UP?
05/01/17 THE NEW CONTEST DEADLINE IS
THIS YEAR, ALL MCPS
EMPLOYEES ARE INVITED TO
JUDGE THE COMPETITION!
WATCH FOR MORE DETAILS.
The Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor
Education (MAEOE) is looking for exceptional young people to
present a student keynote address at the upcoming Maryland
Green Schools Youth Summit.
The chosen students will talk about one or more Green School Projects that
they have done this year. All students in a preK-12 Maryland Green School (or
in a school applying in 2016-2017) are eligible to present. The keynote address
will take place during the ceremony at 11:15-11:45 a.m. and will be five
minutes in length. There will also be speaking opportunities at each of the
Green School Ceremonies. Presentations should be dynamic, creative, and
fun for an audience of mostly students grades preK-12. Submissions are due
by April 28 at 5:00 p.m. Find out more here.
MAEOE expects more than 3,000 students to attend this year’s youth summit
which will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The theme, “Creating Opportunities
Beyond the Bricks,” focuses on the amazing ways students learn in the
outdoors and outside of traditional classroom settings.
Visit MAEOE’s website to learn more about Maryland Green Schools, the
summit, or how to apply to be a keynote speaker/exhibitor at the youth
summit. Every school in Maryland is invited to the summit. Registration for
the event will be available on MAEOE’s website soon.