Earth Day 2010 on the Mall in Washington, D.C. This week is National Environmental Education Week - how have you been teaching about the environment?
Earth Day is April 22 and teachers around the country are educating about the environment this week as part of National Environmental Education Week (EE Week).
EE Week is the nation’s largest environmental education event. It’s held each year the week before Earth Day and inspires environmental learning and stewardship among K-12 students.
EEWeek.org spotlights Westport teacher Michael Aitkenhead this year. Aitkenhead teaches AP environmental science at Staples High School.
“I find that many students become intimidated by some of the other sciences or feel that the knowledge learned in those classes isn’t applicable in their own lives,” Aitkenhead said. “Environmental science can be used as a hook to draw students into the sciences and to foster good scientific inquiry.”
For resources for teaching about the environment, check out these websites:
Have you been teaching about the environment this week? Please share what you’re doing in your classroom by leaving a comment.
Environment Matters, Inside and Out
Students and staff celebrated National Healthy Schools Day (NHSD) this past Monday as a great day to promote healthy and green indoor school environments for all.
Says CEA President Phil Apruzzese, “Children are more susceptible to indoor environmental hazards and, in Connecticut, continue to have higher rates of asthma and other lung diseases as well as allergies and sinus infections linked directly to school facilities. Teachers continue to have onset and the exacerbation of occupational asthma due to school building environment conditions.”
CEA is a member of the Connecticut School Indoor Environment Resource Team (CSIERT). Apruzzese adds, “CSIERT plays a significant preventative role for schools across the state by bringing the Environmental Protection Agency’s Tools for Schools program to school districts. There is a direct correlation between poor school maintenance and poor indoor air quality in schools. Recognizing National Healthy Schools Day ensures that the legislature, school districts and the general public remain aware of the necessity for proper school maintenance and healthy air quality of schools for children.”
Read more about NHSD from the Huffington Post. Find out what you can do at HealthySchools.org.
