Pine Jog Environmental Education Center and the School District of Palm Beach County are pleased to announce that Mr. Jim McGrath will be the keynote speaker for the 2010 Learn Green Conference and Expo.  Mr. McGrath is the Executive Director and Founder of the National Green Schools Network.  He has served in education for more than 30 years as a teacher and principal, with experience at all levels of public education. His main focus has been to improve public education through innovative instructional approaches.

A Quick Reminder

Please remember that the second annual Learn Green Conference and Expo will be held on October 15th, 2010 at Palm Beach Central High School in West Palm Beach.

The 2010 Learn Green Conference and Expo will be held October 15, 2010 from 8:30 until 3:30.  The location of this years event will be held at Palm Beach Central High School in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The application to present is now open.  Completed forms should be e-mailed to Karen Aubry at kaubry@fau.edu

Targeted audience for the conference and expo will be teachers, administrators, parents, students, and community members interested in learning how to make their school “greener.”

All presenter sessions will 45 minutes in length.

To learn more about the Learn Green Conference and Expo please click here.

]]> http://www.ourgreenschools.com/2010/07/01/learn-green-conference-and-expo-call-for-presenters/feed/ http://www.ourgreenschools.com/2010/05/04/highlights-of-the-2009-learn-green-conference-and-expo/ http://www.ourgreenschools.com/2010/05/04/highlights-of-the-2009-learn-green-conference-and-expo/#comments Tue, 04 May 2010 18:17:38 +0000 matt http://www.ourgreenschools.com/?p=561 Please enjoy this short video showcasing the 2009 Learn Green Conference and Expo.  This YouTube video was created by the Community Foundation of Palm Beach and Martin Counties.

To learn more about the Learn Green Conference and Expo please click here.

Listed below are the schools who received the funds and short description of their project.

Jupiter Middle School       

Jupiter Middle School received $300.00 to support their “Eat Your Greens” project which incorporated the skills of a local artist to assist students and staff in painting a mural on the wall of their cafeteria.  When completed the mural will depict their goal of becoming a school which can sustain itself by growing the food they can eat.

Morikami Park Elementary School

Morikami Park Elementary School received funds for their “Habitat Restoration Project.”  The Green Seed Money was used towards the purchase of native trees that will be planted by staff, students, parents, and outside volunteers in May.

Timber Trace Elementary School

Timber Trace Elementary School received $288.78 to support their project entitled “Feed the Garden, Not the Landfill.”  The funds that Timber Trace Elementary requested were used to purchase a compost tumbler which will be placed outside the cafeteria with the compost that was created being used for classroom gardening projects.

Marsh Pointe Elementary School

Marsh Pointe Elementary received $300.00 to “Green their Garden.”  The funds that were requested were used for the purchase of a rain barrel and a composter.  Marsh Pointe Elementary will use the rain barrel in their schools butterfly garden and the composter to help educate the school community of the positive uses a composter can bring to a garden.

Palm Beach Day Academy

Palm Beach Day Academy received funds to “Green” their school parties through the purchase of re-usable plates and cups for use on their Flagler Campus.  Palm Beach Day Academy plans to purchase materials that are made of 100% recycled materials.

Jupiter High School

Jupiter High School received $300.00 to purchase trees as a part of the native landscaping.  The trees will be planted in Jupiter High Schools healing garden, with use by the students and staff.  Not only will students and staff use the garden, wildlife will prosper as well with the abundance of cover and food.

Coral Sunset Elementary School

Coral Sunset Elementary School received funds to enhance their Reading Garden.  The funds for this project will be used to purchase a variety of native trees that will be planted on the school grounds.  The funds also allocated money for plastic lanyards that can be reused at the school throughout the year.

Greenacres Elementary School

Greenacres Elementary School received $299.95 for a Hydroponics Garden that will be installed on the school grounds.

In total Pine Jog awarded $2,388.95 to 8 2008-2009 Green School recipients this year.  We would like to congraulate these schools for continuing their path to becoming a green school.

2nd annual

Learn Green Conference and Expo

on

October 15, 2010

at

Palm Beach Central High School

Please take a look at the highlights from the 2009 Learn Green Conference and Expo.  This short video was created by The Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martian Counties

Please remember that when your school turns in their Green Schools Application on or before March 8^th, 2010 that all applications must include one hard copy and 3 electronic copies on CD’s.

Presented by:  Audio Enhancement

Date:  November 11, 2009

Time:  8:00 AM-3:30 PM

Location:  Pine Jog Elementary School 6315 Summit Blvd. West Palm Beach, Florida

What to expect at this NO-COST event

• A sharing of ideas about how to “green” your school’s day-to-day operations and curriculum, with an emphasis on practical and easily implementable steps
• Exhibits by local non-profit agencies and vendors who offer environmentally-based goods, services, or educational opportunities
• Complimentary continental breakfast and lunch will be served (a special thank you to our sponsors!)
• In service points to all Palm Beach County teachers

Registration for Learn Green: A Green Schools Summit is now closed. 

Event Program

• 2009 Learn Green: A Green Schools Summit Printable Program

Reserve your spot now for one of the following required workshops:

• September 30 at Pine Jog Environmental Education Center, West Palm Beach 2-4:30pm
• October 9 at the FAU Jupiter Campus 2-4:30pm
• October 21 at Don Estridge Middle School, Boca Raton 2-4:30pm
• November 11 at Pine Jog Environmental Education Center             9am-11:30

To register or for more information, email kaubry@fau.edu.

St. Juliana was awarded the Green School of Promise.

This program was sponsored by The Environmental Endowment Fund, The Hans and Mary Stratmann Intergenerational Fund and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Fund of the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties. The Community Foundation provided a grant to Florida Atlantic University’s Pine Jog Environmental Education Center in West Palm Beach, who organized the program and event.

The Green Schools Recognition Program honored twenty-one schools that have demonstrated their commitment to “greening” their school’s practices and curriculum.  Schools were recognized as being either “Green Schools of Promise,” “Green Schools of Quality” or “Green Schools of Excellence.”

Sacred Heart was awarded the Green School of Promise.

Three schools were recognized as Green Schools of Excellence and received cash awards for demonstrating exceptional leadership as models for implementing green school programs and practices. All cash awards are intended to help these schools continue to grow their “green” projects.  Jupiter High School was recognized as the top ranking Green School in Palm Beach County and received a $2,000 cash award.  The next two schools in the Green Schools ranking were Morikami Park Elementary School and Pine Jog Elementary School, each receiving a $1,000 cash award.

Four schools received Judge’s Choice awards of $500 each.  The Judge’s Choice winners were Jupiter Middle School, St. Andrews School, Don Estridge Middle School and Palm Beach Day Academy.  Two of the Judge’s Choice awards were made possible by the Audubon Society of the Everglades and the Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County.

Jupiter Middle was awarded the Green School of Quality as well as a $500 Judge's Choice Award.

Please see our front page for a full list of the 2009 honorees.

In addition to the Green Schools, other integral organizations and persons, who helped make The Green School Recognition Program possible, attended the Green School Luncheon. First, the Green School Steering Committee, a dedicated group of people who helped guide and conceptualize the Green School Recognition Program were present and recognized. Additionally, Green School Judges were thanked at the luncheon for the valuable time they spent reviewing and scoring all the applications. The Audubon Society of the Everglades and the Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County were also graciously thanked for their cash donations of $500 each that made two of our Judge’s Choice Awards possible. Lastly, special guests such as board members from the Community Foundation and Pine Jog Environmental Education Center were honored.

The collaborative efforts and hard work from the Green Schools and community organizations prove that The Green Schools Recognition Program’s mission of encouraging schools to create cultures of sustainability within their communities is a reality in Palm Beach County. And that was certainly something worth celebrating!

School Representatives at Luncheon.