DRI NEWS RELEASE
$50,000 for Washoe County High School Sustainability Competition
The GREENevada Schools NOW! High School Sustainability Competition idea was voted by the public to receive a Pepsi Refresh Grant of $50,000. The GREENevada Coalition will now use the grant to sponsor a Washoe County High Schools sustainability plan competition.
“The challenge to all Washoe County High Schools will be to make a positive impact on the environment by making a positive change in their school,” said Fayth Ross DRI GreenPower Outreach Administrator and founding member of GREENevada.
The High School Sustainability Plan Competition is designed to teach students what it means to be sustainable and how they have the power to make changes in their schools to achieve that goal.
“Members of GREENevada will be providing students and faculty with training and resources they need throughout the competition to help teams create feasible and high impact plans,” Ross added.
The first step for students will be to identify an area or areas at their schools where they can make a positive impact. The second step is to develop a plan with clear goals, objectives, activities, budgets and projected impacts. This will require students to be innovative, to use research, and to clearly communicate how the plan would be implemented. The students will then submit a 10 page proposal and make a brief presentation to a panel of judges on Earth Day. Winning schools will receive cash prizes (obtained through the Pepsi Refresh Grant) to help make their plans realities.
Rules for Entries
Teams must register for the competition by February 3, 2011 at 6 p.m. Registration forms may be downloaded at greenevada.org and should be sent electronically to [email protected]. No paper registrations will be accepted. Proposals must be submitted by April 1, 2011 at 5 p.m. to [email protected]. Teams will be scored on creativity and feasibility. Then teams will present their plans on Earth Day, April 22, 2011, which is an opportunity to convince the judges that not only is the proposal sound, but it will also make an impact on their school that is both necessary and positive.
GREENevada Background
Growing Resources for Environmental Education in Nevada is a partnership between six non-profit organizations committed to making schools sustainable, including: Alliance for Climate Education, Black Rock Solar, Envirolution, DRI’s GreenPower Program, Sierra Nevada Journeys, and Urban Roots Garden Classrooms. Schools are encouraged to seek help from one, three, or all organizations to help bring sustainability into their classrooms. Their mission is to help every school in Nevada be green and for every child to learn global responsibility through local example.
GreenPower Background
DRI’s primary energy outreach program is GreenPower, sponsored by NV Energy and the Robert S. and Dorothy J. Keyser Foundation. GreenPower supports and promotes educating Nevada’s K-12 students in renewable energy and how to incorporate conscious living practices into their daily lives. GreenPower recently changed its focus from renewable-energy hardware installations to providing teachers in more than 70 participating schools with hands-on teaching tools. Educators also receive a variety of professional development options—including annual training, monthly workshops, biannual hydroponics training, and energy audit training—some of which provide renewable credits for participants.
