Singapore Green Guardians Blog

This week, we are excited to share some of the programs related to our new environmental literacy lesson series: My Journey to Zero Waste! These programs are available for students and families through the California Environmental Literacy Initiative (CAELI) Community-Based Partner Hub (the Hub). 

My Journey to Zero Waste teaches environmental literacy for Kindergarten and First graders through 5 lessons where students explore their environmental impact through two birthday parties: a typical party and a zero-waste party. Throughout the 5 lessons, students learn how waste is generated, what happens to the waste we create, the benefits of the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, and recycle), how to calculate waste, and gain an understanding of their own individual impact on sustainability and the environment. 

The Hub is a great tool for teachers to identify local environmental education programs that relate to lessons taught in the classroom. Today, we wanted to highlight a few programs that cover environmental literacy domains present within the My Journey to Zero Waste lesson series: Environmental Justice, Green Guardianship, Pollution, Resource Conservation, and Waste Management. 

Visit the Hub today and use the filters to find the right programs that relate to your lesson plans. Filter by program type, topic, grade level, cost, location, and more!

Here we have highlighted a few programs below that can help students expand on their learning in the My Journey to Zero Waste lesson series: 

Bay Discovery – Save the Bay  

Learn about the role our local wetlands and waterways play in waste management and how we can become better guardians of our environment.  

Elkus Ranch Educational Tours – Elkus Ranch   

Learn about sustainability and waste management on the ranch through one of Elkus Ranch’s guided tours.  

Schoolyard Cleanup Program – California Coastal Commission  

Organize and or participate in a Coastal Cleanup Day on a field trip to a beach or local waterway, become environmental stewards of your schoolyard, gain experience in real-world data collection and problem-solving.  

Trash Academy/ La Academia De Basura – Season 1 

Through a series of lessons, videos, surveys, and projects, students will learn how to identify different plastic, the life stages of plastics, and even apply course materials onto our Home Audit project, where students will categorize different plastics by resin ID code, identify its producer, brand and collaborate to identify the top plastic polluting brands entering their communities.  

Virtual Learning – Recology Waste Zero  

Recology currently offers a suite of online resources for students and families that is free and accessible online. Resources include virtual tours, videos, and worksheets, as well as opportunities to arrange live virtual field trips with a Recology educator.  

Watsonville Green Schools Waste Reduction Assistance  

Watsonville Green Schools: Waste Reduction Assistance Training and support for the food scrap collection system for your cafeteria. Advice to improve your school waste reduction: food recovery, food scarp collection, blue cart recyclables, and more. Classroom and cafeteria educational presentations are offered. 

Are you interested in teaching the My Journey to Zero Waste lesson series in your classroom? Sign up today to receive the full lesson series kit! 

Relevant Links

CAELI Community-Based Partner Hub

The Hub promotes environmental literacy by building educator awareness of environmental education community-based partners and their products and services and fosters educator-partner relationships for increased student enrichment and engagement.

California Environmental Literacy Initiative (CAELI)

The California Environmental Literacy Initiative (CAELI), led by Ten Strands, works statewide with guidance from a leadership council to create systems change in support of environmental literacy with a focus on access, equity, and cultural relevance for all students.

Ten Strands

Ten Strands weaves stakeholders and strategies together into strong, focused education partnerships, with the goal of raising environmental literacy by providing high-quality environment-based learning and hands-on education to all California K–12 students. Ten Strands acts as an incubator and a catalyst to create collaborations, build capacity, and transform systems to increase their impact and sustainability.

News and Events

Climate Education and Action to drive the SDGs
Jul. 15, 2021 Center For Sustainable Development, The Earth Institute, Columbia University

This HLPF 2021 side event will help to operationalize SDG 4.7 by developing a series of consensus-building sessions on various themes, such as classroom-based pedagogies, teacher Professional development, curriculum development, and aligning of lesson plans.

Urban Ecology Center Institute Summer 2021 Online Intensive
Jul. 15 – Aug. 12, 2021 Urban Ecology Center

This interactive online course will cover the intersecting themes of transforming kids, parks, cities, and the world.

iNaturalist Online Training
Jul. 21, 2021 Frankston City Council

Come along and learn how to use the world’s most popular nature app- iNaturalist and contribute to citizen science and conservation efforts.

Are Canadian schools raising climate-literate citizens?
Jul. 06, 2021 Corporate Knights

Without consistent K–12 climate change content, Canada faces a climate leadership gap.

Outdoor Environmental Education Grants Awarded for Watershed Studies
Jul. 06, 2021 The Southern Maryland Chronicle

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has announced $160,000 in awards for student and youth outdoor science and watershed education in the state.

Could dehydrating meat and vegetables help solve the global food waste problem?
Jul. 06, 2021 World Economic Forum

A food-tech company in Mumbai is converting farm food waste into preserved produce using dehydration technology. Solar-powered food preservation could prove vital in tackling global food waste, with 931 million tonnes going to landfill each year.

5 ways you can keep the planet clean this summer
Jul. 06, 2021 National Geographic

Suppose we clean up our messes and recycle what can be salvaged. Isn’t that how Mother Nature would want us to behave?

Greater investment and innovation in educating children about environmental issues needed to help future generations respond to the climate emergency, experts urge
Jul. 07, 2021 FE News

Environmental education provision needs greater investment and innovation if future generations are to be able to respond fully to the climate emergency, experts have said.

Climate change: The need to incorporate climate education into school curriculum
Jul. 07, 2021 Financial Express

Educating children about Sustainable Development means advancing the information, abilities, perspectives, and qualities important to conserve our planet.

‘Sometimes the Good Guys Win’: Company Cancels Plans for Oil Pipeline Through Black Neighborhoods in Memphis
Jul. 07, 2021 Gizmodo

Organizers in Tennessee are claiming victory over the widely maligned Byhalia Connection pipeline project.

In response to teacher popular demand, we have developed a new lesson series on waste management and the 3 Rs (reduce, reuse, and recycle). The lesson series is titled My Journey to Zero Waste and it teaches environmental literacy for Kindergarten and Grade 1 through 5 lessons in which students explore their environmental impact through two birthday parties and the subsequent waste that is created or not created in each. 

Throughout the 5 lessons, students will learn how waste is generated, what happens to the waste we create, the benefits of the 3Rs, how to calculate waste, and gain an understanding of their own individual impact on sustainability and the environment. Students will be exposed to new concepts and vocabulary through an array of games and activities culminating in an analysis of their own waste generation and a zero-waste action plan. 

My Journey to Zero Waste covers important California learning standards in science, English language arts, and math. The lesson series includes a family guide with after-school extensions for classrooms and students who want to take an even deeper dive into their zero waste journeys. 

Click here to access the My Journey to Zero Waste K-1 lesson series!

Relevant Links 

Bay Discovery – Save the Bay 

Learn about the role our local wetlands and waterways play in waste management and how we can become better guardians of our environment. 

Elkus Ranch Educational Tours – Elkus Ranch  

Learn about sustainability and waste management on the ranch through one of Elkus Ranch’s guided tours. 

Schoolyard Cleanup Program – California Coastal Commission 

Organize and or participate in a Coastal Cleanup Day on a field trip to a beach or local waterway, become environmental stewards of your schoolyard, gain experience in real-world data collection and problem solving. 

Virtual Learning – Recology Waste Zero 

Recology currently offers a suite of online resources for students and families that is free and accessible online. Resources include virtual tours, videos, and worksheets, as well as opportunities to arrange live virtual field trips with a Recology educator. 

Watsonville Green Schools Waste Reduction Assistance 

Watsonville Green Schools: Waste Reduction Assistance Training and support for the food scrap collection system for your cafeteria. Advice to improve your school waste reduction: food recovery, food scarp collection, blue cart recyclables, and more. Classroom and cafeteria educational presentations offered. 

News and Events

CELF Summer Institute 2021: Education for Sustainability
Jul. 06-08, 2021 CELF

This 3-day online institute will introduce how to apply education for sustainability as a lens for learning. Participants will explore CELF’s Big Ideas of Sustainability Framework to identify ways to reflect on personal values and implement the big ideas into current teaching practices.

eeWORKS: Demonstrating the Power of Environmental Education
Jul. 07, 2021 NAAEE

Whether you are an educator, EE provider, funder, or advocate, learn how to use the data from eeWORKS to back up the feel-good EE stories you hear about to support your work.

National Marine Educators Association Conference
Jul. 14-17, 2021 National Marine Educators Association

The conference theme is “Your Connection to Water,” focusing on our personal connection to water, as well as the virtual connection to which we have all become so familiar.

On climate change frontline, indigenous provide pointers to save planet
Jun. 25, 2021 UN News

Indigenous people living on the frontline of climate change could offer potentially ground-breaking insight into biodiversity protection and sustainability, but they urgently need help to withstand a growing number of threats to their way of life.

Why are we under-educating the greatest workers and innovators in the world?
Jun. 25, 2021 The Hill

Creating a climate literate population has not been a priority for the U.S., despite the obvious political, economic, and environmental risks and opportunities looming on the not-too-distant horizon.

How urban gardens can boost biodiversity and make cities more sustainable
Jun. 28, 2021 The Conversation

In building cities, we have created some of the harshest habitats on Earth — and then chosen to live in them. Temperatures in cities are typically 2 C to 3 C warmer than those of the surrounding landscape.

Biden EPA Appears to Side With Chemical Industry in Microplastics Health Conflict: Greenpeace Investigation
Jun. 29, 2021 EcoWatch

A Greenpeace investigation revealed Monday that the Biden administration appears sympathetic to oil and chemical industry giants — not the public, scientists, and public health advocates — regarding a push in Europe to curb the use of microplastics in everyday products.

These farmers show that agriculture in the Amazon doesn’t have to be destructive
Jun. 29, 2021 National Geographic

This part of Brazil’s Amazon rainforest is being used for agroforestry, areas where farmers are replanting the forest with local crops.

Podcast: Connecting kids and ourselves to nature
Jun. 30, 2021 Mongabay

Joined by Richard Louv, the podcast discusses the latest research showing how important it is to connect kids to nature and educate them about the environment.

Watch Out! There’s a New Ocean on the Block
Jun. 30, 2021 Discovery

A new ocean has been added to the list. The Southern Ocean becomes the fifth ocean to be officially recognized on the world map.

This week, we are excited to share some of the programs available for students and families through the California Environmental Literacy Initiative (CAELI) Community-Based Partner Hub (the Hub)! 

With a wide array of programs offered throughout the summer, the Hub is a great place to start when looking for environmental summer camps or experiences! Our environmental education community-based partners have programs for students of all ages, and some partners have programs that cater to families as well.

Don’t wait to sign up for your 2021 summer program! Check our blog to see the list of available programs, and visit the Hub to learn more!

Relevant Links

Acterra You(th) Be the Change – Grades 6-8, After school, virtual, school-based, Free 

Durham ferry (SJCOE) Summer Day Camps – Grades 3-8, Day Camp, Fee 

Kern Environmental Education Program Camp KEEP – Grades 5-7, Residential Camp, Fee 

Living Classroom After School/Enrichment – Grades TK-8, Fee 

Marine Science Institute  

• Canoes in Sloughs – 6-12 Grades, Adults, Fee 
• Discovery Voyage – 4-12 Grades, Adults, Fee 
• Inland Voyage – All Grades, Fee 
• Shoreside – All Grades, Fee 
• Tidepool – 3-12 Grades & Adults, Fee 

MBARI Internship Program – Grades TK, 11, 12, Free 

MEarth Summer Camps – Grades 3-10, Day Camp, Fee 

The Marine Mammal Center Ocean Conservation Leaders – Grades 9-12, After School or Virtual, Fee 

Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District Let’s Go Outdoors – All Grades, Field Trip, Free 

San Francisco Zoo & Gardens Zoo Camp – Grades K-6, Day Camp, Fee 

Seymour Marine Discovery Center Ocean Explorers Summer Camp – Grade N/A, Day Camp, Fee 

News and Events

Climate Leader Series: Youth Climate Action with Manisha Rattu
Jun. 29, 2021 Bay Nature

Join us for a talk on how youth are changing the landscape of environmental justice, with Manisha Rattu of Pittsburg Youth Action!

GLOBE Environmental Science Workshops
Jul. 09-10, 2021 Elkhorn Slough Reserve

This 2-day Secondary Teacher environmental monitoring workshop trains teachers in the GLOBE Program’s hydrosphere, atmosphere, pedosphere (soils), and landcover protocols that may be used to develop inquiry-based lessons and conduct environmental monitoring with students in their local environment.

Climate Change Education Research Conference
Jul. 12, 2021 The Climate Change Education Research Network

This is a free event for all educators and researchers to share findings from the world of climate research and consider how to translate these into classroom practice.

Opinion: After bracing for the worst during pandemic schooling, we found hope and value in outdoor learning June. 21, 2021, The Hechinger Report

Karen Cowe of Ten Strands and Craig Strang of UC Berkeley Lawrence Hall of Science on the benefits outdoor learning provided during the pandemic and its potential as a permanent solution.

As Climate Warms, a Rearrangement of World’s Plant Life Looms
Jun. 17, 2021 e360

Previous periods of rapid warming millions of years ago drastically altered plants and forests on Earth. Now, scientists see the beginnings of a more sudden, disruptive rearrangement of the world’s flora — a trend that will intensify if greenhouse gas emissions are not reined in.

In Scotland, the rewilding movement looks to the past to plan its future
Jun. 21, 2021

Scotland, host of the COP26 climate summit this November, is the site of an ambitious rewilding project with a centuries-long timeline for restoring the forests that once blanketed the now-familiar landscape of barren moors.

New report shows why fighting climate change and nature loss must be interlinked
Jun. 21, 2021 World Economic Forum

A new report shows the importance of addressing nature loss as part of the fight against climate change. ‘Nature-based Solutions’ offer a way forward.

Coal Miners Go on Strike and Fox News Goes Silent
Jun. 22, 2021 Gizmodo

Fox’s failure to cover a coal miner strike shows they care about coal bosses, not coal workers.

‘Upcycling’ promises to turn food waste into your next meal
Jun. 22, 2021 The Conversation

How would you like to dig into a “recycled” snack? Or take a swig of juice with “reprocessed” ingredients made from other food byproducts.

What Do People Really Know and Want to Know About Plastic & Health?
Jun. 23, 2021 Earth.org

Plastic is the human health crisis no one is talking about. It causes long-lasting and irreversible harm at every step of its production.

Why ‘tiny forests’ are popping up in big cities
Jun. 23, 2021 National Geographic

Community forests the size of a basketball court can make an outsized difference, providing shade, attracting plants and animals, and even storing a bit of carbon.

Over the month of May, we piloted the Bananas About Bananas K-1 lesson series in 5 school districts across California and gathered feedback on the quality, accessibility, and relevancy for teachers and students. We’re excited to share some of the feedback we gathered from teachers.

Missed last week’s bulletin introducing the lesson series? Check it out here!

Some of our key takeaways from the pilot were:

• Teachers are excited about environmental literacy lessons
• Teachers prefer short lessons that can be broken up into smaller segments
• Teachers prefer to teach environmental literacy in-person
• Environmental literacy lessons need to be designed so they are accessible to students of all ages and backgrounds
• Teachers want content that is engaging and relevant to students

Learn more about the feedback we received through the initial Bananas About Bananas lesson series pilot in today’s article! Read the article here.

Let us know what lesson materials you value the most and what you’d like to see included in curriculum units and lesson series: Contact us today!

Relevant Links

Bananas About Bananas Lesson Series

For Kindergarten and Grade 1 students. Through readings, activities, and discussions, students trace the journey of a banana from farm to home and beyond, consider its environmental impact, and envision a greener journey.

Green Guardians Newsletter

Sign up to be notified when new lessons are released!

News and Events

Wild Wonder Nature Journaling Conference
Jun. 23-27, 2021 John Muir Laws

This is an annual event that gathers people who are passionate about nature, art, science, curiosity, and wonder to share ideas, learn from each other, support each other, inspire each other, and have fun together in nature’s beauty.

Green Schools Conference
Jun. 28-29, 2021 USGBC

This year the Green Schools Conference will convene virtually over two half-days of programming, featuring inspiring keynotes, interactive education sessions, and engaging peer group networking opportunities.

Volunteer for the Earth Workshop
Jun. 30, 2021 Earth.org

Join this workshop on citizen engagement to learn how you can make a difference in 2021.

Will 2021 be the year governments commit to quality climate education? A growing call for action ahead of the G-20
Jun. 02, 2021 Brookings

For nearly 30 years, many governments have acknowledged education as an important element in national and global efforts to combat climate change and for setting the stage for a sustainable future.

People’s odds of loneliness could fall by up to half if cities hit 30% green space targets
Jun. 09, 2021 The Conversation

One in four Australians feels lonely on three or more days a week. Our longitudinal study, just published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.

Here are some of the most exciting green Technology Pioneers of 2021
Jun. 15, 2021 World Economic Forum

From lab-grown fish to food coatings you can eat; from zero-emissions flying to satellite data to verify reforestation. Here is our pick of some of the most innovative and exciting green-tech pioneers.

6 ‘Green Nobel Prize’ Recipients Announced
Jun. 16, 2021 EcoWatch

Nicknamed the “Green Nobel Prize,” the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize recognizes grassroots activists from six continents who have moved the needle on environmental issues their communities face. This year’s recipients led the charge on.

Sea Turtles Lead Space Force Straight to the Cocaine
Jun. 16, 2021 Gizmodo

The Space Force joined the war on drugs last month, courtesy of nesting sea turtles.

5 places where ecosystems are being restored around the world
Jun. 17, 2021 World Resources Institute

Ecosystems are being damaged by the human impact on our planet. Global warming and plastic pollution have damaged habitats, putting those living within them at risk. Restoring these ecosystems is vital to restore biodiversity around the world, with added benefits to humans.

How L.A.’s urban tree canopy reveals hidden inequities
Jun. 17, 2021 National Geographic

A drive from north to south down Vermont Ave in Los Angeles, California, reveals how trees on the city’s streets change with the income level of each neighborhood.

This week, we are excited to introduce the first of our environmental literacy lesson series, Bananas About Bananas, complete with teacher guides, interactive quizzes, and board games for students to play!

Bananas About Bananas advances environmental literacy through a series of 3 lessons based on English language arts standards. Bananas About Bananas is a lesson best suited for Kindergarten and First-grade learners.

Through readings, games, and discussions, students trace the journey of a banana from the farm to the home and beyond! Students consider the environmental impact of the banana’s journey and envision a greener approach.

Click the link below to sign up and receive access to all three lessons in this series!

Relevant Links

All About Birds

In the All About Birds program, students will explore the wide variety of birds typically found in our local neighborhoods. Learn about the unique features of bird beaks, feet, and feathers that help these beautiful animals thrive.

CAELI Community-Based Partner Hub

The Hub promotes environmental literacy by building educator awareness of environmental education community-based partners and their products and services and fosters educator-partner relationships for increased student enrichment and engagement.

Farm Discovery at Live Earth

In the Farm Discovery fields, garden, and animal pens at Live Earth Farm, students from diverse backgrounds learn how to care for the health of those three interconnected systems. Through sustainable farming and hands-on nutrition education, Farm Discovery field trip participants learn how caring for themselves can also support healthy ecosystems, economies, and communities.

Life Lab – Garden Field Trips

Fall Farm to Fork Field Trips: For 1st grade through middle school students, this program helps students to make the important connection between farms and the food on their dinner table. Winter Feeling Fine with Fresh Food Field Spring Science Exploration Field Trips: For 1st through 4th graders, grade-specific themes align with NGSS: (1) Structure and Function/Plant Parts; (2) Pollination; (3) Life Cycles; (4) Structure and Function/Internal Plant Parts Sowing the Seeds of Wonder Field Trips: For PreK/K, this program gives young learners hands-on experiences with the source of their food

News and Events

Summer Training at Home 2021
Jun 14-25, 2021 Edible Schoolyard Project

The event is open to all and free of charge. Join this exciting series of workshops, webinars, and skill shares that will bring together edible educators from around the world.

The Children’s Environmental Health Series
Jun. 15 and 22, 2021 NEEF

This series engages medical and public health professionals in discussions that explore prominent issues affecting marginalized people and presents evidence-based methods for integrating best practices for broad implementation.

After Dark Online: Get Up, Stand Up: Organizing for Environmental Justice in Richmond
Jun. 17, 2021 Exploratorium

Hear from prominent Richmond environmental justice organizations about their work to connect with the land as a form of resistance—educating the public, empowering residents, shaping policy, and more.

Petrifying Climate Change
Jun. 03, 2021 Hakai Magazine

Researchers want to combat climate change by chemically converting carbon dioxide into rock on a grand scale.

California moves to disentangle its spending from global deforestation
Jun. 03, 2021 Friends of the Earth

Recent research from Friends of the Earth concluded that up to 25 percent of California’s public purchasing may be linked to deforestation in sensitive tropical and boreal forests.

How Returning Lands to Native Tribes Is Helping Protect Nature
Jun. 03, 2021 e360

From California to Maine, land is being given back to Native American tribes who are committing to managing it for conservation. Some tribes are using traditional knowledge, from how to support wildlife to the use of prescribed fires, to protect their ancestral grounds.

Don’t compromise science when protecting water quality in the nation’s rivers and streams: Derrick Z. Jackson
Jun. 03, 2021 EHN

Follow the science – which Obama used and Trump ditched – in developing a new definition of “waters of the US” under the Clean Water Act.

Bringing tech innovation to wildfires: 4 recommendations for smarter firefighting as megafires menace the US
Jun. 08, 2021 The Conversation

Record-breaking fires over the past decade suggest the western U.S. has entered a new era of megafires. They are fires that produce massive amounts of smoke that can kill thousands of people prematurely and contribute to climate change.

3 ways to work with nature to boost biodiversity
Jun. 09, 2021 World Economic Forum

Returning land to its natural state is essential to boost the quality and quantity of the ecosystems that support plant, bird, wildlife, and insect species.

COP26 launches environment education packs for UK schools and students
Jun. 10, 2021 Gov.uk

Schools across the UK are being encouraged to start a conversation on climate change with their students, ahead of the UK hosting global climate summit COP26 later this year.