Eco Experience

with Eco Chick

Eco /ˈēkō/ adjective; not harming the environment; eco-friendly

Volume 5, May 2021

Happy ICAW!!

What?! What is ICAW you ask?

International Compost Awareness Week!! May 2-8, 2021

This is a week set aside every year to revere our soil and become aware that our food scraps can be turned into compost to grow more food. With garden season upon us, it is a ripe time to learn more about soil and ways to keep it healthy.

And, if you haven't seen the Eco-documentary Kiss the Ground yet...it's on Netflix right now. Nudge, nudge. Watch the trailer here.

Links to learn and teach more:

ICAW

ICAW for teachers

NSTA/Kiss the Ground

Love Food Not Waste-curbside food waste collection in Eugene

Soil Story Curriculum from Kiss the Ground (for MS)

Food Waste Warrior outline/resource list

"Soil is an almost magical substance, a living system that transforms the materials it encounters."

-George Monbiot

“Science is magic that works.”

- Kurt Vonnegut

7th annual STEM Week Oregon

May 8-16th, 2021

Design-Invent-Inspire

STEM Week Orego n, a state-wide movement to raise awareness, celebrate and engage in activities involving Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math.

Celebrate STEAM and community learning with all Oregonians! Daily prize winners will be drawn for registrations, and featured STE(A)M Activities will be highlighted on STEMOregon.org.

All you need to do to participate is sign up!- with your family, your class, your neighborhood. Participate in daily themed challenges and submit photos and videos of your work to our Celebrate STE(A)M Gallery, or do your own thing and tell us about it! STE(A)M is all around us- explore it! All entries are eligible to win prizes! More activities = more chances to win!

Click here for a google slide choice board with pdfs for each day and for elementary teachers SeeSaw links.

Sign up here

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NSTA's Beautiful Planet

5-7 minute films showcasing Climate Science Research to Spark Curiosity/ Increase Student Understanding of How the World Works

“Creativity is the secret sauce to science, technology, engineering, and math.”

- Ainissa Ramirez

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Water Bottle Refill Station Project

You may have noticed that there are water bottle refill stations available in your buildings now; especially if the building didn't have any before.

The 4J/EWEB Education Partnership worked with 4J Facilities this past year to have a minimum of two water bottle refill stations installed in all K-12 school buildings across our district. As part of the 4J/EWEB Climate Action Assessment, schools were identified based on the following criteria: a building not slated for demolition and that does not currently have a water bottle refill station(s) on site. In addition, educational signage was added to a prominent refill station in each building to highlight our local drinking water source, the McKenzie River, and bring forth the idea that refilling reusable water bottles keeps single use plastics out of the waste stream.

We are thrilled to have been able to provide these units to schools and students across the district!

Reusable water bottles...don't leave home without them!

4J/EEP Water is Life

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Reminder: 4J Earth Day Art-a-bration

Call for art submissions from students!

Shift-Act-Create-Share

April 22-May 21

-Shift- Choose a Shift. Small shifts, make a big difference.

-Act- Take action-shift a habit to make a change. Spend at least two weeks making your shift into a new habit

-Create-Draw, paint, collage, sculpture, public service announcement, poetry, spoken word, a song, a dance, an invention-You.do.you. Be creative.

-Share-submit your creation via photo, video or mp4 and a short paragraph about the habit you shifted and how your art represents your shift and a wish for the planet.

All submissions will become part of a Virtual Gallery.

All entrants will be entered into a drawing for prizes donated by local businesses.

Submission Form

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Earth Day, Every Day!

Although Earth Day has come and gone, the 4J Climate Action team encourages you take the attitude of Earth Day, Every Day moving forward.

The small collection of resources put together for you use with your students to bring awareness to Earth Day and small actions we can all take to make a big difference for our planet will continue to grow and reorganize.

Continue to check back over the next months for added resources and ideas to integrate into your units and lessons, highlighting climate education and the environment.

Earth Day site

And, if you are interested in being added to the 4J Climate Justice Team group next year, email Tana @ shepard_t.

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Waste Prevention Education

Earth Day, Every Day

Small Shifts, Big Impacts:

Learn about waste prevention at home

The 4J/EWEB Education Partnership (4J/EEP), the City of Eugene and Lane County have come together to provide a home waste prevention education component for 4J elementary families. For the past several years, 4J has received a waste prevention education grant focused on food waste with the Love Food Not Waste Program. With more time at home, it is a good time to learn more about preventing waste at home, what can be recycled & where and more. Shifting to greener choices, helps us help the planet!

More info can be found on 4J/EWEB Education Partnership's No Time to Waste page.

Note: If there are items students don't need/want, encourage families to share with a friend or return to the school and we can redistribute them.

*We will be in contact with individual schools soon to arrange delivery.

“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”

-Dr Jane Goodall

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4J/EWEB Education Partnership

Tana Shepard, aka Eco Chick

TOSA-Climate, Energy, Conservation

Email: shepard_t@4j.lane.edu
Website: https://sites.google.com/4j.lane.edu/4j-eep/home
Phone: 541-790-5533