Program:
Field It!
- Budget:
-
$7,250
- Category:
-
Environment
- Population Served:
-
Children Only (5 - 14 years)
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Female Youth/Adolescents (14 - 19 years)
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Male Youth/Adolescents (14 - 19 years)
Program Description:
Field It is environmental education program encompassing all school subjects – science, art, music, writing and history - to motivate students to learn about the environment. The goal is that through real-life experiences, students will become more aware, passionate and interested in environmental issues. The program has been embraced at elementary and high schools in Maryland and Virginia.
Because each school and student are unique, we tailor our education efforts to meet the needs of teachers and students in our partner schools, immersing ourselves in the school to design a customized program that helps them meet their goals. Field It encompasses efforts such as habitat restoration, creating outdoor classrooms, school recycling, activities that augment environmental lesson plans, energy monitoring and conservation activities, field trips, guest speaker series, tool kits, eco- art contests and science fairs, Earth Day celebrations, and more.
Program Long-Term Success:
In the long term, NMF will use western Loudoun schools as a model, and roll the program out to all interested schools throughout Loudoun County, one of the fastest growing counties in the country (75 school facilities and more than 57,000 students), and eventually to schools across Virginia and our local greater Washington D.C. region.
Program Short-Term Success:
In the short term, NMF will expand its effort in 2009 by targeting schools across Loudoun County, VA, starting with a pilot in the 11 western Loudoun schools in which more than 7,000 students are enrolled. Building on an existing relationship with the cluster high school in western Loudoun, and working with the Loudoun County Public School administration, NMF met with the 11 schools to plan a strategy to implement Field It in the schools that are interested. A key element of our strategy is to use our prototype educational tool-- E3, Education on Energy and the Environment, a multimedia approach to enhance environmental education. E3 is a dynamic environmental education toolkit that includes games, teacher and student resource tools and lesson plans that conform to state standards of learning.
Program Success Monitored by:
Field It has touched the lives of over 300 students at Easton Elementary in Maryland by our establishing a native plant meadow on school property. Over 2,000 students at Loudoun Valley High School in Purcellville, Virginia have been positively impacted by the wetland we helped restore, the rain garden we helped them plant and the nature trail we are about to dedicate. Over 100 students at Hillsboro Elementary School are involved in all aspects of greening efforts at the school, such as recycling, outdoor classrooms, and participating in an eco-science fair, and an after-school green team.
Through habitat restoration work on school campuses in the past year, we impacted over 1050 students by getting them outside and teaching them about local ecology and the role they can assume as local stewards. Our efforts prompted the environmental science teacher at one of the schools to say, “Without NMF, my students would never have realized the impact they could have on the environment.”
Program Success Examples:
- Initiated a partnership with Hillsboro Elementary to implement a comprehensive greening program at the school with elements such as recycling, outdoor classroom planning and installation, eco-tips, environmental resources for teachers, waste-free lunch, eco-science fair, and after-school eco-.
- Anecdotal evidence shows that students who have been touched by our programs have changed their own behavior towards the environment, as well as their parents and grandparents. Students report that after playing the Field It high school eco-game “Who wants to be A Millionaire Eco-Edition” they practice more environmentally friendly practices by turning off lights and reducing, and recycling waste. One student in rural Virginia convinced his parents to build fences on their farmland so livestock stayed clear of riverbeds, thus directly impacting the water quality of their farm and home. Many students who have graduated are now contacting us to help with our mission.
Program:
Green Earth Book Award
- Budget:
-
$26,100
- Category:
-
Education
- Population Served:
-
Children and Youth (infants - 19 years.)
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Youth/Adolescents only (14 - 19 years)
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Children Only (5 - 14 years)
Program Description:
NMF’s Green Earth Book Awards is the nation’s first environmental stewardship book award. This program promotes books that inspire children to grow a deeper appreciation, respect, and responsibility for their environment. This is an annual award for authors and illustrators whose books best raise awareness of the beauty of our natural world and the responsibility that we have to protect it. The Green Earth Book Award is awarded in four categories: Picture Book, Children’s Fiction, Young Adult Fiction, and Nonfiction.
Our Green Earth Book Awards are presented at Salisbury University’s annual Children’s and Young Adult Literature Festival, held in Salisbury, Maryland. NMF donates winning books to the Capital Book-Share -- thus providing our books to needy children in DC schools. We also directly donate to area libraries and schools in DC, Maryland and Virginia as well as area shelters and resource centers to give youth more access to these environmental books.
Program Long-Term Success:
NMF’s long-term goal for this program is to increase nationwide the number of authors writing to children and young adults about environment stewardship. The program has gained considerable momentum since its inception 5 years ago, when less than 20 books were submitted for review. In 2008 and also in 2009, over 100 books were nominated, and the award is becoming more prominent among authors and in the publishing world. As a result, more press and bloggers are reporting our winners. Melissa Stewart, 2007 children’s fiction winner, reported, "Just after the winners were announced, my publisher signed me up to write a related book, and now I have two more under contract. I'm not sure this would have happened if my book hadn't received the award."
Program Short-Term Success:
In the short term, the Foundation plans to create programs that match donors with schools so we can donate more winning books to area schools and schedule regional book and author tours in order to give children the opportunity to meet winning authors and illustrators. We believe that when a child meets an author, not only is a reader born, but also a new environmental steward is inspired. The strategy to fund this goal is to leverage our involvement in Salisbury University’s annual Children’s and Young Adult Literature Festival and to sponsor a local DC event to attract donors to underwrite a regional book and author tour.
Program Success Monitored by:
Our goal in evaluation efforts is to determine through quantifiable and anecdotal information whether our programs have helped ignite a changed behavior and if our programs provided the information our service communities needed and if it was delivered it in a forum or venue that was most appropriate.
Authors are telling us that their publishers are now more inclined to support the publication of environmental stewardship books for children and young adults.
Program Success Examples:
- In 2008 alone, we connnected over 1,000 students, teachers, librarians, and the general public to our winning Green Earth Book Award authors through school visits, author panels, community events, and book signings.
- Green Earth Book Award recipients have told us that our award has encouraged their publishers to be more interested in supporting the publication of additional environmental books.
Program:
enGAUGE It
- Budget:
-
$4,000
- Category:
-
Environment
- Population Served:
-
Children Only (5 - 14 years)
-
Female Youth/Adolescents (14 - 19 years)
-
Male Youth/Adolescents (14 - 19 years)
Program Description:
During the recent presidential campaign, both President Obama and Senator John McCain agreed upon one important environmental issue: the positive effect that proper auto tire pressure could have in reducing gas consumption and ultimately reducing our carbon footprint. We’re taking on this issue by implementing a high school educational project called enGAUGE it. In this program, students will implement a tire gauge educational program to have a meaningful impact within their communities by planning and organizing a one-day community event to give away free tire gauges, educating people about the benefits to individuals and the environment of keeping tires properly inflated, and providing information on how to test and inflate tires.
Program Long-Term Success:
In 2010, we plan to roll this out across our Greater Washington Area region. By 2011, we will launch our nationwide program, available to any high school in the country that is willing to take the enGAUGE it challenge. NMF will create a web page that high schools across our region and the country can log on to for a project description, instructions, equations, and tips on how to implement enGAUGE it in their communities. When they commit to the enGAUGE it challenge, they will receive their free tire gauges. After schools have their events, students will log back on to record their results on our website, showing the number of cars that had their tire pressure checked and corrected, and associated cost savings for individuals and the positive impact on our environment.
Program Short-Term Success:
Our short-term goal is to develop a pilot program for Virginia high school students. The students have been charged with conducting the research, collecting and analyzing the data, and developing the proper tire inflation “how to guide” for local citizens. We already have the enthusiastic support from the mayor of the Town of Purcellville, Virginia, and the students at Loudoun Valley High School to hold the event in April 2009. We anticipate 250 students being involved with the pilot from science, math and art classes. The citizen population of Purcellville is nearly 5,000. We anticipate reaching at least 60% of that population through the student’s efforts.
Program Success Monitored by:
We will evaluate the program's success based on the number of students involved in the program and the number of residents in the community that received informational brochures and tire guages.
Program Success Examples:
Results for the April 2000 efforts are not available yet.
Program:
Environment and the Arts
- Budget:
-
$1,200
- Category:
-
Environment
- Population Served:
-
Children Only (5 - 14 years)
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Children and Youth (infants - 19 years.)
-
Adults
Program Description:
NMF celebrates the beauty and diversity of the environment through theater and the arts by hosting events in communities throughout the region. Some of the theatrical events hosted by NMF include a regional tour of the play A Sense of Wonder about the life of environmental pioneer Rachel Carson, a showing of the movie An Inconvenient Truth with a follow up discussion about global warming, and participation in the Washington, D.C. Environmental Film Festival. Plans are well underway for hosting a community series on hiking the Appalachian Trail and the role our national parks play in a child’s development and experience with the outdoors.
Program Long-Term Success:
Our goal is to host more free community events and environmental art series. This gives more opportunity for the Foundation to reach a larger audience. In the short term, we have leveraged existing events by being a funding partner of a local environmental film festival.
Program Short-Term Success:
In the short term, we have leveraged existing events by being a funding partner of a local environmental film festival.
Program Success Monitored by:
Our goal in evaluation efforts is to determine through quantifiable and anecdotal information whether our programs have helped ignite a changed behavior and if our programs provided the information our service communities needed and if it was delivered it in a forum or venue that was most appropriate.
Program Success Examples:
- In 2007, NMF worked with local and state governments to declare May 27 Rachel Carson Day a pesticide-free day in communities across the nation. NMF organized serveral programs in celebration of Carson’s Centeniannal birthday and her legacy, including “A Night on Capitol Hill” featuring a performance of A Sense of Wonder, a regional tour of the play with performances in 5 area locations, and a Rachel Carson Scholar Awards Ceremony honoring students who embrace Carson’s message of environmental stewardship.
Program:
Rachel Carson Scholar Program
- Budget:
-
$3,000
- Category:
-
Environment
- Population Served:
-
Female Youth/Adolescents (14 - 19 years)
-
Male Youth/Adolescents (14 - 19 years)
Program Description:
The goal of the Rachel Carson Scholar Program is to recognize and honor public and private high school students with a strong academic record who demonstrate interest in or knowledge of the natural world and have taken an active role in community-based environmental stewardship activities. NMF encourages applicants whose interest in the environment is demonstrated in any discipline.
Program Long-Term Success:
In the long term, NMF plans to create an intern program by connecting our Rachel Carson Scholar award recipients with our corporate partners, thus giving these high school students vital environmental field work experience. Our partners will then contine to mentor these students throughout their college years and provide them with resources that will help them succeed in their careers.
Program Short-Term Success:
In the short term, NMF would like to work with state, federal and local governments to launch similar tributes and expand our scholar program throughout D.C. and Virginia.
Program Success Monitored by:
This program is available to at least 100,000 students in Maryland. The Maryland State Department of Education partners with NMF by distributing the application, reaching more than 100,000 students who are eligible to apply. Through 2008, twenty-two scholars have been designated, with 9 winning scholarship funds. Additionally, NMF also offers environmental internship positions to university students, and has sponsored 10 youth programs with $100 sponsorships through the government’s Coastal America program.
Program Success Examples:
NMF organized a tribute to Rachel Cason, America’s pioneer of the modern environmental
, in 2007. Through NMF efforts, The State of Maryland and several local governments proclaimed May 27 to be Rachel Carson Day; theatrical performances were help throughout the region, and several high school students were honored for embracing Carson’s message by taking active role in community-based environmental stewardship activities
The Maryland State Department of Education partners with NMF by distributing the application, reaching more than 100,000 students who are eligible to apply. Through 2008, twenty-two scholars have been designated, with 9 winning scholarship funds. Additionally, NMF also offers environmental internship positions to university students, and has sponsored 10 youth programs with $100 sponsorships through the government’s Coastal America program.