PS57′s tiniest Green Team members celebrate Earth Day in the garden.  

NWF’s Eco-Schools USA program is aligned with the USED Green Ribbon Schools program. In 2012, one quarter of all Green Ribbon Schools were also registered Eco-Schools. Eco-Schools USA’s seven step framework and program “Pathways” support all three of the Green Ribbon pillars.  To win both the federal Green Ribbon and the Eco-Schools Green Flag, PS 57’s students and faculty tackled a number of sustainability initiatives, including reducing their building’s energy use by 25%, teaching students about climate change and renewable energy, and creating composting, recycling, gardening, robotics, and ecology programs. The composting and recycling efforts have diverted 30% of the school’s waste and kept more than 10,000 pounds of paper and milk cartons out of landfills.

PS 57 students grow fruits and vegetables for the school’s cafeteria in the garden.  Flowers are grown in the greenhouse, which students built out of 1,500 recycled plastic bottles.  The structure is “lined” with netting so butterflies can be released inside it.

On Earth Day, NYC Staten Island Parks Department staff and rangers were on hand to deliver free soil and help PS 57 students plant hundreds of native plugs and grasses donated to the school by American Beauties Native Plants company, an NWF partner. PS 57′s 5th graders transported soil to the garden in wheelbarrows, pre-Kindergarteners dug in the dirt, and 2nd through 5th graders planted in pots and watered. Native grasses were planted in Eibs Pond — a 17-acre wetland park across from the school where students care for trees, conduct summer pond clean-ups, and collect water quality data for the U.S. EPA.

NWF Eco-Schools USA’s award program provides recognition for schools, like PS 57, that are modeling sustainability education. We know that there are many schools out there with fantastic green programs that deserve to be recognized for their achievements. If you are not a registered Eco-School yet, sign up online and begin tracking your progress towards certification on the fun and interactive Eco-Schools dashboard. If you think that your NYC school is, or could be, a Green Flag winner, I want to hear from you!  Please contact me at fanoe@nwf.org so we can arrange a tour of your school!

All photos: Emily Fano

NWF: Keystone XL Tar Sands Vote a Test of Climate Commitment

March 22-The U.S. Senate is set to vote today on what’s known as the Hoeven amendment, a non-binding amendment that expresses support for building the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline regardless of its impacts on wildlife, climate change, and clean water.

Larry Schweiger, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, said today:

“We’re coming off America’s hottest year on record as the cleanup from climate-fueled superstorm Sandy is still ongoing, and what’s the Senate hard at work on? Earning its low approval rating by capitulating to polluting special interests with a meaningless vote on the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline.

Check out more on Keystone XL

Westerners Praise Salazar Plan to Protect Water from Costly Oil Shale Speculation

March 22-Westerners praised the Salazar oil shale plan released by the Interior Department today for its smart approach to protecting water and local communities from costly oil shale speculation.

“We commend Secretary Salazar for developing a commonsense plan that makes public land available for research but requires results and environmental safeguards before any commercial leasing can proceed,’’ said Michael Saul, attorney with the National Wildlife Federation. “This new plan aims to ensure that we won’t risk precious water, air quality, fish, wildlife and the regional economies that depend on those resources on a gamble that might never pay off.”

The plan requires that companies conduct successful research operations of oil shale and prove oil shale’s economic viability before the Bureau of Land Management will consider commercial development. Companies will also be required to put proper safeguards in place to protect water supplies, land, wildlife, air quality and local economies.

For more on Carbon Pollution, visit  Stopping Carbon Pollution

It was an unusually warm day in the greater Chicago region as I drove north towards Waukegan, IL in January. The temperature gauge in the car read 46 and it was only 7:30 in the morning. It was somewhat ironic that it was this warm, since I was on my way to present the Eco-Schools Green Flag award to the Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep School(CRSMCP), who had been working for four years to reduce their environmental footprint, addressing such issues as energy use, climate change and waste reduction.

At 8 a.m. every Monday morning, CRSMCP comes together to share, learn and on this day to celebrate the tremendous strides they had made as a learning community in becoming more sustainable. This small, Catholic High School and their environmental club have been able to reduce their energy use by over 15% and their waste by over 50%. Over the past three years, CRSMCP has participated in the HSBC Eco-Schools Climate Initiative which is focused on developing a global network of schools actively participating in learning about climate change and finding ways to reduce carbon emissions and energy use in their schools and local communities.

CRSMCP Receives Green Flag Award – NWF

Academy of Global Citizenship

As the day progressed and I headed south towards Chicago, the temperature kept rising and instead of a cold, snowy and windy day which one would expect in late January in Chicago, it was mild and  sunny. I was heading south to visit and award another amazing school with the Green Flag Award, The Academy of Global Citizenship (AGC) a charter school in south Chicago.

Over the past four years, AGC has worked with NWF’s Eco-Schools USA, and  Schoolyard Habitat programs, the HSBC Eco-Schools Climate Initiative, and the Wrigley’s Litter Less Campaign to reduce their carbon footprint. Students at AGC spend over two hours a week outside in their gardens and outdoor learning classrooms, collecting eggs and vegetables and composting their breakfast and lunch waste. To date the Academy had diverted over 14,000 pounds of waste from the landfill and have a zero-waste breakfast and lunch program. They also have been able to reduce their carbon emissions by 17.8 tons!

As Dan Schnitzer, Director of Sustainability and Operations points out, “Our work on sustainability and our time outdoors is central to our curriculum. We use the natural world as a lens to learn and inspire and enable our students to take positive actions toward a more sustainable future.”

AGC Green Flag Award – NWF

Congratulations to both of these NWF Eco-Schools USA Green Flag Schools!

To resgister to become an NWF Eco-School or to learn more about the  program check out our website at: www.eco-schoolsusa.org

NWF Hails Designation of Colo.’s Chimney Rock as National Monument a Significant Milestone

Photo: Flickr, jah~

President Barack Obama signed a proclamation Friday to establish the southwest Colorado site as the country’s newest national monument.

The site, with the twin pinnacles of Chimney Rock and Companion Rock, has strong cultural and spiritual significance for Native Americans. It was home to ancestors of the modern Pueblo Indians.

NWF’s Danielle Moodie-Mills Named One of the Most Influential African Americans in America

September 21 – National Wildlife Federation is pleased to announce that Danielle Moodie-Mills, Director of Education Advocacy was named to The Root 100, a list of the top African American influencers ages 25-45. The Root is the leading online source of news and commentary from an African-American perspective, and is owned by the Washington Post.

This year, Danielle Moodie-Mills joins the ranks of MSNBC’s Melissa Harris-Perry, Former NFL player and LGBT advocate Wade Davis II, and fellow environmentalist Van Jones as one of The Root’s 100 most influential and powerful leaders in the African-American community.

New Report Warns of Oil, Gas and Coal Companies’ Influence in Elections

September 20 - Students around the nation were urged to take the election back from undue influence of oil, gas and coal companies who are spending unprecedented amounts of money to influence the 2012 elections. Energy Action Coalition’s Power Vote campaign, a national student oriented advocacy movement, was backed by a report issued today from the National Wildlife Federation’s Campus Ecology Program. The report is aimed at college students, most of whom are voting for the first time. The report warns that youth have the biggest stake in the election, since they will inherit problems like global warming if they are not addressed immediately.

“Oil, gas, and coal companies want to make the odds seem too overwhelming for the rest of us to affect change in the fight to combat climate change,” said NWF president and CEO Larry Schweiger in unveiling the report.

NWF’s Eco-Schools Programs Gets Even Cooler With New Cool School Challenge Program

September 18 – Amid extreme weather events and an ever-increasing need to be vigilant about developing solutions to climate change, educators may be wondering how they can incorporate climate responsibility into their schools’ curricula.

“We have to go through the trash? Are you kidding?”

MA State Senator James Eldridge (photo by Ann Sussman)

We knew that the cafeteria trash barrels held plenty of recyclable bottles and food scraps – it was easy to see when you peered inside.  But breaking open trash bags…?

A little background: a group of students, staff and community members at ABRHS have set a goal of achieving Green Flag certification through the Eco-Schools USA program. We knew that having this goal would help us create a structured approach to improving sustainability.  And we were enthusiastic about being linked to the 50,000 schools around the world that participate in the Eco-Schools program.

I’d done some research into the “Consumption & Solid Waste” portion of Green Flag certification and learned that it begins with a trash audit.  So…yes, we’d be breaking open trash bags and counting and weighing everything inside.

Shock at this prospect turned to laughter, and then to a realization that there was opportunity here: “Let’s make it a party! If we’re going to get down & dirty, let’s have fun with this!”

An enterprising student created an engaging “Trash Party” invitation, and we blasted it out far and wide within the school system and to community groups.  We knew we were on to something important when our State Senator Jamie Eldridge, replied that he would be coming by to support us.

A bold crew assembled on the day of the event, music playing and balloons bobbing nearby.  We were armed with buckets, tarps, gloves, clipboards, and cameras.  The first trash bag was upended into a tub, and the sorting began!  We counted and weighed and hunted for the prizes that two clever students had dropped into the trash during lunch earlier in the day.

Trash sorting at school (photo by Ann Sussman)

So the honest-to-goodness trash was just 5 pounds, and filled just half a bag!  Another surprise:  it was way fun!  We had a great time together, and it was exhilarating to put together solid data confirming our hunches about the trash stream.

After some trash-sorting, Sen. Eldridge spoke with us about legislative proposals to enhance recycling and composting.  Principal Alixe Callen and Director of Facililties J.D. Head came out to lend a hand.  A reporter covered the event and posted a great video report, and we posted a report and photos on the website we’ve been building to publicize our progress toward sustainability. The data we gathered creates a valuable baseline to rethink our waste management, and will inform the planning underway.

The best part of all?  Taking action together…and discovering that a Trash Party can be a blast!

To learn more about how to become a certified Eco-School, click here.

National Wildlife Federation Announces New Ranger Rick Geocache Trails

June 17, 2011 – National Wildlife Federation is launching Ranger Rick’s Geocache Trails, a fun outdoor adventure for kids and their families. To establish trails in numerous communities throughout the country, National Wildlife Federation is looking for more parks, nature centers, and other outdoor recreational sites to serve as trail hosts in their area. Ranger Rick’s trails marry GPS-enabled treasure hunting, or geocaching, with a wildlife-themed game featuring Ranger Rick and his pals from the award-winning children’s magazine published by National Wildlife Federation.

Ranger Rick Joins Maryland First Lady Katie O’Malley for Great American Backyard Campout Event

June 16, 2011 – First Lady Katie O’Malley kicked-off the Great American Backyard Campout with help from the National Wildlife Federation and Maryland Park Service by pitching a tent with a group of local kids on the Government House lawn. “Camp under the stars” is one of ten outdoor activities that make up the Maryland Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights, introduced by Governor Martin O’Malley in 2009.

House Appropriations Committee Blocks Clean Water Protections

June 16, 2011 – The House Appropriations Committee recently blocked efforts to restore Clean Water Act protections for streams that supply drinking water to 117 million Americans and wetlands that provide flood protection and critical fish and wildlife habitat. The committee rejected an amendment by Representative Jim Moran (D-VA) that would have allowed the Army Corps of Engineers to revise guidance to its staff on this issue. By voting against this amendment, the Appropriations Committee is upholding a dangerous status quo of wetlands loss, stream impairment, and regulatory confusion.

National Wildlife Federation Tells Congress to Stop Playing with America’s Food and Energy Security

June 16, 2011 – Today, the House voted to slash over $1 billion in conservation and renewable energy funding from programs that help farmers, ranchers, and foresters across the country to protect soil, conserve water, enhance wildlife habitat, and help America meet its growing energy demands. The conservation programs that were cut directly benefit sportsmen and rural economies through the creation of hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreational opportunities.

National Wildlife Federation Applauds Senate Vote to End Ethanol Subsidies

June 16, 2011 – Recently, the Senate overwhelmingly voted to end more than $6 billion in ethanol subsidies. The move will save taxpayers money and protect wildlife and the environment. “The National Wildlife Federation praises today’s congressional action to end wasteful and damaging ethanol subsidies,” said Julie Sibbing, director of the agriculture program for the National Wildlife Federation.

Virginia Middle School Awarded Second Public Green Flag Award

June 15, 2011 – Just one week after America’s first public Green Flag was raised in Boston, the second followed some 460 miles to the south. Fairfax’s Lanier Middle School was awarded Virginia’s first Eco-Schools USA Green Flag—just the second American public school so honored—in a ceremony today, denoting exceptional achievement in ‘greening’ school grounds, operations and curricula.

Keystone XL Tar Sands Bill Clears House Subcommittee

June 15, 2011 – A subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved legislation today that forces the Obama administration to make a decision on the controversial Keystone XL tar sands pipeline by November. The bill is expected to pass the full committee next week and would likely get a floor vote next month.

National Wildlife Federation Brings Climate-Smart Conservation to the Great Lakes

June 15, 2011 – Climate change is bringing new challenges to the Great Lakes region and changing the way communities think about conservation. The National Wildlife Federation and EcoAdapt are working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to reduce the vulnerability of the Great Lakes area by developing methods to ensure that coastal planning and restoration projects are “climate-smart.”

High School Students Use their Talents to Raise Money for Wildlife

June 15, 2011 – Environmental Clubs from Grayslake North and Central High Schools in Grayslake, Illinois, celebrated Earth Week 2011 with a benefit talent show where all proceeds were used to adopt animals from the National Wildlife Federation’s Adopt An Animal program.

Sportsmen To Congress: Use Oil Spill Fines to Restore the Gulf

June 14, 2011 – Outdoor industry leaders from across the country are meeting with their members of Congress today, urging them to dedicate the Clean Water Act penalties from last summer’s oil spill towards restoring the Gulf.

NWF to Honor Lawrence Bender, Anderson Cooper, Alyssa Milano, and Howard Ruby

June 13, 2011 – As the National Wildlife Federation continues to celebrate its 75th anniversary this year, the organization will honor four individuals committed to protecting wildlife during its “Voices For Wildlife” gala, to be held at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on June 15.

Bighorn Sheep Victory in Payette National Forest

June 13, 2011 – It looks like America’s iconic bighorn sheep will be regaining their home on the range. In a landmark decision Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell approved a management plan to phase out domestic sheep grazing on 70,000 acres of bighorn habitat in Payette National Forest. This decision brings to a head a decades-old conflict between the sheep industry and conservationists.

And here are highlights from NWF in the News:

• Huffington Post: Lawrence Bender tells Congress: Stop Denying An Inconvenient Truth
• Great Lakes Echo: New York approves Great Lakes water rules; Wisconsin up next
• WAMU 88.5: Fairfax School Wins International Honor For Sustainability
• Michigan Public Radio: Climate change & Great Lakes restoration

For more, visit www.nwf.org/News

1. Highlight of the Week: Big profits for Big Oil
2. Quote: House Speaker John Boehner
3. Economic Story of the Week: Baucus takes on Tax Breaks
4. Editorial of the Week: End the tax giveaways for oil companies
5. FTC to Probe Tar Sands Price Manipulation
6. Payback Ads Hit Hard
7. NWF’s First Green Flag Flies in Georgia
8. Happening this Week

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Highlight of the Week

Big profits for Big Oil

via Flickr, Marshall Astor

As energy prices soar, and large oil and gas companies announce billions in first quarter profits, efforts to repeal tax breaks given to Big Oil have become the hot topic on the Hill. After House Speaker John Boehner’s gaffe admitting that Congress should consider stopping the subsidies that fuel our addiction to dirty oil, he then spent the week backpedaling and clarifying that he opposes efforts to increase taxes on oil companies.

Boehner is now rejecting leadership requests for a vote on the recommended legislation to rollback these subsidies. Meanwhile, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) announced in a town hall that he supports eliminating ‘corporate welfare’ and ending subsidies for the oil industry, although his 2012 budget proposal leaves intact $40 billion in subsidies that could instead be directed to clean energy development.

While the recent announcement of Osama bin Laden’s death may have distracted both parties long enough to issue press statements on the strength of America, it also sparked questions about the impact on the world oil market, prices at the pump, and the deficit.

More on this story: E&E News

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Quote:

Flickr, House GOP

“Everybody wants to go after the oil companies and, frankly, they’ve got some part of this to blame,” House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) told ABC News.

When asked if Congress should consider cutting multi-billion dollar subsidies to oil companies he responded, “It’s certainly something we should be looking at. We’re in a time when the federal government’s short on revenues. They ought to be paying their fair share.”

- House Speaker John Boehner.

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Economic Story of the Week

Baucus takes on Tax Breaks

via Flickr, Janie Hernandez

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) has unveiled a plan to eliminate or reduce tax breaks for the largest oil and gas companies and invest in cleaner and cheaper domestic energy sources.

While details of the plan are likely to come out in legislation this week, it would include the elimination of a section 199 domestic manufacturing deduction, a reduction of the foreign tax credit for royalty payments to foreign governments, and the imposition of an excise tax on certain Gulf leases. The plan would also work to incentivize fuel efficient vehicles and building a clean energy infrastructure.

“Now is not the time to stand idly by while large oil and gas companies get billions of dollars in tax breaks – now is the time to take concrete steps toward cleaner, more affordable, domestically-produced energy,” said Baucus. “Reducing dependence on foreign oil isn’t easy, but this plan puts us on a path toward a clean, affordable energy future that works for our planet – and our pocketbooks.”

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Editorial of the Week

End the tax giveaways for oil companies

(Delaware County Daily Times)

Executives at Exxon insist that they are not responsible for the high cost of gasoline and that tax breaks are necessary to keep jobs at home — and, they insisted, they didn’t even make that much money. Exxon’s profit for the first quarter of 2011 was only $10.65 billion….

Noted Obama, “When oil companies are making huge profits and you’re struggling at the pump and we’re scouring the federal budget for spending we can afford to do without, these tax giveaways aren’t right.” …They make as much sense as slashing subsidies to the poor and the elderly by gutting Medicaid and Medicare to balance the budget while the wealthy prosper with the help of Bush-era tax breaks. (More…)

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FTC To Probe Tar Sands Price Manipulation

In a letter to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) chairman Jonathan Liebowitz, NRDC and NWF join Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) in calling for an investigation of Canadian tar sands oil companies to determine whether they are trying to manipulate U.S. oil prices and violate laws designed to curb unfair trade practices with the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.

“Consumers are already hurting in this economy and foreign oil companies appear to be plotting to gouge them further,” said Jim Murphy, senior counsel at NWF. “They need the Federal Trade Commission to act on Senator Wyden’s request to investigate potential wrongdoing.”

Industry documents that recently came to light have found that the disputed Canada-to-Texas pipeline are likely to harm Midwesterners by forcing consumers to pay more for fuel. The documents show the industry is planning to boost profits by rerouting supply toward the Gulf of Mexico and away from the Midwest.

More on this story: NWF Media Center

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Payback Ads Hit Hard

League of Women Voters, via Youtube

The League of Women Voters launched a hard-hitting accountability television ad campaign to defend the Clean Air Act and EPA authority to regulate pollution.

The ads call public attention to votes by Senators Claire McCaskill (D-MO) and Scott Brown (R-MA) earlier this month to block new air pollution standards and hold them accountable for their actions. The ads ask both Senators to “protect the people, not the polluters.” The ‘people’, I might add, are heart wrenchingly embodied by a gasping asthmatic child.

More on this story:

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NWF’s First Green Flag Flies in Georgia

via NWF

Savannah Country Day School in Georgia was recently named the nation’s first Green Flag Eco-School, which signifies exceptional achievement in school sustainability. The school achieved this honor through a combination of excellence by “green” management of its facilities and grounds, providing opportunities for outdoor education, and by integrating environmental learning throughout its curricula.

The Eco-Schools USA program, which is hosted by National Wildlife Federation, counts nearly 500 schools and some 205,000 students among its participants, but none has achieved the program’s highest honor, the Green Flag, until now. To win the first Green Flag, Savannah Country Day School, which completed a Silver LEED-certified lower school building in 2008, tackled a variety of sustainability projects, including lunchroom recycling and composting, a vegetable garden, environmental current events coursework and ‘outdoor classroom time.’

More on this story: Savannah Morning News, NWF Media Center

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Happening this Week

Wednesday, May 4

Hearings: H.R. 1229, the “Putting the Gulf of Mexico Back to Work Act,” and H.R. 1230, the “Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act”, House Rules Committee, 3pm, H313

Coming up….
June 8-12, 2011
Social Change Institute. Skills, Tools & Leadership presented by Hollyhock.
Click here to register.

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For more global warming news on Wildlife Promise click here.