Profiles of Environmental Education Grants Awarded to Organizations in North Carolina
- Indicates a Headquarters grant
2010 Grants
Centralina Council of Governments $11,095
Annette Demeny, P.O. Box 35008, Charlotte, NC 28235
Regional Stormwater Partnership Hispanic Education Outreach
The goal of the Centralina Council of Governments (CCOG) Hispanic Education Outreach program is to increase environmental awareness of Hispanic residents in the greater Charlotte, North Carolina, region regarding stormwater and clean water-related matters. The project increases and augments the work of the Centralina Regional Stormwater Partnership, which is made up of 23 local governments. The goal of this project is to effect positive behavior changes in the region's Hispanic community by placing posters in public buildings and private businesses that cater to the Hispanics community (such as Latin American restaurants, laundromats, barber and beauty shops, bakeries, and tiendas). At the end of the 6-month posting period, three focus groups are held in the region to gauge the effectiveness of the poster campaign.
Duke University $36,527
Martha Keating, 2200 West Main Street, Durham, NC 27705-4677
Integrating Environmental Health into a Nursing Curriculum and Practice
This project consists of three linked activities: (1) the integration of environmental health content into the curriculum of an Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at Duke University; (2) the development and provision of online teacher and student resources that enable nursing faculty at any location to incorporate environmental health concepts into nursing curriculum and nursing practice; and (3) the development and accreditation of an online continuing nursing education (CNE) module focused on environmental health. These classroom and web-based resources provide an organized synthesis of current information, foundational knowledge for nursing school faculty, and subject modules on environmental health concepts that can be incorporated into existing nursing curricula and practice. The environmental health module organizes topics into useful and manageable resources. The CNE module supplies self-paced training for practicing nurses and helps fulfill annual requirements for CNE.
2009 Grants
North Carolina Rural Communities Assistance Project, Inc. $50,000
Peter Kittany, 21 Hillsboro Street, Suite 5, Pittsboro, NC 27312
Healthy Homes for all Promotora Program
The Healthy Homes for all Promotora Program addresses health hazards associated with pest infestation and pesticide use in low-income rural communities, especially those related to vulnerable populations such as young children and pregnant women. It also addresses concerns about water quality within community watersheds and the quality of public drinking water. Community health advisors engage the community by visiting families, participating in community speaking events, conducting outreach at local fairs and festivals, and providing access to information within the target communities. Funds from the grant are used to train and support community health advisors and cover operational, programming, travel, and printing costs associated with the project.
2008 Grants
Elon University $15,000
Bonnie Bruno, 100 Campus Drive, 2610 Campus Box, Elon, NC 27215
Haw Rivers Land Stewards
This project fosters a conservation ethic among Haw River landowners through recruitment for and participation in the Haw River Land Stewards (HRLS) program. HRLS provides educational opportunities and resources through direct contact with the landowners. It also reduces pollution loading to Haw River from riparian areas through land purchases for conservation and promotes public awareness of the need to protect regional water quality related to the Haw River by prominently visible signage designating “Haw River Land Steward.” The conservation outcomes of this project are a community and social network of riverfront landowners interested in the welfare of the river, recruitment and identification of a group of landowners who are interested in becoming HRLS, and the ability to make additional presentations on conservation opportunities and benefits to landowners. A final intent is to foster the willingness of some of the landowners to enter their land into permanent conservation programs either through sale or donation of land to an appropriate agency.
2007 Grants
Alamance County Health Department $15,000
Marcy Green, 319 North Graham-Hopedale Road, Burlington, NC 27217
Alamance County Indoor Air Quality Improvement Project
The Alamance County Health Department hires a part-time environmental health educator who is responsible for delivering workshops and education on indoor air quality to school personnel, daycare staff, elementary students, parents, healthcare providers, and business. This educator also refers facilities to the health department for indoor air quality assessments and teaches asthmatic children in grade 3 on how to effectively manage asthma and reduce asthma triggers in their environment. This training is delivered through workshops, training sessions, educational brochures, media, newsletters, and special events. The Alamance County Health Department also develops brochures, newsletters, and flyers to inform the public on indoor air quality events.
MountainKeepers $11,622
Nancy Reigel, PO Box 21DTS, Boone, NC 28607
Community Water Education in North Carolina's High Country
The MountainKeepers were prompted to host an environment summit in 2005 as a result of increasing concerns about regional water conditions. This summit was the driving force for this project. The goals of this project will be achieved with two objectives: (1) to educate communities about the science behind the region’s water supply, and (2) to identify water-related efforts to facilitate linkages among various communities that will lead to improved environmental conditions. Participants suggested that educating communities about water would help alleviate tension between urban and rural communities. As university ambassadors, student interns work with MountainKeepers and subject matter experts to develop science-based materials and use them to increase the knowledge level about water among the region’s residents and begin a dialogue about improving water stewardship. The team also solicits information from communities about water-related efforts. For example, one community is working with an ASU professor to begin a well monitoring program because of links established at the summit. Some local residents also have constructed rain gardens to help keep pollutants from surface waterways and to contribute to groundwater recharge. This linkage facilitates long-term interaction to leverage resources, share knowledge, and work together to contribute to a sustainable, clean water supply.
2006 Grants
Clean Air Community Trust Inc. $6,500
Margie Meares, P.O. Box 2824, Asheville, NC 28802
CAST - Clean Air Student Training
Under this grant, basic lessons in air quality are delivered to local high school and middle school students through Clean Air Student Training, known as CAST. The lessons include basic information on specific air quality issues in western North Carolina, a program in electricity conservation, and a class in transportation fuels. By participating in the class, students can recognize air pollution problems and consider specific, concrete actions that can be taken to reduce air pollution emissions. The lessons also serve as hands-on introductions to contests run at both the middle- and high-school levels.
North Carolina Association of Soil & Water Conservation Districts $10,000
Steve Bennett, 3800 Barrett Drive, Raleigh, NC 27609
North Carolina Envirothon Program
This hands-on Envirothon for high school and middle school students and teachers from across North Carolina gives students an opportunity to work together to find the answers to potential environmental problems. During the competition, the students make their own observations, run tests, and solve problems as a team to increase environmental knowledge and critical thinking skills used in the competition. The students work together to study natural resources and current environmental issues. This competition helps to foster interest of the students in pursuing careers in the environment.
Wake County Government $4,800
Angeline McInerny, P.O. Box 550, Raleigh, NC 27602
Wake County "Feed the Bin" Teacher Training Workshops
"Feed the Bin" is a recycling program that consists of interactive demonstrations, discussions, presentations, hands-on activities, and site visits to an operating solid waste management facility. This workshop is for high school teachers who learn about recycling issues and return to the classroom with the tools necessary to incorporate solid waste environmental education into the curriculum. It is important that the school teachers understand and embrace the “Feed the Bin” program so they can promote environmental stewardship in the classroom to ensure the success of this recycling program. The Wake County Solid Waste Management Division offers teacher trainings in the form of 10-hour workshops to educate staff on the recycling program and to provide them with the tools and lesson plans needed to promote recycling habits in a classroom setting.
2005 Grants
Forest History Society $10,000
Tom Marshall, 701 William Vickers Avenue, Durham, NC 27701
"If Trees Could Talk" Curriculum
The grant offers a two-part Teacher Institute for middle school teachers. The first part is a 3-day non-residential institute where teachers meet with noted environmental historians and forest managers for presentations, discussions, and readings on selected concepts in forest and environmental history. The teachers are introduced to primary archival materials and classroom activities they can use. The second part is a classroom application of one of the historical topics by each participant during the 2005-2006 school year. The Forest History Society’s curriculum specialist will provide assistance for each classroom.
State Institution of Higher Learning, NC State University $15,596
Richard Venditti, Box 7514, Raleigh, NC 27695
Workshop: Analysis of Environmental Issues Through New and Renewable Plant Sources
High school teachers’ skills to weigh various sides of environmental issues and to make informed, objective, science-based decisions using critical thinking and problem solving are strengthened through this project. High school science teachers from the southeast attend a 3-day intensive workshop at North Carolina State University (NCSU), where they are taught how to use environmental impact and life cycle analysis models as tools to evaluate petroleum and plant-based processes. Experimental kits are given to the teachers so that they can conduct the experiments executed during the workshop in their high school classes.
Wake County $4,492
Angeline McInerny, P.O. Box 550, Raleigh, NC 27602
Access Nature Program
Blue Jay Point County Park hosts a 10-hour, 2-day workshop so participants, classroom teachers, and environmental educators can discover the “Access Nature” curriculum developed and taught by the National Wildlife Federation. The participants develop the skills necessary to tailor environmental education exercises to incorporate all students. Participants likewise gain an increased awareness of the need to adapt lesson plans so that all students are included, regardless of any motor, cognitive, hearing, and visual disabilities. The focus is to provide educators the tools to ensure all students have access to nature.
2004 Grants
Center for Agricultural Partnerships $23,500
Heather Cavanaugh, 1 West Pack Square, Suite 401, Asheville, NC 28801
Hispanic Orchardist Integrated Pest Management Education Program
Under this grant, 40 Hispanic orchardists in Washington State participate in integrated pest management (IPM) field training and group learning sessions. These hands-on sessions are conducted in Spanish and ultimately give the orchardists the knowledge and tools they need to adopt IPM practices and reduce their dependence on pesticides. The project funds 12 in-orchard sessions that focus on pest identification and scouting as well as classroom sessions that address pest mating disruption technology and low-risk insecticides and fungicides. The sessions consist of class discussions and orchard walks. The walks allow the orchardists to practice the techniques learned during class. The goal of the project is to provide orchardists with information about environmentally friendly pesticide alternatives.
Hillandale Elementary School PTA $20,963
Nancy Sung, 2730 Hillandale Road, Durham, NC 27705
Hillandale Outdoor Laboratory
The purpose of this project is to create a sustainable program of environmental science education by involving all teachers and students in regular outdoor investigations on the school grounds of Hillandale Elementary School (HES). The 43-acre HES grounds include a 10-acre area designated as the "Hillandale Outdoor Laboratory," that harbors both deciduous and coniferous forest, a field undergoing succession, and a winding stream that is being developed as an outdoor classroom. An environmental education guide is being adapted to the school grounds and aligned with the North Carolina Standard Course of Study. This cross-curricular guide is being assembled by a selected team of teachers and introduced to the faculty during teacher workshops. The reformed curriculum is being piloted by all the teachers in HES during the school year and serves as a prototype for the entire school district.
North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources $4,995
Holly B. Denham, 1611 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1611
Expanding Water Quality Education and Stewardship in North Carolina
This project is expanding citizen water quality monitoring and stewardship programs into suburban and rural areas of North Carolina and is increasing public participation in water quality monitoring statewide. Seven regional Stream Watch Coordinators and four Adopt-A-Stream staff members facilitate two Project WET/Water Quality Monitoring training workshops for a statewide total of 22 workshops. In these workshops, each of which contain 20 people, the regional coordinators and Adopt-A-Stream staff members demonstrate the use of water quality monitoring kits to evaluate physical, chemical, and biological parameters.
2003 Grants
Elizabeth City State University $5,000
Morris Autry, 1704 Weeksville Road, Elizabeth City, NC 27909
Education to Prevent Children from Lead Poisoning
Through this project, parents and other participants are educated about the issue of lead poisoning, which is one of the leading environmental health threats to children under the age of 6 years. The goal of this education and awareness project is to identify and reduce the number of children exposed to lead. The project is being implemented using various educational methods, including (1) a series of seminars and community forums aimed at specific target groups; (2) a media campaign using radio, television, and newspapers; (3) dissemination of lead hazard information through pamphlets, brochures, newsletters, bulletin boards, and booths and displays; and (4) design of lead hazard reduction plans for local governments. As a result of these efforts, there have been increases in the community residents’ knowledge regarding sources of lead poisoning and in safety measures to reduce and eliminate lead exposures.
Environmental Education Fund $21,998
Judy Pope, P.O. Box 25825, Raleigh, NC 27611
Earth and Environmental Science Institute
This project expands the Environmental Education Fund’s successful summer institute to reach educators who have struggled to offer a viable earth and environmental science program. These educators are immersed in a week-long training session that is supplemented with subsequent mentoring sessions. The Environmental Education Fund has partnered with six other agencies, including the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, to develop a curriculum-based, technology-rich, outdoor environmental education experience. The project provides real-life opportunities for participants to practice critical-thinking and problem-solving skills while making informed, science-based decisions as individuals and as teams. Based on evaluations and feedback received during previous institutes, the demand to expand this successful initiative is greater than ever.
Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation $4,376
Marek Smith, 700 North Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC 28202
Educators' Naturalist Weekend
The Educators’ Naturalist Weekend provides 2 days of hands-on workshops for teachers and nonformal educators at the Mecklenburg County Nature Center. Participants are given resource materials for use in their classes, and the training enables the teachers to incorporate the lessons and projects into their curricula. Two different training tracks are offered. One track emphasizes creating and using an outdoor classroom, and the other focuses on integrating environmental education with art and literature. Teacher renewal credits and North Carolina Environmental Education Certification credits are offered.
North Carolina Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts $5,000
Steve Bennett, 3800 Barrett Drive, Raleigh, NC 27609
North Carolina Envirothon Program
The North Carolina Envirothon program is organized by an independent steering committee and is operated under the North Carolina Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts. The Envirothon is a hands-on environmental education competition for middle and high school students that involves most of the natural resource agencies in the state, environmental organizations, and private resource partners. The natural resource components of the competition include soils, forestry, aquatics, wildlife, and current environmental issues. The goals of the program are to (1) provide an environmental education opportunity for all middle and high school students, (2) provide the students with an opportunity to learn about and meet natural resource personnel, (3) provide student teams and teachers with a natural resource materials packet, and (4) get students interested in pursuing environmental careers when they attend college.
2002 Grants
Environmental Education Fund $21,000
David Wojnowski, 1609 Mail Service Center, P. O. Box 25825, Raleigh, NC 27611
It's Our Water
Water has become a major concern throughout North Carolina and the nation. It is imperative that North Carolina citizens understand the decisions and actions that affect both water quality and quantity. One way to begin this education process is by giving every high school student in the state the opportunity for environmental literacy and offering the scientific background needed to make informed decisions about the complex issues related to water. This project consists of five modules, each containing a short video that introduces a water topic and shows real-life examples of current water issues throughout the state. Emphasis is on hands-on activities, such as Project WET, that reinforce concepts about water resources as the students investigate a stream near their school. Each module is designed so that skills and information gathered in one module are the foundation for the next module's content and skill development. All environmental science teachers in the state receive these materials. Partners for this project include the North Carolina Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Public Instruction. This is the opportune time to launch this endeavor because a new Earth/Environmental Science graduation requirement has been added to the state science curriculum at the high school level and affects thousands of students every year.
Mountain Retreat Association $5,000
Brooke B. Mallory III, 401 Assembly Drive, P. O. Box 969, Montreat, NC 28757
Raising Public Awareness Through Environmental Education
Every year, 30,000 visitors from across the United States and the world come to the Montreat community to attend retreats and conferences offered by the Montreat Conference Center. The Montreat community is nestled in a cove of the Southern Appalachians and is home to 630 year-round residents and 400 students attending Montreat College. Environmental matters and issues are often taken for granted by visitors, college students, and community members. The purpose of this project is to raise public awareness through environmental education projects that focus on ecological diversity, nature's fragility, and community environmental issues. The Mountain Retreat Association, Montreat College, and the Montreat Parks and Recreation Committee partner to design and install interpretive signs along established nature trails, identify and label representative tree species throughout the town, develop educational displays for existing trail head signs, and develop environmental education literature and programs for the public.
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University $11,160
K. R. Baldwin, 1601 E. Market Street, Greensboro, NC 27401
The North Carolina Agricultural Literacy Project - Environmentally Sustainable Food Production Systems
The goal of this project is to build the institutional capacity at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University to provide practical education about environmentally sound and sustainable agriculture. This project develops a model farm learning center on the campus of the college. The farm demonstrates environmentally sustainable farming practices to youth and adults. The farm serves as a site for field trips for elementary through high school youth, and demonstrates how farming practices impact the environment. Students from the Agri-science Education and Plant and Soil Science majors develop curriculum, provide instruction, and give tours.
University of North Carolina at Greensboro $5,000
Ann B. Somers, 312 Eberhart Building, P. O. Box 2617, Greensboro, NC 27402
Wolves Tracking Turtles
This project is a community-based turtle study that brings together a partnership of middle grade students, their teachers, parents, neighbors, and a university. Although they are considered a declining species, little is known about box turtle numbers. As part of the project, partners learn more about the local eastern box turtle population by conducting a mark-recapture study that includes tracking by radio telemetry and use of a global positioning system. The goals of the project are to: (1) use a real-world conservation problem to increase students', teachers', and community members' environmental awareness about how urban sprawl and habitat fragmentation impacts wildlife, (2) assist teachers in developing instructional skills and content that focus on environmental issues, and (3) help students improve their science skills while contributing to the body of knowledge about a species in decline. Activities include in-class projects as well as out-of-class activities on school grounds, neighboring properties, and at the students' homes. This project serves as a model for other schools interested in involving students in hands-on science with a conservation implication.
2001 Grants
Environmental Education Fund $74,365
Shannon Quesada, 1609 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1609
Teaching of Earth/Environmental Education
The mission of the Environmental Education Fund is to raise public awareness of the environmental consequences of the actions of individuals and to establish partnerships for environmental education. Recognizing the need to provide teachers in North Carolina with improved training and access to resources related to earth/environmental science, the Environmental Education Fund and its partners develop an environmental education resource kit, train teachers, and establish a network through which teachers are provided long-term monitoring and support. High school earth and environmental science teachers participate in five-day teacher training institutes facilitated by professional environmental educators. Three such institutes are provided for the teachers. By linking teachers with environmental educators, the project is developing and sustaining a network of educators, programs, and resources that is useful for implementing environmental education initiatives statewide. The model for building capacity and addressing education reform can be used as a model for other states in which statewide coordination of environmental education is less well-developed than that in North Carolina. Partners in the project include the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the North Carolina Association of Environmental Education Centers, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, and the Wildlife Resources Commission.
North Carolina Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts $5,000
Steve Bennett, 3800 Barrett Drive, Suite 101, Raleigh, NC 27609
North Carolina Envirothon Program
The North Carolina Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts includes all 100 counties in the state. The North Carolina Envirothon Program is a high school and middle school “hands-on” environmental education competition that involves most of the state’s natural resource agencies and environmental organizations, along with private-sector partners, in the effort to educate students and teachers about issues related to natural resources and the environment. The components of the educational program are: soils, forestry, aquatics, wildlife, and current environmental issues. The North Carolina Envirothon is expanding; it is hoped that the number of schools participating will double by 2002. The Envirothon provides environmental resources to teachers and students, trains students to work together as a team, and provides teachers and students knowledge about and exposure to many environmental issues that affect our ecosystems.
Partnership for the Sounds $5,000
Sue Lintelman, P. O. Box 55, Columbia, NC 27925
Summer Water Quality Camp
The Partnership for the Sounds is a private, non-profit organization that fosters environmental education and ecotourism in the Albemarle-Pamlico region of North Carolina. The objective of the project is to fund a water quality camp to be held during the summer. The camp provides hands-on environmental education activities to 50 students in grade 4 who have shown an interest in science. The students live in a rural, economically distressed county, in which 80 percent of the population is made up of members of minority groups and which offers few summer programs. Two camp sessions, each one week in length, provide the students the opportunity to learn the principles of scientific research, interact with environmental professionals, and visit waterways and natural areas in the Albemarle-Pamlico region.
The University of North Carolina (UNC) Center for Public Television (UNC-TV) $5,000
Tom Howe, 10 T.W. Alexander Drive, P. O. Box 14900, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
Troubled Waters - A Look at Water Pollution in NC and Its Health Affects
During the past few years, North Carolina has undergone an unprecedented assault on its water resources, and recent natural disasters have added to the state’s woes. Under the project, UNC-TV plans to provide a statewide platform for educating residents about the causes and effects of water pollution. Five segments to be aired on “North Carolina Now”, a week-night television information magazine available statewide, as well as a one-half hour documentary, are produced to disseminate information about water pollution in the state. Finally, an hour-long program in call-in or live studio audience “town hall meeting” format is broadcast.
Watauga County School District $19,000
Mary Jo Pritchard, 160 Parkway School Drive, Boone, NC 28607
Parkway Ecology Project (PEP)
The objectives of the program are to teach scientific processes presented in the North Carolina Standard Course of Study, in conformity with the National Science Standards, and to train teachers, students, and citizens of the community to be aware of their environment. Teachers are reached through workshops designed to help them apply the existing state curriculum through an inquiry approach, learning how to monitor and protect the environment. A major focus of the teacher training is preparing teachers to guide students in inquiry-based, hands-on activities that develop competencies in environmental science, as mandated by state standards. Teachers learn to help students connect scientific processes to everyday life by using problem-solving approaches and technology to perform active monitoring and assessment of environmental conditions on school grounds.
2000 Grants
City Seeds $5,000
Jonathan Brown, 70 Woodfin Place, Room 327, Asheville, NC 28801
The Bountiful City Project, Implementing Edible Forest Ecosystems in City Parks
The Bountiful City Project is Asheville's, and the country's, first edible public park system. The concept is edible, public, open spaces which are called forest gardens. Forest gardens are composed of a variety of perennial edibles, as well as other layers of vegetation, that mimick natural forest ecosystems. It is modeled after permaculture forest gardening, which mimics the design of natural forest ecosystems. The objective of the project is to create model projects that will educate the public on environmental issues and solutions. Educational curriculum is being developed for use in educating students as they visit the parks. Workshops train interns from local colleges as instructors for younger students. In addition to benefitting from the learning experience as interns, the college students take the knowledge and experience gained through the project into the professional world.
Wilson County Schools $18,875
Rachel Cozart, P. O. Box 2048, Wilson, NC 27894
Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE)
Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) is a hands-on, international environmental program designed for use in schools. It brings together students, teachers, and scientists from around the world to study the environment. The goal of the project in Wilson County schools is to enhance students' awareness and understanding of environmental issues while simultaneously improving student achievement. Instruction related to GLOBE is provided at the 12 elementary schools and 6 middle schools in the school system. Hands-on learning experiences, small group instruction, and integrated learning opportunities characterize the enrichment program.
1999 Grants
Allison Woods Foundation $5,000
Laura Webb, 437 Walnut Street, Statesville, NC 28677
Children of the Watershed Education Project
This project creates and implements a watershed education program to increase awareness among members of the public of how a watershed functions, to teach about the use of water as a natural resource from historical and environmental perspectives, and to promote stewardship of water resources. It provides hands-on programs for students in kindergarten through grade 12 that are conducted in an outdoor setting. A watershed education manual has been developed for use in the programs. In addition, the project sponsors an environmental club for gifted students, facilitates teacher training workshops, and provides environmental education programs for children of low-income families.
Haywood County 4-H Club $5,000
Wallace Simmons, P. O. Box 308, Waynesville, NC 28786
Environmental Awareness and Water Quality
Through partnerships with several natural resource agencies, older members of the Haywood County 4-H program receive training through such interactive programs as workshops, tours, and field trips focused on environmental issues. Members of that team of 300 informed young people conduct hands-on programs and activities for other young people in scout, school, 4-H, and church groups. They have the potential to reach 10,000 people. The program focuses on water quality and its effect on human life and wildlife. Students participate in North Carolina's Big Sweep (an annual waterway cleanup campaign) and storm drain stenciling activities.
North Carolina Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts $4,600
Steve Bennett, 3800 Barrett Drive, Raleigh, NC 27609
North Carolina Envirothon Program
The North Carolina Envirothon is a hands-on environmental education competition among teams of high school students. Most of the natural resources agencies in the state, numerous environmental organizations, and some private partners are involved in the program. The Envirothon combines the benefits of environmental education with the benefits of career exploration, provides environmental resources for teachers and students to use, and trains students to work as a team. Envirothon, which is an expansion of an existing program, reaches a minimum of 350 students and 65 teachers statewide.
The Natural Resource Education Council $5,000
Amy Latham, 635 Roby Conley Road, Marion, NC 28752
Bringing Environmental Education to Western North Carolina
This program brings opportunities for continuing environmental education to 200 teachers of kindergarten through 12th-grade programs in western North Carolina. The Natural Resource Education Council makes structured workshops available through the community college system, The workshops focus on natural resources and provide hands-on approaches to learning. The high-quality educational materials on natural resources that are used in the workshops remain in each participating school when the program has ended.
University of North Carolina at Wilmington $3,530
Pamela B. Whitlock, 601 South College Road, Wilmington, NC 28403
Forensic Environmental Science: A New Approach to Environmental Studies
Under this project, a new college-level course in forensic environmental science is being developed. The course is intended to bridge the disciplines of environmental science and environmental law for undergraduate and graduate students in the traditional sciences and in the Environmental Studies program of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, as well as for citizens who have an interest in issues related to and techniques of environmental enforcement. The course emphasizes a group-learning approach, use of scientific methods, and digital technology.
Wake County Public School System $4,948
William Carruthers, 3600 Wake Forest Road, Raleigh, NC 27609
Student Investigations of Air Pollution Caused by Automobiles
Assisted by teachers and an industrial chemist, approximately 300 students in chemistry classes collect samples of automotive exhaust and analyze the samples to determine the concentration of air pollutants in the exhaust. Working in small groups, students design their own experiments, monitoring exposure levels and comparing them with levels that comply with federal guidelines that are protective of health. Students in other high schools and members of the community can access the results of the experiments through the school system's World Wide Web site.
1998 Grants
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education $5,000
Carol Newman, P. O. Box 30035, Charlotte, NC 28230
Global Systems at the Park
This project provides a unified environmental education curriculum. An extensive teacher workshop trains teachers in using the Internet to support classroom teaching about environmental issues related to non-point-source pollution and technology. Students plot and use data on the Estuary Net World Wide Web site.
Eagle's Nest Foundation $5,000
Susan Deal, 43 Hart Road, Pisgah Forest, NC 28768
The French Broad Watershed Project for Children
This project educates children about their surroundings so that they will develop an attitude of responsibility toward natural communities. Through various experiments, students discover how the French Broad River is altered along its course from its source to the valley. Students learn how to use various laboratory and natural tools, take measurements, document information, and draw conclusions on their own through comparison.
Mountain Area Gardeners in Communities, Inc. $5,000
Mort Jonas, P. O. Box 168, Asheville, NC 28802
Environmental Education Field Trips for Local School Groups
This project provides teachers with lesson materials that incorporate environmental education into the language arts curriculum. The teachers use the materials before and after field trips to the Mountain Area Gardeners in Communities, Inc. (MAGIC) Environmental Education Center. During the field trips, students study environmental issues in three sessions, with each grade addressing a different area.
North Carolina Farm Worker Project $17,875
Wilfredo Rivera, P. O. Box 352, Benson, NC 27504
Keep Us Safe Project
The Keep Us Safe Project is a part of the weekly school curriculum for children of migrant farm workers, to whom the project has direct access through its partnership with Migrant Head Start. Outreach workers use interactive presentations, activities, and art projects that speak directly to children about pesticides and the dangers they pose. The children are given information to take to their parents about the effects of pesticides on the environment, methods of preventing exposure, and resources available to them.
Piedmont Health Services, Inc. $2,866
Genoveva Marin, 121 Kingston Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27516
Pesticide Education for Children of Migrant Farm Workers and Their Families
This project addresses the risk of exposure of children of migrant farm workers to pesticides. It educates the children's families about the dangers pesticides pose to the children's health and helps the families develop the skills they need to protect themselves from the threats posed by pesticides.
Western North Carolina Tomorrow $5,000
Phillip Gibson, P. O. Box 222, Cullowhee, NC 28723
Production of Broadcast Media
This project reaches the citizens of the 26 counties of western North Carolina through western North Carolina's primary television station and local cable networks. Those media and brochures are used to deliver environmental education to young people in elementary, middle, and high schools in the area. Focus groups and interactive workshops address environmental issues, especially children's health.
1997 Grants
Colburn Gem & Mineral Museum $5,000
Cassandra H. Love, P. O. Box 1617, Asheville, NC 28802
You Have the Power
This project focuses on designing, demonstrating, and distributing an environmental education unit matched to a fifth-grade curriculum. Workshops for 26 teachers examine environmental issues related to the production and use of energy, as well as issues that arise from pollution associated with energy production.
Mountain Area Gardeners in Communities $5,000
Mort Jonas, P. O. Box 168, Asheville, NC 28802
Environmental Education Center in the Garden
The Environmental Education Center in the Garden provides students with outdoor hands-on environmental experiences that demonstrate the relationships between environmental science and garden ecosystems. In addition, 36 teachers participate in a series of workshops consisting of hands-on environmental lessons that enable them to teach the basic techniques of organic gardening and related environmental topics. A series of seminars and workshops for the general public provides information about topics of interest to the community.
1996 Grants
East Carolina University $25,750
Dr. Katherine Warsco, School of Environmental Sciences, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858-4353
Designing For Good Indoor Air Quality: Student Design Competition as a Teaching Tool
The East Carolina University project assists postsecondary instructors and students of design to further their knowledge of indoor air quality issues and apply this knowledge to develop innovative solutions for radon-free, nontoxic, and allergy-free interiors. Designing for Good Indoor Air Quality: Student Design Competition as a Teaching Tool is accomplishing this by developing, disseminating, and implementing materials of design to increase student and instructor knowledge of indoor air quality issues. The project sponsors a student competition that is challenging students to put their knowledge of indoor air quality issues to effective use. The project has a broad target audience--560 faculty and 30,000 students in two and four-year university interior design programs in the U.S. The coastal southeast region is the primary focus because of the region's large population of low income elderly people living in older homes that tend to have indoor air quality problems. The project ultimately is promoting a healthier living environment for individuals living in that region and can be duplicated elsewhere.
Pembroke State University $4,994
Dr. Thomas Ross, One University Drive, Pembroke, NC 28372-1510
Outdoor Learning Classroom: Environmental Workshop
The Outdoor Learning Classroom: Environmental Workshop is focusing upon improving environmental education skills for science teachers of kindergarten through twelfth grade. An outdoor learning classroom will be created and workshops will assist teachers in using the facility. The outdoor classroom will give students a wide variety of hands-on environmental learning experiences.
University of North Carolina at Wilmington $22,680
Pamela B. Whitlock, 601 S. College Rd., Wilmington, NC 28403
Project US-University Schools
Project US-University Schools is a teacher training project updating teachers on environmental issues that affect southeast North Carolina, particularly water, air, and soil pollution. A component of the project is to train a cadre of teachers who will continue to train teachers in their districts. An awareness conference for 100 middle school teachers will lead to an intensive summer institute for 20 lead teachers.
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools/Sedge Garden Elementary School $4,900
Donald L. Martin, Jr., P. O. Box 2513, Winston-Salem, NC 27102-2513
Hands-on and Minds-on Environmental Education
The Hands-on and Minds-on Environmental Education project is providing teachers and students with training and instruction which will improve environmental education and learning in the classroom. Improving skills for teachers, faculty, and nonformal educators will be achieved through workshops. Members of the general public will be reached through a community-based organization. The project will result in an increased awareness of the impact of construction and the community's traditional agricultural activities on the environment.
1995 Grants
Haw River Assembly $5,000
Elaine Chiosso, P. O. Box 187, Bynum, NC 27228
Haw River Assembly River Watch Project
This project creates and trains a community of stream watchers in the Haw River Basin to monitor the health of the river and its tributaries. Individuals and teams will adopt sites which they will monitor at least quarterly to collect biological, physical, and chemical data. A database will be developed to store and analyze the information.
North Carolina State University $5,000
Linda Jackson, Box 7514, Raleigh, NC 27695-7514
Pollution Prevention Enhancement for Advanced Degree Education
This project provides opportunities for students with advanced degrees to receive industrial in-plant education about leading-edge pollution prevention research. Students will spend two to three months at industrial facilities obtaining pollution prevention information from industrial practitioners.
1994 Grants
East Carolina University $36,551
Roger Rulifson, Biology Dept., Howell Science Complex, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858
Project TEACH
"Project TEACH" will provide elementary and junior high school science teachers with the knowledge and instructional skills to teach students about coastal environmental problems in eastern North Carolina. It will educate students about basic ecological principles and the role of people in the balance of nature, and develop student skills in analyzing data and solving local environmental problems. Teachers will become acquainted with local environmental problems, given a variety of classroom field activities suitable for their grade levels, and aided in integrating these activities into their science curriculum.
Wake County Public School System $5,000
Geraldine Ritter, 3600 Wake Forest Road, Raleigh, NC 27611
Training for Pond Habitat and Butterfly Garden
This project will provide training and educational materials for kindergarten through 5th grade teachers at the Underwood Elementary School to fully utilize the school's planned, on-site pond habitat and butterfly garden.
1993 Grants
Bessemer City Junior High School $10,000
Jerry J. Bostic, P. O. Box 624, South Skyland Drive, Bessemer City, NC 28016
Weaving Our Way To a Better Future
The purpose of the "Weaving Our Way To a Better Future" project is to develop an outdoor classroom for use in teaching inter-departmental curriculum which will include hands-on environmental content. Teaching stations will emphasize the efficient use of natural resources and protection of environmental quality. The project is designed to involve parents and the community in the learning cycle.
Fred A. Anderson Elementary School $2,960
Nancy Jones Piner, P. O. Box 264, Bayboro, NC 28571
Good News for the Neuse
This project, entitled "Good News for the Neuse," involves 25 academically gifted 4th graders, who will develop awareness of the estuarine system and examine present and possible future ecological problems related to the Neuse River. Students will share local environmental concerns with other students, regionally and globally, using the AT&T Learning Network and an environmental youth summit.
Long Branch Environmental Education Center, Inc. $5,000
Paul B. Gallimore, Route 2, Box 132, Leicester, NC 28748
Composting and Organic Gardening
This outdoor science project will teach grade school and high school students in seven western North Carolina counties resource conservation through composting and organic gardening. The project will emphasize participation with an integrated curriculum approach.
North Carolina Science and Mathematics Alliance, Inc. $5,000
Robert P. Cullen, 410 Oberlin Road, Suite 306, Raleigh, NC 27605
Environmental Laboratory
This grants funds an elementary school program that will integrate science into the school's overall education program by focusing on the environment and developing an open, hands-on, environmental laboratory at the school's site for use in the program.
North Carolina State University, Department of Mathematics and Science Education $24,802
Dr. Harriet S. Stubbs, Sci-Link, 1509 Varsity Drive, Raleigh, NC 27606
SCI-LINK Goes to Camp Wannagoma
"SCI-LINK Goes to Camp Wannagoma" will develop and test a model program for teaching kindergarten through 5th graders about the impact of nonpoint source pollution in estuarine environments. The project will include a summer training workshop for teachers and a summer camp for children in kindergarten through 5th grade.
1992 Grants
Frank Porter Graham Elementary School PTA $24,950
Chapel Hill, NC 27516
Hands on the Environment
This grant funds the "Hands on the Environment" project that will involve developing a science program for elementary school students. Participants of this program will learn to build and use a loop trail and will study aspects of soil quality, plant and wildlife habitat, erosion, and weather. The activities of the project will be integrated into several different areas of study and a user manual will be prepared for educators and other instructors.
McDowell High School $4,951
Marion, NC 28752
Environmental Science II
The "Environmental Science II" project involves developing a science curriculum for advanced high school students to research and report on environmental issues, perform field studies, and communicate with the appropriate authorities on the results of the project.
North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service $4,490
Asheville, NC 28802
Project Earth Angel
This grant funds "Project Earth Angel" which focuses on educating consumers on making more environmentally-responsible decisions. The project will attempt to demonstrate to participants how their behavior can impact the environment and how their behavior may be improved.
Pines of Carolina Girl Scout Council $5,000
Raleigh, NC 27612-0294
Pines of Carolina Girl Scouts Care for the Earth
The "Pines of Carolina Girl Scouts Care for the Earth" project will attempt to promote a better understanding of recycling as a multi-faceted issue and a social problem among 1,600 Girl Scouts and adult leaders. The project will: (1) provide training workshops for adult voluntary leaders, (2) encourage community-based cooperative ventures, and (3) challenge each Girl Scout to implement recycling programs in her own household.