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Current Newsletter
Current Newsletter in PDF (154K)
Spring 2010
In this issue:
- SOSI Workshops for Oregon’s Education Service Districts (ESDs)
- SOSI workshops with Cloud Institute
- Outdoor School Prepares High School Students
- Summer Education for Sustainability Opportunities
- Support SOSI and The Apple
- Oregon Environmental Literacy Taskforce
- The Oregon School Facilities Task Force
- Green and Sustainable Jobs
- Zero Waste Strategies
- New Journal of Sustainability Education
- Upcoming Events
- Thank You to our Supporters
SOSI Workshops for Education Service Districts (ESDs)
In the last months we presented two-day regional workshops in Redmond, Pendleton, Medford and Portland for ESD teams. While they all included the same basic content, Sustainability Education and Green Jobs, each one was a bit different. The EPA-funded project’s goals were to inform the attendees, foster more sustainability education activities in ESDs, and to identify opportunities for ESD involvement. The participating teams included ESD, school district and community college staff as well as others from a variety of organizations, with an emphasis on folks involved with the Career and Technical Education (CTE) program. We also gave a presentation at the annual Oregon Association of Career and Technical Education conference in Sunriver, so that program is set up for future efforts in this area.
Each one included a segment about sustainability education, and presentations from either Jaimie Cloud of the Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education, Greg Smith, Lewis and Clark College, Graduate School of Education and Counseling, or Dilafruz Williams, Portland State University, Graduate School of Education.
Most of them included a great 35 minute film for those who stayed entitled “A Simple Question; The Story of STRAW”, which tells the story of the Bay Institute’s STRAW Project (Students and Teachers Restoring a Watershed). For more details about that or to order a copy yourself, visit http://www.asimplequestion.org/.
Each workshop also included a green jobs segment. We were pleased to include presentations from Charlie Johnson, Oregon’s Green Jobs Economist, Cylvia Hayes of 3E Strategies and Greg White, Executive Staff, Oregon Workforce Investment Board. The workshops provided an opportunity to consider ideas for the K-12 portion of the Oregon Green Jobs Growth Plan on which Cylvia and Greg are working. We have continued to develop these suggestions with ODE and will report on them in a future newsletter. For more about green jobs see the related article in this newsletter.
A set of these PowerPoint presentations is posted on the SOSI event archive webpage: http://sustainableschools.org/about/past_events.htm#ESDWorkshops A summary of the workshop outcomes will be included in our next newsletter.
SOSI workshops with Cloud Institute
In February we presented two workshops with Jaimie Cloud of the Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education. These were well attended by an enthusiastic audience of administrators, teachers and varied other community members, and we’ll be creating future opportunities to partner with the Cloud Institute. To learn more about them visit http://www.sustainabilityed.org/. While at their website, take a look at the Education for Sustainability page, and the Cloud Education for Sustainability Standards, http://www.sustainabilityed.org/download/pdf/EfS_Core_Standards.pdf
Outdoor School Prepares High School Students
A recent ESD workshop was hosted by the Multnomah Education Service District at one of their Outdoor School sites. The program utilizes high school leaders to work with the students and these same high school leaders were there to teach us for an afternoon. They split us up and gave each small group a sample of the classes that they lead for students, then shared what the Outdoor School Program has meant for them and their future. It was truly inspiring. The program has given them leadership skills and passion to become teachers, to work with the environment in a myriad of ways and to pursue various other career paths. To view the extensive Outdoor School information on the Multnomah ESD webpage: http://www.mesd.k12.or.us/os/OutdoorSchool/Welcome.html. For a summary of residential outdoor school programs in Oregon see: http://www.eeao.org/files/EEAO%20Report%20-%20Outdoor%20School%20Funding%20in%20Oregon%209-1-07.pdf
Summer Education for Sustainability Opportunities
There are a number of opportunities offered this summer that relate to education for sustainability. For more details about any of these and additional events visit the SOSI events page: http://sustainableschools.org/about/events.htm.
Systems Thinking in Schools Project, July 12-16 and August 9-13 in Portland, presented by the Waters Foundation. You can do Systems Thinking without doing Sustainability Education, but you cannot do Sustainability without practicing Systems Thinking. “Developing Critical Thinking Skills Through Systems Thinking Strategies” will focus on the habits, concepts and tools of systems thinking, and how they can be incorporated into classrooms and organizations to develop system thinking techniques as part of a critical thinking strategy.
SolWest Renewable Energy Fair: July 23-25 in John Day. The twelfth annual SolWest Renewable Energy Fair includes workshops on renewable energy, sustainable living topics, renewable energy technology and natural building.
Sustaining Places and Communities: Educational Innovations, August 2-5 in Hillsboro, presented by the Lewis and Clark College Graduate School of Education and Counseling. This four-day institute offers an opportunity to become familiar with the possibilities, principles, and practices of place-based education, which is a great way to provide education for sustainability that benefits both students and their communities.
Sustainability in the Classroom workshop, August 11-13 in Corvallis, presented by STEPS (Scientist and Teacher Educational Partnerships) at OSU. This free 3-day Sustainability for Educators workshop will focus on teaching climate change and systems thinking and exploring materials cycles (cradle to grave).
Sustainability Education Summer Institute, July 26-8 on Bainbridge Island, presented by Islandwood and several other organizations. SESI 2010 will provide a rich and vibrant opportunity for K-12 teachers and administrators and teacher education faculty and administrators to deepen their knowledge of education for sustainability (EfS) and apply it to their schools and programs.
Support SOSI and The Apple!
If you find this newsletter helpful, please help support it with you tax deductible donation today! To learn about individual donation opportunities and corporate sponsorship visit http://www.sustainableschools.org/about/support.htm.
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Oregon Environmental Literacy Taskforce
The Oregon Environmental Literacy Task Force was created in 2009 with House Bill 2544. Also known as the “No Oregon Child Left Inside Act,” this bill created an eleven-member Task Force charged with developing the Oregon Environmental Literacy Plan and reporting back to the Legislature by October 1, 2010.
The Task Force is charged with several tasks, including:
- Preparing students to understand and address the major environmental challenges facing Oregon and the United States;
- Help establish programs that promote healthy lifestyles through outdoor recreation and sound nutrition;
- Create professional development opportunities for teachers to improve their knowledge of environmental issues and skills in teaching about environmental issues.
The Legislature directed the Oregon Environmental Literacy Plan to identify:
1. Academic content standards;
2. The relationship of the plan to high school diploma requirements;
3. How environmental literacy will be measured;4. Professional development program options;
5. A plan for implementation; and
6. How to partner with Oregon public schools.
Because the environment, economy and society are interconnected, it’s expected that the plan will include much (we hope most) of what would be expected in a sustainability literacy plan.
Meetings are open to the public, dates are set meeting-to-meeting, and the 4th meeting is scheduled for June 28 in Salem. To view the text of Bill 2544, see the task force roster and see information about the meetings visit the Task Force webpage on the ODE website at http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?id=2886.
The Federal No Child Left Inside Act, House Bill 2054 and Senate Bill 866, are in play in Washington D.C. If and when they pass, they would provide funds to states that have an environmental literacy plan in place.
http://www.cbf.org/Page.aspx?pid=687
The Oregon School Facilities Task Force
The 2009 Oregon legislative session also passed House Bill 2013, which created an Oregon School Facilities Task Force to conduct a study of the status of public school facilities and make recommendations to the Legislative Assembly. An initial report was submitted to the special session of the Legislative Assembly in February 2010. The second report will be submitted to the Legislative Assembly in 2011.
In Oregon, school facilities are built, owned and operated by each individual school district. They do not fall under the jurisdiction of the Oregon Department of Education, or within any one agency. This work provides an opportunity to increase the sustainability of our school facilities, a set of buildings large enough to house 20% of our population!
The Task Force consists of fifteen members appointed by the Governor, the State Treasurer, the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The Task Force has established 3 Advisory Committees focusing on Assessments, Financial issues and Educational Standards.
To learn more visit the Task Force webpage on the DAS website: http://www.oregon.gov/DAS/FAC/SFTF_index.shtml.
To read the text of HB 2013: http://www.leg.state.or.us/05reg/measpdf/hb2000.dir/hb2013.a.pdf.
We hear lots about “green jobs”, but just what does that mean? It turns out that Oregon has an official definition:
A green job is one that provides a service or produces a product in any of the following categories:
1. Increasing energy efficiency
2. Producing renewable energy
3. Preventing, reducing, or mitigating environmental degradation
4. Cleaning up and restoring the natural environment
5. Providing education, consulting, policy promotion, accreditation, trading and offsets, or similar services supporting any of the other categories
A recent survey by the Oregon Employment Department found that, based on this definition, in 2008 there were over 51,400 green jobs in 226 different occupations. It also found that many green jobs are in blue collar occupations, on average green jobs tend toward slightly higher wages than jobs across the entire economy, that two-thirds of green jobs require no education beyond high school, and that about one-third of green jobs require some kind of special license / certificate. These details and many more survey findings can be found in “The Greening of Oregon’s Workforce: Jobs, Wages and Training” report, issued in June 2009 and available on the OED website: http://www.qualityinfo.org/pubs/green/greening.pdf. The Oregon Employment Dept. is now conducting a much more detailed study running from December 2009 to May 2011, which will add to our understanding of the green jobs sector.
It’s important to note that the above definition for green jobs is not identical to jobs that are done sustainably. EVERY job needs to be done with a goal of minimizing or eliminating negative impacts to sustainability. Forward thinking businesses in all sectors are seeking employees who not only meet the typical requirements of the job, but who also can demonstrate knowledge of sustainability concepts. That may be what is necessary to be competitive in their job market. On the other hand, not all jobs meeting the green job definition are being done sustainably. In some cases they even cause negative sustainability impacts while providing the service or product described in the green jobs definition.
The K-12 school system lays the foundation for our future workforce. It should provide an education for sustainability that gives students the skills, knowledge, values, and perspectives needed to support their successful contribution to a green economy, whether their subsequent steps include direct entry into the workforce, community college or 4-year university, and in all cases as a consumer desirous of the goods and services provided by a green economy. It sets the course for their post-secondary choices, and can increase their consideration of green jobs via career counseling, exploration, program offerings, internship partnerships and education pathways. The importance of the K-12 role is further reinforced by the recent finding that 2/3rds of green jobs don’t require post-secondary education.
HB 3300, passed in 2009, calls for the Oregon Workforce Investment Board to create a Green Jobs Growth Plan for Oregon. The plan is being created by the Oregon Green Jobs Council, and completion is expected by Fall. It will propose activities that include the K-12 system, utilizing suggestions prepared together by SOSI and ODE.
All these green jobs links are available on the SOSI website at, http://sustainableschools.org/discover/sus_jobs.htm#OregonGJ
SOSI was invited this Spring to give a presentation for the Oregon School Facility Managers Association Conference about Zero Waste. Have you considered your waste targets lately? What amount of waste do you and your management consider to be desirable?? Waste over time is not sustainable for many reasons. Consider a long-term zero waste target. Ask us to learn more, and see our presentation ppt: http://sustainableschools.org/events_files/OSFMA 2010 100413 Final.pdf
New Journal of Sustainability Education
See the inaugural issue including an article from Oregon, on their website: http://www.journalofsustainabilityeducation.org/wordpress/
Check the SOSI website for details and updates: http://www.sustainableschools.org/about/events.htm.
SOSI Events
Managing Sustainability Topic TeamTBD in July 9:30am to noon
SOSI Steering Committee
June 8, 2010 1:00pm to 4:00pm
Non-SOSI Events:
Listing on this page does not imply endorsement by Zero Waste Alliance or the Sustainable Oregon Schools Initiative.
June 23-25 Schooling for Sustainability: Strategies That Make Learning Come Alive
Seminar that builds on the Center for Ecoliteracy's acclaimed book, SMART BY NATURE: SCHOOLING FOR SUSTAINABILITY.Berkeley, CA
June 26-28 Conference: Systems Thinking and Dynamic Modeling for K-12 Education
This Creative Learning Exchange conference will provide resources and opportunities to learn about systemic change and community building in K-12 education.Wellesley, MA
June 26-30 Fourth Annual Summer Institute on Food, Farming, Culture, and Education
This summer institute presented by the EduCulture Project is aimed at helping K-12 and community based educators bridge classroom and community around food, farming, culture and education.
Bainbridge Island, WA
July 12-16 Waters Foundation - Systems Thinking in Schools Project
This Waters Foundation workshop, Developing Critical Thinking Skills Through Systems Thinking Strategies, will provide an introduction to Systems Thinkingtechniques and how they can be infused into the curriculum to provide a framework from which to develop and practice critical thinking strategies. Find out more at http://sustainableschools.org/events_files/Level I Flyer '10 Sustain-1.pdf.Portland, OR
Visit the SOSI Website Events page for more listings: http://sustainableschools.org/about/events.htm
Supporters in the past year include:
Platinum Level
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Gold Level
Bonneville Power Administration*, Coastwide Laboratories*, Oregon Community Foundation – Schamp Family Fund*, Oregon Department of State Lands, Oregon School Employees Association*, Portland General Electric*
Silver Level
Bank of America Charitable Foundation, Catlin Gabel School*, Metro Regional Government*, Oregon Dept. of Community Colleges and Workforce Development, Oregon Department of Education*, Oregon Education Association, Siltronic Corporation*
Bronze Level
Bill Blosser*, Boora Architects*, Hot Lips Pizza, Neil Kelly*, Jack Nickerson, Rick Schulberg, Sandra Shotwell, Kent Snyder, SolarWorld, Trane Oregon
*Honor Roll Sponsors have contributed for more than one year.
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An Apple a Month...
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