With so much attention now focused on how to help solve our environmental challenges, members of the North American Association for Environmental Education are ready to answer the question "What can I do?" For over 36 years, NAAEE's annual conference has provided hundreds of ideas for how to teach others to help our planet be more sustainable. This year's NAAEE conference, in Wichita, Kansas, on October 15-18, features many ways to share the message that every action matters in sustaining our planet. During the four days of events, participants also will be inspired by a host of artistic expressions in words, pictures, and songs. Registration is now open.
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Early Bird Deadline: August 15, 2008

Hyatt Regency Wichita (HRW) is continuing to increase their "green" efforts and is constantly creating new ways to cut down waste and conserve energy. Recently, HRW added a cardboard baler to cut trash removal by one-third. New showerheads have restricted flow to reduce water usage. Additionally, each department has an energy management plan to identify areas where users can help save energy. HRW will continue to focus on environmental savings as staff prepares for NAAEE’s arrival.

Environmental Education Research – (5 issues) Member Price $38 US
An international refereed journal which publishes papers and reports on all aspects of environmental education to help advance understanding of environmental and sustainability education.

Applied Environmental Education and Communication – (4 issues) Member Price $33 US
Provides practitioners with specific recommendations based on experience and research. Authors are encouraged to report what worked and what did not and to make suggestions for future strategies. This multidisciplinary journal is written in a straightforward style with a minimum of technical jargon.

Nomination Deadline: July 31, 2008
Sierra Club and NAAEE are pleased to announce the creation of a new award for high school students. The Sierra Club and NAAEE Green Youth Leader Award will be presented to a high school student in recognition of a contribution to, or leadership in, environmental education at the local, state/provincial, regional, national, or global level. The award will be presented at the Awards Banquet during the NAAEE Annual Conference in Wichita, Kansas on Saturday, October 18, 2008. Nominations are now being accepted. A complete award description, criteria, and nomination form are available online.
Nominator must be a member in good standing of either NAAEE or Sierra Club.

Deadline: October 17, 2008
This year Earth Science Week is October 12-18, and the theme is No Child Left Inside. The American Geological Institute (AGI) is sponsoring the following contests for students to get involved in Earth Science Week.

· Earth Science Beyond your Front Door Photography Contest - asks people to explore the geologic world through the camera.
· Studying Our Earth Visual Arts Contest - for K-5 students to show themselves as earth scientists actively studying our planet, through drawing or painting.
· Earth Connections Essay Contest - for 6-9 grade students to write about the interconnected geologic processes that take place in their community and how those processes in turn affect them.

October 12-18, 2008
American Geological Institute is pleased to announce the theme of Earth Science Week 2008: “No Child Left Inside.” Earth Science Week 2008 will encourage young people to learn about the geosciences by getting away from the television, off the computer, and out of doors. Learn more about how to get involved in Earth Science Week 2008 by visiting the Web site.

July 23-24, 2008 ~ Silver Spring, Maryland
This educator conference will celebrate the 25th anniversary of Sally Ride's first space flight with focus on climate change. Sally Ride will deliver the keynote address at the conference titled "Earth Then. Earth Now. Our Changing Climate" giving educators the opportunity to explore latest research findings, experience hands-on science activities, receive professional development credits, and more.

July 17-20, 2008 ~ Ely, Minnesota
This Wilderness Wind "Listen for the Loons" writer's retreat will include morning stretching, meditations, writing sessions, unstructured writing times, and free time to explore the wilderness and the Ely community. Spend time learning and sharing with the featured authors, Anne Hostetler and Julia Spicher Kasdorf, during your stay on Armstrong Lake, and eat nutritious meals prepared by the Wilderness Wind staff.

July 15-18, 2008 ~ San Antonio, Texas
Experience innovative, interactive, and tested methods of teaching water subjects in all grade levels and all settings at this four-day conference for educators. The 5th Annual "Water: A Living Lesson" conference will explore practical, up-to-date examples of successful educational programs and materials throughout 50 interactive sessions and field trips.

Submission Deadline: September 30, 2008
Submissions are being accepted for the 5th World Environmental Education Congress to be held at the Palais des Congrès in Montreal from May 10 to 14, 2009. The 5th World Congress will draw a large attendance, potentially becoming one of the field's most significant gatherings on environmental education. The mobilization of support behind the organization of this Congress is further evidence of the tremendous enthusiasm at play.

Get updates about the 5th World Environmental Education Congress in their new E-newsletter!

Earn money by recycling. Terracycle buys plastic wraps, candy wrappers, and a whole slew of plastic containers from groups, schools, and fundraisers, to reuse for their business. They make everything they sell out of trash!
Check out their story >>

The Eco-Capitalist blog from Tom Szaky, the CEO of TerraCycle, who writes about driving up business profits by being environmentally and socially responsible. Read more >>

The EcoResearch Media Watch on Climate Change provides a continuous update of media coverage from 150 news media sites on climate change and related issues. The latest addition to Media Watch is "Knowledge Planet," a convergence of geographic information, Internet technology, and social change, using automated content analysis to extract geospatial context and build a geotagged knowledge base.

"Understanding Sustainability" is a new, flexible, self-contained 1-2 week curriculum unit aligned with national science standards for middle school educators to teach sustainability issues from Facing the Future. This curriculum features hands-on activities that explore sustainability issues, such as energy, consumption, water scarcity, transportation choices, and potential solutions. Thanks to funding from the Russell Family Foundation, a version of this unit is available for Washington State teachers free of charge. In addition, thanks to designated funding from the Marine Conservation Alliance Foundation and the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, a version of the unit is also available free of charge to classroom educators in Alaska.

Project Learning Tree (PLT), in partnership with the World Forestry Center, has completed a new set of secondary activities Global Connections: Forests of the World. The module consists of nine activities that provide students with the opportunity to do research and apply critical thinking skills to consider the social, economic, and environmental implications that underlie decisions about forest management. Educators can use the module in biology, geography, agriculture, and other science and social studies courses at the high school or early college level.

The Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision Awards program is one of the world's largest K-12 science and technology competitions. Three out of four first prize winning teams announced for the 2008 program proposed future technologies on solving energy and environmental challenges. The ExploraVision program challenges students to design technologies that could exist 20 years into the future.

For only $55 (professional membership rate), you get a wealth of member benefits that include the new Members-only version of EE-News, discounts on conference registration and publications, access to our membership directory for valuable networking, the ability to influence NAAEE policy through participating in Committees and Commissions, and more !

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This email bulletin is provided by NAAEE , with funding from the Environmental Education and Training Partnership (EETAP). Read the latest EETAP Bulletin >> . EETAP is funded by U.S. EPA's Office of Environmental Education. The NAAEE promotes excellence in EE and serves environmental educators for the purpose of achieving environmental literacy in order for present and future generations to benefit from a safe and healthy environment and a better quality of life. Read the latest EETAP Bulletin >>

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