Kentucky School Districts to be Recognized for Energy-saving Initiatives

PRESS RELEASE

Date: January 31, 2012

Contact:

Chris Wooton

KEEPS – Kentucky Energy Efficiency Program for Schools

(502) 852-2275

chris.wooton@louisville.edu

www.kppc.org/KEEPS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Kentucky Energy Efficiency Program for Schools (KEEPS) will host an awards banquet to recognize 47 Kentucky school districts that have created successful energy-saving initiatives since January 2011. The banquet will be held Friday, February 3, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Spirit Room at the KFC YUM! Center and will coincide with the Kentucky School Boards Association’s annual conference. KEEPS Stewardship, Champion and Leadership awards will be presented to school district superintendents, energy managers and board members. Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet Secretary Len Peters and University of Louisville J.B. Speed School of Engineering Dean Dr. Neville Pinto are the keynote speakers for the event.

KEEPS is an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act-funded program that provides training, online resources and technical assistance to help Kentucky school districts reduce operational costs through improved energy performance. It is a free, non-regulatory program, which is administered by the Kentucky Pollution Prevention Center (KPPC) at the University of Louisville J.B. Speed School of Engineering.

As participants in the KEEPS program, Kentucky school districts develop energy management programs based on the U.S. EPA Energy Star seven-step energy management process. KEEPS awards are presented to school districts that reach program development and energy performance milestones throughout the process.

The event will also formally introduce the 2011 KEEPS Status Report, which provides an overview of the free and non-regulatory services that KEEPS offers to school districts, summarizes program activities and achievements to date, and highlights the energy use reduction of 71,869 MMBtu and avoided energy costs of more than $4.5 million through best energy management practices implemented by the districts in fiscal year 2011. The KEEPS Status Report is available to download on the KEEPS website, www.kppc.org/KEEPS.

"Kentucky's school districts are setting the national standard for energy efficiency,” said KPPC Executive Director Cam Metcalf. “The investment of time and effort that these school districts commit to their energy management programs pays off in terms of providing a better learning environment for our students and teachers as well as cost savings for the taxpayers who support our educational system.”

Representatives from the media who are interested in attending the KEEPS Awards Banquet should contact Chris Wooton at (502) 852-2275 or chris.wooton@louisville.edu.

KAEE’s 36th Annual Conference

This year’s conference will take place at Lake Cumberland State Resort Park in Jamestown, KY.  As environmental educators, we take a non-advocacy stance on environmental issues because our goal is to educate others and teach them how to think, not what to think.  This difficult balancing act inspired the theme for KAEE’s 36^th annual conference: “Creating a Balance”.

Join us Friday, September 14 and Saturday, September 15 for a fun-filled conference and networking opportunity. We will continue our family-friendly activities this year so bring the whole crew!  Children will be able to participate in hands-on presentations geared just for them.

Following a full day of concurrent sessions, onsite and offsite workshops and networking time on Friday, we will head over to the Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery.  We will host a locally-catered dinner followed by live music from nationally-acclaimed singer-songwriter Jim Scott.  An exciting acoustic guitarist, singer, and composer of powerful music that furthers the ideals of ecology, justice, and peace, Jim makes an impact on hearts and minds across the world.  Find out more about him at www.jimscottmusic.com . After the concert, you won’t want to miss KAEE’s live auction for great deals on locally made artwork, EE curricula, books and more! 

Rooms and cabins are being held for $64.95 a night.  Be sure to make your reservations soon!  To save money and practice sustainability, consider staying at the campground for $22.00 a night.  Early Bird conference registration will open June 15^th.  For more information about Lake Cumberland State Resort Park, please visit: http://parks.ky.gov/parks/resortparks/lake-cumberland/default.aspx

The Call for Proposals has officially opened and an online submission form can be found on our website: http://kaee.org/conference/call-for-proposals.  Please feel free to share this link with others if you'd like them to submit a proposal for our review. We're always interested in hearing from new presenters about the many facets of environmental education.

Green Teacher Webinar on Engaging Diverse Audiences

Strategies for Successfully Engaging Culturally Diverse Audiences

Monday, January 30, 2012, 7:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
Presenter:  Gus Medina

Are you finding it difficult to engage increasingly diverse audiences in your community? Have you tried to attract visitors from diverse cultural backgrounds to your environmental education programs and met with limited success? This webinar will examine how similar challenges led three organizations to seek more effective strategies for working with culturally diverse audiences. Gus Medina will share the experiences of these organizations and strategies that can help program managers and educators make their programs more inclusive. There will be about 25 minutes for participants to ask questions and share strategies based on their experience.

Suitability:  All formal and non-formal youth educators

Gus Medina manages EECapacity, a national project intended to help anyone who wants to increase their effectiveness as an environmental educator. The project is addressing the question, What does environmental education look like in a society that is increasingly urban and culturally diverse? Cornell University is the managing partner and U.S. EPA funds the EECapacity Project. Between 1995 and 2010 Dr. Medina served as Project Manager for the Environmental Education and Training Partnership (EETAP), a consortium of organizations that increased the capacity of education professionals to deliver high quality environmental education. He was also responsible for several EETAP activities that produced What’s Fair Got To Do With It: Diversity Cases from Environmental Educators, a day-long workshop that examined the intersection of environmental education and cultural diversity, and an online course on how make environmental education more relevant for culturally diverse audiences. Prior to EETAP, Dr. Medina served as a Senior Program Officer with World Wildlife Fund-US. Dr. Medina holds PhD in Natural Resources Management from the University of Michigan with a specialization in environmental education.

Register Here

http://eelinked.naaee.net/n/eelinked/posts/Green-Teacher-Webinar-on-Engaging-Diverse-Audiences

Check out other Green Teacher Webinars!

School Flag Program

Did you know air pollution is a trigger for asthma?  Did you know children, including teenagers, are especially sensitive to the harmful effects of air pollution?  What is your plan of action when the air quality is poor?  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has a program to help you.  You are invited to participate in the School Flag Program, an easy and inexpensive way to help your school and surrounding community know the air quality conditions each day.

Schools in the Flag Program raise a brightly colored flag each day that corresponds to the air quality forecast. Based on the color of the flag, teachers and coaches can modify outdoor activities when the air quality is unhealthy.

You can find more information about the program at www.airnow.gov/schoolflag.   Four easy steps (explained in the Coordinator’s Handbook) will get your flag program started:

   1. Purchase set of flags (cost is generally less than $100).

   2. Educate and inform the school and community at the start of the program (sample article included).

   3. Subscribe to a free email service (www.enviroflash.info) to obtain the daily air quality forecast and fly the corresponding flag.

   4.   Know what actions to take when the air quality is unhealthy (recommendations/actions chart included).

EPA highlights participating schools on the School Flag Program website and recognizes them with an official membership certificate.

For more information or help getting the program started at your school, please contact  rogers.donna@epa.gov.  If your school already has a school flag program, register at http://www.airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.schoolflagprogram and they will highlight  your school on the EPA website and send you a membership certificate.

Fund For Wild Nature

The Fund for Wild Nature provides small grants to small groups who get things done. Our Board of Directors is comprised of lifelong environmental activists who know which steps are needed to protect and restore our planet, and which strategies and tactics will work. We will direct your donation to where it is most needed. Join us as an investor in wild nature!