KAEE’s 36th Annual Conference Call for Proposals

Theme: Creating Balance

Lake Cumberland State Resort Park

September 14-15, 2012

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 36th annual conference: “Creating Balance”. The Call for Proposals has officially opened and an online submission form can be found here. Please feel free to pass this on to other people if you’d like them to submit a proposal for our review. We’re always happy to hear from new people who are interested in the many sides of environmental education! Proposals are due by April 15, 2012 Guidelines for Proposals ·         Friday and Saturday Concurrent Sessions may be provided in a variety of ways including lecture, audio- visual presentations, activities, hands-on learning, experiments, discussion, and field work. ·         Connections with Kentucky Core Content and/or Program of Studies, national standards, and North American Association for Environmental Education standards are strongly encouraged. ·         If you are requesting payment or reimbursement of any fees, you must include this information in your proposal. ·         All proposals must be submitted using the 'Call for Presentations' form provided by KAEE. Electronic submissions are preferred. ·         Presenters must register for the conference in the category that best fits them (professional, student, retired, etc). ·         Proposals are peer-reviewed. Notification of acceptance or rejection will be directed to primary contacts. ·         Environmental education often has strong connections to social and economic issues.  If applicable, please provide information on the social and/or economic connections included in your presentation.  These connections may be a central or peripheral part of your proposed session. Session Format Preference: 45 minute traditional presentation - This time frame is most suitable for a 30-minute presentation, followed by 15 minutes for discussion and questions, although this may vary.  Note: In some instances, 45-minute panels may be formed comprised of two or three proposals on a similar topic. 90 minute hands-on presentation - Most suitable for hands-on sessions that deal with a single topic or program, in an interactive setting where participants can have an open discussion with the presenter. Not intended as a lecture. Forums or panel discussions with an interactive component are also suitable. 3 hours or 6 hours - This time frame is most suitable for hands-on sessions that will be conducted on-site or off-site. These sessions may also require time to travel to an off-site location. Family Activity (45 minutes) – Sessions for children will be scheduled on Saturday.  Activities should be as interactive and hands-on as possible.  Conference Strands: Environmental Education in Practice - These sessions will focus on the knowledge and skills that combine to bring excellence to the field of environmental education. We're looking for innovative learning strategies, professional development opportunities, new directions and research in EE, and unique methods of making learning about the environment relevant to adults, students, and teachers. Environmental Literacy - We're looking for sessions to give participants an in-depth look at content related to environmental issues and topics. This strand will give in-depth background information on your topic. For example, sessions may explain the science behind wetlands, discuss environmental health in Kentucky, offer instruction on how to identify trees, or investigate sustainability. Journey into EE - This strand is designed for those who are just starting their career, or those who want to learn more. Appropriate sessions will include the concepts of EE, such as alignment to state and national standards, environmental education ethics, assessment, and new ways to present material.

Light & Color in the Winter Sky

Submitted by Roberta Burnes, KAEE Vice President

Photo: Circumzenithal arc

Winter is the perfect time to watch the skies – and not just at night.  To be sure, the cooler drier air this time of year does make for clearer skies at night.  But I’m talking about daytime sky watching, and in the winter this means atmospheric phenomena.

I’m something of an atmospheric phenomena geek.  I actually have a “life list” of atmospheric effects I’ve witnessed, from double rainbows to sun pillars, and rarer phenomena like glories and circumzenithal arcs.  Once you know what to look for and when to look for it, you start noticing things that others rarely see – and some of it is pretty amazing.

Atmospheric light shows happen all the time.  Think of the colors you see at sunset, or the way sunlight creates those convergent rays when peeking through clouds (those are called crepuscular rays).  Chances are, you’ve seen many of these effects and wondered what caused them.  It generally comes down to one or more of the following properties of light: reflection, refraction, diffraction, and scattering.

People have written whole books about this topic and I’m not going to go too deeply into the physics of it here, but in case you’re interested I recommend Robert Greenler’s fine book Rainbows, Halos, and Glories.  There are several great websites on this too, including http://www.weatherscapes.com/ . 

Atmospheric phenomena can happen anytime of the year, day or night, but wintertime can be especially good for glimpsing ice crystal effects like halos, arcs, and sundogs.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Ice crystal halos

Halos are large, white rings of light that partially or completely encircle the sun or moon.  Haloes are caused by sunlight refracting through specific shapes of ice crystals in the upper atmosphere.  When you see a halo, chances are it will be located 22 degrees away from the sun or moon in any direction.  If you hold your fist at arm’s length and extend your thumb and pinky, the span between thumb and pinky will be just a bit more than 22 degrees.  The 22 degree halo is very common and can be seen practically anytime there are high altitude cirrus clouds in the sky near the sun or moon. 

Sundogs

Sundogs are very common and resemble bright spots of light about 22 degrees away from the sun on either side.  Sometimes you’ll see concentrated rainbow colors in sundogs, with red on the side closest to the sun and blue on the outside.  They occur most often when the sun is low in the sky, and are frequently associated with halos.

Sundogs form as sunlight is refracted by hexagonal plate-shaped ice crystals that have their flat faces horizontally oriented with respect to the viewer.  The ice crystals act like prisms, bending sunlight to create the effect.  A similar phenomenon can happen at night with the full or nearly full moon, called a moondog.

Circumzenithal Arc

As its name suggests, this delicate arc of rainbow-colored light appears to partially encircle the zenith – the overhead point in the sky.  It is one of the most overlooked atmospheric phenomena, mainly because one must look very high in the daytime sky to see it. 

The same milky white cirrus clouds associated with halos and sundogs often create circumzenithal arcs.  The sun must be less than 32 degrees in elevation to see them.  I always make a habit of looking up when I go outside, covering the sun with my hand to prevent glare and looking high overhead for this beautiful arc.

Keep Looking Up!

All of these phenomena can be seen year-round in the daytime sky if conditions are right.  Hopefully I’ve enticed you to keep your eye on the sky so that you, too, can enjoy nature’s light show.

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!