Environment Council of Rhode Island announces winners of the 2021 Loraine Tisdale Environmental Education grants
Environment Council of Rhode Island
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| Westerly Land Trust photo |
Each year the Environment Council of Rhode island Education Fund awards three school or afterschool programs small grants to enhance environmental education. The awards are named after a long time Rhode Island activist, Loraine Tisdale, renowned for her work on keeping children safe from pesticide sprays.
This
year the $250 grants will go to :
The Westerly Land Trust to expand the Living Laboratories program to involve students from Westerly and surrounding towns in outdoor experiential learning on a variety of preserves, including the Barlow Nature Preserve which features multiple farms. The tools gained through the fund will allow students to engage in research projects incorporated into their environmental education lessons as they explore these farms, compost operations, and conserved land.
The Central Falls School Districts Expanded Learning Community to provide more opportunities for Central Falls youth to spend time at the community garden learning about growing healthy food and nutrition, and to work with community artists to create a healthy foods cookbook for the foods they grow. In addition the students will help start a garden at the CF Middle School.
The Ricci Middle School in North providence will partner with Tree-Plenish. The students will study the school’s carbon footprint and paper usage and calculate how many trees would be needed to create a sustainable school by growing enough wood to supply the school with paper and mitigate its heating and electricity usage. Students will work with community sponsors to raise money and plant trees, hoping to plant at least 1 tree per Ricci Middle School pupil.
The
Environment Council of Rhode Island congratulates the winners and looks forward
to reports on the progress of these projects.