In This Issue
-->4J/EWEB Education Partnership Program Message
-->Monthly Matters
- 10/2 Energy Efficiency day
- 10/14 Indigenous Peoples Day
- 10/23 Make a Difference Day
- 10/13-10/27 National Writing Project Write Out
-->Events and Opportunities
- MECCA's Object Afterlife Art Challenge Exhibition October 4th
- Lane County Audubon's Lights Out Campaign
- The Great Oregon Shake Out October 19 at 10:19am
- Oregon Climate Education Thought Leaders Committee
-->Resources
- BRING, MECCA and SPLASH!
- Lane County's Waste Wise School Newsletter
- K-12 Climate Educator Advocacy Toolkit
CLEAN
- STEM Teaching Tools Climate Learning Resources
-->Newsletter Archive
10 Ways to Save on (Y)Our Electric Bill
1. Make the switch to LED
Tip: By switching five of your home’s most frequently used bulbs with ENERGY STAR® certified LEDs, it’s possible to save $75 on energy costs annually.
2. Seal Those Leaks
Tip: Take simple steps like caulking windows, sealing leaks around chimneys and recessed lighting, and sliding draft guards under your doors to save up to 20% on heating costs.
3. Heat and Cool Efficiently
Tip: Install a programmable thermostat. Follow the U.S. Department of Energy recommended temperatures and be energy-efficient all year.
4. Maintain Your HVAC System
Tip: Consider getting a winter tune-up. Just as a tune-up for your car can improve your gas mileage, a semi-annual or yearly tune-up of your heating and cooling system can be vital to improve efficiency, saving you money and making your home more comfortable.
5. Look for the ENERGY STAR® Label
Tip: If you are undertaking a major home remodel or new build, consider installing ENERGY STAR® qualified HVAC equipment windows and appliances.
6. Turn the Electronics Off
Tip: Turn off unnecessary/idle lights, appliances and electronics. A power strip can help turn off multiple items at once. (Sometimes the simplest things are really effective!)
7. Winter Tip: Invite the Sun In
Tip: Open curtains/shade on your west-and south-facing windows during the day to allow sunlight to naturally heat your home, and save 2%-12%.
8. Summer Tip: Close Blinds and Shades
Tip: During the day, keep your blinds and shades closed to prevent warm air from building up in your home.
9. Clean Your Clothing Efficiently
Tip: Consider using cold water. Always run full loads, because the machine uses roughly the same amount of energy regardless of the load size. Also, consider air-drying.
10. Clean Up Your Dishes Efficiently
Tip: Avoid the “rinse hold” cycle and skip heated drying – simply open the door at the end of the washing cycle and let the dishes air dry!
Here is one my favorite resources that brings Indigenous perspectives to the center in an easily accessible way. Great to share with families or adapt for your own purposes in the classroom.
Learning Activities for Families, Communities & Educators
These activities are designed to be used wherever you are! With your family, you can explore your relations with water, food, and plant and bird relatives right outside your door, whether you are in our homelands that have become dense urban places or in rural places or in other places. Community organizations and educators are encouraged to use and adapt these materials to be connected to the places you are in.
Write Out: Poetry for the Planet
Write Out is a free two-week celebration of writing, making, and sharing inspired by the great outdoors. It is an open invitation to get out and create that is supported with a series of online activities, made especially for educators, students, and families, to explore neighborhoods, parks, and other public spaces.
This year’s theme is Poetry for the Planet.
Write Out supports...
- literacy learning in and about the world around us.
- connections to one’s own place, and then via social media, provides opportunities to share and connect across places.
- engaging schools, after-school and community programs, families, and individuals to go outside and be creative, social, and participatory.
- experts in building activities and curricula that are locally relevant, interest-driven, and academically connected.
For more info: https://writeout.nwp.org/
Announcing MECCA’s 15th Annual Object Afterlife Art Challenge
Object Afterlife challenges local artists to re-imagine unwanted materials and upcycle scraps into intentional works of art. MECCA challenged nearly 100 artists to make inspiring, thought provoking, and creative works of art out of a mystery bag of scrap materials. Participants are given a mystery bag of materials, $15 in MECCA Money, and three months to create. These artists constantly inspire us as we watch unwanted materials become incredible works of art. The resulting artworks exist in the space where artistic discovery and conservation meet, inspiring us all to think differently about the materials we may consider waste.
Come see your very own Eco Chick's piece called "Less is More-Eat Outside the Box!
The Object Afterlife Artist Reception and Awards Ceremony is a celebration of the work of these inspiring artists on Friday, October 4, from 5:30 - 8:00 with prizes awarded at 6:30.
This event is sponsored by Lane County Waste Management.
Lights Out programs help reduce the impacts of light pollution on birds, insects, mammals, fish, amphibians, reptiles, plants, and humans. They also save energy and money, reduce our carbon emissions and preserve our view of the night sky. Please sign the Pledge!
As a Eugene resident, business, property owner or manager, you can pledge to minimize all non-essential lights and make seasonal lighting changes from 10pm to 6am during peak spring bird migration April through June and fall migration September through October.
Specific actions you can take include:
–Turn off unnecessary and decorative lighting.
–Make sure that outside lights are aimed down and are well-shielded.
–Install motion sensors so that lights are only on when needed.
–Choose warm bulbs (under 3,000 Kelvins, closer to 2000 is better) with negligible blue light.
–During migration seasons, draw blinds or curtains to reduce light spill.
–Reduce lobby and atrium lighting, where possible. Turn off rooftop lighting and exterior architectural lighting not used for security.
–Turn off lights before leaving the home or office.
For more info:
Living in the Ring of Fire in the Cascadia Subduction zone is no joke. The "Big One" could be upon us at any time, so it's good to ask yourself, "Am I 2 weeks prepared?" "Do I have a reunification plan with my family?" "What emergency assistance will be available in our area?"
This year's International ShakeOut Day is October 17, when millions of people worldwide will participate in earthquake drills at work, school, or home!
At 10:17 am (local time) on 10/17, you can join people across Oregon practicing earthquake safety.
Check out the 4J/EEP Aware and Prepared page for some home tips to get prepared.
And, here is EWEB's Pledge to Prepare page.
About the Advisory Committee
Our aim is to create a community of practice toward the goal of making it easier for Oregon educators of all grade levels and subjects to integrate climate change education into their existing lessons and teaching practices so their students will have access to powerful climate education throughout their lives.
We invite you to join the Oregon Climate Education Thought Leaders Committee to:
Build a community that empowers educators to teach and learn about climate change
Help shape and grow the Oregon Climate Education Hub by sharing resources and providing feedback so that it remains relevant to Oregon educators
Collaboratively identify awareness opportunities that can grow and enrich stakeholders' focus areas.
Join us on the third Tuesday of each month!
Register in advance for this meeting by filling out this Google Form.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting (a Zoom link and Google Calendar Invite).
BRING Recycling K-12 Education
-->Classroom Presentations
Invite BRING's educator into your classroom to explore one or more concepts of waste prevention. From curious kindergarteners to inquisitive high schoolers, we tailor our content to spark age-appropriate learning.
-->Waste Facility Field Trips
Locations: Glenwood Transfer Station, Short Mountain Landfill, BRING Planet Improvement Center. Locations may be scheduled individually or combined.
You will need to arrange transportation for your students. Low-income schools qualify for transportation reimbursement through Lane County Waste Management. Get more information when you schedule your field trip with us.
Presentations and Field Trips are Free!
Email educator@bringrecycling.org to schedule today!
For more info: BRING
*MECCA
Free Materials and Lessons for teacher!
The Teacher Resource Area is perfect for hands-on projects, with bulk items for making and learning, supplies for science or art projects, and materials to organize your classroom. Teachers receive 25% off on Tuesdays and 10% off every day on all other products.
MECCA has supplies for community events, activities, fundraisers, and social justice work. We also donate select materials from our storefront.
They also have supplies to help with community events, activities, and fundraisers.
For project ideas, check out MECCA's Recycled Art Curriculum.
For a complete list: MECCA for educators
*Materials Exchange Center for Community Arts
SPLASH!
Take advantage of this grant opportunity by doing stormwater related activities, teaching students with the SPLASH! site/curricular link, as well as raising salmon.
SPLASH! offers grants of $500-$1000 available for teachers that participate in Salmon Education and/or use the SPLASH! resources to teach their students.
24/25 SPLASH! Grant Application
Check out SPLASH! site for resources. Or, schedule a classroom visit for the 3 Water Systems of Eugene.
The Waste Wise News—School Edition is out!
Are you a student, parent, or teacher who wants to learn more about bringing sustainability to your daily decisions or classroom lesson plans?
The Waste Wise News—School Edition, published by Lane County Waste Management, can help. Get inspired by what other young people are doing to have their voices heard regarding the climate crisis, and learn how you can make more sustainable decisions when buying new electronics and clothing or even how you get to school.
Visit ////lanecountyor.gov/wastewise-schools to download the guide today.
From wildfires to hurricanes, flooding to heatwaves, the impacts of climate change are happening now, and many educators are increasingly concerned about what the future
will hold for students. But educators can work to advance solutions — solutions students
can see in their schools.
Taking climate action in schools can help communities reduce and prepare for climate impacts while creating hands-on learning opportunities for students. Many students are already impacted by climate change and have shown leadership by asking adults to take
climate action. Learning about climate solutions in schools can help students feel prepared to act in their communities and become leaders for a more sustainable future. These solutions can also create healthier learning spaces and significantly reduce schools' energy costs, which can then be redirected to support teaching and learning through salary raises
and other supports.
Their primary efforts are:
- to steward a reviewed collection of free, high-quality teaching materials for teaching climate and energy
- to support the CLEAN Network, a community of professionals committed to improving climate and energy literacy.
Climate Learning Resources
Global climate change is rapidly impacting all life on earth. But impacts of climate change are complex, uneven, and worsening, with people from poverty-impacted and BIPOC communities often experiencing impacts most sharply. We must be prepared to understand and respond to climate science. Education is a vital context for building capacity for just, community-driven adaptation and resilience efforts as well as for promoting the enactment of equitable mitigation efforts around the world.
Justice-centered climate change learning is complex, but urgent. To support educators to build capacity for this work, we are creating a suite of resources focused on different aspects of this work. Climate science learning has to happen across PK-12 classroom, in informal education and outdoor contexts, and in community-based learning settings.
To that end, we have created resources on this page:
4J/EWEB Education Partnership
TOSA-Climate, Energy, Conservation
Grant Coordinator-EWEB, SPLASH!, Love Food Not Waste
Email: shepard_t@4j.lane.edu
Website: https://bit.ly/4J-eep
Phone: 541.790.5533