Eco Experience
with Eco Chick
Hello People!
March is such a turning point of the year...in like a lion, out like a lamb as the old adage goes. The weather is shifting, time is chugging along and a much needed break is on the horizon. Get outside and enjoy the change of season; smile at the rain and revere rainbows. Not commands, just reminders of simple pleasures that abound around us when we open our eyes, minds and hearts to what is possible.
This issue is loaded with water related resources and more. I've included a few Vearthual Field trips tied to some of this month's eco-days. And, there is a put an A in STEAM opportunity!
Breathe. Smile. Know that you are appreciated.
-Tana
4J Celebrates Earth Day!
In Eugene 4J we are working on sHIfting the way we operate to better reflect our district's 2019 4J Board Climate Resolution, the City of Eugene's CAP 2.0 and the soon to be unveiled 4J 5 year Climate and Sustainability Action Plan!
During the month of April, building staff's will be learning about one goal aspect of our CAP at weekly staff meetings with the SHIft campaign. Be prepared to learn more about ways to make small sHIfts in transportation, food waste, water quality/conservation and reduce/reuse to make a BIG difference. When we as individuals begin to sHIft our behaviors, it becomes a collective win! And, students learn so much by just observing how we operate on the planet day to day. They notice EVERYTHING!
Timeline and Themes
March 31-April 4 Food Waste
April 7-11 Transportation
April 14-18 Reduce/Reuse
April 21-25 Water Quality/conservation
April 28-May 2 Celebration/Recognitions
In the meantime, check out the 4J Celebrates Earth Day website (note: updates pending) and the Earth Month Calendar.
Stay tuned for more information later this month.
Every building in Eugene 4J has Eco Champions and we want to highlight and celebrate their efforts!
Please join me by filling out this form to nominate Eco Champions in your buildings to be highlighted in a special Eco Experience edition later this spring featuring colleagues that go above and beyond to make sustainable practices a priority. It may be your custodian, nutrition services staff, teachers, EA's, admin, students...ANYONE and everyone.
Every year, the Earth yields billions of tons of natural resources and at some point, in the not too distant future, it will run out.
That’s why we must think again about what we throw away – seeing not waste, but opportunity.
The last decade has been the hottest on record, and we are now facing a climate emergency of unparalleled proportions. If we don’t make significant and rapid changes, we will see continued rising global temperatures, the melting of icecaps, continents on fire and rapid deforestation.
This directly affects humanity with increased poverty, immigration from displaced communities, job losses, waste mountains and natural habitats disappearing. We have the power to make lasting changes to combat this, and with recycling being recognized in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals 2030, we are already seeing many individuals, governments and organisations taking direct action to support the global green agenda.
Recycling is a key part of the circular economy, helping to protect our natural resources. Each year the ‘Seventh Resource’ (recyclables) saves over 700 million tonnes in CO2 emissions and this is projected to increase to 1 billion tons by 2030. There is no doubt recycling is on the front line in the war to save the future of our planet and humanity.
Global Recycling Day was created in 2018 to help recognize, and celebrate, the importance recycling plays in preserving our precious primary resources and securing the future of our planet. It is a day for the world to come together and put the planet first.
The mission of Global Recycling Day, as set out by the Global Recycling Foundation, is twofold:
1. To tell world leaders that recycling is simply too important not to be a global issue, and that a common, joined up approach to recycling is urgently needed.
2. To ask people across the planet to think resource, not waste, when it comes to the goods around us – until this happens, we simply won’t award recycled goods the true value and repurpose they deserve.
Every year, on the birthday of Rudolph Diesel, National Biodiesel Day is celebrated with the intention of raising the profile of biodiesel products. Biodiesel is a cleaner alternative to petroleum-based fuels and can be made from recycled cooking oil, animal fat, or vegetable oil.
It’s a product that’s said to be better for the environment and has the potential of stopping the advancement of global warming. And as biodiesel technology advances, it’s becoming clearer that this product is the fuel of the future.
See below for a Vearthual Field Trip to Sequential Biofuels to learn from Ian Hill.
This year's theme is Forests and Foods.
In 2025, forests and foods is the theme for the day, celebrating the crucial roles of forests in food security, nutrition and livelihoods. In addition to providing food, fuel, income and employment, forests support soil fertility, protect water resources, and offer habitats for biodiversity, including vital pollinators. They are essential for the survival of forest-dependent communities, particularly Indigenous Peoples, and contribute to climate change mitigation by storing carbon.
Save Our Glaciers
Glaciers are melting faster than ever.
As the planet gets hotter, our frozen world is shrinking, making the water cycle more unpredictable.
For billions of people, meltwater flows are changing, causing floods, droughts, landslides and sea level rise. Countless communities and ecosystems are at risk of devastation.
As we work together to mitigate and adapt to climate change, glacier preservation is a top priority.
We must reduce greenhouse gas emissions to slow down glacial retreat. And, we must manage meltwater more sustainably. Saving our glaciers is a survival strategy for people and the planet.
Protecting frozen water resources for the future
The theme of World Water Day 2025 is ‘Glacier Preservation’.
Glaciers are critical to life – their meltwater is essential for drinking water, agriculture, industry, clean energy production and healthy ecosystems. Rapidly melting glaciers are causing uncertainty to water flows, with profound impacts on people and the planet. Global reductions in carbon emissions and local strategies to adapt to shrinking glaciers are essential.
This World Water Day, we must work together to put glacier preservation at the core of our plans to tackle climate change and the global water crisis.
Play your part. Do what you can.
Earth Hour 8:30-9:30 pm
Earth Hour --- A Lights Off Moment --- Unplug for the Planet
Switch OFF-spend one hour doing something-anything-positive for our planet.
The purpose of this hour on this day is to unite people all across the globe in their effort to save the planet.
This day was created by the World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) and encourages people to turn off their non-essential electric components, as well as their lights. The WWF hopes that if people practice this holiday for that one hour per year, they will think about their energy consumption more and make the effort to use less energy.
2024/25 City of Eugene SPLASH! It's not too late to apply!
2024/25 City of Eugene SPLASH! Mini-Grants for classrooms
SPLASH!-Stormwater Pollution Learn and Share is a partnership with the City of Eugene designed to educate students about the importance of "Only Rain Down the Drain" in our stormwater system.
Take advantage of this grant opportunity by doing stormwater related activities, teaching students with the SPLASH! site/curricular link, as well as raising salmon. This opportunity will be sunsetting soon!
24/25 SPLASH! Grant Application
Check out SPLASH! site for resources. Or, schedule a classroom visit for the 3 Water Systems of Eugene.
BRING provides free in-classroom presentations, tours of Lane County waste-handling facilities, and additional opportunities to engage students in waste prevention. From reuse and recycling to food waste reduction and the circular economy, classroom and field trip experiences help foster the connection between natural resources and consumption habits and explore ways students can change behaviors to have a positive impact on the world around them. Click here to learn more.
Classroom presentations may be scheduled in conjunction with field trips for extended learning. Programs are in partnership with Lane County Waste Management. Email jackg@bringrecycling.org to get started.
K-12 educators, please see our Water Teachers page for Honorary membership and benefits!
Check out this year's Lane County Waste Wise Sustainability Guide- a guide to sustainability.
Empowering residents, businesses & schools with resources to reduce waste & live more sustainably.
SPLASH! Stormwater Pollution Learn and Share site
4J/EWEB Education Partnership Program site
Salmon Education-The Salmon Spot
4J/EWEB Education Partnership
TOSA-Climate. Energy. Conservation
Email: shepard_t@4j.lane.edu
Website: https://bit.ly/4J-eep
Phone: 541.790.5533