Resource Library

The 2011 Japan-U.S. Teacher Exchange Program for ESD, sponsored by Fulbright Japan, will provide up to 48 U.S. teachers and administrators with the opportunity to travel to a three-day conference in the U.S. and to Japan for two weeks to learn about ESD efforts and strengthen ESD curricula in both countries.  The program is fully-funded with the exception of some meals.  ESD is “a vision of education that seeks to balance human and economic well-being with cultural traditions and respect for the earth’s natural resources,” according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

This activity is intended to guide the instructor in searching the school­yard for good teaching resources. This means certain habitats, environments, organisms, communities, or other features of the schoolyard landscape that can be used to teach ecology.

In this lesson for grades 9-12, students work in teams to design a heat- and water-conserving “green roof” of plant material for an urban apartment building. They address economic and community considerations of green roof design.

Students will:
Study design decisions that affect energy transfer between a building and the outside environment.
Identify and consider decisions involved in improving a building’s energy profile.
Analyze economic and community aspects of green roof options.

Tree growth takes place not only above the ground, but below. The nutrients necessary for plant growth are available under only very specific conditions for each tree species. Trees have adjusted after great lengths of time to very specific environmental conditions that existed long before humankind came on the scene.

Partners in Resource Education (PRE) is a collaboration of Federal agencies, a non-profit foundation, schools and other private sector partners. PRE sponsors Hands on the Land (HOL), a network of field classrooms stretching across America. Through HOL, Federal agencies are providing a diverse array of hands-on learning opportunities for teachers and students on public lands and waterways. The program is being expanded to state and local lands. Find out more at http://www.handsontheland.org.

Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) encourages students to participate in outdoor field experiences, to initiate action projects and to become student leaders in hometown communities. CBF provides resources to students and educators on service-learning, action projects, summer leadership trips, leadership certification and more.

Project Learning Tree’s GreenSchools! Investigations provide assessment forms and other resources for performing qualitative and quantitative analysis of your school’s environment. Investigations focus on five different topics: Energy, Water, Waste and Recycling, School Site and Environmental Quality.

The Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education provides educational materials to inspire young people to think about their world, their relationship to it and their ability to influence it. The Cloud Institute offers professional development opportunities, all-inclusive curricula packages, individual units and courses as well as curriculum design and consulting services.

The Center for Environmental Education (CEE) works with teachers and administrators to address sustainability issues and bring sustainable practices into schools. Their Blueprint for a Green School addresses environmental health and lowering carbon emissions and features a searchable collection of related curriculum.