EducaPoles

If you ever thought melting polar ice caps and renewable energy were boring subject matters, EducaPoles will change your mind! Students, in the Fun Zone you'll find awesome animations, photos, quizzes, and even videos about explorers on their adventures in the Arctic. (In one video, an explorer describes how he coaxes polar bears out of eating him!) This beautifully-made animated comic follows the adventure of two kids grappling with issues of global warming, deforestation, and sustainable development. Teachers can download the accompanying teacher's dossier to guide students through activities that underscore the lessons that these comics teach. You'll also find detailed teacher's dossiers on issues such as polar science, oceans, and energy. At Educational Projects teachers will find various projects about science and the environment that teachers are using. One example is CLIMATIC, a virtual climatic laboratory where students learn science-based lessons on the climate and sustainable development. You can also search Resources to find organizations and associations that have created high quality educational resources on climate change in the poles.

Edutopia

Edutopia have compiled a cross section of curriculum ideas for integrating environmental issues into lesson plans at every grade level. Some can be completed within a single class period, others require more time, but all are sure to get your students and you thinking about what can be done to preserve our planet. The Edutopia magazine has articles aimed at teachers that focus on going green in the classroom, especially the October 2007 edition. The site also has links to some inspiring videos about schools that are addressing environmental issues through activism and class projects. Its Go Green Database has links to some great environmental websites for students. Below are two examples:

• The Globe provides students with data which they can use for research projects to understand how the environment around them works.
• Meet the Greens is a fabulous site about an animated family and their humorous efforts to be eco-friendly.

Student Conservation Association

The Student Conservation Association gets high schoolers involved in environmental projects with two aims: to get important work done on projects ranging from archeology to zoology, and to develop conservation and community leaders. During the summer, join a Conservation Crew and embark on a 3-5 week adventure to any of the 50 states with other high schoolers and two experienced adult leaders! At your destination you'll build trails, protect endangered habitats, and sleep under the stars. You can also get involved with projects during the school year by volunteering with the Conservation Leadership Corps at local DC sites. You'll make friends, give back to your community, and earn service learning credits for graduation. The SCA website also hosts multimedia contests for 15-25 year olds to present projects that engage youth in conserving the natural world.

Sierra Student Coalition

If you're a high schooler who would like to learn about activism, organizing, and protecting the environment, then get involved with the Sierra Student Coalition!  The SSC is a broad network of high school and college students from around the country. Its mission is to empower youth to organize effective, tangible victories and develop the future leaders of the environmental movement. To that end they offer resources and support, including trainings and campaigns, to a national network of local communities of young environmental activists. The SSC assists them in running strategic grassroots organizing efforts that influence environmental policy and alter public attitudes. On their website you'll find resources for planning and running campaigns.
The SSC site also has an exciting list of scholarships and awards for young environmentalists. These include the David Brower Youth Awards (for 13-22 year olds), Young-Eco Hero Awards (8-16 year olds) and Gloria Barron Prize (8-18 year olds) which honor students with trips, scholarships, and financial rewards for their outstanding efforts in environmental activism.

Roots & Shoots

Would you like to join a group of students who are committed to making the world a better place for people, animals, and the environment? If so, visit Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots's website to access a huge database of student-run projects. You can search for a group by region, age range, and group type. If you can't find what you're looking for, create your own group! Through its Partnerships in Understanding program, Roots and Shoots pairs groups from around the world to correspond through cultural exchanges. And if you're a 14-20 year old with a knack for leadership, you're eligible to join the Youth Leadership Council through which you'll meet regularly with other members to provide support for other Roots and Shoots group. On the Events Calendar, you'll find Roots and Shoots-sponsored activities, events and festivals happening throughout the year. To encourage Roots and Shoots's ideals in the classroom, teachers can buy activity guides that aim to promote learn-service activities among youth.Roots

World Wildlife Fund

For more than 45 years, the the World Wildlife Fund has been protecting the future of nature as the world's largest multinational conservation organization. Using the best available scientific knowledge and advancing that knowledge, they work to preserve the diversity and abundance of life on Earth. The WWF Climate Change Team has developed a comprehensive educational curriculum for teachers aiming to elevate students' knowledge of the issue and spur dialogue about what each individual can do to make a difference. This high school-level curriculum is divided into fifteen lessons which include handouts, a glossary of terms and additional resources for ongoing discussions and research. Students, learn about some of the world's most endangered species through facts, photos, and quizzes.

American Rivers

American Rivers guides you through the steps towards actively protecting rivers, whether it's organizing a local clean-up or getting in touch your governmental representative. Here you can plan a river clean-up and find tips on how to carry them out (including safety, to what to bring, and trash disposal). If you love rivers but aren't fond of getting your feet wet, this site also shows you how to get political about saving rivers. Find out what current river issues are the most urgent at Action Alerts. Learn Tips and Tools on how to draft letters, prepare phone calls, and email Congress, the Administration, and governmental Agencies. You'll even find your elected officials' contact details to let them know how you feel. Students and Teachers can visit River Basics to understand the ecology of rivers, the cultural and economic importance of rivers in America, and facts that further illustrate how healthy rivers are the lifeblood of our communities.

National Geographic Society

Renowned for producing some of the world's most beautiful nature photography,the National Geographic Society 'inspires people to care about the planet'. On their website, teachers can find a range of lesson plans, classroom activities, and printer-friendly maps. Subjects range from geography to science to history, for grade levels K-12. If you're a middle/ high school student, you'll enjoy visiting National Geographic's online museum, the Xpedition Hall, which will take you on a virtual geographical journey. You'll learn about the earth and its inhabitants though topics ranging from regions' natural resources to their most widespread religions. There's a teacher's guide to go with it too. For younger students, on National Geographic Kids you'll find photos, cartoons, games, and creative activities that are all about animals and the natural world!

EnvironMentors

Are you a high school student who dreams of a job saving the environment? If so, EnvironMentors is the perfect project for you. It pairs talented DC high schoolers with professionals in the science and environmental field who serve as mentors to the students. During an academic year, students and mentors work together to develop science research projects on environmental topics born of the students' interests, ultimately helping them build their careers. Each May, participating students present their projects to DC elementary school classes and to a team of judges at the annual EnvironMentors Fair. The season concludes with the gala EnvironMentors Awards Ceremony at which two students who have excelled in the program receive $10.000 scholarships to college. Students who participate in Environmentors achieve an impressive 98% high school graduation rate, with 95% admitted to college. For more details see the Student Manual.

International Walk to School

Why walk to school? Walking is healthy for your body, it helps protect the environment, and it creates a demand for safer walking and biking paths, says the International Walk to School website. Read more about the benefits of walking here . Do many children at your school walk and bike to school, or would you like to encourage more of them to do so? Then register with International Walk to School and find all sorts of tools that will get kids excited about walking. There are downloadable stickers, badges, certificates, frequent walker/ bicyclist cards, and a list of local media sources to promote a walking event. Schools with successful walking records are eligible for great prizes and giveaways. Also on the site you'll find Event Ideas for classroom activities, sponsorships, parades, and ways you can plan Walk to School activities. And if a parent is cautious about their child walking to school due to asthma or another respiratory illness, they can check the air quality in their area every day.

Marine Conservation Biology Institute

Marine Conservation Biology Institute
The Marine Conservation Biology Institute is the place to visit when you want to learn about conserving the ocean's intricate web of life. Whether you're a teacher preparing a class or a student researching a project, each visit will help turn you into an ocean expert. The From Sea to Shining Sea page teaches you about America's ocean realms. After all, few of us realize that the US possesses huge expanses of underwater real estate. At 4.4 million square miles, the ocean floor under US jurisdiction is 25% larger than the US landmass!  You can explore topics by theme (such as climate change, destructive fishing, and economic importance) and by region. The site also connects you to Google Earth, perhaps the best site for exploring our earth's geography. For Teachers, the MCBI website links to Sea Grant, a Virginia-based site with resource material on oceans and the Chesapeake Bay. Here you'll find lesson plans and games for K-12 students.

Global Giving

Perhaps you're a teacher or a student with some great fund-raising ideas, but you aren't sure which aid organizations should receive your well-earned money. GlobalGiving connects you to over 450 pre-screened grassroots charity projects around the world. It's an efficient, transparent way to make an impact with your giving. See a quick animation of how Global Giving works. You can search for grass-root charity by region or topic. Under Environment and Climate Change, find projects that will help communities around the world, from pedal-generated lights in Nepal, to trees-planting projects in Kenya. Once you've signed up with a project, Global Giving will update you on how your gift is making a difference every few months.

For the Love of Children

For the Love of Children works to show young people from all walks of life that they can become strong, confident, responsible leaders of their communities. FLOC uses outdoor 'experimental education' to teach lessons on how to tackle seemingly insurmountable challenges. At one of their Environmental Education Learning Centers you will learn first-hand lessons on forest life, renewable energy, recycling, gardening, aquatic life, and more nature-related topics. At a Team Development Courses, you'll learn problem-solving and teamwork skills through challenges ranging from group-walks across extended ropes to 400-foot adrenaline pumping cable slides through the forest. In their Leaders in the Making Program, a group of vibrant and curious young people ages 10-14 meet regularly at the FLOC office in Adams Morgan for workshops focused on reading, writing, leadership, community service, and Environmental Education.

Earth Day Network

The Earth Day Network has some terrific resources on environmental activities no matter what age you're teaching. On their website you'll find fund-raising instructions and lesson plans on a variety of themes including sustainability, climate, and organic food. They have environmental lessons grounded in maths, language arts, science, creative and performing arts. You'll also discover tips on making your school greener. You can even search for environmental events happening in your area through the Earth Day search engine. To access all of the above, simply register for free with the Educator's Network. Another of the website's highlights is the Earth Day Footprint Quiz, which makes students aware of their personal contributions to global warming and unsustainable development. Here they'll find out, how big is their ecological footprint? How does it compare to other people's? If everyone lived like them, how many planets would we need?

Earth Conservation Corps

The Earth Conservation Corps teaches students how to protect their local environment through interactive outdoor activities. If you're a teacher, consider getting your students involved in one of the ECC's fall environmental educational programs!  In the Raptor Research and Education show, 3rd-6th grade students participate in live-action presentations involving raptors (birds of prey). Presentations can take place in your classroom or at the Mathew Henson Earth Conservation Center (bus transportation available). Another option is to take your students on an Anacostia River Eco-Patrol, on which they'll observe birds and other wildlife using
binoculars and field guides. Tours (aimed for 3rd grade and older) are free for DCPS students and $5 per student for non-DCPS students. You also might want to register your students and yourself in an Anacostia River Restoration project. Activities include trash clean-ups, removal of invasive species, tree plantings, storm water control projects, and more. River Restoration service is regularly scheduled for the first and third Saturdays of every month.

High schoolers, get creative and teach others about the environment and other important issues through the Youth Media Arts Program!  As a member of the Media Arts Program Corps members you'll create short documentaries, write articles for community newspapers and the ECC website, and teach area public high school youth how to create public service announcements around social issues. All PSA's air on the Districts community access television station, DCTV. If you're a teacher you can align this free program with language arts, social studies, and technology classes. The curriculum and standards are available to teachers and principals for preview.

Kid's Planet

Kid's Planet is a fun site where younger students can play and learn about America's native wildlife species and habitats. Features include a kids' activity book, animal coloring pictures, and games ranging from concentration to puzzles. The endangered species fact sheet is full of information on fascinating animals in danger of becoming extinct. And teachers can find classroom activity guides that teach about wolves and sea otters through lessons in language arts, math, science, and social studies.

Sustainable Schools Research Library

The Sustainable Schools Research Library is an excellent UK-based resource library for teachers who want to incorporate lessons about sustainable development and the environment into their classes. Among other things, they have Teaching Resources you can search for schemes of work, lesson plans, and learning materials relating to sustainable development. They also provide an A-Z Directory of organizations that promote, design, and advise on how to implement sustainable development programs. Also notable are the Case Studies that detail how different schools are teaching
about sustainable development across subjects and age groups.

Another nice touch to the site are highlights of renowned photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand. At his website, see the 'Earth from Above' collection with breath-taking images of our diverse and colorful planet.

Casey Trees

"Never underestimate the ability that someone with a shovel and seedling has to change the world," says the Casey Trees website. This organization aims to illuminate the importance of trees to teachers and students, and provides them with the tools to make Washington a cleaner greener city. It offers three educational programs:

• The GreenTech Educational Program teaches students in DC public and charter high schools how to use GIS (geographic information system) technology to analyze economic and ecological benefits of trees on their school grounds. Students then plan and implement a tree-planting plan on their site. This project is supported by a year-long professional development program for teachers.
• In the Schoolyard Stewards Program, public middle school students investigate the effects of stormwater runnoff in their schools, travel to the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers to compare their findings with larger-scale environmental issues, and plant trees at their schools. For professional development, teachers attend an interactive workshop on the Living Classrooms' boat.
• In The Schoolyard Planting Program, Casey Trees provides schools with trees, tools, and technical assistance so that students, teachers, staff, and parents can plant trees on their school yard. Plantings occur from October till December, and in April and May.

America Recycles Day

The America Recycles Day website doesn't just tell you to to reuse plastic bags—it reveals recycling to be interesting, empowering, and a vehicle for creativity.  At Recycling 101 you'll find interesting facts, instructions for artsy projects, and suggested reading for recycle-loving bookworms. You can also find out how to Get Involved in recycling events in your area. Take the Recycling Pledge and join the nation-wide movement to save natural resources and slow global warming!

Do you know the closest location to drop off your bottles? Earth911 has a helpful recycling center search engine.

Environmental Protection Agency

The Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the U.S. government whose responsibilities are protecting human health and the environment. Whether you're a student or a teacher, it's very important to know what the government's stance on today's environmental issues is! For example, why not find out what the EPA is saying about climate change? On the EPA site teachers can find resources on general topics relating to the environment. There is also an Environmental Kids Club with information, games, and activities for students in primary and secondary grades.

PlayPumps International

PlayPumps International is a nonprofit collaborative that enables individuals, governments, foundations, and companies to donate PlayPump™ water systems to rural African communities and schools. Donors to PlayPumps International help improve the lives of children and their families by providing easy access to clean drinking water, enhancing public health, and offering play equipment to millions across Africa.

Lubuto Library Project

The Lubuto project is creating libraries of quality to serve Africa's street kids and other vulnerable children. They provide an opening onto the world, education, hope, and the simple pleasure of books to children who are alone in the world. The goal is to give the burgeoning numbers of street children the opportunity for non-formal education, improving literacy, language skills, general knowledge and participation in society.

Peer Partners

Peer Partners is a youth volunteer group founded in 1997 to help others in need. Peer Partners strives to bring the community together in volunteerism, advocating the prevention of youth smoking, hunger, illiteracy, homelessness, and birth defects, while supporting disaster relief efforts, funding community projects, providing peer support, and inspiring kindness.

This organization is unique because the organizations within the Peer Partner Organization have been created by youth. Each organization, including Kids Feeding Kids, have volunteer opportunities within regions. This website includes facts of hunger and homelessness, specifically targeting Child Hunger.

America's Second Harvest

Second Harvest is the nation's Food Bank network and its website is full of information on Hunger including statistics and low income families. This organization can serve as a knowledge bank and has ways on how youth can get involved in volunteering their time as an advocate on a local or national level.

Share Our Strength

Share Our Strength's website has national as well as local information concerning hunger and ways to alleviate it locally. This is a great resource when seeking opportunities to combat DC hunger through volunteering and facing poverty first-hand.

One

The One campaign is targeted towards making poverty history. The ONE Campaign is an effort by Americans to rally Americans – one by one – to fight the emergency of global AIDS and extreme poverty. ONE is students and ministers, punk rockers and NASCAR moms, Americans of all beliefs and every walk of life, united to help make poverty history.

The ONE Campaign derives its name from the belief that allocating an additional one percent of the U.S. budget toward providing basic needs like health, education, clean water and food would transform the futures and hopes of an entire generation in the world's poorest countries. We also call for debt cancellation, trade reform and anti–corruption measures in a comprehensive package to help Africa and the poorest nations beat AIDS and extreme poverty.

Their website has a ton of information and facts on poverty as well as ways to take action within your community.
This site isn't targeted towards educators specifically; however, it provides up to date knowledge of poverty and provides links on how to accomplish the goal of ending it.

Tolerance Organization

An excellent website for teachers, parents, and youth, Tolerance Organization provides tips and tools for social causes with an emphasis on poverty and homelessness. The website is fantastic for teachers because it incorporates innovative teaching techniques with an emphasis on social issues.

Teachers:
This website includes a Math Activity about poverty designed for teachers to implement within their classrooms. It also includes the ABC's of Service Learning, and a few ideas on how to address Hunger Issues for Students of all ages. Their website allows students to find the cost of living in your community, relative to the national average.

Tolerance.org contains separate links for Teens and Kids providing material oriented to their age groups.
In the Teen section, it gives helpful links on how to apply for grants, steps to take action and tools on how to work with adults.

Stand Up Against Poverty

Launched by the United Nations Millennium Campaign, STAND UP is an exciting challenge to set an official Guinness World Record for the greatest number of people ever to Stand Up Against Poverty and for the Millennium Development Goals.

On October 15 & 16 2007, the world will come together and STAND UP and remind their governments that promises to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and help the billions living in extreme poverty, must be kept. The purpose of the action is to raise awareness of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and to publicly demonstrate to policy makers the growing global support for the eradication of poverty.

STAND UP is an initiative designed to coincide with Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) month of global mobilizations around the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. We need everyone to take part to ensure governments listen and take action.

Stand Up because:

• Every day 24,000 people die from hunger
• Every day more than 100 million children are denied the chance to go to school
• Every day 1.1 billion people have to drink polluted water
• Every day 8,200 people die due to HIV/AIDS

This website encourages EVERYONE to take a part in their campaign to end global poverty. They have forums to post new ideas and keep people informed and a page describing all local events and rallies in your specified area.

Global Youth Action Network: Youth Link

GYAN is a youth-led organization that unites the efforts of young people working to improve our world. The Network connects many thousands of organizations in over 190 countries and a growing membership is now helping to shape the future direction of GYAN. GYAN promotes the Youth movement. In partnership with the United Nations World Food Programme, Youth Link mobilized for Walk the World in 10 countries to raise awareness and funds to end child hunger. This website shows youth how to pursue opportunities and provides tools, resources and recognition for positive youth action.

Global Youth Service Day

Global Youth Service Day is the largest annual celebration of young volunteers, where millions of young people in countries everywhere highlight and carry out thousands of community improvement projects. GYSD offers a way for local, national, and international organizations to:

• BUILD the capacity of an international network of organizations that promotes youth participation, service, and learning;
• EDUCATE the public, the media, and policy-makers about the year-round contributions of young people as community leaders around the world;
• MOBILIZE youth and adults to meet the needs of their communities through volunteering; and
• LEARN and share effective practices in youth service, youth voice, and civic engagement in the world today.

This website allows teacher/youth to search for upcoming GYSD activities within their community and provides plenty of tools/resources in their Get Involved area.