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For those of you who are organizing events in your communities, we would love to feature your work in our “Voices of Change” section.

To submit your materials or be interviewed, please contact our Lead Sustainability Educator, Aleidria Lichau.

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EVENTS

1-Day Into to EfS Workshop
July 10th, 2011 9am-4pm

5-Day EfS Summer Design Studio
July 11th-15th, 2011 9am-4pm

BOOKSTORE

View the Cloud Bookstore for EfS units of study, curricula, design tools and more...

April 11, 2011

Our bi-monthly New Jersey Learns Newsletter is the perfect place to continue to enrich your involvement with Education for Sustainability. This newsletter is a place to share ideas, take action, and hear stories of change from our leaders.

IN THIS ISSUE...

Thought for the Season
Connections
Taking Action
"Yes" - The Essence of EfS; 5-Day EfS Summer Design Studio - NJ Learns Scholarships Available; Save the Dates - Leading Change Workshop | July 6-8; Two NJ Learns Participants Awarded Earthwatch Fellowships
Voices of Change
NJ Learns: Making Bigger Connections Over Time; Profound Connections
Opportunities
Congress in the Classroom; Northwest Earth Institute Curriculum; PLAN B: Mobilizing to Save Civilization

THOUGHT FOR THE SEASON

Connections

"Man is not himself only...He is all that he sees; all that flows to him from a thousand sources...He is the land, the lift of its mountain lines, the reach of its valleys. — Mary Austin

TAKING ACTION

"Yes" - The Essence of EfS

I’ve been Director of NJ Learns for all of three months now and whenever anyone asks how I’m settling in, I tell them how much I love my job. I’ve had a few skeptical people suggest that I am in the honeymoon phase, that I won’t always like it this much. I don’t think so. The biggest reason it’s such a pleasure to do this work is embedded in the EfS approach itself and is unlikely to change: It’s how much I hear the word “yes”. Though my proof may sound small, it’s actually powerful and revealing. “Yes” is the essence of EfS, it’s an orientation to life and a work philosophy. As the quote above implies, it recognizes that we are what we experience and that what flows to us, can flow through us. “Yes” suggests beginnings, bridges and connections; creativity, curiosity and exploration.

New Jersey Learns exists because the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation said “yes” three years ago to our proposal to build a state-wide awareness of educating for sustainability at the local level. And we got word just two weeks ago that they’ll continue their support for a fourth NJ Learns cohort, so the learning may continue. As Director, not only do I have the opportunity to discuss with them how we build the network of NJ Learners, I also have a bird’s eye view of the actual work participants are doing. Every week, I see evidence of your collective orientation to yes as people design big projects to promote sustainability and to make measurable contributions to it in your schools and communities. I’ll share a handful of examples. Nancy Axelrod, from the 2010 cohort has been in touch recently to say she “was just awarded a contract…to help facilitate the development of a sustainability plan for one neighborhood”. Since her first email, we’ve had a few exchanges to talk through her ideas about designing a plan that reflects the interests of that whole community.

Kristi Ranieri, wrote to say that she and fellow participant, Sheila Baker-Gujral are teaming up to launch a “Green Challenge” in her community and its schools to build up to Earth Day. Jim Fiola wrote to share an idea that he and the principal of a nearby K-5 school were developing. They’re interested in starting a food garden at the school and to “have the farmers and gardeners that [Jim] knows…do cameos at the garden” to support the efforts of the young people there in growing food for themselves.

Ann Turalski, together with the Maplewood Green Team Schools Committee, just organized a conference and workshop at Seton Hall University. Ann described the goal of the workshop as “teach[ing] an understanding of sustainability with concrete applications for the classroom” and Jaimie was the keynote speaker.

Suzy Sherbine emailed just a couple days ago to apologize for missing the last coaching call because she was preparing to have the Mayor of her town sign the Sustainable Jersey Proclamation, officially making her municipality part of the Sustainable Jersey network. She will Chair that team and one of her colleagues there will be part of our incoming 2011 NJ Learns Keystone cohort.

Even when you don’t share the work you’re doing to strengthen our network directly, we get evidence of it indirectly. It comes in loud and clear this year in the form of applications for the 2011 NJ Learns cohort. We received an unprecedented number of applications—over 100! Among the seventeen teams and multiple individuals that applied, we have our first “theme” team of performing artists as a result of Dodge's interest in connecting creativity folks with sustainability folks.

The stories you’ll read in the “Voices from the Field” section written by Lori Braunstein (2008 Cohort) and Chris Bickel (2009 Cohort) give you a detailed example of just how fluid this work is and how making connections upward and outward can yield huge results over time.

Each time I hear from you or read an email like the ones I refer to above, my hopefulness and inspiration grow as does my conviction that the work we do together is bringing us closer to sustainability, faster, because we keep choosing to say “yes”.

Enjoy the story and tell me YOURS!

5-Day EfS Summer Design Studio - NJ Learns Scholarships Available

If you have already participated in The Cloud Institute's 1-Day, Intro to EfS Workshop, you are eligible to sign up for our 5-day EfS Summer Design Studio, July 11th-15th. This annual program is designed for educators, faculty, curriculum supervisors, administrators, and community educators. As teams or as individuals, teachers learn how to design and embed EfS into their curriculum and assessments. Administrators and supervisors learn how to develop performance assessments, professional development plans, and organizational learning strategies that educate for sustainability.

We are offering 10 scholarships for NJ Learns participants interested in attending the 5-day program. For more information, and registration details, check out our website.

If you're interested in a NJ Learns Scholarship, contact Kamdyn Moore for details.

Save the Dates - Leading Change Workshop | July 6-8, 2011

Save the Dates! If you’re a NJ Learner who has completed the first year training, plan to join us for the Leading Change workshop from July 6-8, 2011! This year’s all-new, three-day workshop will focus on sharpening your skills at converting your actions planned into actions TAKEN—and provide you more tools to measure the progress you’re making in leading your school and community toward sustainability!

Keep an eye out for the email in the coming week with the link to the online application. If you have questions between now and then, don’t hesitate to contact Moira or Aleidria.

Two NJ Learns Participants Awarded Earthwatch Fellowships!

You’ll remember from the last newsletter a really unique fellowship opportunity offered by our partners at the Earthwatch Institute. The fellowship was offered to any classroom teachers who had completed the first year in NJ Learns. We’re very pleased to be able to tell you that two of the applicants were awarded those fellowships: Ann Turalski and Chris Bickel. As part of this amazing award, Ann and Chris will participate in Songbirds of the Rocky Mountains from July 1st - 9th. On the expedition they will monitor migratory and resident songbirds to discover the reasons for their declining numbers. Fellowships, available only to NJ Learners, build on their EfS knowledge and skills by allowing them to apply it in their field research, integrate it into curricula for their students and preparing them take action in their communities by addressing local issues. Congratulations Chris and Ann!

VOICES OF CHANGE

This section of our newsletter celebrates the efforts of NJ Learns participants who are placing Education for Sustainability within their own lives and are demonstrating how their knowledge has rippled out and touched so many in their own communities. As you read, become inspired by their stories and the opportunities they have created as a result of their own self-reflection and growth!

NJ Learns: Making Bigger Connections Over Time
By Lori Braunstein
Sustainable Cherry Hill

As a member of the 2008 inaugural class of NJ Learns, forty other people and I from across the state spent a total of 8 days learning how to talk to my community about sustainability. Because of my role as community leader, in the years since, I’ve spent time crafting my own skill at sharing the concepts of Education for Sustainability more informally. In the last three years, I've used NJ Learns tools in my interactions with community members, elected officials, senior citizens, students and others. The variety of audiences to whom I’ve presented hasn’t just allowed me to tailor my presentation skills, it’s also been fundamental to creating a shared understanding about sustainability across these distinct audiences, opening pathways for me and for them to make more connections, find common interests and work together toward our shared goals.

The inclusive message woven throughout NJ Learns about finding entry points to bring diverse stakeholders into the sustainability conversation really resonated with me and supported my efforts to build momentum for a regional sustainability movement in South Jersey. Over time and with more experience, instead of seeing divergent opinions and perspectives as obstacles, I see them as opportunities for new connections that expand the scope of my work—and get my community that much closer to the goal of sustainability. I have a lot of stories to share, but there are a few I wanted to pass on to show how those of us in Cherry Hill are making new connections, reaching out to other NJ Learners and across sectors, too.