Enjoy Hockey? Watch the LA Kings Go!

The LA Kings have joined forces with Grades of Green to promote environmental action. The LA Kings Team have made serious environmental changes to help the planet. Just last month, the LA Kings celebrated the past Earth month by building edible gardens, installing solar panels, and by promoting Grades of Green’s upcoming Fall Water Campaign. In addition to their on the ground actions, they have encouraged fans to save water, conserving over 1,000,000 gallons of water on World Water Day!

Check out their blog post to see all of their environmental activities HERE.

When hockey season rolls around again in October, you’ll know who to cheer for- the environmentally active LA Kings!

How will you celebrate Earth Month? One way to go green is to make sure you use eco-friendly products in your daily life. Fjallraven, a Swedish-based company that specializes in creating outdoor gear, created the Re-Kanken backpack which is made entirely from polyester created from plastic bottles!



Last week, Grades of Green’s New York Team kicked of Earth Month with Fjallraven at their Soho location. Together, we taught people other simple ways they can go green for Earth Month. Check out the tips below:


1. Even if turned off, appliances that are still plugged into an outlet will continue to consume energy. Make sure to unplug appliances when not in use to save energy and money!



2. Hydration stations are a great way to get fresh, clean water while also reducing the amount of plastic water bottles used.



3. You can reduce your exposure to toxins by taking your shoes off before entering your home and by making your own green cleaning supplies. Homes of shoe-wearers contain an average of 10 times more dust than homes where families don’t wear shoes indoors!




4. You can reduce air pollution and save money by not idling – make sure to turn your car off if you won’t be moving. Just 30 seconds of idling can use more fuel than turning off the engine and restarting.




5. You can help prevent deforestation and water and air pollution by having a meatless meal. If you ate just one less burger a week for a year, it would be the equivalent of taking your car off the road for 320 miles!



Interested in celebrating Earth Month with your school? Click here to register with Grades of Green and unlock our 40+ eco-Activities!

 

Grades of Green’s New York City office recently participated in an Earth Day 5k Green Tour hosted by Earth Day Initiative. Our favorite stop was The Battery Urban Farm, where we started our tour bright and early in the drizzling rain. It’s an educational farm hidden in plain sight! The Battery Urban Farm is a great place for anyone to visit and especially for students to get hands-on learning. Ecosystems, native plants, pollinators, animal and insect camouflage, and water ecology are among the topics students can learn about amongst the rows of produce (vegetables, fruits, herbs, grains, and flowers) and oyster restoration stations. The food produced is donated to participating school cafeterias through the Garden to School Cafe Program.

Too far away to visit The Battery? Take on your school’s own Drought Tolerant Garden or taste new, fresh foods with a Farmer’s Market Meal — be sure to register your school so you can unlock these and all other 40+ activities.

Grades of Green celebrated Earth Day by attending the 25th annual Earth Day Celebration at Polliwog Park in Manhattan Beach! The event featured booths with aquarium touch tanks, soy candles, and just about everything in between. Thanks to volunteers from the Manhattan-Hermosa Chapter of the National Charity League and Youth Corps Eco-Leadership students Rylee G., Noah S. Carter C., Elise Y., Nadia W., Johanna J., guests at the Grades of Green booth had the chance to either spin the Grades of Green Jeopardy Wheel and learn fun facts about the environment or take a pledge to help the environment.

Youth Corps Eco-Leadership students were even invited to give presentations on the Eco-Education stage! Johanna J. spoke about her research on vegan diets and how they impact the environment, Emily H. spoke about the Green King and Queen competition she set up at her school, Nathalie A. spoke about her earth hour event, Nadia W. spoke about her lesson on ocean pollution, and Elise Y. spoke about her work on installing a native garden on campus. To top it all off, Grades of Green Youth Corps Eco-Leadership students Allie K., Elise Y., and Maxine F. even received Environmental Hero awards from V.O.I.C.E.! Interested in becoming an eco-leader? Click here to learn more about Grades of Green’s Youth Corps Eco-Leadership program. Interested in keeping the spirit of Earth Day going all year long? Click here to register and unlock Grades of Green’s 40+ Activities to see ways you can make your school community more green!

Grades of Green kicked off earth month by hosting fun and educational booths at multiple outreach events! At the Bixby Knolls Earth Day event, Grades of Green staff and Youth Corps Eco-Leadership students invited guests to make recycled gift tags. This year the event showcased electric vehicles, rain barrels, and green demonstrations. The event was made complete by free environmentally friendly giveaways and free paper shredding!

At the LA County Sanitation District Earth Day event, Grades of Green staff played the Natural Resources Matching Game with guests while also encouraging people to take on an environmental pledge to help the planet. With everything from water reclamation plant and materials recovery facility tours to free shower buckets and reusable bag handouts, the LA County Sanitation District Earth Day event inspired thousands of people to do their part to help the environment.

Want to test your knowledge of natural resources by playing the Grades of Green Natural Resources Matching Game or share an environmental pledge with social media by writing it out on the Grades of Green environmental pledge board? Stop by the Grades of Green booth at the MB Earth Day Celebration event at Polliwog Park on Saturday, April 22nd! Interested in taking on an eco-friendly activity with your school in honor of earth month? Click here to register and unlock Grades of Green’s 40+ Activities!

Many of you are probably planning for or in the process of putting together your Earth Day festivities. Here’s one way to kick off next month: on Wednesday, April 5th at 7pm Eastern Standard Time, The Bard Center for Environmental Policy will host a free online screening of “Priceless,” which is an episode from the National Geographic series, Years of Living Dangerously. The documentary series sheds light on the impacts of climate change and the solutions that individuals, communities, companies, and even governments are using. This episode highlights both carbon pricing and the biodiversity loss threat from climate change. The screening will be followed by an expert panel discussion where they will welcome audience questions. For more information, please click here.

You can sign up here to receive more information about the screening, including the link to the show and webinar, by filling out this RSVP form.

If you are in the New York City area, you can attend the event live on Bard College’s NYC campus (just be sure to fill out the relevant section on the RSVP form).

Preview content from the episode featuring Aasif Mandvi (The Daily Show) and Nikki Reed (The Twilight Saga).

Ready to raise awareness about and inspire appreciation for our planet? After you register your school on Grades of Green, you’ll unlock 40+ activities including our Earth Day Celebrations activity.

Spring 2017 Outreach Events Calendar:

SUNDAY, MARCH 5

Taste of Blue Zones @ Manhattan Beach Civic Plaza (Manhattan Beach)

SATURDAY, MARCH 11

LA Environmental Education Fair @ Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden (Arcadia)

SUNDAY, MARCH 12

Grades of Green Fundraiser @ Lush, Del Amo Fashion Center (Torrance)

SUNDAY, APRIL 2

Star Eco Station’s Children’s Earth Day @ Star Eco Station (Culver City)

SATURDAY, APRIL 8

LA County Sanitation District Earth Day @ LA County Sanitation District Main Office (Whittier)

SATURDAY, APRIL 8

Bixby Knolls Earth Day @ 3737 Long Beach Boulevard (Long Beach)

SATURDAY, APRIL 22

Manhattan Beach Earth Day @ Polliwog Park (Manhattan Beach)

*For more information, please email us at info@gradesofgreen.org!