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!

We’ve all heard the rule that we shouldn’t feed wildlife, but what happens when the wildlife feed themselves human food? Green Team students at El Segundo Middle School noticed that birds would fly onto their campus and eat lunchtime waste from open trash bins and litter scattered across campus – food sources that are unhealthy for birds. Unfortunately, this trash eating habit is a common issue for birds near coastal schools.


Through the Waste Campaign, these eco-leaders determined that their solution is to educate their entire school community to properly sort their lunchtime waste between their compost, recycling, and landfill bins through classroom-to-classroom presentations. The team will also prevent birds from accessing the school’s waste by obtaining special lids for their bins and motivating their school community to keep their campus litter-free. This prevents litter from affecting the environment which would direct birds towards healthier food and more natural food sources.




Interested in implementing an eco-solution in your community like the El Segundo Middle School Green Team? Click here to sign up for the Fall 2019 Water Campaign wait list to receive more information about the program.

Did you know that it takes 5 years for a cardboard milk carton to decompose in a landfill? After playing Grades of Green’s “How Long Until It’s Gone” eco-game, students at the Boys and Girls Club at Towne Avenue Elementary in Carson, CA learned how long it took for different items to decompose in a landfill.




Boys and Girls Club Students teamed up to form “Team Towne,” a team dedicated to recycling milk cartons provided during snack time to reduce the amount of waste going into landfills. With over 100 students in the Club, Team Towne hopes to recycle over 1,000 milk cartons by the end of the school year with 90% accuracy.



Interested in implementing an eco-solution in your community? Click here to sign up for the Fall 2019 Water Campaign wait list to receive more information about the program.

Grades of Green Eco-Leader Dalia from Los Angeles, CA was featured by the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE), a blog that promotes excellence in environmental education. Click here to read how about Dalia’s opinions on improving water conservation and click here to view her project video on different water conservation strategies.



Guest Blog: A Middle Schooler’s Take on Changemaking: Drops in the Bucket

Interested in starting an environmental movement in your community like Dalia? Sign up for our 2019 Water Campaign wait list to receive more information on how to get involved and follow us at @gradesofgreen.

Are you passionate about making special events come to life? Join the Grades of Green team as an Event Planning Intern and help Grades of Green bring our annual gala, Verte 2019, to life! Your responsibilities will include assisting with event planning logistics, auction coordination, donor acknowledgement, and more.


Check out the Event Planning Intern job description here. To apply, please send a cover letter and resume to info@gradesofgreen.org. Applicants will be considered on a rolling basis.

Vegan Chili (composed of Veracruz Sauce, Tomato sauce, and toppings together)

How to read this recipe:

– Look at all ingredients for Veracruz Sauce, Tomato Sauce, and prepare them all as dictated before starting.

– Ensure that you have 1 large stock pot, a blender or a hand-blender, and one sauce pan.

– Follow the order as written.

– If you need more salt, add more miso, soy sauce, or salt before serving.

Veracruz Sauce

Needs: Stovetop burner

8 Roma tomatoes (optional) sliced in half with cores removed

2 Red Bell peppers – Deseed and cut into large halves

2-3 Jalapenos – Deseed if you don’t want this too be too spicy

1 large yellow onion (or 2 small ones) – Cut in half

Instructions

– On your stove top burners, place the jalapenos, tomatoes (optional), onions, and red bell peppers over the flame.

– Place until relatively charred and blistered then rotate. Repeat until there is decent blistering over each ingredient.

– Reserve the veggies on the side

– Gentle note: Please open your windows and allow the air ventilation to prevent your home from becoming too smoky.

Tomato Sauce
Needs: One large stock pot for chili, one sautee pan for garlic

– 1 large can of crushed tomatoes/whole peeled tomatoes/diced tomatoes

– 1 spoonful of tomato puree

– 6 – 8 cloves of garlic crushed and minced

– 3 – 5 tablespoons of olive oil (enough to coat the bottom but not drown ingredients in 2 pots)

3 – 5 large spoonfuls of miso paste

2-3 Bay leaves

Instructions: Stockpot

– Pour some of the olive oil into a stockpot.

– Pour in the reserved ingredients from the Veracruz sauce into your stockpot.

– Add a spoonful of tomato puree

– Cook for 5 – 10 minutes on high heat. Mix the veggies

– Add the large can of tomatoes. Then place a lid on top of the stockpot.

– When it starts to bubble, mix and lower to medium heat

– Add your 3-5 spoonfuls of miso (Remember, if you want more salt, you can always add more miso later)

– Set aside your pot off the burner onto a stable platform. Place a mitten to prevent the hot pot from damaging your surface. Please be careful with your pot.

Instructions: Sautee pan (Do this while waiting for those 5 – 10 minutes)

– Add some olive oil into a pan and place on medium heat

– Add your garlic

– Wait until the garlic is browned (1-3 minutes

– Pour the olive oil and browned garlic into the stock pot

Blend the soup
Instructions:

Needs: hand blender or blender

– When the sauce is HOT, move the entire pot onto a stable surface.

– Use a hand blender to blend the ingredients in the pot (you can pour the ingredients into a blender too). Please hold onto the handle of the stock pot to prevent the pot from flying out

– Return the pot to the stovetop and heat on medium heat.

– Add your bay leaves.

Toppings:

– 1-2 small cans of black beans (washed with cold water until it runs clear)

– 1-2 small cans of pinto beans (washed and dried)

Optional: 4 Diced dried tofu (dou gan) blocks

Instructions:

– Add all ingredients into Pot One. Then place on medium high heat. When bubbly, reduce to low to medium-low.

– Stir and scrape the bottom to prevent burning.

– Cook and reduce for about 30 minutes to 1 ½ hours.

– Taste repeatedly to see if the salt levels are correct. If it needs more
– salt, add salt or miso. If it needs less salt, add a touch of water.

– Serve

Grades of Green Board Chair Barbara Franqui was featured in Modern Conservationist, a blog focusing on insight into the most pressing issues affecting environmental and wildlife conservation efforts today. Click here to read how Grades of Green eco-leaders ages 12-18 around the globe are creating local environmental movements!

Grades of Green: Growing the Next Generation of Environmental Activists



Interested in starting an environmental movement in your community? Register for Grades of Green’s Waste Campaign beginning in January 2019 by clicking here.

This semester’s judges are environmental experts in water specifically. Learn more about our featured judges below.




Fall 2018 Water Campaign Judging Panel



Nancy Hersman – Mayor Pro Tem, Manhattan Beach City Council

Nancy is the Mayor Pro Tem of the Manhattan Beach City Council. Nancy, an attorney and a Manhattan Beach resident for 16 years, is presently serving on the MB City’s Planning Commission, and formerly has served the City and community on the Parks & Recreation Commission, and as a member of the MBUSD Board of Trustees. Nancy has also worked with numerous organizations, including Program Director for the MB Mayor’s Youth Council for two years.




Shaya Kirkpatrick – Co-Founder, Grades of Green


Shaya is a co-founder of Grades of Green. Previously, Shaya was a founding member of Planet Pals, an environmental program working with schools in Southern California to help children take a hands-on approach to help the environment. Shaya received the Environmental Hero Award by Assemblywoman Betsy Butler in 2011, and the 2008 Environmental SBBEC Steward of the Year Award. Shaya also received the Congressional Commendation Award for her exceptional efforts in promoting environmental conservation. In 2009, Shaya was the recipient of the Environmental Award from the Environmental Protection Agency which recognizes individuals and groups outside of the EPA who are working to protect public health and the environment. Shaya started her Interior Design career at the offices of Intradesign, Inc. in 1988 and worked on major hotel projects around the world.




George McGraw – Founder, DigDeep


George McGraw runs DigDeep in Los Angeles, which he founded. DigDeep is the only global water organization working in the U.S. — empowering the millions of Americans without running water or basic plumbing to build and manage their own water systems, including the award-winning Navajo Water Project. George is an avid speaker, writer and university lecturer. He has been published by the New York Times, the Nation and several law reviews; he has been profiled by NPR, Vice and CBS News, and he has spoken at events hosted by the Clinton Foundation, WeDay, the World YMCA, and Ford. George was recently named one of the 17 “Local Globalists” by the UN Foundation and is a member of Nexus. He has a Masters in International Law and Conflict Management from the United Nations University for Peace in Costa Rica.




Kaylee Weatherly – Public Information Officer, Long Beach Water Department


Kaylee is a Public Information Officer at Long Beach Water Department. and manages the department’s media relations and award-winning digital and communications strategies. She has worked in public affairs and public relations for six years in water and energy efficiency organizations. She is a Board member of the California Association of Public Information Officials and a member of the Association of California Water Agencies Communications Committee and the Southern California Water Committee Public Education Task Force.
She is passionate about creating long-term water use efficiency in the state through story-telling, education and digital and social media.



Grace Woo – Assistant Water Resource Specialist, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

Grace Woo is an Assistant Water Resource Specialist at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. She manages a contract with the Council for Watershed Health for a pilot school water conservation program in underserved communities. She also conducts water savings analysis for landscape irrigation, commercial, and industrial water savings projects through Metropolitan’s pay-for-performance “Water Savings Incentive Program.” Grace received her B.S. in Environmental Science with a concentration in Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles.




Natalie Kra – Project Manager, Optima Energy INC


Natalie is a Project Manager at Optima Energy INC. Natalie manages and coordinates Optima Energy’s Nest Thermostat Program. She coordinates energy efficiency upgrades for multi-family residential buildings, helping conserve millions of kWh each month. She specializes in developing and implementing strategies that inspire and mobilize California community members to take action for the environment.




Ariel Russ – Sustainability Initiatives Manager, Macmillon

Ariel is a Sustainability Initiatives Manager at Macmillon, a global publisher of books, textbooks, and digital learning media. Before Macmillan, Ariel was a Sustainability Intern at DanoneWave. She recently earned her Masters of Environmental Management program at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, where she honed her skills in empowering corporations to engage in the appropriate corporate sustainability strategies to minimize environmental and social risks across their supply chains.



Alisha Auringer – Manager of the Environment, LAcarGUY


Alisha is the Manager of the Environment at LAcarGUY. She is also the Director of Sustainability at Sullivan Automitve Group.




Jennifer LaMarque – South Bay Deputy to Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn

Jennifer is the South Bay Deputy to LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn, representing the 4th district.



Scarlett Tovar – Student Employee, Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County

Scarlett is a Student Employee at Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County, where she conducts public outreach and coordination, special program administration and project management of various activities undertaken by the Public Information Office. She graduated in 2016 with B.S. in Environmental Planning focused in Water Management from U.C. Davis. This December, Scarlett will complete the requirements to obtain a Masters in Geological Sciences focused in Environmental Hydrogeology.

Grades of Green is on the lookout for a Data and Development intern in our Los Angeles office! The Data and Development Intern will provide assistance with data entry, data analysis, and data organization across multiple departments with a primary focus on program data. They will also assist with research in multiple areas, such as grants and schools involved in Grades of Green’s various programs.



If you are skilled at Excel (but want to learn more) and want to help Grades of Green inspire and empower kids around the globe to care for the environment, click the link for more details on how to apply: http://bit.ly/GOGintern

The Community Creates

Cal State LA students created a series of community documentaries focusing on environmental efforts in Los Angeles. Grades of Green, Green Technology, and Communities for a Better Environment all worked with Cal State LA’s talented and passionate students throughout the semester to create videos showcasing their work. Many non-profits depend on the talented and compassionate volunteer work from teams like the CSU LA media team and we cannot thank them enough for their efforts!

Come Watch with Us

Grades of Green staff and board members will be watching these videos at their premier. Grades of Green’s video will be showcasing our semester long campaigns that tackle an issue like water issues. The showing is open to all audiences at no cost- join us by registering to join the event HERE

December 15, 2018

7:30 PM – 8:30 PM PST

Hauser & Wirth

901 East 3rd Street

Los Angeles, CA 90013

Remember to register to join the event and we will see you there!