Grades of Green is proud to congratulate the exceptional students who participated in the Los Angeles 2017-2018 Youth Corps Eco-Leadership program! Over the weekend 200 students, family members, and community members gathered for our Environmental Expo to conclude the year. The celebration took place was generously hosted by our partners at Subaru Pacific in Hawthorne. The event included delicious vegetarian pizzas and salads, an ice cream cart, a photo booth, games, live music, a DJ, and science -fair style booth presentations from each  Youth Corps Eco-Leader showcasing the Grades of Green Activity they implemented over the past year. In the past nine months, Youth Corps leaders have accomplished some amazing environmental feats including installing rain barrels on campus, rolling out e-waste drives, teaching Eco-Lessons in their classrooms and more.




Each student was presented with a certificate of recognition from Grades of Green, as well as a certificate from their respective Los Angeles County District office. Six Youth Corps student groups were even awarded a $100 scholarship from Subaru Pacific to continue and expand their Grades of Green Activities. These six student groups were voted as Crowd Favorite, Most Impressive Metrics, Best Community Builder, Most Persistent, Strong Leadership Skills, and Most Creative Display. To top it all off, the Grades of Green Youth Corps Eco-Leadership program was honored to be presented with a check of over $10,000 from Subaru’s Share the Love event! To check out photos from the celebration, click here!




This year’s Youth Corps Eco-Leaders are leading the way in environmental stewardship, and we could not be more proud! Thank you to the incredible sponsors who help us make this program possible: Arconic Foundation, City of Santa Monica,    County of Los Angeles 4th District,  Subaru Pacific, LAcarGUY, Beach Cities Health District, Continental Development Corporation, and Klean Kanteen!

Are you interested in leading a Grades of Green program at your school or in your community? Email info@gradesofgreen.org for more information on how you can get involved in our global Waste and Water Campaigns!

 

Put your eco-literacy to the test! Are the following statements true or false?

1. If everyone in the world lived like an average American, we would need 5 Earths to sustain our lifestyle.

2. The hole in Earth’s ozone layer actually reduces the greenhouse effect but allows harmful UV radiation to pass through.

3. It takes 1800 gallons to grow cotton needed for one pair of jeans.

If you’re like half of all Americans, you may have had to look these questions up on the internet to find out they are all true, but these are some of the topics students are beginning to learn in the classroom thanks to a focus on environmental literacy. Environmental literacy not only means understanding the science of the environment and understanding society’s impact on the natural world, but also being able to make informed decisions to actively help the global environment.

Although schools across the United States still have a long way to go before all their students are environmentally literate, California had a recent victory in environmental literacy. With the support of over 130 organizations and state leaders like Senator Ben Allen, Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin de Leon, and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, California Governor Jerry Brown approved a one-time budget of $4 million to fund environmental literacy in the state in 2017-2018. According to Ten Strands, this budget allocation will allow school districts to utilize community-based environmental education providers and ultimately improve critical-thinking and problem-solving skills about environmental challenges that will benefit students in schools, in their communities, and in the workplace. Way to go California!

Grades of Green supplements environmental education and literacy through experiential learning with our 40+ Activities that can be accessed online and implemented in the classroom, our Trash Free Lunch Challenge which teaches kids why and how to reduce their waste, and our Youth Corps Eco-Leadership Program which empowers kids to lead an environmental activity of their own from start to finish. For more information on how our programs can improve environmental literacy, email info@gradesofgreen.org or call our office at (310) 607-0175.