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"e" Summer
Programming
We have
lots planned for our kids this summer!
One
exciting plan on the drawing board is to
bring our summer sites
on field
trips to urban wilds around the Boston area. We are currently
discussing our plans with folks at Allendale Woods, a
90-acre urban wild in Jamaica Plain.
Our idea is
to use the site as a hands-on education and action site, and we already
have 26 teams signaling their desire to take part! We will be sure to
keep you posted on our progress!
We will
also be continuing our
relationship
with the Building Educated Leaders for Life (BELL) Summer
Program, implementing our Oceans curriculum with one Boys of BELL site.
Three
summer camp
sites, the Ohrenburger Community Center, Jackson Mann Community
Center, and Gallivan Community Center, have
all expressed their interest in bringing "e" inc's
environmental science and community action program to their summer
curricula this year. We are looking forward to working with these
sites again!
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"e"
inc. in the News!
In an article entitled "Roxbury
Students 'Go Green,'" on April 23, the Jamaica Plain Citizen
acknowledges the fantastic work the students in
our after-school program, "Planet Protectors," are
doing! Four sites in Roxbury are currently finishing up their
year-long residencies: Orchard Gardens Community Center, Nathan
Hale Elementary School, Madison Park Village, and the Roxbury
Tenants of Harvard.
Although each site gets our signature
blend of standards-based science sessions linking environmental science and
civics, each site chooses its own focus and resulting community action
project. Whether it's Rainforests, Global Warming,
Primates, Oceans or Backyard Habitat, each week team members use
their newfound knowledge to make change in their class, their homes, their
school building, and the wider community.
With every lesson, our "Planet
Protectors" broaden their reach and widen the scope of how
they can make a difference, and as the Jamaica Plain Citizen
notes, "'e' inc. youth come to master both
the science that drives these topics and the confidence they need to
carry out projects to conserve resources and protect
species."
To meet some of these amazing youth, and
see their project presentations, join us at our second annual Planet
Protector's Graduation Ceremony on June 18th!
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What a Spring we've had so far!
First there is the excitement
of our Film Festival, which drew a great crowd, showed
films of many innovative activism projects around the country, and
gave filmgoers information on a variety of issues. From
coal-top mining in Appalachia, to the stressors palm oil plantations are
placing on the remaining Orangutans in Borneo and Sumatra, to the
Brower Youth Awards honoring young people for outstanding activism in the
fields of environmental and social justice advocacy, our audience
left the event with many topics to ponder, celebrate and discuss.
Next is our upcoming "Planet
Protectors" Swearing-in Ceremony and Celebration on June
18. And then it's on to the next phase of environmental
education programming - a new summer field site! Stay tuned for
updates on our project's plans for the 2009 summer and
if you'd like to learn how to become more involved, contact Dr.
Ricky Stern at drickystern@e-action.us.
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Thank you to all who made The Wild
and Scenic Environmental Film Festival such a success!
Thanks so much to all who attended, donated, and volunteered for "e"
inc.'s inaugural fundraiser and activist event, The Wild
and Scenic Environmental Film Festival. With the generous help
of many wonderful folks, The Festival was a huge
success! We were able to raise over $25,000 for our summer and fall
educational programs, while engaging people from all walks of life in
inspiring films and fun action projects.
David Brown, WCVB's Environmental Reporter and main
contributor to the "Going Green" section on
TheBostonChannel.com, was our entertaining and informative host,
introducing "e" and our films to an audience of about
170 people.
Pictured
from left to right: New Board members Beth O'Donnell and Annis
Gill-Miller, "e" inc. Executive Director Dr. Ricky Stern, Board
Member Lisa Lewis, Event emcee David Brown, and Board Chair Rich
DiNitto.
Also making a memorable appearance at the event was special guest, Dr.
Greg Stone from the New England Aquarium. Greg
was featured in Boston director Kate Raisz's film Paradise
Found: The Phoenix Islands, which was produced with the New
England Aquarium. Paradise Found follows Dr. Stone and
his team on a set of scientific expeditions to these remote Pacific
islands and the efforts of the people of Kiribati, and the international
environmental community, to create what is today the largest Marine
Protected area in the world.
Learn more about the award-winning film here.
here.
Our wonderful sponsors, WXRV 92.5 The River, National
Grid, Whole Foods Market, Alteris Renewables, Mass Energy, and Revolve
Nation made the evening all the more conceivable with their
generous donations, whether in the form of air time, carbon
offsets, or food! We
are
very proud to have had the support of these innovative organizations, as
their strong stances on sustainability and community giving have served
as models in their respective industries.
Please
visit our website for more details on the evening, including
one of our short films, descriptions of our action activities, fun
pictures, and plans for next year!
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Planet Protectors Graduation Ceremony Next Month!
If you've been keeping up with our work over the years,
you know how hard our students have been working to take action to
conserve and repair the planet.
This academic year "e"
inc. served
over 400 youth in 12 after school programs from the neighborhoods of
Dorchester, Roxbury, Mattapan, Mission Hill, the South End and Jamaica
Plain using dynamic experiential learning coupled with actions in
conservation, protection, and advocacy.
We are so proud of our students, and so, once
again, we will be hosting a "Planet Protectors"
Swearing-in Ceremony and Celebration on June
18th from 3:30-5:30 PM at the Orchard Garden's Community Center in
Roxbury.
The Planet Protectors Graduation Celebration is
held each year to honor and reward the children in Boston with whom we
have worked all school year. These children, who have attended
after-school classes focused on environmental science and community
action, have taken on projects to actively conserve resources in their
communities and develop awareness of environmental issues with their
peers. They will present their ongoing action projects in a science
fair-like setting while being honored for their commitment to the
environment and their outstanding leadership, as they are sworn in as Official
Planet Protectors.
If you'd like to join us and see the wonderful work our
students have done over the past few months, please contact Kathleen at
617-227-1522 or administrator@e-action.us
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Thank
you so much for your interest in
"e"
inc!
Sincerely,
The Board and Staff of "e"
inc.
"e" inc. - The
Environmental Learning and Action Center
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