Calendar of Events/Deadlines

Front Page News! - Darlington, Sumter, and Florence Schools: Progress Energy Donor's Choose Grant Money for School Energy Conservation-Don't Delay! Click here for more information.

December 2011

December 1 - PART A of Green Steps Worksheet was due. For more information click here.

December 15 - Green Steps Fall Mentor Report WAs due.

January 2012 

January 26 - Tracking at the Carolina Children's Garden and Conservation Station. 3:45-4:30 pm. Learn how to spot the signs animals leave behind. Discover what animals have been visiting our tracking pit and make plaster casts of the tracks. Recommended for ages 4 – 8. Cost: $2 per child. For questions or to sign up email Tim Nafziger or call (803) 459-3212.

January 27 - Deadline to register for the Coaches' Workshop for the 2012 south Carolina Envirothon. The Coaches’ Workshop is scheduled for Saturday, February 4 and will be held at the Sandhill Institute for Economic & Community Development near Pontiac. (Northeast Columbia). There is No Charge for this training! A coach also does not have to commit to bringing a team to the May 4 SC Envirothon competition in order to attend the training. For more information about the 2012 South Carolina Envirothon click here. Click here for the Coaches’ Training Registration Form.

February 2012

February 1 - PLT GreenSchools! webinar "Transforming Schools with GreenSchools! Energy Investigations". 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. EST. Free. This is the first of a webinar series that will continue into Spring. This session will teach participants how ENERGY STAR tools can help schools improve energy efficiency, and how PLT GreenSchools! teams can make a difference on the ground by examining their school's energy use and implementing action plans to reduce energy impacts. School Green Teams are encouraged to participate as a group. Any teacher or educator interested in learning how to reduce energy use at their school is welcome to participate. The series of webinars are completely free, made possible in part by generous funding from the U.S. Forest Service. Click here to register and learn how to access the webinar and/or to sign up or resubscribe (required, due to recent redesign) for PLT's e-newsletter, The Branch, in order to receive updates on future webinars and much more.

February 4 - Coaches' Workshop for the 2012 south Carolina Envirothon. Deadline to register is January 27. See information above.

February 9 - Backyard Birds at the Carolina Children's Garden and Conservation Station. 3:45-4:30 pm. Learn how to make a good backyard habitat for birds. Discover what different birds eat and how you can attract birds. We will make a bird feeder to take home. Recommended for ages 4 – 8. Cost: $2 per child. For questions or to sign up email Tim Nafziger or call (803) 459-3212.

February 10 - Deadline to enter the 2012 AF&PA (American Forest & Paper Association) Recycling Awards Contest. Committed to Recycling? Tell everyone about it! Don't miss this opportunity to gain a cash prize, local and national recognition, and original  framed 'paper art' for your school, business or community paper recycling program. The awards are part of AF&PA's extensive new sustainability goals, Better Practices, Better Planet 2020. Click here for detailed criteria and entry forms for the 2012 AF&PA Recycling Awards Contest or click here for general AF&PA info.                  

February 18 - Great Backyard Bird Count at the Carolina Children's Garden and Conservation Station. 8:30-10:00 am. Hike with an expert birder and help identify and count birds as a part of the national Great Backyard Bird Count. Learn about birds in our area and how you can help protect them. All ages (Children should be old enough to hike and quietly watch birds). Cost:Free. For questions or to sign up email Tim Nafziger or call (803) 459-3212.

March 2012 

April 2012 

April 13 - Deadline for Team Registration for the 2012 south Carolina Envirothon. The SC Envirothon competition will be held on Friday, May 4 at Sandhill. Team registration is $100. The current topic for 2012 is Nonpoint Source Pollution/Low Impact Development. Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania will be the host for the 2012 Canon Envirothon from July 22-28. Click here to see the 2012 Canon Envirothon Learning Objectives. All forms, dates and pertinent information will be posted on the SC Envirothon web page periodically.

May 2012

May 1 - PART B of Green Steps Worksheet is due. For more information click here.

May 4 - 2012 South Carolina Envirothon Competition. Deadline for Team Registration is April 13. See information above.

May 15 - Green Steps Mentor Annual Update is due. For more information click here.

June 2012

JUNE 8-10 - 2012 EEASC (Environmental Educators of South Carolina) Annual Conference. Mark your calendars now! Click here to link to the EEASC home page.

ONGOING

ONGOING - SCHOOL PROGRAMS AT THE CAROLINA CHILDREN'S GARDEN AND CONSERVATION STATION. Your class or grade level is welcome to visit the Carolina Children's Garden and Conservation Station on your own for picnics or self-guided field trips at no cost.  Please check the schedule before planning your gathering by emailing Tim Nafziger or calling (803) 459-3212. If the desired date and time is not already booked, they will add you to the schedule to avoid overcrowding in the Garden. Education programs are also available to groups upon request. A limited number of traveling programs to sites within Richland County are available. For more information and for programs and the covered SC Science Standards visit www.carolinachildrensgarden.org.

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ACCOLADES! TO:

In honor of America Recycles Day, Keep America Beautiful sponsored a national contest called "Recycle Bowl." Participating schools reported what they recycled for several weeks. Judging factored in the number of students at the school and how and what  materials were collected.

Please note:
*Seven out of the top twelve SC winners are part of the free recycling program Sonoco Recycling/ Columbia offers to area schools. (We are particularly proud of these schools, because the volumes they reported match the volumes they collect in the same time period all during the school year, not just for the few weeks of the contest.)
*Five out of the top twelve are "SC Green Step Schools".
*The top two state winners hold the highly valued distinction of "Certified SC Green Step Schools."

Congratulations to these school recycling teams and the mentors and partners who make recycling possible in SC schools.

Why does recycling matter?
*Students are learning the value of conserving natural resources.
*School districts are saving education money. In the Columbia area, participating school districts are saving on average an estimated $20,000 per year off garbage fees!

2011 "Take Action Today" Teacher Workshop PowerPoint Presentations

For presentations from the 2011 Take Action Today workshops click here.