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www.earthteam.net - Youth will make it happen !!!
by JANE BOGNER
SUNDAY, February 06, 2005

Two advantages of living in the Bay Area are the multitude of things to do every weekend and the great weather year-round to go out and participate. Last Saturday, a group of my hiking and Sierra Club friends volunteered their time to plant native oaks, buckeye and other plants surrounding our memorial bench on the Bay Area Ridge Trail near Benicia. The Jepson Chapter of the Native Plant Society donated the trees and Sue Wickham, their mistress of plant propagation, taught us how to give these trees a good start.

Local Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts participate in annual cleanups or restoration projects and individual teachers in Vallejo Schools take on environmental projects from time to time. Still, a lot of young people are glued to their computers and for them I offer a great site to check out: www.earthteam.net. 

In 2000, I received a call from Sheilah Fish. She was helping with Earth Day celebrations in Contra Costa county and wanted more students and teachers involved. She found that high school environmental clubs and their teachers felt disconnected from others of similar interest and discouraged by students’ lack of response to environmental concerns. Additionally, teachers were overwhelmed and did not have time to create community environmental projects.

The EarthTeam was born and a web site (www.earthteam.net) took on this task. Their mission was to "create a new generation of environmental leaders by introducing, into the classroom and the community, environmental experiences that are so active and engaging that they inspire dedication to a healthy environment." I took a tour around their website and was quite impressed. EarthTeam has designed a central location dedicated to help organize, mobilize and disseminate environmental information.

Students can sign up online and will be connected with students from other schools for restoration projects and youth summits. Students can even earn community service hours working on special projects. In 2004, student restoration projects included the Dow Wetlands in Pittsburg, Hayward Regional Shoreline in Hayward, Fort Funston in San Francisco, MLK Jr. Shoreline in Oakland and the Iron Horse Trail in Danville. EarthTeam coordinators help with resources for these projects and have permission slips online to speed up student participation. 

In 2003, 550 students logged 1,300 hours of restoration work. A terrific feature of this web site is The Green, an environmental newsletter that is 100 percent student written and edited. The Green provides a place where students can voice thoughts, ideas, photography and art about the environment. The Green is sent to 2,000 people online monthly and the Anthology is printed yearly. Currently, EarthTeam is promoting a Bay Area teen environmental film project called Our School, Our Planet: A Sustainable Schools Video Project for Teens. During Earth Week 2005, the Bay Area will be able to watch these documentaries on local TV.

EarthTeam offers teachers one-stop shopping for environmental projects that includes state science standards as well as a resource center of relevant links. Each August, EarthTeam sponsors a free networking lunch for teachers and other adults who work with youth and the environment. For more information about the EarthTeam Network, go to their web site, e-mail info@earthteam.net or call 925-274-3669.

New Member Group

VALCORE Recycling welcomes Color Guard at MIT Academy. They will have a seat on our board of directors and will work on rotating Saturdays at our recycling center

Vallejo Earth Day, April 23, 2005

VALCORE Recycling and other groups are beginning to plan our Earth Day celebration that will take place at Vallejo’s Farmers Market. We are inviting new sponsors, groups, classes and individuals to participate. For more information go to our website, VALCORErecycling.org, or call 707 55-EARTH.

VALCORE Recycling Vice President Jane Bogner's "A Sorted Affair" is published every other week in the Times-Herald, Community Outlook Section. For recycling information call Genie Kaggerud, VALCORE Recycling manager at 645-8258 or visit www.VALCORErecycling.org.

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