July News Items

NGA Announcements
Resources For Educators
Conferences
Funding Opportunities

NGA Announcements

Support Youth Gardens - Bid with Your Lid!
Help Boost Stonyfield Farm's donation to NGA's Adopt a School Garden Program! Stonyfield needs your help to divvy up $40,000 among three environmental nonprofit groups, and NGA is one of them. Cast one vote online now; cast more by mailing in your Stonyfield Farm yogurt lids. How much NGA gets to support school gardens is up to you! Visit the Stonyfield Farm Web site for full details, and learn how you can earn a prize for your participation. Thanks for your votes!

Kids' Butterfly Drawing Contest ~ Deadline August 15
It's summer — time to celebrate butterflies and the kids who love them! NGA and Jane Kirkland, author of Take a Walk Books, invite kids ages 8 through 10 to submit drawings of butterflies for the chance to win great prizes. Click here for full details and an entry form.

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Because Green Matters Photography Contest ~ Deadline August 31
Project EverGreen invites photographers of all abilities to participate in its 2007 Because Green Matters Calendar photo contest, celebrating the beauty and benefits of green spaces. Project EverGreen's mission is to promote the environmental, economic, and lifestyle benefits of green spaces, and each submission will be judged on how it exemplifies these characteristics. This contest is open to anyone 18 or older, and participation is free. Winning photos will be published in the 2007 Because Green Matters Calendar and become part of a promotional screen saver series. Winners will also receive a $100 gift card to a major hardware retailer.Learn more here

Invite Teens to Consult on Kids’ Gardens
Cornell University’s Garden-Based Learning Program has created a program to more fully engage youth in the development of children's gardens. Teams of teen “consultants" receive training in planning kids’ gardens, and then critique garden education programs from the youth perspective. As a result, garden leaders and teachers find out what turns kids' on to learning in the garden, and teen participants profit from the chance to learn about garden planning and gain genuine experience in consulting.

Now, Cornell offers their guidelines and support materials for assembling and training your own team of Children’s Gardening Consultants at their Garden-Based Learning Web site for free! All program components, from planning through delivery, including all presentations and presentation templates can be found at this site.

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Conferences

2006 National Children & Youth Garden Symposium ~ July 27-29, 2006
Presented by the American Horticultural Society and hosted by the Missouri Botanical Garden, the theme of this year’s Symposium is “Cultivating a Sense of Place: A Youth Gardening Adventure." Workshops, tours, and networking opportunities are capped by the keynote address by Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder. Learn more at the AHS Web site.

American Community Gardening Association National Conference: Rooting for the Future ~ August 10-13, 2006
The ACGA Annual Conference brings together hundreds of individuals from across the United States, Canada, and abroad, who are engaged in all aspects of gardening and greening. The conference includes hands-on workshops, keynote speakers, a film festival, and visits to parks, school gardens, community gardens, and other green spaces in the Los Angeles area. Visit ACGA's Web site for more details.

North American Association for Environmental Education
Annual Conference ~ October 10-13, 2006
Gather with colleagues in St. Paul, Minnesota, for more than 350 presentations, three exceptional keynote speakers, 17 pre-conference workshops, 14 field trips, and an exhibit fair. Special discounted registration rates available for classroom teachers, students, and retirees, and there are a limited number of scholarships available to students, individuals from minority cultures, and K-12 teachers. For full details visit the NAAEE Web site.

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Funding Opportunities

2006 Hooked on Hydroponics Awards
Classroom hydroponics offers eager students loads of opportunities to explore concepts across the curriculum, from biology to economics. Twelve educational programs will each receive a compact hydroponics package that includes everything required to grow plants successfully indoors. This award is sponsored by the Hydroponic Merchants Association and leading hydroponics equipment suppliers. Application deadline: September 30, 2006. Learn more here

Healthy Sprouts Awards
These awards support school garden programs that use the garden to teach about nutrition and the issue of hunger in the United States. Sponsored by Gardener’s Supply Company. In this grant cycle we will present awards to 25 schools or organizations. Each will receive a $200 gift certificate to Gardener's Supply Company and a curriculum package from NGA. Apply by October 15, 2006. To learn more or download an application, visit here.

American Horticultural Society Awards ~ Nominations due September 22
Through its national awards programs, the American Horticultural Society (AHS) celebrates outstanding achievements, encourages excellence, and inspires innovation in the art and science of horticulture. The AHS sponsors several awards including the Jane L. Taylor Award and Teaching Award reserved for educators. To make nominations for the 2007 awards, download a form from the AHS Web site.

Project Learning Tree's GreenWorks Grants ~ Deadline September 29
Do you have an idea for an exciting service-learning or community action project for your students but you don't have enough funds to implement it? Why not apply for one of PLT's GreenWorks! grants? GreenWorks! offers educators the opportunity to apply for grants to implement community action and service-learning projects. Across the country, PLT trained educators teaching in both formal and non-formal settings are eligible to apply for and receive GreenWorks! grants. Click here for more details.

Starbucks Foundation: Giving Voice
Giving Voice funds programs for youth ages 6-18 that integrate literacy with personal and civic action in the communities where they live. The Starbucks Foundation invites letters of inquiry from qualifying 501(c)3 organizations that work with underserved youth in the fields of literacy (reading, writing, and creative/media arts) and programs that offer place-based approaches to addressing environmental literacy and empower youth to be heroes for a sustainable environment in their own communities. Grants range from $5,000-$20,000. Learn more at the Starbucks Foundation Web site.

Captain Planet Foundation ~ Deadline: September 30
Committed to supporting hands-on environmental projects for young people, the foundation provides grants from $250 to $2,500 to school and community groups. The next quarterly deadline is September 30, 2006. Visit the Web site for guidelines and a proposal form.

2006 Organic School Garden Awards ~ Deadline: October 31
Do you use organic methods in your school garden? If so, you are eligible to enter this contest sponsored by The Rodale Institute. Teams of students and teachers are asked to submit an essay and poster that express how they use their school garden as a learning tool, how they use the produce they grow, and what impact it has for the students and community. Three winning schools will receive cash prizes of $250, $500, and $1,000. The deadline for submissions is October 31, 2006. Visit the Web site for entry forms, guidelines, and information on previous winners.

NEA Student Achievement Grants
If your garden or habitat program is designed to support critical thinking and problem solving that deepens students' knowledge of standards-based subject matter, and improve students’ habits of inquiry, self-directed learning, and critical reflection, the NEA foundation wants to hear from you! Proposals for work resulting in low-income and minority student success with honors, advanced placement, or other challenging curricula are particularly encouraged. The grant amount is $5,000. For full details and to apply, visit the NEA Foundation Web site.

Grant Wrangler Funding Directory
Grant Wrangler is a free grants listing service that makes it easy for teachers to find funding. To see the full list of funding opportunities, and to subscribe to the monthly e-newsletter, visit the Grant Wrangler Web site.