There's Still Time!
Reserve Your Space in EarthTeam Projects for the 2009-2010 School Year

EarthTeam is gearing up to start a new year of environmental education and leadership programs, and we're looking for students and teachers to get involved. All of these programs are offered free of charge! Check out the programs below, and contact us if you'd like to participate.

Coastal Cleanup Day: Join students from all over the East Bay at this large-scale restoration event, which will be held on September 19th. This event is part of a worldwide concerted effort to clean shorelines and waterways. Details on the location and timing of the event will be announced soon. To sign up for the event or find out more, send an email to kevin@earthteam.net.

Cool Schools Monthly Meetings: All East Bay middle and high school students are invited to join the Cool Schools community! At monthly meetings, students will hear guest speakers with expertise in areas related to climate change and environmental activism. Students will also have the chance to share what they are doing back at their schools to fight global warming, network with each other, and work on action projects. Keep an eye on the EarthTeam website to find about the first meeting, which will be held on Sunday, September 20th. Contact Caroline at caroline@earthteam.net to find out more and sign up.

Eco-Stewards: We're looking for classes to sign up for Eco-Stewards, an in-depth classroom and field trip project that connects students with hands-on restoration activities at watersheds near their schools. Students receive training and leadership opportunities in hands-on estuarine ecology, riparian restoration, water quality monitoring, creek and shoreline rapid trash assessment protocols, and community-outreach projects. Contact Kevin at kevin@earthteam.net to sign up your class for this program or to find out more.

Green News: All teens are encouraged to submit interviews, articles, artwork, photography, poetry, and any other creative outlet you can think of to the Green News. Teachers -- please let your students know about this opportunity to publish their environmentally themed work. Visit www.thegreennews.net to submit work and to review submissions from other students. We're also looking for a students to join the Green News Editorial Board.   The next Green News meeting will be held on September 27th at the David Brower Building in Berkeley. Jim Hale, a former Wildlife Professor at San Jose State and a certified wildlife photographer, will be presenting at this meeting. Contact Chiara at chiara@earthteam.net to find out more.

Green Screen: EarthTeam's Multimedia Director is available to come to your class to talk about the Green Screen program and using multimedia communication tools. The Green Screen is a monthly environmental television show hosted, filmed, and produced by 18 middle and high school students from the East Bay. Students are trained in all areas of television production, and create half-hour episodes, which air on 11 Bay Area television stations. Contact Lana at lana@earthteam.net to find out how to incorporate the Green Screen program into your class.

Something's in the Air: We're currently signing up East Bay classes to participate in the three-week Something's in the Air (SITA) project. SITA is an asthma research and action project in which high school students investigate the link between air pollution and asthma in their schools and communities, and make policy recommendations based on their results. Contact Jillian at jillian@earthteam.net to sign up your class for SITA or to learn more.

Speaker's Bureau: EarthTeam has access to a wide-range of expert speakers who are available to speak to middle and high school classes on a variety of environmental topics. Contact Maya at maya@earthteam.net if you are interested in requesting a guest speaker for your class.

Waste Action Month: We still have openings for middle and high school classes and environmental clubs at Contra Costa County schools to participate in Waste Action Month (WAM). WAM is a service-learning project designed to teach and practice the 4Rs by empowering students to confront the issue of waste. Participating students will assess, possibly re-design, and improve their existing waste and recycling system by conducting waste audits and running a peer education campaign. Contact Caroline at caroline@earthteam.net to learn more.

Channeling Green Screen

Segments from the Green Screen television program are now available on YouTube. Click here to go to the Green Screen's YouTube channel. Some videos that you might want to check out include:

Extreme Recycling: A clip of electronic recycling by Sims Metal Management, the world's largest metals and electronics recycler. Perfect for fans of Demolition Derby!


Green Festival: Footage from the 2008 Green Festival's Youth Unity Tent.

Green News Flash: A brief report about San Francisco's use of dog poop for biofuel.

You can also view the full half-hour episodes of the Green Screen and vote for your favorite episode by visiting www.thegreenscreentv.net.

Aqua Team Triumphs!

Congratulations to Martin Perez for winning EarthTeam's academic scholarship. During the 2008-2009 school year, Martin was a member of Aqua Team, EarthTeam's yearlong stewardship and leadership program for Richmond High School teens featuring watershed education and restoration. As an Aqua Team participant, Martin met with the group after school every week and on weekends every month. During these activities, he learned about the Richmond environment, its history, and current needs. He also took action, through restoration events, to help restore his community. In his winning essay, Martin wrote:

"I came to Aqua Team with no clue about environmental stuff, and left with a lot of learning about how to save our planet...The main topic that really got my attention was the water cycle. From the first time we talked about the water cycle, it hit me and got my attention. So I asked about it and got to do a project which prepared me to do a water cycle presentation so that I could share the information with other people."

Another Aqua Team student receiving an award this summer was Patricia Gonzalez. Thanks to an application submitted by our partners at the Watershed Project, Patricia was selected to attend the 2009 International Bayer Summer Sustainability Camp on a full scholarship. Congrats, Patricia!

Martin (center) during an Aqua Team meeting.

EarthTeam Needs You!

Please consider supporting EarthTeam by donating items from our office wish list:

• Flat screen computer monitors (up to 4 needed)
• Van to transport students to meetings and field trips
• Fax machine
• EarthTeam sign for the entrance to our new office
• Custom Address stamp
• Green cleaning supplies
• Paper & envelopes (recycled)
• Digital camera

We're also looking for people to volunteer their time to help with:

• Maintaining EarthTeam's garden
• Supporting EarthTeam's IT needs
• Conducting an annual audit (for those CPAs out there)
• Join an event planning team to help put on EarthTeam's events
• On-call office support to help with assembling large mailings
• Drivers willing to help transport students to events

If you are donating any of the above items or services, please contact sheilah@earthteam.net.