October 2009 – The Green Education Foundation (GEF) announced today the launch of its new website featuring the largest school based on-line educational community of all time. Participants from 1,000 K-12 schools have already signed on at greeneducationfoundation.org where they are building their user profiles, adding friends, and making connections with other educational groups from across the country.
GEF is a non-profit organization that provides educational resources that promote sustainable impactful pro-green behaviors in children, families, and communities.
In accordance with GEF's mission, the theme of the on-line community is environmental education. The purpose of the website is to bring students, educators, families, sports teams, and youth groups together in a fun and efficient way to collaborate on projects that promote environmental sustainability. The community is a medium for participants to exchange ideas, share photos, videos, and success stories, and to lend and receive moral support for their environmental achievements.
GEF offers a variety of programs that encourage environmental sustainability including the following four new programs launching this month for the 2009-10 academic year: the Green Thumb Challenge, Green School Initiative, I Play Green and Green Energy Challenge.
GEF's social community facilitates these programs in a variety of ways. Participants of the Green Thumb Challenge, GEF's nationwide gardening program, are encouraged to use the website to post planting ideas and tips, set up watering and weeding schedules, and share recipes and photos. I Play Green sports teams can use the community to set up carpooling schedules, track the number of disposable bottles they save by using reusable containers, and share success stories on how they were able to promote environmentally friendly field management. Participants may also use the website to share curriculum ideas, set goals and compete with other green groups, and connect with other users on a national scale. Green Energy Challenge participants will share energy saving strategies with one another and post total utilities savings combined from schools across then nation.
All individuals or groups interested in promoting environmental education are encouraged to join GEF's on-line community. As soon as participants sign up, they can begin earning “green points” that will make them eligible for prizes. Personal one-on-one assistance is available for users setting up new accounts and for those who wish to learn how to get the most out of the website.
GEF also supplies a vast library of standards-based lesson plans and activities to help educators incorporate environmental learning into the classroom. Educational resources as well as information on GEF's sustainability programs can be found alongside the on-line community at greeneducationfoundation.com. Visitors to the new website are also encouraged to check out National Green Week 2010, an environmental public awareness campaign mobilizing two million students scheduled for the week of February 1-5, 2010.
About Green Education Foundation (GEF)
The Green Education Foundation (GEF) is a non-profit organization that provides educational resources to promote sustainable, impactful pro-green behaviors in children, families and communities. For more information visit: www.GreenEducationFoundation.org.
