January/February 2022
Updates and information on the Maryland Green Schools Program, MAEOE events and much more!
Happy New Year! We hope that it is fantastic for all of you. Now is a good time to set environmental education goals for 2022, and we hope this newsletter and other MAEOE and partner resources can help you carry out some of your new environmental education goals! We hope you find the information provided in this bi-monthly newsletter helpful in your sustainable green practices.
Keep reading to get more information on the 2022 MAEOE conference, professional learning, and funding opportunities, along with important Green School and Green Center dates and deadlines.
Camille, Carolyn, Laura, and Mary
MAEOE Staff
2022 MAEOE CONFERENCE
For everyone’s safety and well-being as COVID cases rise, this year’s MAEOE Conference will be entirely virtual. This February, we will be providing a Month of MAEOE – Environmental Education for the Future: Engage, Empower, and Educate
Friday, Feb 4: Afternoon Workshops
Saturday, Feb 5: Successive Sessions, Community Meetings, Keynote Speaker
Wednesday, Feb 16: Evening Sessions, Keynote Speaker Movie and Q&A
Wednesday, Feb 23: Evening Sessions
Saturday, Feb 26: Morning Workshops
We are excited to hear from our Keynote Speaker for our 2022 Conference, Christine Hill (she/her/hers)! She is the Senior Campaign Director of Our Wild America for the Sierra Club, and currently splits her time between Haines, Alaska and Washington, D.C. Chris’ desire for a just, equitable and sustainable future, one in which all people benefit from clean air, clean water, and equitable access to the outdoors, is rooted in community-based organizing. Born and raised in the Washington, D.C. area, Chris earned a B.A. in broadcast communications and electronic media from Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C. and a J.D. from Vermont Law School. In 2019, Chris partnered with The Outbound Collective to tell her story on the water. The film, “Where I Belong,” won the 2021 Best Short Film for the Conservation Film Festival and has been accepted into 2020’s Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour, the Mountain Film Festival, and others. Please see the links below for more details about our 2022 Conference!
Apply for a Scholarship!
Membership Discount through 1/15/2022!
Registration Link
Exhibitors and Sponsorship
| GREEN SCHOOLS/CENTER APPLICATION INFORMATION |
Application Review Sessions
Are you planning to submit a Green School/Center application on March 17 and want to have an experienced reviewer look at your application prior to submission?
Register for a Green School/Center Preliminary Application Review on Thursday, February 10, 17, or 24 from 5:00 – 8:00 PM.
These review sessions will be held virtually via Zoom and each applicant will be paired with a reviewer.
Register as a reviewer or an applicant HERE.
Reviewers Needed
On March 17, schools and centers will submit their applications for the Maryland Green Schools Program and we need volunteers to review applications virtually.
If you are a new reviewer, or just need a refresher, register for a virtual training Sessions on one of the following dates/times:
Wednesday, March 16: 1:00-2:00 PM and 5:00-6:00 PM
Thursday, March 17: 1:00-2:00 PM and 5:00-6:00 PM
CLICK HERE to register for a review session.
Intent to Apply
Though the deadline to submit your Intent to Apply was December 17, 2021, we are still accepting them now!
If you have not already done so, please submit as soon as possible. Click here to complete the form.
Application Submission Deadline
Green Schools and Green Center Applications are due on March 17, 2022! For application requirements, please visit the MAEOE website.
To submit your application, email applications@maeoe.org. Please let us know if you have any questions by emailing info@greenschools.org!
| GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES |
MAEOE Teacher Stipends
Green Team Teacher Stipends Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis! Each stipend is for $250, and there are 80 available (one stipend per school). The Project Submission Deadline is April 1, 2022. Funds will be awarded by May 31, 2022. CLICK HERE for more info.
MAEOE Professional Development Grants
Teacher Professional Development Grants are being accepted on a rolling basis! Each mini-grant is worth $3,000, and there are nine available. Final Reports are due on April 30, 2022, and funds will be awarded by May 31, 2022. CLICK HERE for more info.
MAEOE Transportation & Student Action Grants
Student Actions and Transportation Funds Grant Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis! Grant requests can range from $500-$2,500, and the number of grants will reflect on the amount awarded per recipient and remaining fund availability. One grant will be awarded per school. The Final Report deadline is April 30, 2022, and funds will be awarded by May 31, 2022. CLICK HEREfor more info.
YLACES Grant
YLACES is a 2022 MAEOE Conference Sponsor.
Youth Learning as Citizen Environmental Scientists offers grants to environmental educators for instruments and supplies to facilitate youth environmental research and data collection and to equip the rising generation with scientific thinking abilities.
Grantees must commit to coaching students in doing research projects and sharing their observations and reports. Grants of up to $1,250 are available, although larger grants may be considered following consultation with Dr. Dixon Butler (dixon@ylaces.org).
Youth Learning as Citizen Environmental Scientists (YLACES) is extending its winter 2022 grant deadline to Monday, February 28. Note that grant applications are accepted at any time and on a rolling basis. This extension is intended to allow educators attending the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE) Annual Conference and the Virginia Association for Environmental Education (VAEE) Conference to submit grant proposals following these events. CLICK HERE for more info.
NOAA B-WET Grant
The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office is announcing the availability of approximately $1.35 million in funding for the new NOAA Chesapeake Bay-Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) grant through two funding opportunities. Projects supported by these funding opportunities will support school district efforts to deliver Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs) to students, help school districts increase their capacity to facilitate environmental education, and advance statewide environmental literacy initiatives. NOAA supports environmental education because students who take part in inquiry-based, hands-on learning about their environment are better equipped to care for our ecosystem now and in the future. Applications are due March 3, 2022. CLICK HERE for more info.
Piedmont Environmental and Educational Foundation Grant
The Piedmont Environmental and Educational Foundation is pleased to announce their 2021-2022 school year grant award season. They began accepting grant applications after January 2021, and they will fund successful grant applications on a continuous basis thereafter until the grant allocation for the year is exhausted. Multiyear projects are welcome, with funding contingent upon the successful completion of the previous year’s goals. At the end of the year, grantees will be asked to fill out a short report reflecting on how their projects went.
Grant awards range from $250-$1,000. CLICK HERE for more info.
PROJECT LEARNING TREE
Project Learning Tree is an award-winning environmental education program designed for teachers and other educators, parents, and community leaders working with youth from preschool through Grade 12.
Using trees and forests as windows on the world, this hands-on, interdisciplinary, award-winning program teaches students how to investigate, interact with, and develop skills for how to think, not what to think, about forests and the broader environment.
MAEOE is the State Coordinator for PLT and offers training to help you support integration of PLT into your program and classroom curriculum. We have virtual and in-person professional development opportunities.
Contact Mary Westlund, Program Director at MAEOE, to learn more about PLT Workshops. Send an email to GreenSchools@MAEOE.org for more information about Project Learning Tree, click here!
RESOURCE LIBRARY
Have you visited the Resource Library on our website lately? There, you will find excellent information, references, and training to support environmental literacy and using the outdoors as a classroom. There are also resources that support teachers and parents at home, DEIJ materials, and grant information.
MAEOE MEMBERSHIP
Learn more about becoming a member of MAEOE here!
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CALENDAR
Check out the MAEOE Professional Development Calendar for information on PD happening across the state. Many opportunities are free! This calendar is updated on a regular basis so check back often.
JOBS BOARD
Check out our Jobs Board for some great, environmental jobs in Maryland!
We always enjoy interesting, environmentally-focused books. Check out some of the MAEOE Staff picks below!
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer
The Book of Eels by Patrik Svensson
Bicycling with Butterflies: My 10,201-Mile Journey Following the Monarch Migration by Sara Dykman
The Last Lobster: Boom or Bust for Maine’s Greatest Fishery? by Christopher White
You Matter More than You Think: Quantum Social Change for a Thriving World by Karen O’Brien
The Black & Brown Faces in America’s Wild Places by Dudley Edmondson
Do you have any suggestions for us to add to our list? Please email info@maeoe.org to let us know!
OTHER OPPORTUNITIES
Natural Resources Careers Camp (NRCC)
Sun, July 24 – Sat, July 30, 2022
Applications for NRCC 2022 will be accepted starting 12/01/21. NRCC 2021 was a resounding success – it was good to be back! We had no COVID-related health issues at all. Once a student is accepted into NRCC 2022, families will be kept updated throughout the Spring and Summer as to any COVID-related protective measures that may still need to be implemented at camp. Last year’s COVID precautions can be found here. CLICK HERE for application info.