SARA LAIMON
Co-Director, Green Ambassadors Institute
Born in Wisconsin, Sara has always been connected to nature. She grew up above a bait shop and spent the formative part of her life trying to protect humans from their over consuming our earth’s finite resources. This led her to study biology and secondary education at Alverno College, a progressive leader in learning and teaching. After many soul searching journeys to Zimbabwe, Brasil, Galapagos, Colombia, etc..Sara observed humans who are connected to their surroundings have a less likely chance of destroying it. This led Sara to lead students in her biology classroom to be more connected to surroundings, and connecting them to nature, even in the concrete jungle of Los Angeles.

In 2002, Sara started her experience with Environmental Charter Schools when it was just a high school and on a temporary campus was split and behind a church and under a radio museum. Through the years of teaching at Environmental Schools led to the development of Green Ambassadors Curriculum and Institute. Being a great “Green Ambassador” herself, she has a strong desire to share this curriculum with the rest of the world creating citizens of the planet that care and know how to make a difference.

GET GREEN, GET CONNECTED
OCTOBER 17 & 18

Hands-on environmental projects for your classroom that engage the community.

Location: Environmental Charter High School

Experience hands-on environmental projects for your classroom that engage the community while exploring the GREEN portion of the Green Ambassadors curriculum. You’ll leave with ideas for practical (and cheap) sustainable projects to implement on campus, as well as curriculum resources for exploring a variety of environmental issues.

Details

This course introduces strategies for educators to design and implement project/service-based learning classes, based on sustainability principles. Course participants are equipped with knowledge and tools that allow them to become a classroom facilitator as their students empower themselves to be sustainable community leaders. Educators will gain an intimate understanding of the Green Ambassadors curriculum >, which has transformed education at Environmental Charter High School and schools across California.

After learning how to design and lead project-based learning, educators select a track that will explore implementation through either (a) interdisciplinary learning -or- (b) a sustainable community event. In the interdisciplinary track, educators will explore the benefits and best practices of linking common sustainability themes across multiple disciplines, and will get to see results in action by attending student’s culminating presentations projects from Environmental Charter High School’s month-long interdisciplinary learning session. In the sustainable community event track, educators will learn how to throw a public, community-focused event that helps to establish community for the school while providing students with a real audience with whom to share the results of their exploration into sustainability. Educators in this track will have an opportunity to the direct results of sustainable student projects by attending Environmental Charter High School’s annual Earth Day event.

Specific starts and resources are given for the course participant to adopt these project-and service- based units in the classroom. The author of the Green Ambassador curriculum will teach the course.

SERVICE LEARNING FOR SUSTAINABILITY
FEBRUARY 8 & 13, 2013

Learn the Power of sharing and leading.

8:30 am – 4:15 pm
Location: Environmental Charter High School, 16315 Grevillea Avenue 90260
* Parking on street only

Learn more about the power of service learning and how implementing it can make a difference in your classroom and the community while exploring the AMBASSADORS portion of the Green Ambassadors curriculum. You’ll leave with an understanding of how to shift from teacher to “facilitator” and with curriculum tools that will help your students produce presentations, videos, events and much more — no matter what subject area they are working in.

Details

Specific starts and resources are given for the course participant to adopt these project-and service- based units in the classroom. The author of the Green Ambassador curriculum will teach the course.

Lindsey Jurca has been the co-director of Green Ambassadors Institute since 2009, after she helped to create a partnership program between Green Ambassadors and The Surfrider Foundation. An educator, activist and entrepreneur, Lindsey is an expert at creating experiences that result in leadership, collaboration, action and environmental awareness.

Lindsey has consulted with numerous environmental non-proifts including The Surfrider Foundation, 5 Gyres and Algalita Marine Research Institute, helping to organize global environmental advocacy and leadership programs. She draws upon her experience in business, marketing and non-profit programming to help schools and teachers facilitate meaningful experiences and fruitful community partnerships and programs.

Lindsey is a co-author of the Green Ambassadors curriculum and serves at a mentor of environmental design solutions at OTIS College of Art & Design. She also serve on the advisory board of her local Sufrider Foundation chapter.

When not working on protecting the environment, she can be found outside enjoying it. Lindsey enjoys traveling, adventures, riding her bike, practicing yoga or playing in the ocean.

Orville Wright Middle School

Goal

After studying their impact on the waste stream, students
planned and implemented a “Great Green Locker Clean reduce the amount of waste that enters the landfill during year-end locker clean outs.

Impact

Students diverted five 90-gallon bins of paper from landfill and collected dozens of bags of clothing, reusable books workbooks and notebooks that will all be donated or used next year. This generated such excitement that students and administration are interested in implementing a Green Ambassadors elective course.

INSPIRATION & ACTION THROUGH COLLABORATION FEBRUARY 16, 2013

Green School Alliance Regional Conference.

Location: Besant Hill School, Ojai, CA Attend the Green School Alliance Regional Conference with a group of like-minded teachers and get UCLA Extension credit for attending. Bring your students along for an opportunity to see hands-on solutions and network. Presentations by educators, activists, community and leaders will cover: • Watershed restoration • Sustainable agriculture and permaculture • Urban and small scale composting • Turning work into play: The Grow Food Party Crew • Integrating the Way of Council

Details

EARTH DAY CARNIVAL: MAY 31, 2013

Planning & producing a student-led celebration of sustainability.

Location: Environmental Charter High School

Learn now to plan & produce a student-led celebration of sustainability while witnessing ECHS’ earth day carnival in action.

Details

Attendees will leave with planning tools, rubrics and modules that help guide student created-lesson plans. The author of the Green Ambassador curriculum will teach the course.