Educating Tomorrow

Great news!!  Educating Tomorrow has made arrangement with the director of Garbage Dreams to make available FREE tickets for students to see the film on Friday, July 31st at 1:55PM.  Please send the information to any students you think might be interested.  They need to register at the link: GARBAGE DREAMS Screening at the IFC Center Logo

We hope that the director will be able to join us at this screening for a Q & A.  Also, we are working with them develop curriculum for teachers, so we'd be very interested to hear your feedback and ideas for classroom use of the film, so if you are able to attend any of the screening, please email your thoughts to info@garbagedreams.com.

"GARBAGE DREAMS" TO BE FEATURED  IN THE 2009 DOCUWEEKS SHOWCASE.  DOCUWEEKS provides the theatrical runs that qualify documentaries for Oscar consideration. (Click here for more info about 2009 Docuweeks) GARBAGE DREAMS will play at  the IFC Center in New York City from July 31st - August 6th  and at the Arclight in Los Angeles from August 14th - 20th. "GARBAGE DREAMS is a moving story of young men searching for ways to eke out a living for their families and facing tough choices as they try to do the right thing for the planet. Mai Iskander guides us into a 'garbage village,' a place so different from our own, and yet the choices they face there are so hauntingly familiar. Ultimately, GARBAGE DREAMS makes a compelling case that modernization does not always equal progress."  -- AL GORE         ____________________________________________________________________________________ "GARBAGE DREAMS" DOCUWEEKS SCREENINGS AND LOCATIONS NY: IFC CENTER                                                         LA: ARCLIGHT HOLLYWOOD Fri, July 31th - 1:55 PM & 7:35 PM*                    Fri, Aug 14th - 2:05 PM & 7:45 PM* Sat, Aug 1st -  3:30 PM & 9:40 PM *                  Sat, Aug 15th - 3:50 PM & 9:45 PM* Sun, Aug 2nd - 12:00 PM & 5:10 PM*               Sun, Aug 16th - 12:00 PM & 5:40 PM* Mon, Aug 3rd - 1:55 PM & 7:35 PM*                    Mon, Aug 17th - 2:05 PM & 7:45 PM Tue, Aug 4th - 3:30 PM & 9:40 PM                        Tue, Aug 18th - 3:50 PM & 9:45 PM Wed, Aug 5th - 12:00 PM & 5:10 PM                  Wed, Aug 19th - 12:00 PM & 5:40 PM Thu, Aug 6th - 12:00 PM & 5:10 PM*                  Thu, Aug 20th - 12:00 PM & 5:40 PM *Filmmaker will be attending Q & A session after the screening Click Here To Buy Tickets Online To inquire about group rate (10 people and more) available at IFC in New York, please contact 212 924 6789 or email Chris Wells. ______________________________________________________________ GARBAGE DREAMS follows three teenage boys born into the trash trade and growing up in the world's largest garbage village, on the outskirts of Cairo.  It is the home to 60,000 Zaballeen, Arabic for "garbage people." Far ahead of any modern "Green" initiatives, the Zaballeen survive by recycling 80 percent of the garbage they collect. When their community is suddenly faced with the globalization of its trade, each of the teenage boys is forced to make choices that will impact his future and the survival of his community.  ______________________________________________________________ To view press or download press kit  go to www.garbagedreams.com

"GARBAGE DREAMS" TO BE FEATURED IN THE 2009 DOCUWEEKS SHOWCASE.

DOCUWEEKS provides the theatrical runs that qualify documentaries for Oscar consideration.

GARBAGE DREAMS will play at the IFC Center in New York City from July 31st - August 6th

"GARBAGE DREAMS is a moving story of young men searching for ways to eke out a living for their families and facing tough choices as they try to do the right thing for the planet. Mai Iskander guides us into a 'garbage village,' a place so different from our own, and yet the choices they face there are so hauntingly familiar.
Ultimately, GARBAGE DREAMS makes a compelling case that modernization does not always equal progress."  -- AL GORE
      
__________________________________________________________________

"GARBAGE DREAMS" DOCUWEEKS SCREENINGS AND LOCATIONS

NY: IFC CENTER                                           
Fri, July 31th - 1:55 PM & 7:35 PM            
Sat, Aug 1st -  3:30 PM & 9:40 PM                  
Sun, Aug 2nd - 12:00 PM & 5:10 PM             
Mon, Aug 3rd - 1:55 PM & 7:35 PM                 
Tue, Aug 4th - 3:30 PM & 9:40 PM                 
Wed, Aug 5th - 12:00 PM & 5:10 PM             
Thu, Aug 6th - 12:00 PM & 5:10 PM           
______________________________________________________________

GARBAGE DREAMS follows three teenage boys born into the trash trade and growing up in the world's largest garbage village, on the outskirts of Cairo.  It is the home to 60,000 Zaballeen, Arabic for "garbage people." Far ahead of any modern "Green" initiatives, the Zaballeen survive by recycling 80 percent of the garbage they collect. When their community is suddenly faced with the globalization of its trade, each of the teenage boys is forced to make choices that will impact his future and the survival of his community.
______________________________________________________________

To view press or download press kit go to www.garbagedreams.com

Please check out the video Mitchel Porcelen, a Special Education Teacher from MS 51 
in Brooklyn made with his students at the end of the school year. 
The focus is on climate change, air quality, and pollution reduction. 
The more hits they get, the more funding they get for the next project. 
Please also pass along the link to interested people. 
 
http://www.streetfilms.org/archives/less-cars-better-air-nyc/

“Sustainability Starts At School”

Join us for the
UFT Green Schools Committee monthly meeting.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009
   
Who:        Anyone interested in “greening” NYC schools

What:    Agenda:   
- Reflections on this year’s work
- Planning for next year
- Join the leadership team

When:      Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Snacks & Networking 4:00-4:30pm
Meeting 4:30–6:30pm

Where:    UFT Headquarters 
50 Broadway, New York, NY 10004

Please RSVP: uftgreenschools@uft.org

The UFT Green Schools Committee was established to help realize successful school recycling programs in all NYC schools. Come and join our Leadership Team: Micki Josi, Coquille Houshour, Patrick Hess, Jacqulyn Bodenmiller, Shannon Buckley-Shaklee, Juliana Germak, Hope Kitts, Mitchell Porcelyn, Jonathan Pereira and Justlin LeWinter to envision the sustainability in our schools. 

Find out more at http://www.uft.org/member/committees/.

Check out our article in the New York Teacher:

http://www.uft.org/news/teacher/around/how_green_is_your_school/

Plus John Shea of the DOE's School Facilities is coming to our next meeting:  Tuesday, May 19th (see attached)

“Sustainability Starts At School”

Join us for the
UFT Green Schools Committee monthly meeting.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009
   
Who:        Anyone interested in “greening” NYC schools

What:    Agenda:   
- Partnering with the DOE Sustainability Committee
- Recycling Coordinator Position
- Training for Custodians & Recycling Coordinators
- Storage & Collection Issues
- Recycling Supplies
- Environmental Education
- Green Schools Alliance Pledge
- Community Service

When:      Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Snacks & Networking 4:00-4:30pm
Meeting 4:30–6:30pm

Where:    UFT Headquarters 
50 Broadway, New York, NY 10004

Please RSVP: uftgreenschools@uft.org

The UFT Green Schools Committee was established to help realize successful school recycling programs in all NYC schools. Come and join our Leadership Team: Micki Josi, Coquille Houshour, Patrick Hess, Jacqulyn Bodenmiller, Shannon Buckley-Shaklee, Juliana Germak, Hope Kitts, Mitchell Porcelyn, Jonathan Pereira and Justlin LeWinter to envision the sustainability in our schools. 

Find out more at http://www.uft.org/member/committees/.

Hello!
            The styrofoam trays have been an issue that has been bothering me for some time. I used to work in the bronx. styrofoam trays. Now I work in Brooklyn. styrofoam trays. Other friends working in manhattan have shared with me that they also have styrofoam trays only. However, a friend of mine got a job working in Tarrytown ( Westchester)  this year and has informed me that they use recycled cardboard!!!

             I would love to work on this issue... but I am wondering, Are there any nyc schools that DON'T use styrofoam? If so, what do they use and where do they get it? Who can we speak to/ lobby to for recycled cardboard?
              THanks... I'm new here :)
                            ~*~*~*Karen~*~*~*

How would you like it if your students were able to grow food, conduct horticultural experiments, and share their lessons and experiences with students, both here and abroad?

The Growing Connection is a grassroots project developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Participating schools and community gardens grow fruits and vegetables in an EarthBox system. The advantages of using the EarthBox are many. The students can grow a garden just about any place: parking lots, classrooms, or even a rooftop, as long as there is access to sunlight.

The EarthBox is designed to conserve water and it’s accompanied with a curriculum that will excite students and engage them in hands-on activities. Your students will become directly engaged in the fight against hunger and obesity by growing and eating fresh vegetables, and discussing the food growing process with their peers in other countries.

How to apply? Contact wolfram@collectiveroots.org. Middle schools interested in participating in the Growing Connection project should contact Amy McMillen, Program Coordinator at the Food and Agriculture organization at 202-653-2458 or 202- 294-5945 (cell) or Amy.McMillen@fao.org for more information or to request an application.

There are 14 schools and community groups who are already part of the program, such as PS 144, PS 82, PS 10, PS 41, PS 257, Croton-Harmon HS, Drew Hamilton Learning Center, Lycee Francais de New York, MS 206B, School of the Future, The Spencer school, United nations International school and others.

Essay writing is a powerful tool to present new ideas. It has been proven time and again that indeed the pen is mightier than the sword. When somber tones are needed, it is reason that people listens to over the equally tempting passionate cries of force. Although this is not always the case, the voices of dissent written in eloquent speeches are sufficient to rouse society’s tendency to lose its core values and morals.

Hundreds of essays crafted during the 20th century are testament to the evil and greatness of men. Through these essay materials, mere mortals are separated from mere politicians and become statesmen. By speaking out and standing up to what they perceived as unacceptable behavior or actions of their fellowmen, these statesmen have sealed their places in history.

In the early days of February 2008, America woke up to the moving speech of then-candidate Barack Obama in the ‘Potomac Primary’ election night. Change was the main theme. Obama’s essay writers successfully relayed to the American people that change was possible through collective effort. That candidate Obama was just a representation of the people’s clamor to have a clean break from the failed policies of President George W. Bush.

Through his speeches written by the best essay writers in the country, Obama was able to reach out to an audience hungry for new ideas. His message of hope hit the right notes.  Other writers who long to make an impact in their profession can emulate Obama’s essay writing team by adopting the following strategies:

1.    Adopt Powerful Essay Theme(s)
People respond to compelling themes. Aside from images, words help people to understand anything presented to them.  Essay writers must present a compelling theme to attract the attention of readers. They can also learn a lot from past essays.

Before Obama’s “Change” captured America’s imaginations and made him the first African-American president, George W promised “compassionate conservatism” to catapult him to power in 2000 and edged out Vice President Al Gore in a nail-biting presidential contest. Bill Clinton had his “third way’ welfare politics, while Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s “New Deal” referenced several relief, recovery, and reforms programs to counter the Great Depression.

2.    Write with Passion
After settling on a great theme, essay writers must buckle down to work and start the writing process. Themes without strong foundations would be futile. Thus, it is the job of writers how to convey to ordinary folks the purpose of their essays. Essays must be clear enough for the readers to understand and relate to the written words.

Aside from the usual grammar rules, an essay material like a research paper needs to have cohesion to support the main theme. The writers must know how to logically present ideas to bolster the main argument or theme. This way, the readers can easily understand and follow the points being raised in an essay.

Writing essay materials that can unite people around a cause is not an easy task. Essay writers must    spend considerable time in selecting a powerful theme that aptly represents the ideas. They must also exert their writing prowess to develop an essay that rises above others and reaches an audience yearning for a great message.

Okay, so it’s time to wake up. Buds are about to burst, crocus smiles its lovely lilac smile, and bulbs have shot up with verdant pride. Birds are singing in the light of the new sun. It’s time to shake off the overheated classroom sluggishness and get students out to hear them.

Why not plant trees so they’ll sing even more? There are a few options that’ll get you and your students eco-rapping. If you have space on school grounds, you’ll want to contact Trees New York. They have a city-approved program to plant trees on school grounds. They also have programs to help students learn how to care for their new barky, green-haired friends.

If there’s space around the periphery of your school, put in your request for a onemilliontreesnyc tree(s) now and hopefully they’ll put down your new roots by fall. (Check out their “Make Every Day an Arbor Day,” a free curriculum guide sponsored by the Million Trees Initiative.)

If you hurry with your request, you’ll be able to mark out Arbor Day with free trees from the NYC Arbor Day Committee by contacting State Street JLN WOLF, Inc., jlnwolfinc@aol.com and (718) 834-4589.

The Department of Environmental Conservation provides 50 tree seedlings or a mixed packet of 30 wildlife shrubs to any school that would like to participate. Just contact their nursery at (518) 581-1439. The seedlings can be planted on school grounds or other community space.

If you have outdoor growing space at school, make sure you register with GreenThumb. Their garden workshops and giveaways will build you beds and take you to seed-sprouting heaven. (If you need more seeds, write a quick appeal to America the Beautiful Fund. They’ll ship enough seeds for guerilla gardening for blocks around.)

And what’s spring without pedaling about a bit? Get free bike racks installed on sidewalks around your school, so when school gets out you’re just a pedal away from an afternoon frolic. Not to mention you’ll be modeling green behavior (throw a solar-paneled backpack on with a clip-on mug and Chico bag and you’ll be respectin’ yo’ mama). You don’t even have to go barefoot.