Dear MEEA Members,

April is always such a hopeful time. The miraculous events of seeds sprouting and leaves unfurling nourish our spirits throughout this month. Faith-based and secular groups celebrate rebirth and renewal. Earth Day presents an opportunity not only to reflect on what needs to be done but to celebrate the many ways people work for a healthy planet. And this year, April coincides with the vaccine rollout and the hope that better days are ahead.

Now that vaccination is in full swing, life is shifting quickly once again. As so many opportunities open up again, it is my hope that we won’t go back to the way we were, but that we will be much more intentional about so many things. Instead of using the phrase “return to normal” (what is “normal”, anyway?) how would you fill in this sentence? Post-pandemic, I hope to ___________. For me, I hope to continue a daily practice of yoga and establish journaling as a daily habit because it helps me sort out my priorities. I hope that I will learn how to slow down and find work-life balance.  And I hope to spend lots of time in nature and with family and friends, because that adds joy to my hopefulness. 

If you are so inclined, why not share your post-pandemic ponderings on the MEEA or MGS Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram pages? Malaya Siy, one of the amazing Missouri Green Schools VISTAs, has been working diligently to grow awareness of MEEA and MGS through social media. We’d love it if you’d check out her handiwork and share your thoughts there! 

In the meantime, please enjoy the newsletter and have a Happy Earth Day! 

Lesli Moylan, Executive Director

Kudos to all practitioners of place-based education. The NGSS newsletter this month shared a resource called Problems with Problems: Improving the Design of Problem-Driven Science and Engineering Instruction. The main takeaway? Give kids problems to tackle that are grounded in the real-world and relevant to their everyday lives. This has always been a foundation of environmental, sustainabillity, and place-based education, and that’s one reason why it’s so effective.

Kudos to MEEA Member Mike Syzydlowski, Science Coordinator for Columbia Public Schools. Mike was recently nominated for Master Conservationist by the Missouri Conservation Commission. Mike works hard every day to embed a place-based philosophy into the science curriculum and practice at CPS, fostering kids’ connection to nature and academic success at the same time. “The simplest definition of place-based education is you’re learning all your standards from an environmental or community perspective,” Mike says.

Kudos to Chris Chin, director of Missouri Department of Agriculture for her Op-Ed in Missouri Ruralist. She draws parallels between best agricultural practices for animal health and the scientific response to COVID-19 for human health. She counteracts common misinformation and advocates that we take the same approach that farmers and ranchers use to protect their herds to protect the “human herd–your family, your neighbors, your co-workers, and your community”.

Kudos to GirlTrek, a health-focused nonprofit for Black women and girls in the United States. GirlTrek promotes a community of radical self-care through walking and spending transformative time in nature and the outdoors. Kansas City and St. Louis both have GirlTrek groups, and a weekly e-newsletter is available as well. Learn more at https://www.girltrek.org/

Kudos to MU Extension specialists for providing Spanish-language resources for Missourians. The latest? A virtual program series on Gardening Basics. Learn more at https://extension.missouri.edu/news/mu-extension-offers-online-vegetable-gardening-course-in-spanish-5028

Kudos to the school district in Batesville, Arkansas. This rural school district installed 1500 solar panels, and now uses the utility savings to give teachers annual bonuses of up to $15,000. What an inspiration! Did you know that more than 7,000 schools in the US are already capturing solar energy and yielding impressive cost-savings?