Washington, D.C. – Project Learning Tree® (PLT), the environmental education program of the American Forest Foundation, announced today that it awarded 24 GreenWorks! grants to schools and organizations across the country to involve students in community-based environmental projects. GreenWorks! is PLT’s service-learning program that engages PLT educators and their students with their local community in “learning-by-doing” neighborhood improvement projects.

Since 1992, Project Learning Tree has distributed more than $565,000 to fund 810 grant projects in communities across the country. Proposals for the Fall 2008 cycle of grants are due on October 31, 2008. Grants up to $5,000 are available.

The GreenWorks! grants announced this week will fund elementary through high school students in 16 states as they design native plant gardens, restore streams and riparian habitat, plan and construct outdoor classrooms, and build learning trails, among other projects. 

“When students work with their community to investigate and take action to improve the environment in the places they live, everyone benefits,” said Al Stenstrup, Director of Education Programs for the American Forest Foundation. “Through these projects, schools and community groups are challenging students as they learn more about the world around them and what they can do to make it a better place.”

The following are five examples of the 24 projects funded to date in 2008:

Auburn, AL: Butterflies for the Black Belt, Auburn University Environmental Institute
Seventh-grade students from Wilcox County’s Camden School for the Arts and Technology will design and build two butterfly gardens open to the public at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers facility on the Alabama River. The students will be engaged in all phases of the project, including developing education materials and signs for each garden.

San Bernardino, CA: Native Plant Restoration, San Bernadino National Forest Association
The forest association will involve student volunteers, ages 11 to 17, in the restoration of 50 acres impacted by recent fires in the San Bernardino National Forest. These students will serve as team leaders of other volunteers to collect seed, grow and propagate seedlings, and maintain the restored sites.

Naples, ME: Interpretative Trail for Environmental Learning and Stewardship, Lake Region Middle School
Seventh-graders will use an inquiry-based approach modeled after the scientific method to create an interpretative trail for the community. They will develop a master plan, collect and analyze ecosystem data, and install the trail system. A student-based steering committee will take a leadership role in the project.

Houston, TX: Project RENEW, Eastwood Academy
Project RENEW (Revitalizing Eastwood’s Native Environment and Wetlands) will involve 500 students and adults in a hands-on project that integrates student planning, learning, and community service. They will create a 300-square-foot pond and dry riverbed as an outdoor science laboratory for gathering biological data and studying relationships among native Texas species. The park-like wetland area will also be used as an outdoor classroom by reading, art, and other classes.

Milwaukee, WI: Green Teens, Neighborhood House of Milwaukee
Urban middle school students will become “Green Teens: An Invasive Species Control Patrol.” They will learn about forest and woodland habitats and the effects that invasive species can have on these habitats. They will also learn how to identify invasive species in local green spaces and develop a plan to inventory, research, and manage them.

For more information about GreenWorks! and a complete list of Project Learning Tree’s GreenWorks! grants awards, visit www.plt.org or contact Jackie Stallard, Manager of Education Programs, 202.463.2475, jstallard@plt.org.

Project Learning Tree® (PLT) is the environmental education program of the American Forest Foundation. PLT provides educators with comprehensive environmental education curriculum resources that can be integrated into lesson plans for all grades and subject areas. PLT teaches students “how to think, not what to think” about complex environmental issues, and helps students learn the skills they need to make sound choices about the environment.

Developed in 1976, PLT has an international network of more than 500,000 trained educators using PLT materials that cover the total environment.  The American Forest Foundation, a nonprofit organization, works for healthy forests, quality environmental education, and informed decision-making about our communities and our world.