Washington, DC – As the Obama Administration urges Americans to become more active volunteers, Project Learning Tree (PLT) announced that it will fund 34 projects that engage students in environmental service-learning projects to improve their schools and surrounding communities.

“Students are learning about local environmental issues and developing creative ways to address them,” said Al Senstrup, Director of Curriculum Programs for the American Forest Foundation, PLT’s parent group. “From developing gardens with native vegetation to monitoring water quality, these kids are researching, planning, and taking the lead in solving real-world problems related to energy and the environment.”

PLT’s Greenworks! program provides merit-based grants to schools and groups that work with youth to create gardens, plant trees, restore streams and wildlife habitat, improve energy efficiency, and other projects. In many of these projects, such as a water-monitoring project in Homer, Alaska, and a demonstration garden in Chino, California, students share what they learn in community events. Since 1992, more than $700,000 has funded more than 900 GreenWorks! projects across the country.

The 34 grants announced by Senstrup today include the following:

• In Brownsburg, Indiana, middle-school students will build a “green roof” over Brownsburg East Middle School’s media center. They researched green roof systems to select the most appropriate type for their building. They also made a presentation to the Board of School Trustees to win approval for the project, will plan and construct the system, and will investigate the energy and other benefits that accrue.

• In Sylva, North Carolina, Franklin High School students will work with Southwestern Community College, Macon County government, and other groups to restore natural habitat along the Little Tennessee Valley Greenway. While they improve the environment, they will connect with the college’s GEAR UP program, funded by the U.S. Department of Education to raise student preparedness for post-secondary education.

• First Tee of Denver, an organization that uses golf to educate children in central Denver, will focus on the golf course and not the golf ball in its GreenWorks!-funded project. Adult volunteers will work with Centennial K-8 School to build and maintain bluebird houses and plant trees on six public golf courses.

GreenWorks! grants in amounts from $250 to $5,000 are available for service-learning projects for educators who have participated in PLT workshops. The next grant deadline is October 31, 2009. For more information and a full list of grants awarded, go to www.plt.org.

About Project Learning Tree®
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 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. For more information, go to www.forestfoundation.org.

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