By Al Stenstrup

Project Learning Tree is pleased to announce the selection of the 2005-2006 GreenWorks! Grants. The 33 awarded proposals are from 17 different states, ranging from the North Pole (North Pole Middle School, North Pole, AK) to Emerson, GA (South Central Middle School). We would like to thank all of the 67 applicants for their proposals. All of the proposals were well written and supported excellent student projects. Visit the GreenWorks! section of www.plt.org to see a list of the awarded projects.

GreenWorks! grants provide students with an opportunity to both learn and provide service to their community. The GreenWorks! projects partner educators, students, and the community. They blend service activities that meet real community needs with learning in a way that will be remembered. Here are several summaries of projects that have been funded:

* Oil City Elementary Magnet School, Oil City, LA
Students will work on the development of a bird viewing station and a fruit orchard that will enhance the nature/exercise trail that is used by both students and the community. The students will develop observation, measurement, and classification skills while completing the project.

* Merced County Office of Education, Merced, CA
Special Education students will plan, plant, maintain, and harvest the “Atwater Transition Center GreenWorks! Garden.” The students will learn to respect and understand the environment while learning about good nutrition. They will share their produce and flowers with local hospital patients and residents of a Senior Citizens home.

* Great Meadows Regional School District, Great Meadows, NJ
Middle school students, Boy Scouts, and a local church will bring history to life by creating a school garden focused on “planting the past.” The project connects with both their Language Arts and Social Studies curriculums. A Project Learning Tree workshop will be conducted for teachers.

* Stillwater High School, Stillwater, OK
High school students will visit elementary schools and nursing homes to educate students and residents about trees and plants. The students will assist elementary students and seniors to pot plants and plant trees on local sites including city parks. Students will be applying math, science, and general business skills during the project.

* University of Houston – Clear Lake/Environmental Institute of Houston (EIH), Houston, TX
Elementary, high school, and university preservice teachers will combine their talents and labor to design and construct a “School Habitat Demonstration Lab.” The lab area will be used for workshops that will target teachers, community leaders, government officials and others that are interested in constructing wetlands and using native plants. The area will also host environmental education workshops for preservice teachers and classroom educators.

Other proposals include projects where elementary through college age students will design butterfly gardens, build aquatic habitats, grow seedlings, design and construct tree trails, start recycling projects, and much more.

Grant awards ranged from $230 to $1645. Most grants were approximately $1000.

We look forward to seeing the GreenWorks! program grow in the future. Currently, we have additional GreenWorks! Grants that will be available in the Los Angeles and Dallas areas. These “specialized” GreenWorks! proposals will be due March 3, 2006 (see “Hot Topics” at www.plt.org for more).

Your school or non-profit organization can be an applicant in 2006. The first requirement is to become familiar with Project Learning Tree by attending a PLT educator workshop. Visit the GreenWorks! website (www.plt.org) and be on the look out for more information.

PLT’s GreenWorks! Grants are made possible by the Abundant Forests Alliance (AFA), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Environmental Education and Training Partnership (EETAP), and the American Forest Foundation’s Project Learning Tree (PLT).