3M Eco Grant to Provide Outdoor Science Education in Meriden
Joe Struble of 3M, far right, presents a ceremonial check to Ralph Wood, chairman of Connecticut Audubon Society’s Board of Directors. Also pictured, from left, are CAS President Alexander Brash; Cynthia Bartholomew, director of the Center at Glastonbury; Neil Weathers, representing Meriden public schools; Larry Lunden, chairman of the Center at Glastonbury’s regional board; and Michelle Eckman, education director for Connecticut Audubon Society.
Connecticut Audubon Society has been awarded an $34,440 3M Eco Grant to identify natural habitats near Meriden elementary schools where students can participate in Connecticut Audubon’s award-winning Science in Nature education program.
The grant is the second 3M Eco Grant that Connecticut Audubon Society has been awarded in three years. The first was used to bring Meriden public school students to Connecticut Audubon’s Center at Glastonbury for Science in Nature programs. That part of the program will continue with the new grant.
However the new 3M Eco Grant will also help Meriden fourth and fifth graders learn Science in Nature’s basic environmental principles in their own community. Connecticut Audubon staff will be visiting Meriden school properties and nearby parks, looking for locations with more than one habitat type, with native vegetation and with a small stream or wetland.
In collaboration with Meriden teachers, CAS staff will then write lesson plans that use the local habitats to illustrate the principles taught in Science in Nature. The location scouting and lesson-plan writing will take place in the spring of 2015, with classes to follow in fall 2015.
In all, about 150 elementary students from Meriden public schools will participate.
Science in Nature is the foundation of Connecticut Audubon Society outdoor conservation education programs Established in 2012, Science in Nature provides an authentic learning experience that is closely linked with state curriculum standards. The goal is to increase environmental literacy among elementary, middle and high school students, particularly in low-income communities, so they will understand basic environmental science principles and be more likely to participate in finding solutions to environmental issues within their communities.
“If, like Connecticut Audubon Society, conservation is your goal then you have to be educating young people on basic environmental science issues,” said Connecticut Audubon Society President Alexander R. Brash. “Although Meriden students were among the first to participate, in the spring of 2013, we want to emphasize the notion that nature and conservation aren’t things that happen way off in the wilderness.
“Thanks to this generous 3M Eco Grant, we will be able to bring our Science in Nature lessons closer to home for 150 Meriden children.”
Schools from 44 towns have participated in Science in Nature, including Manchester, East Hartford, Pomfret, Woodstock, Bridgeport, Milford, Fairfield, Westport, Trumbull, Orange, New Fairfield and Litchfield, as well Meriden. Generous philanthropic support has allowed Connecticut Audubon Society to include a number of low-income urban communities in the program.
In October, Science in Nature was named the region’s outstanding environmental education program by the New England Environmental Education Alliance.
3Mgives is awarding almost $400,000 to 10 organizations with its 2014 Eco Grants, which are aimed at connecting kids to nature and improving environmental and conservation education for youth. Since 2001, 3M’s environmental giving program has invested more than $25 million in sustainability initiatives as part of the company’s vision of improving every life.
The 2014 grant recipients are nonprofit organizations located in communities near a 3M facility. Recipients were selected based on criteria, which include: connecting science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education with outdoor learning opportunities, improving environmental and conservation education, and increasing student visits and teacher preparedness—thereby extending the learning beyond a single visit.
“3M is pleased to support innovative ideas that create energy and excitement around learning,” said Kim Price, vice president of 3M. “We are committed to supporting initiatives that enhance environmental education through hands-on experiences with nature.”
For more information, visit www.3Mgives.com.
