Earth Day 2021

Earth Day is a great day to stop and pause, recognizing the value of our world and the ecosystems around us. Check out my Earth Day post from a previous year that share a few specific things that anyone can do to recognize and celebrate Earth Day.

I want to share something new my family has begun as a way to minimize our impact on the environment.  We work hard to reduce our waste (using reusable containers as much as possible, minimizing plastic & disposables, etc.) reuse (repurposing, composting) and recycle.  One thing that has been an ongoing challenge are those soft plastics - they cannot be placed in recycling bins. While some stores collect some of this plastic (along with plastic store bags) not all do - and not all plastics are recyclable in this manner. We learned about EcoBricks - a way to repurpose soft plastics.  Check out this intro video HERE.  THIS organization is from Massachusetts and is spreading info about this great way to repurpose plastics and remove them from becoming trash/mixed in our environment. Ecobricks have been used to make raised beds, walls, furniture, insulation, and even a school! We just donated 14 lbs of ecobricks at a local drop-off spot!

What can you change about your routines to lessen your impact on the environment? Find a way to change a routine behavior - you'll have a more lasting impact if you can shift your daily routines! :)

Check out more Earth Day resources here:

• Earth Day 2021
• Earth Day Toolkit
• NASA Earth Day resources
• Earth Day Boston
• Mass.Gov Earth Day
• The Nature Conservancy, Earth Day

STEM Spotlight April/May

Computer Science is the theme of our fourth edition of the STEM Spotlight!  The goal of the STEM Spotlights is to highlight the critical contributions from the many diverse members of the STEM community. Facilitating the opportunity to see the wide range of people involved in the fields of STEM provides a way for students to see potential for their own future. Linked below is the spotlight for April/May.  The Computer Science theme spotlights Ada Lovelace and Farida Bedwei along with many mini-spotlights.

I have invited RPS teachers to utilize the pieces they find most appropriate for their students/grade-level.  I created this in Google Slides so that it may be utilized seamlessly with Google Classroom and/or Pear Deck as it suits the teacher's needs!

I hope you find somethin here you can share with your students. ~Heather

If you missed it, the spotlight for Feb/March was Engineering and focused on Dr. Latanya Sweeney and Dr. John Herrington. the Dec/Jan spotlight theme was Mathematics and focused on Muhammad Yunus and Vi Hart. Our Oct./Nov. spotlight highlighted Katherine Johnson and Susan Finley - with a focus on STEM in space.