Western U.P. Center Earth Day Web Page Home

 

EARTH DAY

PROJECT IDEAS & RESOURCES

 

The Western Upper Peninsula Center for Science, Math & Environmental Education has many excellent resources for planning an Earth Day Project! 

¨       For a list of activity guides, children’s literature and equipment available to teachers for loan through our Resource Clearinghouse, visit our website:  http://wupcenter.mtu.edu/education/manuals.html & http://wupcenter.mtu.edu/teachers_resources.html

¨       For information about projects that were done by schools during the past three years of the program, visit our website:

http://wupcenter.mtu.edu/education/earthweek/index.htm

 

Here are project ideas and website links to get your class or youth group thinking about what YOU can do:

¨       Plant a school or community garden that provides wildlife habitat, enhances human habitat, or provides food.

http://www.nwf.org/schoolyardhabitats/creatinghabitatsites.cfm & http://www.kidsgardening.com/

¨       Build bird nesting boxes or bat boxes.  http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/tools/birdhous/birdhous.htm

¨       Organize a tree-planting project.  http://www.earthday.net/goals/trees/treeplanting.stm

¨       Calculate your Ecological Footprint:  http://www.earthday.net/footprint/index.asp# & http://www.lead.org/leadnet/footprint/intro.htm

¨       Start a “Waste Free Lunch Program”   http://www.wastefreelunches.org/

¨       Decorate paper bags for a local grocery store with earth-friendly messages:  http://www.earthdaybags.org/

¨       Hold a recycling drive or set up an in-school recycling program:  http://www.epa.gov/recyclecity/ & http://www.resourcefulschools.org

¨       Make a worm compost bin for classroom or school cafeteria (Center has plans to follow).

¨       Conduct a frog and toad calling or deformity survey.  http://wupcenter.mtu.edu/education/frog.htm

¨       Conduct a forest, schoolyard, or stream clean-up.

¨       Conduct a storm drain stenciling project.  http://www.earthwater-stencils.com/   (Center has stencils you can borrow.)

¨       Broadcast an Earth Day message over the school PA system or your local TV or radio station.

 

Earth Day Websites

¨       Earth Day Network:  http://www.earthday.net/default.asp

¨       Official Site of International Earth Day:  http://www.earthsite.org/

¨       Earth Day at Kids Domain:  http://www.kidsdomain.com/holiday/earthday/index.html

¨       Wilderness Society Earth Day Page:  http://earthday.wilderness.org/

¨       EnviroLink Earth Day Pages:  http://earthday.envirolink.org/

¨       U.S. Government:  http://www.earthday.gov/

¨       U.S. Department of Energy:  www.eere.energy.gov/earthday

¨       Environmental Protection Agency :  www.epa.gov/earthday

¨       National Institute of Health:  www.nih.gov/od/ors/earthday

¨       National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration:  http://www.noaa.gov/earthday/

¨       Department of Transportation:  www.dot.gov/affairs/earth.htm

¨       Sierra Club :   http://www.sierraclub.org/earthday2003/epec/mi.asp

 

Resources for Environmental Education in Michigan

¨       Michigan Environmental Education:  http://www.michiganenvironmentaled.org/

¨       Michigan Department of Environmental Quality: http://www.michigan.gov/deq/0,1607,7-135-3307_3580---,00.html

¨       North American Association of Environmental Education:  http://www.eelink.net/classroomresources-directories.html

¨       EPA Environmental Education Kids Club: http://epa.gov/kids/