Rick Patrick
rick@greenepublishing.com
Nestlé Waters North America and The Ecology School have teamed up to help improve educational opportunities for both students and teachers. To accomplish this, they have developed a pair of programs to help provide new ways to teach and learn about ecology and environmental education.
EcologyOnline, sponsored by Nestlé Waters' Poland Spring® is an e-learning curriculum available online for all students. The curriculum provides five learning modules designed by experts at The Ecology School and their educational partners. Each module features an educational skit, at least three outdoor focused activities and action steps aimed at real world applications. This program is not like many on-line programs. It actually encourages students to get out from behind the computer screen and get outside. EcologyOnline is available through EcologyOnline.org.
The Teacher Institute for Watershed Science and Conservation, also sponsored by Poland Spring, was created and developed for the purpose of recruiting and training more environmental stewards and educators. In August of 2021, the institute “will welcome K-8 teachers from across the country to The Ecology School's River Bend Farm campus, in Maine, for a four-day, hands-on educational program. Poland Spring is collaborating with The Ecology School to help ensure the program is available to teachers from communities where NWNA operates. Through a variety of outdoor-focused learning sessions, teachers will learn more about how to adopt more sustainable practices and how to inspire the next generation to participate in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. Over the course of three years, the program projects to enroll over 280 teachers in the institute. A key component of the program is its ability to provide financial aid to ensure that more teachers are able to join. Additionally, the Teacher Institute for Watershed Science and Conservation will provide teachers with 15 hours towards Continuing Education Units through the University of Southern Maine, an accredited university.” To apply or for more information, please visit https://theecologyschool.org/teacher-institute.
“Bolstering The Ecology School's mission to bring about a more sustainable future is part of our long-standing commitment to environmental education,” said Tara Carraro, Executive Vice President & Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Nestlé Waters North America. “Through our Poland Spring brand, we're taking a multi-faceted approach to help expand the scale of The Ecology School so that its impact goes beyond Maine, and their innovative curriculum and approach is accessible to educators, parents and students from coast-to-coast. Through our giving pillars of water, packaging, health, and climate, we will continue to support organizations that share our passion to help create the next generation of water stewards.”