Youth Protect Local Watershed with GM Environmental Mentors on Earth Day
Bowling Green, KY (PRWEB) April 22, 2014 -- Employees from GM’s Bowling Green Assembly, WKU Center for Environmental Education & Sustainability staff, and students from Warren Central High School will wade into Trammel Creek today, as the automaker celebrates the 25th anniversary of its signature watershed education program, GM GREEN (Global Rivers Environmental Education Network). The program, which is run by the national non-profit Earth Force, engages multiple partners throughout a community to empower young people to take action through inquiry-based water quality investigations.
Throughout the years, GM has matched 142,000 students with more than 3,000 employees to retrieve water samples, test, and analyze them. Then, they channel findings into a sustainable action plan addressing water quality issues in their communities. GM GREEN sharpens problem-solving skills, improves knowledge of science and the environment, and encourages community involvement.
WKU Center for Environmental Education & Sustainability has been facilitating GM GREEN in Bowling Green for nine years. This strategy is part of a Collective Impact approach, spearheaded by the nonprofit Earth Force. Networks of partners facilitate the activities with local schools in 26 communities in which GM operates across North America.
“GM GREEN allows young people in Bowling Green to become better connected to their local waterways,” says Terry Wilson, Director of the Center for Environmental Education and Sustainability at Western Kentucky University. “Through the program and the support of local community partners, students use the science, math, and technology skills they learn in the classroom and apply them toward solving real-life water quality issues.”
Bowling Green Assembly has participated in the GM GREEN program since 2005. Last year Bowling Green Assembly employees mentored 420 students at 6 water monitoring events, classroom visits, and student-driven watershed improvement projects.
“GM’s longstanding support of the program wouldn’t be possible without our dedicated employees,” said Jeffrey Lamarche, Bowling Green Assembly plant manager. “Bowling Green Assembly employees will continue to mentor students this year to commemorate the 25th anniversary and further our commitment to community engagement and preserving our environment.”
For more information on GM’s environmental commitment, visit its sustainability report and environmental blog.
General Motors Co. and its partners produce vehicles in 30 countries, and the company has leadership positions in the world's largest and fastest-growing automotive markets. GM, its subsidiaries and joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Cadillac, Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling brands. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety, security and information services, can be found at http://www.gm.com.
Earth Force is a national 501(c)3 organization with headquarters in Denver. Its mission is to engage young people as active citizens who improve the environment and their communities now and in the future. Through Earth Force and its network of partners, young people get hands-on, real-world opportunities to practice civic skills, acquire a deep understanding of the environment, and develop the skills and motivation to become lifelong leaders in addressing community issues. Visit http://www.earthforce.org or follow @earthforce on Twitter to learn more.
During the past 15 years, the Center for Environmental Education and Sustainability at WKU, has expanded its environmental education “umbrella” to include subjects beyond mathematics and science, and has encompassed projects dealing with social studies, language arts, the arts, etc. Education for Sustainability is also becoming an increasingly strong focus for programs, in response to national and international interest in this rapidly growing field. This interdisciplinary focus is central to successful programming in the fields of environmental education and sustainability and WKU’s Center has become nationally and internationally recognized for many of its projects over the years. The Center is primarily self-supporting, with much of its funding coming from grants and contracts. CEES works in partnership with WKU and a broad set of stakeholders to provide resources and leadership to advance education for a sustainable future.
Kristen Mueller, Earth Force Inc., http://www.earthforce.org, +1 (314) 640-4413, [email protected]
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