SAN FRANCISCO (PRWEB) July 03, 2020
Green Up the Planet is a nonprofit organization launched to provide underfunded schools with some much-needed resources to teach students about the environment. Today, the organization announces its fundraising campaign to support their ecology project for the reopening of schools in the fall.
The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated so many families and communities around the world. In the U.S., we have watched the virus amplify the disparities in access to resources, healthcare, and education. As schools scramble to adjust their environments for learning, the challenges faced by those lacking access to technology have emerged quickly and highlighted the need for greater investments in our educational infrastructure and teaching methodologies.
“As an education major in college, I learned firsthand about the challenges and rewards of being a teacher. Most are faced with a call to do more with less funding and resources,” explains Jim Burkhart, Board President. “Though my career is now in IT, my inherent love for education and nature led me to create Green Up The Planet, which focuses on providing teachers with innovative tools, books and resources to teach students about the environment and engage them in deeper conversations about ecology.”
As we move closer to the reopening of schools in the fall, education departments are dealing with critical budget cuts and funding shortages. These budget issues will cut deeper in at-risk communities. This presents an opportunity for industry and nonprofits to step up and fill the void. Green Up The Planet has emerged at this precise time to ensure that underfunded schools have access to innovative tools for teaching about critically-important topics like the environment.
Schools that apply to be part of the Green Up The Planet program will receive a gift box for students that includes an age-appropriate book about nature and plants, stickers, a packet of seeds, a small plant, and a t-shirt with the Green Up The Planet logo to help spark conversations about the environment when people see them wearing it. Gift boxes are currently being stocked and assembled. Supplies will be sent out to schools in October. To contribute to the fundraiser visit the website https://greenuptheplanet.org/ to sponsor a box (or several.) Or visit the GOFUNDME page to contribute: https://www.gofundme.com/f/green-up-the-planet-school-packets. Teachers can also apply for their schools on the website.
About Green Up The Planet
Green Up The Planet is a nonprofit organization providing underfunded schools with access to innovative tools for teaching students about the environment. Individual student gift boxes are provided to schools at no cost and include age-appropriate books about nature and plants, stickers, a packet of seeds, small plants, and a Green Up The Planet t-shirt to encourage conversations about the environment within their homes and communities. For more information, please visit https://greenuptheplanet.org/.