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Washington D.C.
Why We Are Here: Our nation's capital has communities and waterways that experience the impact of urban development, outdated infrastructure, traffic congestion, etc. Environmental impacts are especially acute in those communities found generally to the south and east, in the Anacostia River watershed. Demographics: Washington, DC Schools DC Public Schools (School Year 2011-2012) • Black: 72% • Hispanic: 14% • White: 10% • Other Ethnicity: 4% • Special Education: 18% • English Language Learner: 10% • Free/reduced price lunch: 52% Source: DCPS, retrieved September 2012. DC Public Charter Schools • African American: 83% • Hispanic/Latino: 12% • Caucasian: 3% • Asian/Pacific Islander: 1% • Native American: 0% • Other: 1% • Special Education: 12.8% • English Language Learners: 8% • Low income: 72% Source: DC Public Charter Schools, retrieved September 2012. What We Are Doing: We are partnering with DCPS and public charter schools, the District Department of the Environment (DDOE), the DC Environmental Education Consortium (DCEEC), and community-based organizations to engage youth, particularly in Wards 5-8, where schools have a higher proportion of low-income families (free/reduced lunch of 70-90%). Currently we work with 6th-8th grade teachers and students in the Caring for Our Watersheds competition by providing ongoing teacher workshops and direct classroom/field support for water monitoring. A highlight for us this year is working with partners Groundwork Anacostia, EnvironMentors, Cacapon Institute, and the DCPS Out-of-School Time Office on the Watts Branch Community STREAM (Student Training in Research, Environmental Action and Monitoring) program, focused in Ward 7. We look forward to making our Youth Summit part of the DCEEC-coordinated Anacostia Environmental Youth Summit this year, bringing together more than 500 young people and partner organizations to celebrate and reflect on the great environmental work students have been doing throughout the city. Earth Force History in this Community: Earth Force has hosted and supported Agrium's Caring for Our Watersheds contest in DC the past two years, asking middle school students to solve environmental problems in their watersheds. Earlier work in DC was through the Watershed Wise DC Fellows program, led by DDOE and funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Through this program we worked with 4th grade teachers and their classes to support meaningful watershed educational experiences through hands-on learning. Number of Youth: 300 Number of Educators: 15 Participating Partners:
Participating School Districts:
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Washington D.C. Calendar
