Educating Schools, Parents and Kids About the Environment

Summertime is here and kids are out of school, so it is the perfect time for parents and kids to get serious about our environment and keeping it a safe and beautiful place to enjoy for many years to come.

According to a recent article in THE Journal by Chris Riedel entitled, “Green Schools: The Color of Money” school districts have finally discovered that going green can mean financial rewards.

It is not just about turning off lights, changing light bulbs or shutting off idle computers — it is about rethinking the way things are done at every level from companies, to schools, or even at home.

Schools need to analyze everything from natural gas and electricity use to heating and air conditioning systems, along with maintenance and construction procedures. It is important for any organization to develop long-term plans.

The Taunton Public Schools called in a group known as Energy Education, who helps develop energy conservation programs for U.S. school districts with the goal of converting dollars spent on energy to dollars spent on education. Tis group was retained to help find ways to decrease its energy consumption and their bottom line.

One interesting example mentioned in the article; typical school vending machines cost up to $450 a year to run, but by using a motion sensor that shuts down the machine’s compressor when there is no activity, schools can save up to two-thirds with each machine, and most schools districts have from 40 to 50 vending machines.

In just two years, the Energy Education program helped Taunton save more than $660,000 in energy costs, including costs on electricity, natural gas, fuel oil, and water. Everything from disabling vending machine lights to managing irrigation played a role in savingsand our environment.

Students everywhere in schools across the country are also beginning to get the message about taking responsibility for helping to save the planet. To help parerets out, following is a list of environmentally inspired websites for kids to take a look at this summer:

Environmental Education for Kids is an online magazine for grades four to eight created by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, which has short articles and activities about animals, and plants.

- EPA Student Center – This Environmental Protection Agency site includes information on a wide range of environmental issues. Kids can click on “Fun Activities” to play environmental games.

- Be, Live, Buy Different – A project of the World Wildlife Fund and the Center for a New American Dream, the site was created to inform young people about how everything we buy and use affects biodiversity. Take the Buy-O-Diversity Quiz!

- The Green Squad – An NRDC website that’s also available in Spanish shows you how to identify and solve environmental problems. You can can explore a colorful virtual school room by room, and use the mouse to locate potential hazards. Teachers and parents will find the site useful as it offers a wide range of resources.

- The Greens – Izz and Dex are green animated characters that not only have green skin, but they have lots of great ideas about protecting the planet. Visit this site to watch short cartoons about environmental issues Nature Challenge for Kids.

Nature Challenge for Kids – a David Suzuki Foundation website place for all kinds of fun activities starting with ten simple ways you can protect nature.

Remember to join community projects this summer in your town to help pick up garbage at the beach, or simply at a nearby park. Teaching our children about the importance of the environment is a job that both parents and teachers must share — at home and at school.

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These are real FLVS students, teachers and parents talking about their experiences with FLVS and FLVSFT. If you would like more information about FLVSFT visit www.flvsft.com For more information about Florida Virtual School visit www.flvs.net.

Distance Learning to Complete A High School Diploma

There are several reasons that a person may not complete high school. However, without that high school diploma, a person is at an extreme disadvantage. In 2004, a high school graduate earned around $717 per month more than a person not completing high school. The importance of a high school diploma is becoming more and more evident today. In 2004, if you have graduated you are 70 percent more likely to be employed than someone who did not. The above statistics came from U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics.

So what happens if you are one of the individuals who have not graduate, but you want to improve your chances of being employed and increasing your earnings potential? Did you know you can earn your school degree online?
The fact is that getting your High School diploma as an adult could be a bit awkward and embarrassing in a conventional setting. Also, as an adult, there are other factors to consider such as a spouse and children. So, to earn your diploma online would be a good solution. You are able to take classes and study when convenient for you. It can be tailored to your schedule as opposed to traditional classes that make you adjust your schedule to participate.
To earn your degree online, what do you look for? Well, obviously you need to find some public or private school that is offering this option. The number of online high school programs is increasing, so searching for one is as simple as using a search engine with the keywords virtual schools. Next, cost would be a primary concern. Most state or community online charter schools will be free, but they are only funded for K-12 and have no adult education money. If you are over the age of 21, you would need to look elsewhere.
You should be prepared to spend around $885 to $1350 a year to earn your high school diploma online. But, as with anything else, you need to research to find what is best for you.
You will also want to look into accreditation. A couple of the most recommended are regional and DETC accreditation or state approved. Be sure to check with potential employers and also, if planning to continue on to college, on the acceptability of the accreditation.
The time involved to earn your degree will vary. Most online courses are at your own pace.. If you had a daily time you could set aside for studies you would earn your high school diploma much faster. Some have regular semester type schedules that would determine the pace you could advance.
A few schools to look at to earn your high school diploma are: Brigham Young University where courses cost about $102 and the school does charge for some materials, plus a twenty dollar application fee. It also offers non-credit independent courses free of charge. This is an excellent choice to earn your high school diploma from home.
CompuHigh – Since 1994 programs have been offered so you can earn your needed credits online. Students and teachers work with each other completely online. Courses cost about $275, but because all material is online there are no book fees. CompuHigh also furnishes a list of colleges that will recognize their diplomas.
Indiana University – You can earn your high school diploma here with a combination of online and correspondence courses. You do have the option of completing the program at Indian University or can transfer credits to another high school and finish it there. As a student you are assigned an academic advisor who will be there to assist you in the course of study if needed. The cost is $125.40 for each credit hour and a $40.00 application fee. There also are more than 100 colleges who accept the transcripts from this college.
Your graduation is an important item today and is needed to help you increase your earning potential. Earning your credits online is as easy as finding the right institution for you at a price you can afford. Do your research and we will see you on graduation day.

Distance Learning to Complete A High School Diploma

There are several reasons that a person may not complete high school. However, without that high school diploma, a person is at an extreme disadvantage. In 2004, a high school graduate earned around $717 per month more than a person not completing high school. The importance of a high school diploma is becoming more and more evident today. In 2004, if you have graduated you are 70 percent more likely to be employed than someone who did not. The above statistics came from U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics.

So what happens if you are one of the individuals who have not graduate, but you want to improve your chances of being employed and increasing your earnings potential? Did you know you can earn your school degree online?
The fact is that getting your High School diploma as an adult could be a bit awkward and embarrassing in a conventional setting. Also, as an adult, there are other factors to consider such as a spouse and children. So, to earn your diploma online would be a good solution. You are able to take classes and study when convenient for you. It can be tailored to your schedule as opposed to traditional classes that make you adjust your schedule to participate.
To earn your degree online, what do you look for? Well, obviously you need to find some public or private school that is offering this option. The number of online high school programs is increasing, so searching for one is as simple as using a search engine with the keywords virtual schools. Next, cost would be a primary concern. Most state or community online charter schools will be free, but they are only funded for K-12 and have no adult education money. If you are over the age of 21, you would need to look elsewhere.
You should be prepared to spend around $885 to $1350 a year to earn your high school diploma online. But, as with anything else, you need to research to find what is best for you.
You will also want to look into accreditation. A couple of the most recommended are regional and DETC accreditation or state approved. Be sure to check with potential employers and also, if planning to continue on to college, on the acceptability of the accreditation.
The time involved to earn your degree will vary. Most online courses are at your own pace.. If you had a daily time you could set aside for studies you would earn your high school diploma much faster. Some have regular semester type schedules that would determine the pace you could advance.
A few schools to look at to earn your high school diploma are: Brigham Young University where courses cost about $102 and the school does charge for some materials, plus a twenty dollar application fee. It also offers non-credit independent courses free of charge. This is an excellent choice to earn your high school diploma from home.
CompuHigh – Since 1994 programs have been offered so you can earn your needed credits online. Students and teachers work with each other completely online. Courses cost about $275, but because all material is online there are no book fees. CompuHigh also furnishes a list of colleges that will recognize their diplomas.
Indiana University – You can earn your high school diploma here with a combination of online and correspondence courses. You do have the option of completing the program at Indian University or can transfer credits to another high school and finish it there. As a student you are assigned an academic advisor who will be there to assist you in the course of study if needed. The cost is $125.40 for each credit hour and a $40.00 application fee. There also are more than 100 colleges who accept the transcripts from this college.
Your graduation is an important item today and is needed to help you increase your earning potential. Earning your credits online is as easy as finding the right institution for you at a price you can afford. Do your research and we will see you on graduation day.

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