I know, I know. Every year I just can't stop from featuring this. But really, could anything be cuter or more inspiring for anyone involved in cleaning up and preserving our earth than these live webcam image?

See photos by Peter Green of Audubon 2011 banding day

at www.facebook.com/AudubonRI

We are mostly on blacktop, full southern exposure and still, almost all the schools are oblivious to the potential harm of our important garden partner, sunlight.

Last season, we were lucky enough to find a sunscreen without harmful chemical, yet offering a broad spectrum UVA and UVB protection.   The first few times, I actually felt odd telling the gardeners to put the face protection on before we started our garden digging. By the third week or so, I just left the lotion on the bench and expected the children to use it.

This season, we will develop a checklist for the kids in the garden.

It will include the following:

Garden Hats
Sunscreen on!
Drinks of water
Garden Shoes
Garden Gloves

I really would not even have listed the sunscreen except for a gift from Tricia at Suntegrity. Her  product "was made in honor of her mom and all those who lost their lives to skin cancer."

Because  our gardeners have little hands, they can't really 'glop' on the amount of sunscreen they should with the other brands.     With this lotion, we can use about 1/3  less for full coverage on their faces.  The sunscreen starts out white, so they can see where you are applying it and then the white disappears.  For ease of use, it really is nice in the garden.

As you know, I don't normally promote products on GardenGreenAngels.com, but  since this subject involves the safety and health of families and students, I am making an exception.  And since it is so close to Mother's Day, what better inspiration for a product than Tricia's own Mom?:

The  top-rated sunscreens all contain the minerals zinc or titanium. They are the right choice for people who are looking for the best UVA protection without any sunscreen chemical considered to be a potential hormone disruptor. None of the products contain oxybenzone or vitamin A and none are sprayed or powdered.

George Mason University along with National Geographic Society and the Smithsonian National Zoo will host a select number of high school sophomores and juniors in Washington, D.C. June 24-29 to participate in hands-on activities and discussions with leading environmental scientists, engineers, researchers and policy experts. Educators can nominate a student to participate. 

George Mason University along with distinguished partners the National Geographic Society and the National Zoo is proud to host of the Washington Youth Summit on the Environment (WYSE). This summer the WYSE welcomes 250 High School National Youth Delegates from all over the country. National Youth Delegates join the Mason community this summer, which includes students and faculty from all over the world. Mason is both the largest public university in Virginia and one of the most culturally diverse universities in the nation. This summer's conference will take place June 24-June 29, 2012. 

Eco-Hero Awards Action for Nature honors the creative environmental projects of young people between the ages of 8 and 16. Winners receive cash prizes and a special certificate, as well as public recognition on the Action for Nature website. Are you a Young Eco-Hero? Do you know a Young Eco-Hero?

Want the world to know what you’ve done?

The application deadline is now January, 15 2012.

Have you been working to preserve the world around you? Have you been teaching others how to protect the environment? Have you been doing an environmental research project? If your answer to any of these questions is yes, then you are a Young Eco-Hero. All Eco-Heroes serve as role models, showing others that each individual is important and can make a difference.

Action For Nature is proud to honor the work of young people between the ages of 8 and 16 who have done creative environmental projects. The winners of AFN’s International Young Eco-Hero Awards program receive a cash prize and a special certificate, as well as public recognition on our Web site and elsewhere.

Our judges are experts in environmental science, biology and environmental health. They select our Young Eco-Heroes from applicants from around the world. They are looking for young people to follow in their footsteps.

We are proud of all of our winners, and of all the applicants from around the world.

This is a great chance for you to share your environmental activism and creative work. We look forward to again supporting young people from all around the world working to save our planet. Please read the guidelines to see if you are eligible to apply to become a Young Eco-Hero. If you or someone you know is eligible fill out the2012 Eco-Hero Awards Application.

The Volvo Adventure Competition
The Volvo Adventure is an education program that awards teams of 2-5 students aged 13-16 for an environmental project in their community. Finalists win an all expenses paid trip to Sweden where they compete for cash prizes.
WHAT IS IT ALL ABOUT?
The Volvo Adventure - in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme - is an educational programme that rewards environmental activities and the decision-makers of the future. To enter, you form a team of 2 to 5 members aged 13 to 16 (at competition opening - July 1st 2011). Perform an environmental project in your local community & submit the project via our online submission tool before the competition deadline, January 31st 2012.
Projects are judged and the best projects are selected for an all expenses paid trip to Göteborg, Sweden where they can win: 1st place = 10,000 USD, 2nd = 6,000 USD and 3rd = 4,000 USD.
See the registration details and guidelines for more information.
WHAT'S NEW?
New - The new December newsletter is available here. Find out what a Volvo Adventure Final is like here.

FOR FULL ACCESS AND INFORMATION
You can register by clicking HERE to gain access to the website.

2012 Wildlife Conservation Youth Engagement Grants

Planet Connect, in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Agency, invites high school students to develop an idea for a project that addresses a local wildlife or natural resources issue in their community. Students chosen as winners will win $500 to implement their project as well as a $500 stipend toward an 80-hour wildlife conservation or natural resource internship in their community. 

Whether you’re in a city, rural area or a suburb, wildlife is all around you. In many places, wildlife faces challenges. Are you a high school student with a creative idea for conserving and protecting wildlife and its habitat in your community? Planet Connect is offering high school students grants of $1,000 to implement their problem-solving projects and participate in a local internship focused on wildlife conservation.

Wildlife conservation issues exist all around us—and so do opportunities to address these issues. Start paying attention to changes happening in your community and think outside the box. Wildlife and their habitats are not just located in the woods or forested areas—they are in the trees in your backyard, the shrubs around your school building and everywhere else. Ask yourself, what local wildlife habitats or natural resources are being threatened and by what? What problem is this creating in your community? What can you do to help?

Once you have focused in on a specific issue occurring in your community, think about specific goals for your project, and the steps you will need to take in order to address the problem. Do you see any opportunities to protect or preserve wildlife habitat? In some cases, it may require creating a new habitat or perhaps conserving certain areas alongside development. Think about what kind of project could be developed to address the issue. Can you think of something that could get your whole community involved? What will the positive impacts be for the community? Perhaps you could add support and fresh ideas to efforts that are already in place.

In the application you will be asked to create a timeline for implementing your project, as well as a detailed budget, describing how you will tackle the problem, what tools you will use, who you will work with, and what positive outcomes you foresee. If chosen as a winner, you will be provided $500.00 to turn your project into a reality. After completing your project in June, you will participate in an 80-hour wildlife conservation or natural resource internship in your local community during the summer of 2012. At the end of the internship you will be awarded a $500.00 stipend.

• • 
    A wonderous sense of sharing and activity has started to occur in the green, farming, gardening and food world.

    
    

  • In many places, everyone involved in these interests is working together to create a cohesive healthy local market and local energy in one group.

    A prime example of this wonderful new step in agriculture and eating is the Wintertime Farmers Market in Providence, Rhode Island.

    The Market not only sells vegetables and products but also offers the community, the state, as chance to experience a workshop of education for themselves. Farm Fresh Rhode Island is partnering with local organizations to host a workshop every week during its Wednesday evening Wintertime Farmers Market at the Hope Artists Village. The topics include beekeeping, honeywine brewing, composting, storytelling and more. The Urban Beekeeping Primer will help explain what it takes to raise bees in the city.
    For a full schedule visit the events section of the Wintertime Market page in Providence, or check out your local farmers Market for wintertime events.