April 12 - Sustainable Nevada

Posted on Apr 10, 2016
 
 
EcoStudents is Nevada’s first Science, Technology, Engineering, Applied Arts and Math (STEAM) ecological literacy program. It represents the next level in education, the integration of: 1) classroom curriculum, 2) the renovation of the school campus, and 3) business and community involvement. EcoStudents is composed of four pillars:
 
  1. A Sustainability Curriculum that uses ecology and the environment to teach the science behind green community design
  2. The renovation of the school campus that results in: 1) green school buildings that reduce operating costs and provide students with a healthy learning environment; and 2) indoor and outdoor gardens that provide the community with access to fresh, locally grown food
  3. Linked Learning, a program that connects what students learn in the classroom to community professionals and internships that place students on engineering, science, technology, mathematics, and design career pathways, all high demand careers for Nevada’s future workforce
  4. Sustainable Learning Communities, an outreach program that helps other schools implement their own EcoStudents program.
EcoStudents is a partnership between Sustainable Nevada and High Desert Montessori School.
 

Jeneane Harter was the founder of Nevada’s first renewable energy consulting firm. She served as the consultant to the Nevada Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Task Force and to the Governor’s Office of Energy under Governors Kenny Guinn and Jim Gibbons. She has served as the Chair of the Nevada Conservation League C-4 Board of Directors and was the Executive Director of the Nevada Wilderness Project.

 

She is currently a member of the Nevada chapter of the United States Green Building Council, Green Schools Committee, the Carson City School District Sustainability Action Team and serves on the board of directors for the Nevada STEM Coalition

 

Marisa Cooper is the Science Coordinator, Adolescent Science Guide, STEAM Fair Director and Science Curriculum Writer for High Desert Montessori School. She has a B.A. in Anthropology from U.C. Davis and a Master’s in Education and Biology from the University of Nevada, Reno. She has been a science teacher for 11 years and has taught grades seven through twelve. Marisa is the recipient of the 2015 USGBC Educator Award.

 

Marisa currently teaches Middle School Science in the Star Peak Classroom at the High Desert Montessori School.