Stewardship/Sustainability - Friend's Council On Education

Friends Environmental Education Network (FEEN)

Friends schools have a special obligation to include environmental education in their programs in order to promote a sustainable future for all life. Our students should learn how they can best understand, preserve, and restore the natural processes, resources, and beauty so vital to the earth and to humankind's physical and spiritual health.

friendscouncil.net

FEEN Group for sharing ideas and resources for environmental education in Friends schools.

friendscouncil.NET is an educational networking platform which includes discussion boards, videos, groups, personal comment walls, and friend connections. We've created an open group for each of our peer networks. It is our hope that these online dimensions will strengthen the network of support and collaboration across Friends education. Membership is required.

Go to www.friendscouncil.net to join the Friends Environmental Education Network (FEEN) group.

Statement of Purpose

Drafted by the Friends Environmental Education Network

Click here to view the statement

2013 FEEN Minute

Click here to view the minute

FIRST - Friends Initiative to Reach Sustainability Together

Clean Energy What You Need to Know Webinar Series

Designed for school administrators, facility directors, business managers and faculty, this webinar series focuses on the spectrum of energy options and challenges facing Friends Schools. They serve as both an introduction for those new to the issues related to transitioning away from fossil fuels as well as providing concrete recommendations for action. The following webinars were produced thanks to the generous support of the Tyson Memorial Fund. Webinars last approximately 1 hour.

Optimizing Energy Assessment: Energy Benchmarking and Reducing Energy Consumption
Paul Spiegel, Practical Energy Solutions
Create you own energy: Transforming Energy Expenses into Sustainability Engines
(focus on solar, case study - Oakwood Friends with Ron Kamen, Earthkind Energy)
Efficient Heating and Cooling Systems Paul Spiegel, Practical Energy Solutions
Creating Energy Policies and Management Plan Paul Spiegel, Practical Energy Solutions
Electric Vehicles – is it time to transition? Focus on Sandy Spring School with Laura Miyoshi and Oakwood Friends with Ron Kamen, Earthkind Energy

Friends Caring for Each Other in Times of Extreme Weather: Disaster Preparation and Resilience Conference Presentations for Quaker Meetings and Schools

This conference was held at Friends Center on May 18, 2019. The program covered the following areas:

Resilience - Developing a School or Meeting Preparedness Plan – a step-by-step process for you to create your own pre-disaster plan to protect your building(s), resources and people.

Responding to disaster – how to approach the long-term recovery process for our Meetings, Friends schools, communities and individuals to achieve a new normal.

Emotional and Spiritual Care – exploring what it looks like to provide for spiritual needs in times of disaster

Resource list from Caring for Each Other in Times of Disaster

School Related Resources

Severe Weather Preparedness Guide for Schools
Sever Weather Planning for Schools
World Bank Disaster and Emergency Preparedness: Guidance for Schools
Climate Change and Schools: Environmental Hazards and Resiliency
Flooding Threatens Public Schools Across the Country
Webinar: PEW Trust
Safer, Stronger, Smarter: A Guide to Improving School Natural Hazard Safety (2017)
Guide on Developing High Quality School Emergency Operations Plans (DoE, 2013)
Goals of Comprehensive School Safety Framework
ENERGY STAR for K-12 program
Helping Children After A Natural Disaster
Save the Children Disaster Report Card
Save the Children: Still at Risk
Eco-Schools USA Schoolyard Habitats® Pathway.
The Collaborative for High Performance Schools
The WELL Building Standard
Helping Children After a Natural Disaster: Resources from NASP

Congregational Related Resources

Congregational Disaster Preparedness Guidebook
This is the source of the worksheets we used in the section on creating a plan.
UCC Planning Worksheet
TearFund Church and Local Disaster
Catholic Climate Covenant

Extreme Heat Related Resources

Air pollution resources

Resilience Resources

Climate Resources

Faith and Climate

Video Recordings

Health Impacts - Dr. Richard Tolin
Resilience for Friends Schools & Meetings - Paul Spiegel, Westtown Monthly Meeting
What you need to know about emergency management - Janet Zeis, Chester County Emergency Services
Spiritual Needs and Worship during disaster - Nora Wright, MSW, Westtown Monthly Meeting

Spreading the word: A Media Toolkit to share your sustainability and clean energy stories!

As part of a program to support Friends schools transition to clean and renewable energy, we learned that sharing success stories is a key element to building the consensus needed for wider community action. We put together a Social Media Toolkit to help schools tell their story and amplify their example within the school community and beyond. Supported by the Tyson Memorial Fund.

Click here to access the Media Toolkit

Friends School Sustainability Work 2015

Friends School Sustainability Survey

October 2015, download

Friends School Sustainability Survey

View the file: FriendsSchoolSurvey2015.FINAL DECEMBER 2015

Sustainability Starts with Us Now

October 7, 2015, download

For CFO's, Business and Facility Managers and other school stakeholders

Delaware Valley Friends School
Highlights of Presentations with contact and resources
View the file: Sustainability Begins With UsFinal-2

SEASN: Student Environmentalism and Sustainability Network

Maximizing our Collective Impact

In conjunction with the Friends Council on Education, we bring together high schools to work on environmentalism and sustainability initiatives together. Guided by Quaker values but welcoming to schools of all backgrounds, we are excited to work towards greater change.

Mission Statement

The Climate Crisis is a pervasive environmental and social issue, which requires collaboration and cooperation to effectively address. Working at all levels within secondary schools, supporting students, faculty, and administration, the Student Environmentalism and Sustainability Network, SEASN, aims to maximize our collective impact on the climate crisis while helping each other achieve higher levels of environmental stewardship. We will inspire and encourage each other, offer guidance, and use our collective influence to encourage a just transition to a greener future for all.

Guiding Principles

Throughout our meetings and activities, we strive to follow these guiding principles:

1. We are respectful of our peers and their opinions
2. We are supportive of each other
3. We act with stewardship towards our planet and community
4. We make decisions together as a community
5. We ensure all voices are heard and uplifted
6. We ensure SEASN is an inclusive and welcoming community to all
7. Although not an explicitly Quaker organization, we are guided by the Quaker testimonies of stewardship, peace, integrity, community, equality, and simplicity.

Click to view/subscribe to:

Toxins in School Environments

Squeaky Clean??

Toxic Schools: Are your cleaning and pest management practices safe for students and the environment?

Westtown convened a workshop on February 2, 2006 on the topic of toxins in the school environment. Schools use products in their cleaning and pest management practices which often contain toxic chemicals. Indoor air quality is a major concern. Increases in asthma, other respiratory illnesses, allergies and longer term risks for cancer and immunodeficiency diseases are common. How can schools provide a clean, healthy, pest-free environment and not put students at risk?

Find related links and Downloadable Resources from February 2006 workshop below.

Stewardship & Sustainability Archive

Westtown School Green Flag Program & Resources

Be part of the Green Flag Program for Schools

Westtown School, as a participant in the Friends Environmental Educators Network, hosted a regional orientation to the Green Flag Program in June 2005. Green Flag orientation packets were made available at the 2005 October Heads of school gathering. This message board will contain information and downloadable documents about the areas addressed by the Green Flag Program and other topics related to greening Friends schools, for the benefit of participating schools near and far.