#MichiganEGLE

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Michigan Earth Day 2021 Student Webinar – Protecting and Restoring Our Environment

Attn teachers and students! Register for the 4/22 Michigan Earth Day 2021 Student Webinar – Protecting and Restoring Our Environment. 

Learn about the importance of Michigan’s environment and the role we all play in protecting it. In addition, the #webinar will highlight three significant topics of environmental importance that will be addressed by experts in the department: 

- Climate change : What is Michigan doing to address climate change and how you can help?

 - Drinking water : How does water get to your house and how do we make sure it’s safe to drink? 

- Contaminated properties : How do we clean up contaminated sites in Michigan and make them usable again?

Please consider using this webinar to help your students learn more about Michigan’s environment and the importance of protecting it for future generations.

REGISTER USING THE LINK BELOW:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_eisFwCCyT9Gxb016g7q1Nw

Apr 22, 2021 01:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)

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EGLE Classroom Newsletter

Whether at home or in the classroom, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) is providing a variety of online videos and resources through its EGLE Classroom initiative that teachers and parents can use to supplement school lessons all year long.

Environmental education is an essential ingredient for developing environmental stewardship. “EGLE Classroom will help instructors to think about how to talk to their students on ways to interact with the natural world around them,” said Liesl Clark, director of EGLE. “We want this to be a two-way collaboration and urge teachers and students to create their own videos that can be shared with others across Michigan as a statewide resource.”

The NEW EGLE Classroom Newsletter will summarize our recent environmental education content and provide information about environmental topics and events.

Subscribe to EGLE Classroom to get information and resources each month from experts either from EGLE’s staff or through our partners.

Upcoming Education Events

EGLE Earth Day 2021 – April 22, 2021 Due to this year’s challenges with COVID-19, the Constitution Hall celebration will be held virtually. Pre-recorded sessions will be posted to the web page the week of April 22, 2021. The Earth Day awards ceremony will include the winners of the 2021 annual Poster Contest and Environmental Service Project awards and will be posted on website.

The Earth Day Poster Contest is for students in Kindergarten – 5th grade. Submitted posters are judged based on the "Restore Our Earth" theme and should include plants, wildlife, or ecosystems native to Michigan. The artwork can be drawn by hand or digitally created. Each school hosts its own contest for the students and submits the top three posters for each grade. The Earth Day Poster Contest committee selects the first and second place winners from each grade. Earth Day Poster Contest Template

The Environmental Service Award (ESA) competition is for students in 6th - 8th and 9th - 12th grade categories. Schools are invited to nominate a student, or group of students, to be recognized for completion of a school-sanctioned, environment-based project, that has tangible results. The project must incorporate the "Restore Our Earth" theme and provide a benefit for plants, wildlife, or ecosystems native to Michigan. Schools confirm the validity of each project and outcome. The Earth Day ESA committee selects the top two projects from each category.

The deadline for both contests to submit entries is February 28, 2021. The winners from both contests will be notified by March 15, and their work will be posted on the Earth Day web page.  

Highlighted #EGLEClassroom Videos

Storm Drains Do you get a lot of water in your basement during heavy rains? Don't go investing in a new sump pump just yet---instead, check the storm drains by your house! They might need a little TLC. Katrina explains how this can help your home stay dry!

Compost What do you do with your Jack-o-Lantern after Halloween has gone and passed? You can throw him in the trash bin OR you can compost him! Learn how with Aaron Hiday from EGLE.

Cattails Wetlands are areas where water covers soil all or part of the time. Wetlands are important because they protect and improve water quality, provide fish and wildlife habitats, store floodwaters and maintain surface water flow during dry periods. One of the most common plants found in wetlands are cattails, also known as reeds!

Radon Protecting yourself and your family starts with a simple home test kit. In this video you will learn about what radon is, where it comes from, health effects, testing for radon, what is involved in fixing your home, and other helpful resources. There are simple steps that you can take to test for radon and fix your home if necessary.

Check out all videos on the EGLE Classroom's YouTube playlist at YouTube.com/MichiganEGLE.

Source: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MIDEQ/bulletins/2bce482

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Students Learning About Great Lakes Stewardship

Six school districts have been awarded grants through the From Students to Stewards Initiative, a partnership between EGLE, Grand Valley State University, the Michigan Department of Education (DOE) and the MiSTEM Network through the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO).

Approximately 1,280 students from the six districts — Allegan Area Educational District, Comstock Public Schools, Copper Country Intermediate School District, Les Cheneaux Community Schools, Niles Community Schools and Northport Public Schools — will learn skills to prepare them for high-quality water-focused STEM careers and connect them with community organizations and local businesses that are dedicated to freshwater stewardship for place-based learning opportunities.

Follow EGLE on Twitter at @MichiganEGLE or on Youtube.com/MichiganEGLE

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EGLE Clean Water Public Advocate launches online tool to report drinking water concerns

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) today announced that its Office of the Clean Water Public Advocate has launched its Drinking Water Concern System to track and respond to public concerns about drinking water quality. The EGLE call center is also available to receive water quality concerns at 800-662-9278.

The web-based platform, Michigan.gov/DrinkingWaterConcerns, is available in English, Spanish and Arabic and can be accessed from computers, mobile phones and tablets. The system also allows users to post images that illustrate their drinking water concerns. Michigan residents with concerns about their community water supplier or their own private wells may utilize the online system to raise concerns. As residents complete the online form, they are provided with helpful tips and resources to address common drinking water questions based on the concern category selected. Later this year, a public facing dashboard will be available to display water quality concerns received by EGLE based on location.

The Clean Water Public Advocate’s network of volunteer Clean Water Ambassadors also played a key role in ensuring that the online system was user-friendly. The Ambassadors will also help spread awareness in their communities that the new system is available. For more information on the Clean Water Ambassador initiative visit Michigan.gov/CleanWaterAmbassadors.

“Michigan residents need a clear path to submitting their water quality concerns and this new online system was designed to improve access, align resources and provide a second level of protection for residents who have drinking water concerns,” said Ninah Sasy, EGLE’s Clean Water Public Advocate.

Community water suppliers, also known as local water departments, monitor drinking water under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Residents who receive their water from a community water supplier can contact the water supplier for answers to questions about water quality concerns. This new state-wide Drinking Water Concern System is an additional resource available to residents who experience barriers and would like to escalate their water quality concern.

The Office of the Clean Water Public Advocate was created through Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s Executive Order 2019-06. The Office operates as a type 1 agency within the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, while having a connection to the Governor’s Office to elevate concerns. The Office of the Clean Water Public Advocate ensures that drinking water concerns are investigated and that trends are analyzed. Based on trend analysis, recommendations to laws, rules, regulations, and procedures will be made to ensure that community concerns are addressed. The Office also connects resources at the state and local level to ensure that Michigan is more responsive to drinking water quality concerns.

“Every Michigander deserves to trust the water coming out of their tap, which is why I made protecting and delivering clean water and rebuilding trust in state government a priority from day one,” Whitmer said. “This new tool is yet another example of this administration’s commitment to make clean water a reality for all Michiganders.”

The Office of the Clean Water Public Advocate acts as an interface between state, local and private sector stakeholders to ensure that Michigan is more responsive to drinking water concerns.  It also works closely with EGLE’s Drinking Water and Environmental Health Division and many other agencies including the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Division of Environmental Health to address water quality concerns.  The partnership with local municipal water suppliers and local health departments also ensures that all parties work together to address water quality concerns received from Michigan residents.

Source: https://www.michigan.gov/egle/0,9429,7-135-7251_7253-543266--,00.html

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Environmental Great Lakes & Energy (EGLE) Classroom Launches Instructional Video Series

School’s back in session and the opening bell has rung for EGLE Classroom.

As students settle in for a new school year – whether at home or in the classroom – the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) is providing a variety of online videos through its EGLE Classroom initiative that teachers and parents can use to supplement school lessons all year long.

Want to learn more  about how you can interact with the environment? EGLE Classroom will share new content each week hosted by subject matter experts either on EGLE’s staff or through its partners. Environmental education is an essential ingredient  for developing environmental stewardship.

“EGLE Classroom will help instructors to think about how to talk to their students on ways to  interact with the natural world around them,” said Liesl Clark, director of  EGLE. “We want this to be a two-way collaboration and urge teachers and  students to create their own videos that can be shared with others across  Michigan as a statewide resource.”

Director Clark calls the class to order with this video. New material will be released each Tuesday.

We’re also looking for some help from teachers and students around Michigan. Record a quick classroom lesson or demonstration, post it to Twitter using the hashtag  #EGLEClassroom and don’t forget to tag @MichiganEGLE. Sharing knowledge  beyond classroom walls benefits students across the state, wherever and  whenever they are doing their schoolwork.

EGLE also has updated  its EGLE Classroom educational resources webpage.  There, you’ll find classroom resources from EGLE and its partners to assist  students and instructors with information on environmental topics. Come back  to the webpage often as it will be continually updated with new videos and  other instruction materials.

Still looking for  more content that can broaden school or at-home lessons about the  environment? Check out EGLE’s YouTube channel, where we’ve posted dozens  of videos from EnviroMinute shorts to in-depth presentations by staff or  recordings of webinars and public information sessions. There’s the  Brownfield Flip series, Shoreline Stewards, sustainability issues, lectures  and presentations.

Sources: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MIDEQ/bulletins/2a31743

https://www.michigan.gov/egle/0,9429,7-135-3307_3580---,00.html

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EGLE Classroom-Environmental Education Resource Lending Station Launch

Whether at home or in the classroom, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) is providing a variety of online videos and resources through its EGLE Classroom initiative that teachers and parents can use to supplement school lessons all year long.

Environmental Education Resource Lending Station Launch

Did you know that EGLE has an Environmental Education Resource Lending Station (Lending Station)? The EGLE Lending Station allows educators to borrow materials that engage students in place-based, hands-on education. The Lending Station items can help educators promote Great Lakes-based stewardship without a trip to the Great Lakes. The EnviroScape, Sand & Gravel Simulator models, and H2O Q Kits (water quality backpacks) are available for lending to your classroom or organization.

Stay tuned, the Lending Station will go live in September 2021.

Highlighted #EGLEclassroom Videos

Air Monitoring Equipment EGLE’s Air Quality Division has over 40 locations across that state that measure the outdoor air for specific air pollutants. This video shows how an air monitoring technician gathers data and measures the pollutants using special instruments.

One Water There is only One water, and it is ours to protect. The water we drink, the water we enjoy, the water we flush... It's all one water. The One Water concept emphasizes a holistic understanding and shared responsibility for our water systems. The people of Michigan share in the benefits of our location at the heart of the Great Lakes. We also share responsibility for the quality of our lakes, rivers, and streams as well as our drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater systems.

Visit Michigan.gov/EGLEclassroom for more information.

Follow @MichiganEGLE and the #EGLEclassroom conversation on Twitter.