TNCC STAFF: GIVING AND GETTING TRAINING

24 Jan TNCC STAFF: GIVING AND GETTING TRAINING

With funding from Just For Kids, our Telluride-based New Community Coalition is putting on a Renewable Energy for Educators training in Norwood this Friday. We’ve had lots of fun in the past bringing in the Science Explorers training in which teams of kids and teachers had some hands-on fun learning about passive solar design of houses, wind power, insulation, and more.

This year we’ve brought in Soozie Lindbloom from Solar Energy International to train regional teachers in fun and effective means of bringing energy efficiency, energy conservation, and renewable energy knowledge into their classrooms. Soozie has been an environmental educator for over eight years, most predominantly with the Outward Bound West School. She believes Renewable Energy education is paramount to ensuring that the youth of today is equipped with the knowledge they need to make appropriate, sustainable decisions about their future.

Colleen Trout has been spearheading TNCC’s efforts to get trainers and teachers together. The event takes Friday in Norwood and we’re excited to be able to use the JFK funding for teacher training opportunities.

Getting training is important as well. With assistance from the Telluride Medical Center Foundation’s PEP grant (Physical Education Project) and the Colorado Farm to School group,  nutritionist Cathy Romaniello and I will be attending the Colorado Farm to School Conference in Brighton on Friday. The Farm to School program is growing in popularity with several schools throughout the state participating. The effort is broadly defined as a program that connects schools and local farms with the objectives of serving healthy meals in school cafeterias, improving student nutrition, providing agriculture, health and nutrition education opportunities and supporting local and regional farmers.