Education Fund
Of The Environment Council Of Rhode Island

Each Fall, the Environment Council of Rhode Island's Education Fund holds an open competition for schools in Rhode Island for the opportunity to be funded for a spring environmental project. Each winning school is awarded $250 to carry out the project in the spring.

The Winning Projects

A Vermicompost Project by the The Greene School in West Greenwich will use Red Wiggler worms to decompose vegetation and shredded paper waste in our school. Students and staff will create worm bins and add 15 lbs. of Red Wigglers to begin the process immediately. Castings will fertilize our school garden which supplies herbs and vegetables for our cooking class.

The Greene School Community will see an immediate reduction of shredded paper and vegetable scraps. Our long term goal is to harvest enough worms to send willing staff and students home with their own pound of worms so that the composting effort is replicated and the education wiggles it's way into many different households and communities. Future plans include holding student run education seminars on vermicomposting and recycling.

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A project by the Community Preparatory School of Providence's PrepPlus After School Program that will rebuild the school's garden plot. The project aims to enhance understanding of life sciences and experiential learning while developing and sustaining community collaboration and intergenerational mentorship.

Students and their families will also have access to healthy, locally grown produce in partnership with the Providence Academy of International Studies and Garden Educators from the South Side Community Land Trust.

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St Luke's School of Barrington, in partnership with the Barrington Land Conservation Trust, will conduct a stream study of macroinvertebrates in Annawamscutt Creek. Originating in Riverside, Annawamscutt Creek is an urban stream that travels through Riverside and Barrington before it empties into Allin's Cove of Narragansett Bay.

In the classroom, students will analyze their data and prepare a field report of their stream study for use by and presentation before the Barrington Land Conservation Trust. This initial study is intended to inform and encourage corrective action to protect the Annawamscutt Creek and watershed area.

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This year, 10 schools and afterschool programs applied, and an independent panel of judges decided that West Greenwich's Greene School, Barrington's St. Luke's School, and Providence's Community Preparatory School's PrepPlus Afterschool program had the projects which were most worthy of recognition and funding.

Tisdale awards coordinator Greg Gerritt noted the diversity of the programs and projects receiving funding. This year the winning programs ranged from a charter school and a parochial school to an afterschool program, while the winning projects focused on water quality, gardens, and compost.

“We are very proud to be able to support these excellent education programs that will help Rhode Island youth get involved with protecting their environment,” said Paul Beaudette, Ed Fund president. “An important step toward change is to educate the next generation about the threats to our environment and the opportunities to get involved in the solutions.”

ECRI's Education Fund raises funds for this awards program through the annual ECRI Ed Fund Earth Day Raffle. The award is named after a long time Rhode Island educator and environmental activist, Loraine Tisdale, and honors her work by providing resources to schools and youth programs combining education with actual improvements in environmental quality in the community.

“Loraine Tisdale, a native Rhode Islander, nurse, and ardent environmentalist, used her skills to lead the Group for Alternatives to Spraying Pesticides during the 1980s and 90s,” said Eugenia Marks, a member of the award selection committee. “These projects carry on her legacy to increase awareness and effective action to provide a healthy environment for all.”

The mission of ECRI's Education Fund is to enhance the long-term stewardship of Rhode Island's natural resources through research and education.