Free Sustainability Education Professional Development Available to K-12 Teachers

Oct. 24, 2011 - PRLog -- Green Education Foundation (GEF) is proud to announce the pilot launch of its professional development course, Sustainability Education Concepts and Teaching Methods.  This program provides teachers with the broad knowledge, skills, and impetus to proceed with curriculum implementation and sustainability initiatives in the classroom and the broader community. Participating teachers are eligible for professional development or academic credit.  

Working with Sprint and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile), GEF is offering this course free of charge to K-12 teachers during its pilot phase. The online course is on a rolling enrollment and officially begins on Nov. 1, 2011. Teachers will have through Jan. 31, 2012, to complete all 10, 1.5 hour units.  Participation in the course is free. One credit hour of pre- and post-graduate credit or one PDP/CEU credit hour is available to interested teachers for an additional fee upon course completion.

This 15 hour, self-paced, online course emphasizes the core themes of sustainability education and showcase its role as a solutions-based teaching platform. GEF defines “Sustainability Education” (SE) as an integrative teaching model that connects student knowledge of environmental, economic and social systems with real-world applied learning strategies. At its core, SE develops the knowledge, skills and intellectual habits essential for academic excellence and innovation, global citizenship, and ecological literacy in the twenty-first century and beyond.

Sprint is committed to building excellence in education by creating and supporting programs that increase and improve student achievement, family involvement, and educator development.  In 2010, Sprint, through its philanthropic arm, the Sprint Foundation, contributed more than $1.1 million to education programs.

“The commitment to sustainability shown by both Sprint and Samsung Mobile is impressive,” commented Victoria Waters, GEF president and CEO. “We could not have asked for more ideal partners to support our journey to build a nation of teachers that will help educate the next generation about environmental sustainability.”

Upon completion of its pilot phase, this course will be positioned to headline the September 2012 launch of the largest online classroom for sustainability education. To participate in the pilot course, register at http://www.gefinstitute.org/. To participate in a five-minute survey regarding professional development for teachers, visit http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GEFPDCourse.

GEF’s green-focused professional development opportunity aligns with Sprint’s longstanding commitment to K-12 education, particularly its emphasis on education in its hometown of Kansas City. Sprint is a leader in the area of corporate responsibility and continues to receive recognition for its strong environmental-stewardship programs; Sprint recently was named the No. 3 company on Newsweek’s 2011 Green Rankings, which ranks the 500 greenest companies in the U.S.

Earlier this year, Sprint and Samsung Mobile launched the Samsung Replenish™, the companies’ first eco-friendly1 Android smartphone boasting access to more than 250,000 apps in Android Market. The Samsung Replenish is partially built with recycled plastics2 and recyclable packaging3 making it the ideal choice for the environmentally conscious consumer who needs the latest technology.  Following the success of the Samsung Reclaim™ and Samsung Restore™, the Replenish is the third eco-friendly device Sprint and Samsung Mobile have launched together.

More information and the course outline are available on GEF’s website or by emailing service@greeneducationfoundation.org.

About Green Education Foundation (GEF)
GEF is a non-profit organization committed to creating a sustainable future through education. GEF offers free school programs that provide curricula and hands-on activities to excite and inspire K-12 students and teachers to think holistically about global environmental solutions.  Our mission is to empower a new generation of environmental stewards while preparing them for the new 21st century clean energy economy. Visit www.greeneducationfoundation.org to become a member.

About Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel served more than 52 million customers at the end of 2Q 2011 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. Newsweek ranked Sprint No. 3 in its 2011 Green Rankings, listing it as one of the nation’s greenest companies, the highest of any telecommunications company. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.

About Samsung Telecommunications America
Samsung Telecommunications America, LLC, a Dallas-based subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., researches, develops and markets wireless handsets and telecommunications products throughout North America. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2009 consolidated sales of (US) $116.7 billion.  Employing approximately 157,700 people in 185 offices across 65 countries, the company consists of seven independently operated business units: Visual Display, Mobile Communications, Telecommunication Systems, Digital Appliances, IT Solutions, Semiconductor and LCD. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of digital TVs, memory chips, mobile phones and TFT- LCDs. For more information, please visit http://www.samsung.com.

Samsung takes pride in its long-standing commitment to the environment. The Samsung Mobile Take Back program allows consumers to send in their cell phones, free of charge, to be properly disposed of.  Samsung Mobile supports Samsung’s overall Eco-Management 2013 Plan announced in July 2009. The plan details a comprehensive set of sustainability goals to be achieved by Samsung in 2013, which include the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from manufacturing and product, the development of eco-friendly* product, financial investment in eco-management* initiatives, and enhanced green* partnerships with suppliers and partners.

1 The terms “Earth-friendly”, “green”, “eco-focused”, “environmentally conscious”, “eco-friendly”, “eco-centric” and other ecological terms refer to the product, packaging and recycling initiatives as described in this release and applicable product documentation, websites, and other referenced programs.
2 M580 (Replenish) made with PCM: post-consumer mechanically recycled plastic.
3 Recycling programs may not exist in your area.