By Rebecca Danvers

Environment science non-profit “e” inc. has received a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Environment Education Grant Program to expand its After School Planet Protector Teams (Planet Protectors) program. The grant will enable “e” inc. to bring the ASPPT to six added after school sites that have rarely been able to participate in the program, while also expanding the breadth of offerings at six current sites. In all, the ASPPT program will serve up to 540 students from kindergarten to 5th grade in six community centers throughout Somerville, as well as the Roxbury, Dorchester, and South End neighborhoods of Boston.

Planet Protectors is a locally focused program, situated in low-income communities in the Greater Boston area. “e” inc. contracts with community centers and local after school programs to provide them with weekly in-depth in-residence after school science-and-action programs that educate urban youngsters about environment science while simultaneously involving them as active “planet protectors.” Each site chooses a curriculum topic and each 1.5 hour session comprises an hour of hands-on science activities and half hour lessons in action and civic engagement.

In keeping with the EPA’s educational priorities, the Planet Protectors sites can choose from three key topics for the 2015-2016 school year: 1) global climate change and its impact on local neighborhoods and cities; 2) understanding and protecting New England habitats; and 3) ocean and watershed explorers. Students will understand and retain environment science concepts through structured lessons and action projects. The program includes:

Visits to local natural or protected areas such as habitats, nature centers, and sustainability sites to make connections to learning; action projects that will be created and then sustained by three student and staff teams at each after school;

workshops for parents and site staff to help them try new sustainability behaviors at home; children writing, making, and disseminating videos on learning or projects from their time in the program; and weekly support from “e” inc. educators on site so that students will continue to be environmental stewards in their after school programs.

According to Dr. Ricky S. Stern, Executive Director of “e” inc., “We launched the ASPPT in 2003 with the goal of engaging low-income students in gaining a passion for science and how science concepts drive the ‘systems’ of the planet. The program is one of our most successful, and with the EPA grant, all 12 sites will reach and engage children in stewardship and sustainability, create green teams, and then, via workshops, involve site staff more deeply to ensure action sustainability. We are grateful for the EPA’s support and we look forward to expanding this important enviro-science initiative.”

About “e” inc.

“e” inc. is an award-winning environment science learning and action center that provides in-depth science and community involvement to 6,500 urban children and youth in Metro Boston. Its mission is to create a new generation of conservation citizens committed to understanding and protecting the environment. Through educational science programs and actual civic involvements, “e” inc. provides children, teens, and adults with a scientific understanding of the Earth’s natural resources, biomes, systems, and beings along with the skills needed to protect the planet and live sustainably. For more information, please visit: www.einc-action.org.