Resources

Conservation Careers Guide

A career in conservation is not only limited to life science and geosciences, but a wide range of disciplines that support action to protect, preserve, restore, and conserve our natural resources. Our new online Guide To Conservation Careers in Maryland is designed to present career options for young adults and career changers who want to make a difference, who enjoy being outdoors, and who are passionate about the environment. Read the guide online.

Check out the interactive slides on energy and transportation.

Peer Outreach With Energy Resources (P.O.W.E.R) is a yearlong high school internship program empowering students to educate their community on energy savings. P.O.W.E.R equips interns with knowledge about energy usage and local resources, hands-on experience with energy monitoring tools, and the communication skills needed to share their findings with their community. Throughout the program, students will practice public speaking and storytelling, create educational media for digital platforms, and develop presentations for the summer Energy Express presentations at the Montgomery County public libraries. P.O.W.E.R runs from November through July with weekly trainings on Zoom, and applications open every year in October. Visit https://powermontgomery.wordpress.com/ for more information.

Student Service Learning (SSL):  Looking for ways to find SSL opportunities?  Look no further, click here to search for Environmental MCPS SSL opportunities.

Teaching Techniques for Outdoor Education

Maryland Green School professional development sessions!  The sessions are designed to support Maryland Green Schools certification/recertification. Click here to learn more! 

Simple steps to starting a school-based Sustainability Team

Classroom Sustainability Activities:  Three Green Things

Professional Development Sessions for Maryland Green Schools Certification

How to become an Energy Star Educator

Energy Exploration activities from Montgomery County Energy Connection

The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) is seeking up to 45 Montgomery County high school students to serve as “Vision Zero Youth Ambassadors.” The project-based learning program teaches teens leadership skills, outreach and engagement techniques to address traffic safety needs in their community. Applications are now being accepting. The deadline to apply is Wednesday, Nov. 30.  For more details, click here.

MCPS Celebrated America Recycles Day 2022

Each year on November 15, millions of people from across the nation take part in America Recycles Day. It is also known as National Recycling Day, a national observance in the United States dedicated to promoting recycling across the nation. 

At Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), we recycle the four Montgomery County required streams-paper/cardboard, bottles and cans, scrap metal, yard waste, and nearly 20 other items that include small batteries, markers and pens, glue sticks, plastic bags, light bulbs, electronics and computers, automotive parts and fluids, building construction material, and other. 

How will you celebrate America Recycles Day?  For ideas on what you can do to reduce waste and improve recycling at your school, work, home, or your community, please visit:

MCPS Recycling & Waste Reduction  

United States Environmental Protection Agency

Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments

The MCPS Division of Sustainability and Compliance held a drive-thru recycling event for Central Office staff on November 15, 2022, and collected paper for shredding, single-use batteries, markers, pens, glue sticks, plastic grocery bags, and incandescent and compact fluorescent light bulbs.

Food Waste: Why is it a big deal? What actions have the most impact to reduce it? And what can I do?       

Preventing  food waste to begin is MUCH more powerful than composting to reduce GHG emissions, the waste of natural resources, and avoiding additional household and business expense to compost!  DMV Food Recovery Week , October 16-22, has free online webinars  addressing these questions and more! And in-person tours of restaurants innovating with food waste in the H Street Corridor, NE, DC, and of an urban farm featuring a closed-loop micro food system in downtown Silver Spring. Check out all the events and register here :  https://dmvfoodrecoveryweek.org/   

Event sponsors are Manna Food Center's Community Food Rescue (CFR), DC Food Recovery Working Group (DCFRWG), Montgomery County Food Council and Prince George's County Food Equity Council .

Montgomery County Government Climate Internship (Remote) Summer 2022:  Montgomery County is seeking climate interns to participate in the County’s climate team. This is a competitive internship for qualified students and recent graduates with diverse backgrounds who have strong experience, education, or interest, in climate, sustainability, racial equity, and clean and renewable energy policy.  This is a paid internship ($15/hour). The internship will be conducted fully remotely (teleworking). For details, click here.  

Environmental Sustainability Student Town Hall held on Tuesday, March 22, 2022 was a huge success!  Over 300 students joined the town hall meeting and many more joined on YouTube to learn about proposed MCPS Sustainability Policy and the tremendous work that MCPS is doing to ensure environmental sustainability and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG).  Many of the questions from raised by the students on facilities operations and green features in school buildings, environmental education, electric school buses and efficient transportation, and reducing food waste were answered by MCPS staff.  If you missed the event, click here to view on YouTube. 

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) held its first-ever Youth Climate Summit on March 5, 2022. The idea for this summit developed after MCPS recognized increased student interest in climate action.  This summit was a huge success.  For more information on how you can be involved, please click here.

Celebrate America Recycles Day!  On November 15th, the Montgomery County Public Schools, Division of Sustainability and Compliance presented a Fall Symposium to celebrate American Recycling day. Students, staff, and school-based Green teams learned about how MCPS contributes to the 4R's—"Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rethink” system-wide, from recycling a small item such as a milk bottle in the cafeteria, to recycling up to 90% of a school building when it is demolished to build a new school, to the approximately 20 different items that MCPS recycles, in addition to the four required streams (paper/cardboard, commingle, yard waste, and scrap metal). Other new recycling initiatives, such as the partnership with Montgomery County's pilot food scrap composting program were also shared. A representative from Georgetown Paper Stock of Rockville presented on the journey the paper and cardboard recyclables take once they leave our schools until they reach the processing plant where they are made into new products. The attendees also learned that MCPS recycled 9,386,940 pounds of paper and cardboard in 2019 and how that reduces the negative impact on our environment. If you missed it, click to view the elementary schools and secondary schools presentations. 

• MCPS Sustainability Symposium to view the slides.  
• Responses to survey questions.

Virtual Climate Youth Town Hall:  Montgomery County, Montgomery County Public Schools, and Montgomery College hosted a Virtual Climate Youth Townhall on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021. If you missed it, watch the recording of the event here.