The EcoSageTM Awards for Environmental Stewardship is a service-learning initiative for high school environmental clubs in the USA. In 1998 and 1999, the Awards Program will feature SolarQuestTM based on the US Million Solar Roofs Initiative. The program goals are to introduce students to the experiential education method as a tool for life-long learning and problem solving, to provide teachers with direct support for professional development, and to assist public schools in the implementation of environmental goals.
The Awards Program is a service-learning partnership consisting of public secondary schools, institutions of higher education, service organizations, government agencies, service businesses, and high technology corporations.
The EcoSageTM vision of educational technology is founded on the premise that service-learning principles will sustain teacher development and enhance student motivation. Through the design of a rigorous curriculum content based on a careful analysis of the learning needs of students, well-focused projects assessing environmental issues will compel teachers and students to electronically publish the results of their scientific inquiry in resource databases on the Awards Program web site. The databases will be accessible to colleges, universities, research institutes, scientific firms, and government agencies. Telecommunications technology will help students to integrate their scientific analysis with the work of scholars in scientific, academic, and political communities, providing critical information to scientists and policy makers at the local, state, and national levels.
A SolarQuestTM summer internship program will enable students to carry out the service-learning project proposals completed in the Awards Program. The local community, the state and the environment will benefit from student-directed community service.
updated 1998 April 15