Brought to you by Envirolution, in collaboration with Truckee Meadows Community College’s Workforce Development and Continuing Education Division, the Three Spheres Leadership Academy (TSLA) is the next level in sustainability and entrepreneurial youth leadership training. Through TSLA, youth leaders are trained and certified to perform a Triple Bottom Line, “Three Spheres”, analysis evaluating success from a combined economic, environmental, and social perspective.

Youth leaders learn how to formulate action plans and mobilize necessary resources to create and implement a positive, lasting community project that balances Three Spheres impacts.

The overall goal of the academy is to prepare our local youth to be the green business and community leaders of our region’s future, while simultaneously empowering them to make a positive contribution to our community right now!

Click here to apply

Governor Sandoval lauded the project and recently toured the facility. The article states that “Sandoval said he considers renewable energy a key part of his economic platform.” He says, “It’s a great opportunity for Northern Nevada, and it really complements what we’re trying to do (as far as diversifying our industries).”

With the extreme downturn of Nevada’s few key industries (gaming, tourism, and housing), the state has maintained one of the highest unemployment rates in the country and has been arguably the state most negatively impacted by the nationwide recession. To improve and diversify its economy, the state of Nevada commissioned a report called “Unify/ Regionalize/ Diversify:  An Economic Development Agenda for Nevada,” a Brookings/SRI report, which identified 7 “target industries” with high growth potential. Clean energy is one of those  industries and many experts argue it holds a lot of promise for job and economic development in Nevada.

However, for the short-term and long-term success of the clean energy industry in Nevada, higher education and K-12 education must closely align and prepare the workforce and entrepreneurs with the skills and experiences necessary to grow this technology and innovation driven industry.  That’s where Envirolution comes in! As an organization focused on sustainability education, leadership development, and career advancement, Envirolution is beginning to play a crucial role in improving K-12, STEM-based, clean energy education in Nevada, and ultimately helping to grow a key industry to get Nevada’s economy back to a healthy level. We are excited and honored to be working in the realm and we hope you will join us in our effort to make Nevada more economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable!

The annual event has a great following and tries to bring awareness about living a “green” life by recycling all glass that will be used and serving beverages in biodegradable cups. Our bike powered generator will be there to give people the opportunity to light up the dance floor by generating the power to strands of LED lights. There will also be dancing all night to numerous DJs, including Candyman, Motorhome, and Miss Cooper. The price at the door is $5 and we will be collecting donations as well. It should be a great time and a great opportunity to spread the word about who Envirolution is and what we do!

We can’t wait to see you there!

At the DRI campus in Las Vegas we piloted a new format for professional development: teachers and their students working together in collaboration. Three high school teachers and six local students from Canyon Springs High School began the day by envisioning themselves as the sole survivors of a zombie apocalypse, with the task of redesigning energy consuming building systems using recycled, repurposed, or natural materials and fossil fuel alternatives. After successfully proving that they are, in fact, capable of rebuilding civilization, the teachers and students spent the rest of the day investigating how well insulation works in cooling climates, using Kill-A-Watts to search the DRI campus for energy hogs, and learning about the social, environmental, and economic benefits of energy efficiency. The teacher/student mix provided us with a whole new perspective on the delivery of our workshops, and it was worth the effort to see students taking a lead role in helping teachers conduct an experiment.

At the end of these workshops here’s some of the feedback that we received:

“It was an excellent balance of hands-on and information – I never got bored!”

“This was so fun as well as educational.”

“This really opened up my eyes to energy efficiency and conservation.  I will definitely implement this information in my home!”

“This was a very awesome experience for me.” (Student feedback)

And finally, “Please keep doing what you’re doing.”

We will!

So how did a handful of students pull off such an incredible event? This school year, Envirolution and Urban Roots have been offering a green living elective to the middle school students at High Desert Montessori. Titled Introduction to Sustainability, its aim has been threefold: to educate students about key concepts of the environmental movement, such as the triple bottom line; to make them aware of what is currently happening on the local, national, and international levels; and, to and give them a chance to apply what they have learned whether at home, in the school, or in their community.

In the first quarter, the students learned about waste, and then used this new information to set up a school wide recycling and composting system, all the while educating their fellow classmates.  In the second quarter, the class continued with the theme of waste, focusing on repurposing and alternative building, culminating in the creation of bench made of cob and bottle bricks – the first being a building material similar to adobe, the second, bottles stuffed with plastic refuse and used as bricks. In the third quarter, the students were tasked with planning and presenting a school wide eco fair for the rest of the school.

Provided with an intermediary knowledge of “what does it means to be green?” and connections to key individuals in the Reno community, they were responsible for researching, contacting, scheduling, planning, publicizing, prepping, and executing a day-long, school-wide entirely student-driven event. By identifying key areas of the green movement here in Reno, they broke into six group, each representing a different theme: Renewable Energy, Eco-Friendly Transport, Local Food, Green Business, Green Building, and Community Health.  The students then rallied various organizations and businesses to represent each of these areas, including NV Energy, Blue Water Studios, Truckee Meadows Water Authority, Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful, GirlFarm, RTC Transit,edible RENO-TAHOE, Friends of Nevada Organics, and Clean Energy Center, which all had unique and interactive exhibitions for the students to delve into.

Truckee Meadows Water Authority’s informative presentation on clean drinking water had students brimming with questions. Another wildly popular demonstration was the bike-powered smoothie-maker brought by Envirolution, which students lined up to drive. Others were more interested in the chickens brought by GirlFarm as they touted the benefits of naturally and humanely raised meat, eggs and produce.  Students also reveled in the Chevy Volt and the Tesla Roadster, which both made personal appearances at the event!

The students’ excitement was apparent in their thoughtful questions, and as Blue Water Studios representative Kimberly Phipps-Nichol remarked, “What I like about kids at [High Desert] Montessori is they ask good questions…they want to know what they can do.”   As the Program Instructor, I couldn’t be happier: the goal of this project was to get kids excited about the local green movement and proud of their community. The afternoon’s events surely inspired High Desert Montessori School students to look more closely at the how the resources they use every day affect our health and our communities.

According to the award, “Envirolution’s hard work in sustainability education helps USGBC Nevada Chapter achieve its vision, that Nevada shall be a model for sustainable buildings and communities and be renowned in the region for its outstanding quality of life.”

We offer our gratitude and joy to the USGBC Nevada Council: thank you for your support and recognition; we look forward to continuing to provide outstanding education and support to our community and our home!

Here in Reno, we are thrilled to announce that Envirolution is seeking applicants for two new full-time AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteer positions! Both of these positions will start on April 16, 2012 and run through April 19, 2013. We will be accepting applications through March 4th.

The positions are:

• Green Service-Learning Program Coordinator that will focus on developing service-learning programs centered on green industries like energy efficiency, renewable energy, recycling, and water conservation.
• Elementary School Sustainability Educator that will be responsible for developing and scaling sustainability curriculum for Kindergarten through 6^th grade (K-6), with a focus on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) subjects.

To learn more, or to apply, please contact David Gibson of Envirolution at david.gibson@envirolution.org and also please apply on-line via the AmeriCorps Office.

*Please Note: You will need to create a “My AmeriCorps” account first (if you do not already have one) and then you will need to link back in and select the appropriate position for which you would like to apply.

Envirolution has big plans for the coming year, and is very excited for the opportunity to bring on two more AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteers. Change your life, help your community, and bring the Three Spheres into balance today: become an AmeriCorps Volunteer. Join Envirolution in our mission to empower and inspire the next generation of leaders and workers who will drive the growth of a green economy and a sustainable world.

To learn more about life as an AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteer for Envirolution, check out our volunteer Testimonials!

Urban Roots is a nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the way kids eat and learn through place-based gardening and seed-to-table education.

The Renewable Energy Accelerator at 250 Bell Street (REA 250) in Reno, Nevada brings together talented Nevadans to accelerate the state’s transformation to renewable energy.