By presenting science that is alive and relevant to the daily lives of students, the Eco Ambassadors program is meant to engage our next generation youth in all places, so that they can begin educating their own communities about local environmental issues and start small steps to solving these issues with community action. It aims to engage interested participants in meaningful ways. Parts of the program uses Design for Change’s Feel-Imagine-Do-Share method.

​

FALL CURRICULUM

The Fall program is currently in session. Details can be found in Eco Ambassadors main menu, Activities & Resources tab as well as the Forum under Connect with Us. Our Eco Ambassador network interview video series with experts to build science and knowledge can be found on the Curriculum page.

Youth-driven lessons and activities are coming soon!  Meanwhile, check out our ongoing Activity Guide 

 

SUMMER CURRICULUM

Workshop Presentation & Accompanying Video

​

​

 

 

 

Weekly Guide (10-week guide but duration can be modified)

​

​

​

​

​

Weekly Email Correspondence from Program Team:

 

 

 

 

Week 1

Dear Eco Ambassadors & Parent Mentors,

 

It was a pleasure to meet you for our 1st workshop.

Thank you, Java and Jack for joining us and sharing your knowledge and experiences!

​

For those of you who couldn’t make it, we missed you - we’re attaching materials so you can be caught up on what we discussed.

​

As we go into Week 1, please find below some additional tips & tools:

  • Weekly Guide and PowerPoint (attached) which we went over on Friday. This will take you through the next 10 weeks

    • For this Week 1, our goal is to think of what we’d like to change in our personal life/homes and community related to the environment.

      • For inspiration, please take a look at the video examples (red font links) on Session 1 of the Guide

      • Attached are photos of Eco Ambassadors’ ideas generated during the workshop

      • Parent Mentors, please guide the Eco Ambassadors with any additional ideas and references

      • You may want to do a little desk research or speak to community members who know more about environmental issues

      • Feel free to partner up with others to make it a group project if your interests align

Let us know if you have questions along the way, and we’ll touch base again next week.

 

Thank you,

Eco Ambassador Program team

​

​

Week 2

Dear Eco Ambassadors & Parent Mentors,

 

We hope you are doing well and that your ideas are flowing!

 

We are now in Week 2, and this week, the focus is on brainstorming all your big ideas and voting on 1 that you will “Do” using the QBL (Quick, Bold, Long Lasting) criteria. Please reference yourWeekly Guide’s “Week 2: Feel: Reaching the real challenge” and “Week 2: Imagine: Visualize success” as you go through this process for tips!

 

So far, we’ve heard from an Eco Ambassador who is tackling plastic use in restaurants and delis, another who is addressing trash overflow and waste management in public spaces and speaking to local experts, another who is going to be connecting with our partner organization, Global Schools Program in Mumbai to understand environmental issues… 

Feel free to reach out to each other (email addresses copied on this email) if you are looking for collaboration or teamwork.

 

Please remember to SEND YOUR IDEAS for review and feedback.

​

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Eco Ambassador Program team 

​

​

Week 3

Dear Eco Ambassadors & Parent Mentors,

 

How are you doing on this 3rd week as Eco Ambassadors?

 

Thank you for sharing your ideas – we shared our feedback to the ideas we received, but if you have not yet received a feedback email from us, please let us know.

​

For those of you who haven’t emailed your ideas yet, there is still time! Please send your thoughts ASAP.

 

Week 3: This week’s focus is to sketch out specific steps for your project.

Please use the guiding questions in the Weekly Guide (attached) under Week 3: Do; Make Change Happen (bottom of Page 3)

This step will also include speaking to the relevant experts, supporters, community members, friends, all those who can be a part of making your idea really happen. Remember that we are trying to generate support and design solutions with the users and not for the users of our ideas and solutions.

Time to go out there to see who can join your cause and support the solution!

 

In addition to Professor Jeffrey Sachs who will speak at our September event,

Millburn’s Mayor, Dianne Thall-Eglow, will be attending and seeing your projects. This will be a great opportunity for you to seek support from the Mayor for your initiatives.

 

Speaking of broader Millburn ecosystem, sharing two groups working on environmental issues, in case they are of relevance to your projects: https://www.twp.millburn.nj.us/220/Green-Team andhttps://www.twp.millburn.nj.us/195/Environmental-Commission

 

One last note: Attached is the logo for this program, to be included in the materials you create for awareness & education (flyers, posters, handouts, etc).

 

We’re here for any questions you may have along the way!

Eco Ambassador Team

​

Week 4

Dear Eco Ambassadors & Parent Mentors,

 

This week 4, is that exciting week of really digging into our “DO” ! (Reference top of page 4 in attached Guide)

 

Few reminders:

  • Engage with those identified in your plan (experts, township leaders/ authorities, companies, etc. )

    • To have your action be supported with scalable impact, engaging with the wider base and broader Millburn will be key

  • Document your action and process with photos & videos that will later make your “SHARE”.

  • You have approximately 1 month for your action from now on, but summer time goes by fast! 

    • Give extra time for your implementation (and note there may be summer absencesof your community members and the people you need to talk to – so plan accordingly).

 

We’re here for any questions you may have along the way!

 

Thank you,

Eco Ambassador Program Team

​

Week 5

Dear Eco Ambassadors & Parent Mentors,

 

Welcome to Week 5! We hope your “DO”s are going well (reference page 4 in attached Guide)

 

Same as last week, please remember to:

  • Make your idea system-driven as much as possible (for example, engaging authorities and companies who have impact in your topic and can speak to a wide audience)

  • Document your process with photos & videos so you

  • Give extra time for yourself to get to the outcome of your project

 

We hope you join us on Monday, 23rd September from 4pm to 7pm for the event where EcoAmbassador Program is going to be featured, with Professor Jeffrey Sachs and Millburn’s Mayor Dianne Thall-Eglow attending.

Please register for the event at this Eventbrite link!

 

We’re here for any questions you may have along the way,

Eco Ambassador Program Team

​

Week 6

Dear Eco Ambassadors & Parent Mentors,

 

How is your Week 6 going?

We hope your “DO”s are making good progress (reference page 4 in attached Guide).

Depending on your project, there are about 1.5 - 2 weeks left for you to complete your Do’s.

 

Please remember to document your process as you go along with photos and videos!

 

If you haven’t already done so, please register for the September 23rd event here

 

We’re here if you have any questions!

Eco Ambassador Program Team

​

Week 7

​

Dear Eco Ambassadors & Parent Mentors,

 

Hope you are enjoying your summer & your “DO”s !

 

This week’s update is extra special, featuring examples of what some of our Eco Ambassadors are doing:

  • Presentation to supervisor of school systems in Millburn on resusable cutlery in schools by Veda and Vidya

  • Awareness posters designed for district middle & high schools by Aalok

  • Video clip of our young Eco Ambassador investigating trash issue by Asmi 

  • Research on tree types / tree loss in Millburn and replanting plans by Skaila

  • Composting awareness and campaign by Etasha

If you are open to sharing your posters and presentations, please “Reply All” to this email and share with the group!

 

As you go through the process of consulting local experts and consider scaling / sustaining your ideas in Millburn and beyond, please consider connecting with each other so that some local experts or leaders can be met as Eco Ambassador group (united front!) We’ve left the email addresses visible on purpose on this chain, so you can reach out to one another. 

 

HEADS UP! Upcoming timelines:

  • We recommend finalizing your DO (at least this current summer phase, if you have ideas and plans to extend and scale) by Sunday, September 8th

  • Please share at least a draft of your SHARE footage (see page 4 of attached Weekly Guidefor guidelines and reference https://challenge.dfcworld.com/) via email by Friday, September 13th. (Draft version is ok)

  • Please upload the final version of your SHARE on the global Design for Change website byWednesday, September 18th: https://challenge.dfcworld.com/

*We’re extending a few more days from the initial timeline in the Guide Manual (attached)

 

Excited to hear from you!

Eco Ambassador Program Team

​

Week 8

Dear Eco Ambassadors & Parent Mentors,

 

Hope you had a restful long weekend.

Summer is (almost) gone, and we’re getting to the end of our projects!

 

Please review carefully below timelines:

  • Please finalize your DO (at least this current summer phase, if you have ideas and plans to extend and scale) by THIS Sunday, September 8th

  • Please share at least a draft of your SHARE footage (see page 4 of attached Weekly Guide for guidelines) via email by Friday, September 13th. (Draft version is ok)

    • There was a great question from one of the Eco Ambassadors on whether presentation/photos AND videos are mandatory: The answer is no, you only need to make 1 format that out of the 3 mentioned in page 4 of the Guide. We’re also pasting below so there isn’t confusion:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

​

  • Please upload the final version of your SHARE on the global Design for Change website by Wednesday, September 18th: https://challenge.dfcworld.com/

 

*We’re extending a few more days from the initial timeline in the Guide Manual (attached)

 

Happy sharing!

Eco Ambassador Program Team

 

Week 9

Dear Eco Ambassadors & Parent Mentors,

 

CONGRATULATIONS on your summer Eco Ambassador project!

Thank you so much for actualizing your ideas to make Millburn more sustainable in creative ways!

We have been very inspired by your initiative.

 

IMPORTANT NOTES:

  • BY THIS WEDNESDAY (September 18th):

    • By 5pm, please upload the final version of your SHARE on the global Design for Change website https://challenge.dfcworld.com/

      • Please SEND US THE WEBSITE LINK of YOUR VIDEO after it’s been uploaded on the Design for Change website

    • By the end of the day, we’ll announce who will be presenting at the Conference

    • By the end of the day, please email us if you are attending the conference (whether you have already registered on the Eventbrite link or not, please email to let us know if you’re coming. We’re creating a separate list just for Eco Ambassadors for event check-in desk staff)

 

We look forward to hearing how your summer initiatives continue to live on in Millburn!

 

All the best,

Eco Ambassador Team

​

Week 10

Dear Eco Ambassadors & Parent Mentors,

 

Thank you for sharing your projects and work with us! 

We commend you for your hard work!

 

We would like to congratulate Alok Bhatt & Vidya and Veda Bindal, who will be presenting their projects at the conference!!

Their videos are attached (*the videos can be found in the Blog section of this website)

Congratulations! Alok and Vidya, Veda, we will connect with you for further details for Monday.

 

All are welcome to the event – please let us know if you plan to join.

Even if you don’t present at this event, we plan to take a moment to recognize individual Eco Ambassadors in attendance, and plan to have a quick photo opportunity for Eco Ambassadors with Dr. Jeffrey Sachs and Mayor Dianne.

 

Thank you again for your initiative and enthusiasm – we see this just as a beginning and we look forward to continuing this work with you.

 

All the best,

Eco Ambassador Team

​

​

Pencil
Brainstorming
Screen Shot 2019-11-18 at 4.55.03 PM.png
Info for eco ambassador general (2).png
Arrow
Video Link
EcoAmb_transparent.png