If you have followed me for awhile, you know how much work I have put into creating the national Authors for Earth Day coalition. You may remember when we launched the A4ED website in 2009. You may also remember my 2010 A4ED school visit to Rhodes Jr. High, the first year authors participated across the country.
Well, in April 2011 we celebrated our 2nd Annual Authors for Earth Day event. This year’s participants were Suzy Kline, who writes the Horrible Harry and Herbie Jones series; Dan Gutman, author of nearly 100 books, including the My Weird School and Baseball Card Adventure series; Marianne Berkes who scribes popular nature books for kids; Conrad Storad, who also has many loved nature and science books; and me.
Every author scheduled a school visit and donated one day’s speaking fee to a non-profit conservation organization, determined by a vote of the students at their school. Together we touched the lives of thousands of children—inspiring and empowering them to make a difference in the world!
My visit was at Cheyenne Traditional School in Scottsdale, AZ and librarian Teresa Spotleson hosted a fantastic 2-day event! I saw all the classes K-8. Everyone had done their research and it was a tight race at the voting polls, but World Wildlife Fund slid into first place at the last minute. I announced the winner on the school news and sent WWF a check for $750.
Through student votes at all our host schools, the coalition brought our total A4ED contributions to $10,350! The other donation recipients this year were: Clearwater Environmental Organization, Greenpeace, Busch Wildlife Sanctuary and the Phoenix Zoo’s Conservation & Science Dept.
I’m grateful for and honored by the accomplishments of my eco-minded colleagues!
Now we want to expand our educational outreach and you can help… What can YOU do?
- Read our new A4ED Blog where “award-winning children’s authors connect with eco-minded readers”. I think you will especially love Bonnie J. Doerr’s post about why she write eco-adventures for kids.
- Visit us on Facebook. Click LIKE. Make a comment. Share a thought.
- Tell librarians/teachers at your local schools about Authors for Earth Day. We offer excellent environmentally themed lesson plans and ideas for educators, plus details about hosting an A4ED visit.
Thank you for your help and support! Now I must get fully focused on preparations for Costa Rica. My departure is just around the bend. Woo hoo!