pdf Table of Contents

pdf Introduction and Chapter One Intro and Travel Log

pdf Week 1 sample action – "No Garbage Lunches"

pdf Week 2 sample action – "Aqua Cop"

pdf Week 3 sample action – "Squash Party"

pdf Week 4 sample action – "Vote for the Earth"

pdf Week 5 sample action – "Cool School"

"This program fills a void that needs filling. Standard environmental education curricula don't have a program like this that focuses on personal habits and actions, and relates it to what we can do for the planet. I was a little uncertain how parents would respond. What happened was that parents called and said what I was doing was wonderful. There was no negative feedback from any of 60 parents in the two classes."
-- Steve Price, 6th grade science teacher, Cape Elizabeth, ME

"Kids loved the program. They loved the sense of empowerment, that they had choices, that they were on their honor, and that they were in the drivers seat and had control. This was the best thing we did all year."
-- John Barron, 6th grade teacher, Sturbridge, MA

"Kids that NEVER do work, or ever bring anything back and forth between home and school, responded overwhelmingly and worked hard to achieve their Global Hero points."
-- Tracy Licata, 5th grade teacher, Gansevoort, NY

"The program was easy to use. The kids could do any of the Earth Actions in one sitting at home in an evening. And, they could see their progress and that they really made a difference."
-- Jan MacKenzie-Polanski, 4th grade teacher, Minneapolis, MN

"It is fun to do! I've learned a lot from these actions. I'm teaching my brother and my parents. We have made a big difference in one week."
-- Mary Chi, 5th grade, Minneapolis, MN

"What I liked best in this week's Journey was the way my family and I worked together to save the earth."
-- Christie Payette, 6th grade, Mt. Tremper, NY

"My favorite was writing to the Mayor because we got to tell him all the actions we did, and asked him to get everyone in the town to help our planet."
-- Laura Giancone, 5th grade, Ballston Spa, NY

The Coach's Guide assumes that you, the coach, are working with a group of children. This allows you to add two important features to the children's program: a peer support system and an adult support system. This support increases the likelihood of a successful journey for the children.

The Coach's Guide provides a set of suggested activities for each of the Journey's five sections. Each section is designed to be completed in one week, and each section has a menu of five activities. If you work with the children throughout the week, you can choose to do an activity each day for five days. Although, the program is designed for each section to be completed in one week, you can design any number of variations for the program's delivery.

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The Journey for the Planet program has five sections dealing with garbage, water, energy, eco-wise consuming, and empowering others. Each has its own cartoon animal guide to lead the way. The forty-six actions in the program include:

• "No Garbage Lunches"—using reusable packaging,
• "AquaCop"—hunting down dripping faucets,
• "Chill Out in Your Room"—finding air leaks that cause energy loss,
• "Squash Party"—carpooling,
• "Charge It!"—switching to rechargeable batteries,
• "What Goes Around Came Around"—buying recycled paper products.

Each action is worth a certain number of points. Children who complete enough actions earn a "Global Hero" certificate which can be downloaded.

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