Rhode Island Environmental Education Association - RIEEA

🚨Action Alert Update – Good news on the School Waste Recycling bill - and how we can get it passed! 😃 Thanks to many of you writing to the Senate Environment & Agriculture Committee last week, S-2438 was amended to match its House companion bill (H-7342A) and passed out of committee. S-2438A will be considered on the Senate Floor TOMORROW!

⏰ Please email Governor Dan McKee, Senate President Lawson, and YOUR Senator by 4pm tomorrow, Tuesday, June 9

More information, email addresses, sample script, and link to find your senator are in a Google Doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xe8w3QxbXQhrC8vgNhbWtP2RCeVf83fmTRsfcASzss4/edit?usp=sharing

****Also please consider resharing this post to spread the word! It is only when people speak up that real change can happen.

🌟 RIEEA Member Spotlight: Narragansett Council - Scouting America 🌟 You don't have to be a Scout to experience Adventure Day Camp at Camp Champlin in Cranston, RI – Everyone is welcome! Each week offers a different theme so your child can return for multiple weeks and keep the fun going all summer long! Camp runs from 9am - 4pm Monday through Friday (with extended care option available). Give your child the ultimate summer experience — a week of outdoor fun and discovery, close to home!

Learn more: https://www.rieea.org/member-spotlight-ncsa/
Sign up today: www.ncscouts.org/camp

Join the Rhode Island Environmental Education Association - RIEEA on Thursday, June 18, at 12pm for a Virtual Lunch & Learn. GEMS-Net Director, Dr. Caroline Stabile and Education Specialist, Zack Orefice will be our guests to talk about the adoption of OpenSciEd. (GEMS-Net is a program at URI that supports the implementation of OpenSciEd within partnering school districts across the state.)

The expertise and experience of RIEEA organizations will be an invaluable resource to help teachers enact the curriculum. Join us to learn how! All are welcome.

Register to receive Zoom link: https://www.rieea.org/2026vlljune/

Please note our Virtual Lunch & Learns alternate between open/office hours and more traditional educational programming.

🚨Call to Action🚨 Join us as we advocate for composting and share tables in our schools! By Tuesday, June 2 at 2PM, please email the Senate Environment & Agriculture Committee in support of S-2438 School Waste Recycling and Refuse Disposal bill. More information, senator email addresses, and sample script are in a Google Doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xe8w3QxbXQhrC8vgNhbWtP2RCeVf83fmTRsfcASzss4/edit?usp=sharing

Also please consider resharing this post to spread the word! It is only when people speak up that real change can happen.

Sosnowski for Senate; Robert Britto; Lammis Vargas for Senate District 28; Senator Alana DiMario, Rhode Island District 36; RI State Senator Victoria Gu, District 38; State Senator Meghan Kallman; Senator Gordon Rogers; Senator Lori Urso - District 8

🌟RIEEA Member Spotlight: GEMS-Net🌟 Within the URI Feinstein College of Education, the GEMS-Net program (Guiding Education in Math and Science Network) supports the implementation of OpenSciEd within partnering school districts across the state. Learn more about this great organization and our upcoming June Virtual Lunch & Learn: https://www.rieea.org/member-spotlight-gemsnet/

Support the Revitalizing America’s Schoolyards Act! Learn more: https://act.sierraclub.org/actions/National?actionId=AR0607025

Too many students still spend their days in hot, asphalt schoolyards with little shade or greenery. Communities are changing that by transforming schoolyards into nature-filled spaces that support learning, health and climate resilience.

U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (NM) and Rep. Summer Lee (PA) have just introduced the Revitalizing America’s Schoolyards Act (RSYA) (S.4258). This landmark legislation could transform America’s schoolyards, bringing nature access to children everywhere.

This bill supports funding and creation of revitalized schoolyards, which are park-like outdoor spaces that have been updated to:
🌼 strengthen local ecological systems,
🌼 provide hands-on learning resources,
🌼 foster nature play and social opportunities, and
🌼 enhance the health and well-being of children and adults.

“The Revitalizing America’s Schoolyards Act is a monumental step towards realizing vital outdoor environments that enhance children’s health, well-being, and academic success,” said Sarah Milligan-Toffler, President & CEO of the Children & Nature Network.

“We’ve seen firsthand how green schoolyards transform asphalt into vibrant learning ecosystems, fostering hands-on discovery, social connection, and joy,” she continued.

To learn more about this bill and how you can support it, visit our Policy Update. https://bit.ly/3TuJdHa

Outdoors Alliance for Kids

Welcome to the RIEEA team! Meet one of our newest board members, Chrystal Mars Baker. Chrystal is a Narragansett Tribal citizen, educator, and advocate whose work centers on uplifting Native voices and creating inclusive, truthful educational spaces. She is the Education Manager at the Tomaquag Museum and serves on the boards of the Rhode Island Humanities and the Jonnycake Center for Hope. Grounded in the legacy of her ancestors and inspired by her family, Chrystal envisions an educational future where all cultures are represented through their own histories, fostering mutual respect and healing across communities.

🔗 Learn more about Chrystal: https://www.rieea.org/meet-a-board-member-chrystal-mars-baker/

Photo credits: Chrystal Mars Baker, Tomaquag Museum

Welcome to the RIEEA team! Meet one of our newest board members, James Tzul. James is the Youth and Community Program Coordinator for Groundwork Rhode Island and coordinates the Green Change Makers, a program for Pawtucket/Central Falls high school aged youth. James is currently attending Community College of Rhode Island majoring in Environmental Sustainability and Agriculture Management with plans to transfer to University of Rhode Island. With his current and growing knowledge, James hopes to help, support, and create a more sustainable environment for community members similar to him.

🔗 Learn more about James: https://www.rieea.org/meet-a-board-member-james-tzul/

Photo credits: Jaylyn (Groundwork Rhode Island), Daisy Durant (Telegram & Gazette), Helena Lopes (Pexels), Vissuinfo (Pixabay)

REMINDER: Today (5/21) is the RIEEA May Virtual Lunch & Learn: EE Office Hour. Join us anytime from 12pm-1pm. Eat your lunch while you connect with the Rhode Island EE community. You can even just drop in for a quick hello. Everyone is welcome. Jeanine Silversmith (RIEEA Executive Director) will be hosting! Register here to receive Zoom link: https://www.rieea.org/2026vllmay/

Introducing new RIEEA board members Chrystal Mars Baker and James Tzul! Chrystal is the Education Manager at the Tomaquag Museum and James is the Youth and Community Program Coordinator for Groundwork Rhode Island and coordinates the Green Change Makers. Please join us in welcoming these incredible people to our team. We will be sharing individual spotlights soon so stay tuned! https://www.rieea.org/meet-the-new-board-members-of-2026/