Disney's Environmentality Challenge

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- California
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- Florida
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Florida

Disney's Environmentality Challenge (DEC) is a unique partnership between Walt Disney World Co. and the State of Florida Department of Environmental Protection encouraging students to think more about their environment and why it is "cool to care" about the earth. Classes participate in a two-part program consisting of a Pledge and Class Project. The Pledge requires an easy personal commitment to the environment. If students want to take their environmental actions to the next level, they may submit a more comprehensive group project. Each project can be incorporated into existing curriculum and can encourage students to develop language skills, teamwork, mathematics as well as their environmental skills.

Class Projects are first judged within each of the six Florida Department of Environmental Protection districts. One winning project from each of the six districts will then compete to become the State Champion.

It's easy to participate--just sign-up online by December 5, 2008.

For the Class Project we've provided a list of educational and environmental websites for you.

Questions? Click here to contact us via email or call 1-888-JIMINY-C (1-888-546-4692).

See why it's cool to care about the earth when your class participates in Disney's Environmentality Challenge!

IMPORTANT DATES:

August-November 2008
Decide if you wish to take the Pledge or submit a Class Project

December 5, 2008
Pledge/Class Project declaration date

February 27, 2009
Class Project due date

March 2009
District and state-level judging and surprise announcement to grand-prize winning school

April 2009
Mail out prizes and checks to Regional Winners

May 2009
TBD--Grand Prize Winners' trip to the Walt Disney World® Resort

THERE ARE TWO WAYS FOR STUDENTS TO PARTICIPATE IN DISNEY'S ENVIRONMENTALITY CHALLENGE:

Pledge
Students take the Environmentality Pledge agreeing to reduce, reuse, recycle and protect the environment. Be sure to discuss environmental problems in Florida and lead the class in taking the Pledge.

To participate in the Pledge, click here to enter by December 5, 2008.

Once we receive your entry, we'll send you a Student Pledge Poster and gifts for each student.

Pledge and Class Project
This is the ticket to a fun educational experience and it could also be your ticket to a Grand Prize trip to Disney's Animal Kingdom!

The project is up to you and your students and can revolve around pollution issues, animal protection, environmental clean-up, conservation, composting, whatever! Here's how to approach the project:

Choose an environmental problem to target.
Provide students with information and resources to help them develop a conceptual understanding of their environmental topic.
Develop an action plan with goals that are challenging, realistic, measurable and attainable by the project deadline.
Incorporate other curricula including math, science, language arts, visual and performing arts, community service, business skills and social studies.
Get everyone involved, even people outside of the classroom.
Work as a team and keep goals posted to stay focused
Carry out the Action Plan, assemble the project, evaluate it and measure its positive impact on the environment.

Once you've completed your project:

Send in your project with your project cover sheet, included in the Competition Guidelines no later than February 27, 2009!
Each class competes against other classes in their region with a Grand Prize winner chosen from the six regional champions
Just by submitting an Entry to the Pledge or Project, each participating fifth grader will be sent a Disney's Environmentality Challenge gift

Enter the Class Project Competition here

Regional Prizes (one per regional winning class):
A $500 Prize for each Regional Champion Class to further science and environmental studies at your school, plus a specially designed Disney's Environmentality Challenge watch will be awarded to students in each of the six regional champion classes.

Grand Prize
The Grand Prize winners will receive all of the above merchandise, plus an all-expenses-paid trip to Disney's Animal Kingdom at the Walt Disney World® Resort featuring a special learning experience focusing on the environment, plus a $2,000 prize for your school. (The class maximum is 50 students, plus chaperones.)

Class Project Competition Rules and Regulations

1. HAVE FUN.

2. You must be a fifth grade or fifth grade combination class (fourth/fifth or fifth/sixth), maximum of 50 students per class.

3. Classes outside the Florida school system are not eligible to participate.

4. Your class project description and support documents must fit into a 16" by 12" or smaller envelope. No more than 16 single-sided (or eight double-sided) pages (including photos, news clippings, and selected text) may be submitted. VHS tapes, CDs or DVDs (up to five minutes) may be submitted as a supplement. No other types of electronic media are acceptable.

5. All class project entries must be postmarked on or before February 27, 2009 and sent to the following address:

Disney's Environmentality Challenge
c/o Community Relations
P.O. Box 10,000
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830

For any questions regarding Disney's Environmentality Challenge, please click here to contact us via email message or call 1-877-JIMINYC.

The Class Project Competition will be judged at the regional and statewide levels by a panel of distinguished scientists, educators, and environmental leaders.

CRITERIA FOR JUDGING

50% - Environmental Relevance

Project topic(s) selected by students
Project topic(s) develop(s) a conceptual understanding of the environment
Class involvement in completion of project - student leadership and effort clearly evident
The project selected has lasting benefit to the environment (may be the continuation of an existing project)
Project selected is meaningful to students
Community involvement evident in project
Use of quality resources (may include environmental materials provided by State of Florida partners)

50% - Quality and Effort

Original problem or original solutions to common problems selected for project
Clearly defined goals that are realistic, measurable, and attainable by project deadline
Evaluation of project's outcome and benefit to the environment includes measurable results
Evidence that the project meets a variety of curricula and instructional goals of the classroom
Project is clear and complete including evidence that the students met their goals
(surveys, interviews, tallies, testimonials, and other data collection tools)

All decisions are final.

SUNSHINE STATE STANDARDS-BASED CLASS ACTIVITIES
Choosing to complete a class project is an excellent opportunity to make interdisciplinary connections between the Sunshine State Standards at the fifth grade level and have fun by participating in Disney's Environmentality Challenge.

Below are some classroom project ideas along with a few of the Standards that could easily be addressed:

Monitor water levels and water quality in a local river or stream and graph your findings. [MA.E.1.2, SC.H.3.2 ]
Initiate a school or community recycling drive or program and represent your success by using percentages, fractions and decimals. [SC.G.2.2, SC.H.3.2, MK.E.1.2, SS.C.2.2 ]
Research and adapt an endangered species. Learn all you can about that plant or animal. [ S-SC.G.2.2, W-LA.B.1.2 ]
Conduct a creek, beach or neighborhood cleanup. Research the watershed, as well as native and non-native plants and animals. [SS.B.2.2, SC.G.1.2, SC.H.1.2 ]
Conduct a school waste study. Investigate the presence of landfills in your community to determine if these landfills have had an impact on the environment or community. Investigate how recyclable materials may reduce landfills. [MA.E.1.2, SS.B.2.2 ]
Write, design and produce an informational brochure alerting the community to a local environmental concern. [LA.B.1.2, SS.B.2.2, SC.G.2.2 ]
Write and present persuasive papers to your local city council regarding an environmental issue in your community. [SC.G.2.2, SS.C.2.2, LA.B.1.2 ]
Write and perform a play to educate your school and community about environmental issues. [LA.B.1.2, SC.G.2.2 ]
Research local, state and federal governmental representatives and their responsibilities. Encourage students to write letters tot heir representatives to express their thoughts about helping the environment. [SS.2.2, CA.B.1.2, SS.B.2.2 ]
Examine the lifestyles of early Native Americans and their views of the environment. Explain how their views differ from those of the early settlers and from us today. [SS.B.2.2, SC.G.2.2 ]
Explore you local state park or wildlife conservation area. Create a map indicating where students discovered various species of plants and animal during their exploration and write a report on what was found. [SS.B.1.2, SS.B.2.2, LA.B.1.2]

Or you may examine the impact of growth on an environmental issue, perform an energy audit of your school, restore an area, build an interpretive trail or conduct an environmental survey.

These are just a few ways in which your project can address the Sunshine State Standards and align with service learning by working with a charitable organization, educational institution or environmental agency to address issues in your community.

Here's a list of helpful websites, by topic, to assist with your class project:

Air
Clean Air Florida Website

Coastal
Coastal Habitats Website
Beaches and Dunes Website

Energy
Florida Energy Office Website

Everglades
Everglades Restoration (DEP)
Everglades Restoration (US Army Corps of Engineers)

General
Environmental Citizenship Website
Environmental Education Website
Stop the Mercury from Rising

Greenways
TEAM GREEN Website

Invasive Species
Invasive Species Website

Waste
Recycling Website

Water
Florida Water Conservation Initiative Report
Florida Springs Website

Wetlands
Everglades Restoration Website
The Wetlands, Florida's Natural Treasures Website