FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States of America (Free-Press-Release.com) June 27, 2011 — “Given the recent move by the Governor of Maryland to require all Students to take and pass a green education class in order to graduate from High School, we are very excited and proud to say that www.GoGreenStudents.com will play a major role in this educational program” stated Michael Shell CEO of Go Green Students LLC. Mr. Shell goes on to say, “there are 1.4 billion students on the planet that can all work together for change, and we want www.GoGreenStudents.com to become the impetus for helping them in creating a sustainable future”.

Launching this Fall www.GoGreenStudents.com is a platform for connecting students to the green revolution. www.GoGreenStudents.com provides a gathering place for environmentally conscious, like-minded young people of all grade levels to enable a significant impact on environmental change by engaging them in learning about the green jobs and economies of the future.

To contact Mr. Shell for an interview: ms@gogreenstudents.com

Maryland has become the first state in the country to require students to be “environmentally literate” in order to graduate from high school.
The Maryland state board of education voted last Tuesday, June 21, to require that students get a “comprehensive, multi-disciplinary environmental education” before receiving a diploma. Districts will have to develop plans for coursework that meets state standards in environmental literacy and have their plans approved by the state superintendent of schools.

They will also have to develop ways to assess students’ mastery of the material in order to determine if they are eligible for graduation. The requirement will apply to students entering high school in the fall.
From baltimoresun.com:

Gov. Martin O’Malley issued a statement calling the board’s action “a defining moment for education in Maryland,” while environmental advocates were even more effusive. Don Baugh, head of the No Child Left Inside Coalition promoting federal environmental literacy legislation, called it a “momentous day.”

Environmentalists had initially howled over draft guidelines adopted by the state board last fall, complaining they would let school systems get by without doing anything – essentially claiming they were teaching environmental literacy simply by offering existing math and science courses. But state School Superintendent Nancy Grasmick and board members reassured activists they really meant to strengthen environmental education, and advocates say the final rules seem to make that clear.

The new environmental instruction should not require any additional funding or staff, according to the governor. But by adopting the requirement Maryland may be in better position to receive federal funding for green literacy, under national No Child Left Inside legislation to be reintroduced in Congress. The bill’s chief sponsor is Rep. John Sarbanes, a Maryland Democrat.

I’ve certainly taught in plenty of schools that had a strong environmental education component, and some private schools that made environmental education a graduation requirement.
But this is the first time a state board of education has made green literacy mandatory for its students to graduate. Way to go, Maryland!