*Please note that your email system may fail to load certain image headers. To ensure you're reading the full newsletter, click the "view this email in your browser" link above. 

Author: Mara Spears, CEP Project Specialist Staff, Elana Burns, Communications Content Student Assistant

From Groundswell to You

   Summer Institute Recap

   2025 Project Videos Uploaded

   Fall Kickoff: Ed Camp

   Middle or High School Teachers: Boots for Your Classroom

   Save the Date: PLOs for 2025-2026

   GLSI Fall Program Guide

Friends of Groundswell

   Is Your School a Green Schoolyard?

   Subject to Climate Activities for Back to School

   GRPM Discovery Lending Kits

   Discover Alexis Rockman’s Vision of a Post-Human Future

Groundswell Summer Institute 2025 was a three-day immersive professional learning experience for local pK–12 educators from Kent and Ottawa Counties, focused on the fundamentals of place-based stewardship education (PBSE). Day one at GVSU’s Seidman Building included grade-level breakout sessions with seasoned Groundswell teachers, exploration of best practices for teaching outdoors, and a community scan culminating in a visit to new local murals created through a partnership with Pleasant Peninsula. On day two at Riverside Park, participants learned about waterway stewardship, kayaked the Grand River to study its ecosystem, explored Anishinaabek cultural learning with the Grand Rapids Public Museum’s Anishinaabe Curator, and began drafting outlines for potential PBSE projects and were given additional resources from Subject to Climate. The final day at Roselle Park in Ada involved planting seventeen trees, wading into a creek to study macroinvertebrates with Groundswell’s partner LGROW, and discussing volunteer training for PBSE field excursions. Each day of the workshop blended collaboration, expert insight, and practical activities to inspire future classroom stewardship projects. Teachers left energized, equipped with new resources and free materials, raffle prizes, and classroom funding opportunities—thanks to generous support from the Wege Foundation, Great Lakes Fishery Trust, MiSTEM, Michigan Sea Grant, and Subject to Climate.

Each year, we at Groundswell Stewardship Initiative support student-led environmental action projects across West Michigan schools. These projects culminate in our annual Student Project Showcase, where students present their creative, place-based solutions to real-world environmental challenges. We’re excited to announce that the 2025 Showcase projects are now live on our website! Groundswell is proud to help elevate these powerful student voices and their hard work.

Check it out by clicking the button below!

Kick off the school year this September with collabs and ideation! We'll be back at John Ball Zoo to bring together educators and community partners for project planning and sharing. 

Edcamps, or "un-conferences," are unique professional learning experiences in that they are highly collaborative and the learning is done through participant conversation. Attendees will learn from and with each other by sharing ideas, best practices, challenges and passions, resources, tips, and connections. Every person in the room is a leader and a learner! 

At this PLO, you'll get:

• 2 SCECH Credits

• Form connections with teachers and partners

• The chance to win PBE conference registration, travel, and lodging (a $1,000 value) 🎉.

• Dinner on us!

Registration closes September 4th at 10:00 AM OR when capacity is reached. 

Thanks to a generous donation from local educators Kate Hasenbank (New Branches Charter Academy) and Lea Sevigny (Joyful Wildcrafting), we have 28 pairs of gently used boots ready for a new home. These well-loved boots are perfect for lending out to students on outdoor learning days, keeping everyone warm, dry, and ready for adventure. If you teach middle or high school and could use classroom boots for your students, enter for a chance to win in our raffle! 

Multiple sizes are available, and you can see the full inventory by viewing the form. The winner will be selected September 1st.

Check it out and enter by clicking the link below.

It's time to pencil us in for your professional learning opportunities this coming academic year!

Save the date for quality learning workshops with expert presenters from Kent and Ottawa Counties and beyond. At a Groundswell PLO, you will always:

Add these dates to your calendar now so you don't miss out!

As a hub of the Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative, those in our network reap the benefits of a state-wide network of educators and learning opportunities. GLSI certainly does have a lot going on, so peruse this Fall 2025 Program Guide to see what is happening for learning pathways, professional learning experiences, and how you can engage with GLSI over the coming months. Learn more below, and don't forget about the big one—The National Place-Based Education Conference—gathering the place-based education community from across the U.S. and beyond this November 12-14 in Southeast Michigan!

The Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative is conducting this statewide inventory in collaboration with Sally Triant of Grow Wise Learning and on behalf of the Michigan Children and Nature Coalition. the green schoolayrds inventory project is a statewide effort to assess the green infrastructure and sustainability impact of school campuses to develop an interactive map of Michigan’s green schoolyards. Case studies will be published as well, showcasing successful projects, strategies, and best practices from across the state.

The GLSI needs help with this inventory! Is your school or a school you know of a MI Green School? Fill out this survey to make sure they're counted, and spread the word!

The Michigan Climate Education Hub has launched! Our friends and partners from Subject to Climate provide free resources for educators to teach and talk about climate change in school. Gearing up for the academic year, their new localized online hub for the Mitten is full of great virtual and printable resources for all grades. These resources are available at no cost, and Groundswell is working with this organization to make sure that lessons are local and accurate. Additionally, Subject to Climate vets all resources thoroughly with actual teachers, ensuring that their content is of quality. 

Explore the activities and local hub below. 

Grand Rapids Public Museum has rentable ($25) kits for educators to rent for a week for their classroom! Complete with supplemental materials, reading, and oline resources to accompany them, these are the perfect learning bundles to bring to your students for them to get a better understanding of their local culture and history. Kits can be borrowed at the beginning of the week then returned that Friday, and include a history of indigenous peoples in West Michigan, current Aninishinaabe cultural items (depicted above), fossils, music, and more! Click the button below to see the full offerings and rental options. 

How might the natural world evolve after us? Dive into the thought-provoking artwork of Alexis Rockman, whose vivid, speculative paintings challenge us to reflect on climate change, extinction, and the long-term impact of human activity on the planet. His work invites critical conversations about environmental justice, adaptation, and the role of art in shaping ecological awareness.

Interested in more? Go to the link below to learn and explore not only Rockman’s work but many more!

Questions? Please contact Groundswell at groundswell@gvsu.edu.