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Earth Day Network and Extreme Ice Survey Join for Climate Change Education Initiative Aimed at Middle Schoolers

February 20, 2013

Earth Day Network and Extreme Ice Survey Join for Climate Change Education Initiative
Aimed at Middle Schoolers
Group Behind “Chasing Ice” to Provide Images and Data for National Curriculum

WASHINGTON – Earth Day Network  teamed up with Extreme Ice Survey to launch a middle school education initiative today designed to engage and mobilize students around climate change. Using the dramatic images captured by scientist-photographer James Balog – star of the award-winning and Academy Award-shortlisted documentary Chasing Ice – this curriculum will focus on the story the world’s glaciers have to tell about the impact of climate change.

“The work of James Balog and Extreme Ice Survey has changed the conversation about climate change, and, it can also change the way one teaches children about the effects of human activity on the climate and environment,” said Jane Saltzman, executive director of Earth Vision Trust, Extreme Ice Survey’s parent organization. “We are thrilled to partner with Earth Day Network to create this new curriculum – this new approach to teaching climate issues through science, history, art and more.”

James Balog and Extreme Ice Survey currently have 28 cameras on 13 glaciers around the world capturing the dramatic transformations of these ancient formations. Their images and time-lapse videos of the changing face of the planet will provide students and communities with visual evidence of the tangible impacts of climate change.

The joint project includes developing lesson plans and interactive online curricular resources that will be distributed to educators free of charge. Curricular materials will be correlated to National Science Standards, the Common Core Standards for English Language Arts and Math, and the North American Association for Environmental Education Guidelines for Excellence. A Spanish version of the curriculum is also forthcoming.

“By incorporating the powerful images captured by James Balog and Extreme Ice Survey into this project, students are exposed to dramatic visual evidence of how climate change is altering our world in drastic ways ,” said Christine Robertson, education director at Earth Day Network. “EDN is particularly excited about the potential of a curriculum built on the intersection of art and science to inspire students to engage with the most pressing environmental issue of their time.”

These free education materials will be available to teachers by Earth Day, April 22, 2013.

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About Earth Day Network
Earth Day Network’s mission is to broaden, diversify and mobilize the environmental movement. EDN coordinates Earth Day, mobilizing over one billion people in 192 countries every year on environmental challenges impacting our health, quality of life and the natural world. Year-round, EDN is a leader on environmental education and green school buildings. EDN also plants millions of trees worldwide – in the places that need them most – and works to expand the emerging green economy and protect natural lands. archiveedn.wpengine.com

About Extreme Ice Survey
Founded in 2007 by James Balog, the Extreme Ice Survey (EIS) is an innovative, long-term photography project that merges art and science to give a “visual voice” to the planet’s changing ecosystems. EIS imagery preserves a visual legacy, providing a unique baseline—useful in years, decades and even centuries to come—for revealing how climate change and other human activity impacts the planet.  http://extremeicesurvey.org

EIS is a project of Earth Vision Trust. Earth Vision Trust (EVT) is dedicated to educating and inspiring the public, and fostering the prosperity and health of human society through innovative visual exploration of our changing environment.  http://earthvisiontrust.org/