The day will offer a fantastic array of “edutainment” to engage and entertain families!  Start the morning off with a handshake and photo opportunity with the world’s first and only eco-superhero, Captain Planet! And in true Saturday morning tradition, Planeteers of all ages can watch select Captain Planet and the Planeteers episodes in the Cowie Weiss Theater. Laughing Pizza will return to the festival this year to bring their power packed musical performance on stage. And things will get a little wild with live native animal presentations by our co-host, Chattahoochee Nature Center! Learn how to play yard games from all over the world while watching an interactive presentation and book signing of Tag, Toss & Run by co-authors, Paul Tukey and award-winning actress, Victoria Rowell. Look for much more excitement this year as the planning is underway to provide an entirely new experience for the entire family.  You’ll always enjoy the face painting and canoe paddling on the pond, but don’t be surprised to see some new famous faces.

Held on the grounds of the Chattahoochee Nature Center, this exciting, family experience is brought to the community by the Macy’s Foundation as presenting sponsor with XFINITY from Comcast and the Atlanta Journal Constitution as media sponsors.

In honor of our 10th Anniversary, we are combining forces with the Earth Day Network (EDN) to promote the ‘Billion Acts of Green’® campaign. Already, 499,578,824 global citizens have committed to their act of green and EDKF is a fantastic opportunity to get involved. Log on to http://act.earthday.org/ to register your act of green today!
The price of admission is $5 for children, $6 for seniors, $8 for adults, and children under two are free. Visit www.chattnaturecenter.org for more information.

Ride your bike from home to receive free admission! Visit www.chattnaturecenter.org for more information.

In 1969 she applied to participate in the Tektite project. This venture, sponsored jointly by the U.S. Navy, the Department of the Interior and NASA allowed teams of scientist to live for weeks at a time in an enclosed habitat on the ocean floor fifty feet below the surface, off the Virgin Islands. By this time, Sylvia had spent more than a thousand research hours underwater, more than any other scientists who applied to the program, but, as she says, “the people in charge just couldn’t cope with the idea of men and women living together underwater.”
The result was Tektite II, Mission 6, an all-female research expedition led by Dr. Earle herself. In 1970, Sylvia Earle and four other women dove 50 feet below the surface to the small structure they would call home for the next two weeks. In the 1970s, scientific missions took Sylvia Earle to the Galapagos, to the water off Panama, to China and the Bahamas and, again, to the Indian Ocean. During this period she began a productive collaboration with undersea photographer Al Giddings. Together, they investigated the battleship graveyard in the Caroline Islands of the South Pacific.
In the 1980s, along with engineer Graham Hawkes, she started the companies Deep Ocean Engineering and Deep Ocean Technologies. These ventures design and build undersea vehicles like Deep Rover and Deep Flight which are making it possible for scientists to maneuver at depths that defied all previously existing technology. In the middle of this life of adventure, Sylvia Earle has been married and raised three children, some of whom have worked side by side with her at Deep Ocean Engineering.
In the early 1990s, Dr. Earle took a leave of absence from her companies to serve as Chief Scientist of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. There, among other duties, Sylvia Earle was responsible for monitoring the health of the nation’s waters. In this capacity she also reported on the environmental damage wrought by Iraq’s burning of the Kuwaiti oil fields.
Among the more than 100 national and international honors she has received is the 2009 TED Prize for her proposal to establish a global network of marine protected areas. She calls these marine preserves “hope spots, to save and restore the blue heart of the planet.”
Today, Dr. Earle is Explorer in Residence at the National Geographic Society. She recently led the Google Ocean Advisory Council, a team of 30 marine scientists providing innovative content and scientific oversight for the “Ocean in Google Earth.” A lover and protector of our oceans, she has led over 70 expeditions, logging more than 6500 hours underwater.

This year, the Atlanta Families’ Awards recognizes 10 outstanding teachers and school leaders in the Atlanta Public Schools (APS) system. Each winner is awarded $7,500, which includes funding for a school project of the winner’s choice ($3,500), funding for a professional development opportunity to increase the winner’s effectiveness in the school or classroom ($1,500) and a personal stipend ($2,500). These grants will help fund innovative classroom and school-wide projects designed by winners to improve students’ access to quality education.

This is the second year Captain Planet has partnered with the AFAEE to surprise a winner. His special appearance supports the green project Ms. Robbins has planned for the school. She has proposed an outdoor classroom that will provide students with a non-traditional space for learning that highlights the importance of green space and our environment.  A space where all subject areas are taught, the outdoor classroom will be a connection and extension of the school’s beautiful garden.

In the pictures:

“Robbins Surprise” L to R. Captain Planet/ APS School Board Member, Cecily Harsh-Kinnane/ Principal Winner Robin Robbins/ The winner’s mother, Doris Brown / AFAEE co-founder and board co-chair, Katie McDowell / AFAEE board co-chair, Prescott C. Miller.

The Planeteer movement of Ghana consists of mainly young professionals and students who dedicate their extra time from work and school to engage in this voluntary project. The group takes it source and originality from the Captain Planet Foundation in Atlanta, USA which was founded in 1991 after the Captain Planet carton series. Launched in October 2010 by Laura Turner, daughter of media mogul and founder of CNN, Ted Turner. In Ghana, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panyin, Omanhene of the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Area is the life patron whilst Mr. Edward Boateng, Executive Chairman of the Global Media Alliance Group serves as the Director.

Until recently when ZOIL Services Limited, a subsidiary of Zoomlion was contracted to clean the beach, the Gold Coast Beach had been abandoned and left to the hands of squatters and has been used illegally as refuse site for people who had no care for the environment. However due to the heavy rains that was experienced a few weeks ago, the rains carried along refuse such as waste plastic, coconut husk, dresses, shoes and many others unto the shore. This increased the work of employees of ZOIL Services limited as they needed more hands to keep the place clean.

With assistance from the Accra Metropolitan Assembly and ZOIL Services Limited, the Planeteers demarcated a 200 metres stretch on the shore and set it as their target for the day. About 20 in number and with support from personnel from ZOIL Services Limited, the Planeteers were able to clear the zone from all its waste and refuse. They named the zone “PLANETEERS CORNER” as they plan to visit the beach frequently to keep an eye on it.

In an interview with the president of the group, Mr. Timothy Karikari, explained that the beach cleanup is the last of 5 projects they outlined in the beginning of the year. The first which took place on the 14th of May 2011 was the “I matter March” project. According to him, it was a day for all Planeteers in the world to demonstrate against the pollution of the environment by human activities. Members of the Ghana Planeteers marched on the streets of Accra as they presented a 2 page petition to the PRO of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Mr. Numo Blafo recommending actions to be implemented by the government. The second phase of the project was on the 15th of October when the Planeteers participated in a cleanup exercise organized by the Be Bold project of e.tv Ghana at the Circle Odwana in Accra. The third and fourth projects were educational trips to Achimota Preparatory school and Achimota Primary School respectively to educate the students on source separation and recycling. This occurred on the 21st and 26th of October respectively. As a long term objective, the group intends to set up Planeteer clubs in all the educational institutions to extend its presence.

Since his early childhood, Jeff Corwin has worked for the conservation of endangered species and ecosystems around the globe. Presently, Jeff is Executive Producer and Host of Ocean Mysteries which is being broadcasted nationally on ABC. In addition to exploring the state of our planet’s oceans and marine life, Jeff is a correspondent for science, the environment and nature for MSNBC and NBC news. Beyond television, Jeff has partnered with the Wittaker Center to produce and present a major large format film called Expedition Chesapeake. For the past 16 years, Jeff has hosted a variety of popular television series and specials, including Animal Planet’s Jeff Corwin Experience, Giant Monsters, Realm of the Yeti, Corwin’s Quest, Spring Watch USA, Snake-Tacular, and King of the Jungle; Disney’s Going Wild with Jeff Corwin; Investigation Earth with the Discovery Networks; NBC’s Jeff Corwin Unleashed, which was nominated four times for an Emmy and for which Corwin won an Emmy for Outstanding Host; and the Travel Channel’s Into Alaska and Into the American West. For the Discovery Health Channel Jeff hosted Pets and People, the Power of the Health Connection. His popular television series have been broadcasted in over 130 countries worldwide. He also created and co-presented CNN’s Planet in Peril with Anderson Cooper in 2007. On November 20th 2008, Animal Planet premiered The Vanishing Frog. This powerful documentary highlights Jeff’s year long, global odyssey exploring the mass extinction of our planet’s important amphibian species. In November of 2009, Jeff executive produced and presented 100 Heartbeats. Produced for the NBC networks, this groundbreaking documentary investigated the plight of our planet’s most endangered wildlife species along with the conservation heroes trying to save them.
In October 2009, Jeff partnered once again with Rodale to publish 100 Heartbeats, whose mission, as with the accompanying NBC documentary, is to connect the readers with our planets most endangered species. 100 Heartbeats received great reviews from both critics and the conservation community and is now on its way to paperback for fall 2010. Jeff’s book, Living on the Edge, Amazing Relationships in the Natural World was published 2004 and is now its 5th addition. Through Penguin Books, Jeff is publishing a series of books for younger readers focusing on wildlife, ecology and conservation under the brand of The Jeff Corwin Jr. Explorer Series. The mission of this well-received book series is to build a stong sense of environmental stewardship amongst our nation’s young people. Examples from this 10 book series include – Your Backyard is Wild, Animals and Habitats of the Southwest, the Great Alaska Adventure, The Wild Wild West, A Whale of a Tail, The Great Everglades Adventure, and Snakes.
Jeff’s wildlife and conservation work has been regularly featured on a variety of television series including CNN, FOX, Good Morning America, The Today Show, CBS Morning Show, Ellen Degeneres, The Bonnie Hunt Show, Rachael Maddows, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with Conan O’Brian, Regis and Kelly and The Oprah Winfrey Show. Jeff was cast as himself on CSI Miami, named one of People Magazine’s “Most Beautiful People” and Entertainment Weekly‘s “It List”. Men’s Journal recognized Jeff as the world’s greatest host of a natural history series.
Beyond wildlife and conservation, Jeff is a passionate explorer of human culture especially as it connects to regional cuisine, that is produced in a sustainable manner. His interests in renewable and sustainable living, along with how food is often the glue that cements together a community and culture, recently premiered in a Food Network series called Extreme Cuisine with Jeff Corwin.
A native of Massachusetts, Jeff has established an interactive museum and environmental education center called the EcoZone. Based in Norwell, Massachusetts, the goal of the EcoZone is to build awareness for the wildlife and ecology unique to the wetlands of southeastern Massachusetts. In 2008, Jeff was named Ambassador of Climate Change and Endangered Species on behalf of the Defenders of Wildlife, one of the United States most prominent conservation organizations. He has B.S. degrees in both Biology and Anthropology from Bridgewater State College, a M.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, and an honorary doctorate in Public Education from Bridgewater State College. When not traveling the world, Jeff can be found at his home off the coast of Massachusetts, where he lives with his wife, Natasha, and two daughters, Maya Rose and Marina Faye.

In his U.S Green School Program position, Estroff coordinated the nomination and application process of hundreds of students across the nation. He handled all forms, travel arrangements and logistics for the 100 final student fellows and 20 faculty. Fellows this year represented 35 states and five countries. Estroff also chaired the financial aid committee and oversaw the allocation of $15,000 worth of scholarships.

He won the 2010 Joseph A. Piehuta Prize from the National Conservation Training Center for his contribution to Sc3. The prize recognizes a US Green School Fellow who has demonstrated exemplary leadership that furthers conservation and climate awareness on a global scale. Eric also received the Atlanta InTown Magazine’s Top 20 Under 20 Award for outstanding service to the Atlanta community that same year.

Eric is a senior at Pace Academy and serves as student body vice president, yearbook co-editor-in-chief, executive service leader and the chair of the Sustainability Club. He also coordinates the Green Cup Challenge, a month-long, school-wide challenge to schools to reduce energy consumption, for over 30 schools in Georgia.

“We are so moved that in these economically cautious times, we raised more this year than the last three years combined,” said Laura Turner Seydel, CPF Chairperson. “It says a lot about how much people really care about our children and their future.”

Green carpet arrivals included Media Mogul, Ted Turner, 26-time Grammy award-winning singer and songwriter Alison Krauss, Musician Dan Tyminski, Animal Planet Star Jeff Corwin, Real Housewives of Atlanta Phaedra Parks, Comedian Rodney Perry, Oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed. Other notable guests included Recording Artist Eryn Woods, American Idol’s Anoop Desai, Dr. Oz Show contributor Stepp Steward, Captain Planet founder Barbara Pyle, Mistress of Ceremonies Nadia Bilchik and Gala Co-Chairs Laura Turner Seydel and Elizabeth DuPree Lynch.

Presenting sponsors included: Turner Foundation, Cartoon Network, Coca-Cola Company, Georgia Power, JST Foundation, Pratt 100% Recycled, Atlanta Magazine, Xfinity and Davis,Pickren, Seydel & Sneed, LLP.

Highlights of the evening included a performance by 26-time Grammy award-winning singer and songwriter Alison Krauss, Union Station Musician Dan Tyminski and a special musical performance by 10 year-old Lily Anderson who was diagnosed with Stage 4 Neuroblastoma, a rare form of childhood cancer. Guests enjoyed a VIP cocktail reception and dinner by Wolfgang Puck, featuring organic and sustainably farmed cuisine and a stellar live and silent auction including one-of-a-kind trips and eco-luxury.

The foundation also presented their national “Superhero for Earth Awards” given to individuals who help inform the public about eco education, sustainability and being responsible stewards of the environment. Dr. Sylvia Earle, dubbed “the Sturgeon General” received the CPF Exemplar her world-renowned oceanography work. Animal Planet star and environmentalist Jeff Corwin received the Super Hero for Earth Award for his conservation efforts of endangered species and ecosystems around the globe. Eco-Activist and Student Leader Eric Estroff received the Captain Planet Young Hero for the Earth Award for his leadership with the Green Schools Alliance Student Climate and Conservation Congress and Green Cup Challenge. The Captain Planet Green School Award was awarded to Arabia Mountain High School for creating great stewards of our next generation.

For more information about the Captain Planet Foundation, please visit: www.captainplanetfdn.org.

About the Captain Planet Foundation

Based on the critically-acclaimed cartoon series, Captain Planet and the Planeteers, the Captain Planet Foundation (CPF) was co-founded in 1991 by Ted Turner and Barbara Pyle. The mission of CPF is to promote and support high-quality educational programs that enable children and youth to understand and appreciate the world through learning experiences that engage them in active, hands-on projects to improve the environment in their schools and communities. CPF is committed to making a global impact with a history of over 3,000 projects throughout the United States and around the world. For more information on the Foundation, call 404-522-4270 or visit www.captainplanetfdn.org.

# # #

Download Atlanta Magazine article “Bringing in the Green”

Before they were accepted into the program, the students wrote an essay about the regional issues that interest them most. This essay is one of the most heavily weighted parts of the application process. Students who were accepted were divided into four committees Environment and Land Use, Community Services, Transportation and Air Quality and Communications and Public Involvement. In their committees they researched issues of interest to them and then proposed two resolutions to address a problem or improve quality of life. At their final meeting they presented their resolutions to the entire MARC class, who then voted on the resolutions. The students then returned to MARC at the agency’s regular board meeting where they presented their resolutions to the Commissions board.

With support from CPF the Future Scientists were able to engage in the Tremont Neighborhood Urban Ecology Project, located on 2,250-square feet in an urban recreational park called Clark Field in Tremont, Ohio. Students were introduced to diverse plant communities, they constructed a rain garden, created maps of the project site, assisted in the removal of invasive species as well as conducting a complete biotic assessment of the existing landscape throughout four seasons.

Another key goal of this project was to involve the community. It is important that this project contribute to the education, not only of the Future Scientists, but of the community and casual observer as well. By working closely with the Chair of Friends of Clark Field neighborhood group, community members were able to get involved in the planting and maintenance as well.