Raissa Kirk
Vice Chair, Public Service
rvkirk@verizon.net

Update: Public Service Earth Force ABA
The Section’s Public Service Task Force and In-House Counsel Committee initiated a novel partnership between the ABA and national environmental education group, Earth Force to implement a watershed assessment /environmental civics curriculum in certain underserved city schools, utilizing lawyer mentors. ABA members are working at a number of sites across the country to bring Earth Force’s Project GREEN—The Global Rivers Environmental Education Network—to local schools. To date, we have established local mentoring programs in several public elementary and middle schools in Indianapolis and Baltimore together with local environmental group partners, such as Hoosier River Watch. An important focus for the In House Counsel Committee this past year has been continuing our pilot project with Earth Force in Indianapolis, and exploring potential projects in West Palm Beach, Houston, and Denver. To learn more about GREEN, visit their website at http://www.green.org/.

In May 2005, several attorney mentors attended an Earth Force Youth Summit at the Denver Zoo to explore mentoring possibilities for an upcoming school year. The Section has been collaborating with the Washington DC Capital Region of Earth Force to offer volunteer opportunities to SEER members, such as water sampling events in middle schools in the Fall of 2005. Several Washington, DC SEER attorneys have also signed up to participate in a teacher training program in December 2005. In West Palm Beach, we have had several meetings and discussions with Earth Force’s Pine Jog branch and are hoping to roll out a slightly different pilot program in Spring 2006 working with Florida Atlantic University students in a 2-year program, whereby college students are trained to work with high school students using an Earth Force curriculum. Additionally, the Section is now recruiting members to work with Earth Force in Chicago and to that end has sent a Fall 2005 memorandum targeted to SEER members in that area.

In order to expand this program, we have worked with the Section’s outside funding specialist. He is currently seeking $123,500 in outside funding. We plan on initiating an aggressive co-funding effort through law firms and companies to try to match or exceed that amount. In addition, Earth Force and ABA are cooperating on a national proposal to EPA for the ABA Earth Force collaboration to sites in Indianapolis, Palm Beach, Washington, DC and Houston. Our objective is to expand the Earth Force program to a series of school venues throughout the U.S. If you are interested in getting involved either as a mentor or otherwise providing support to these existing or pilot projects, please contact Raissa Kirk at rvkirk@verizon.net.