One of the main goals of Blue Moon Rising Center for Sustainable Education (BMR) is to become a certified Maryland Green Center. As a Green Center we would provide programming to local schools and organizations geared toward environmental education and sustainability. Members of BMR recently attended the MAEOE conference held in Ocean City which provided an opportunity to network with those in the Green Schools movement and attend presentations of innovative programs being utilized by schools throughout the state.
Following the presentations several organizations contacted us directly to collaborate further in the process of developing programming specific to our facilities. The Alice Ferguson Foundation was particularly interested in development of classroom projects centered around the innovative energy systems we have on site, and the data that could be utilized in lesson plans. They are in the process of building a net zero facility on the eastern shore and the programming we develop could then be taken to other facilities to proliferate education on solar and renewable energy sources.
As we are a newly emerging Green Center the technologies utilized on site provide students with a glimpse of an alternative energy future. These systems also are highly interactive and will give students concrete data to analyze in a classroom setting prior to visiting the site to see the panels in action or rather passive collection. To aid in the development of the programming follow up sessions held at the Appalachian Lab in Frostburg provided a welcomed jumping off point. These meetings set the ground work for collaboration with BMR to eventually become a provider of continuing education for teachers related to Maryland
