Rainwater Environmental Alliance for Learning (REAL) School Gardens, a program that works with 57 urban elementary schools in north Texas, received a $50,000 grant from the Motorola Foundation to fund a yearlong project focusing on alternative energy education in third- through sixth-grade classrooms.
The grant will allow about 920 students, along with instructors and local experts, to conduct experiments outdoors with the goal of powering the school gardens’ water pumps with wind and solar energy. REAL School Gardens hopes the new project will help children understand renewable energy locally, as well as globally.
The grant was part of the Motorola Foundation’s Generation Innovation effort, which is geared toward educational programs in science, technology, engineering and math. REAL School Gardens works with more than 40,000 children and 2,300 educators to provide hands-on learning about nature. Read more at the REAL School Gardens website.