Mojave Environmental Education Consortium

06/03/2026

🎉 Congratulations to Helendale Elementary School on the completion of Phase 1 of their Hydroponic Waterfall Project!

This innovative project was made possible in part through funding from MEEC, supported by grants secured by teacher Jason Dokie. We are proud to see educators and students bringing hands-on STEM and environmental learning to life in such a creative and impactful way.

We’re excited to see what comes next as this inspiring project continues into its future phases. Stay tuned! 🌱💧

02/25/2026

Get ready to harness the power of the sun and put your creativity, engineering, and culinary skills to the test at the MEEC Solar Oven Cook-Off Competition on Saturday, May 16! 🌞👩‍🍳👨‍🔬

Student teams will design and build solar ovens, then compete to see whose creation can cook the best using only solar energy. It’s hands-on, standards-aligned learning that brings renewable energy and real-world problem solving to life!

📅 Registration Deadline: March 20
🚍 Transportation Grants Available! We’re offering transportation grants to help get your teams to the event at Helendale Community Park—so don’t let travel costs stop you from participating.

Spots fill quickly, so gather your team and register today! https://meeconline.com/for-teachers/solar-oven-cookoff/

02/24/2026

🌎✨ Celebrate Environmental Excellence with MEEC! ✨🌎

MEEC is proud to recognize the incredible students and educators who are making a lasting impact on environmental education and stewardship in our community!

🏆 Teacher of the Year Award – Honoring an outstanding educator who goes above and beyond to inspire environmental responsibility and hands-on learning in their students.

🌿 Environmental Visionary Student Award – Celebrating students who demonstrate exceptional leadership in environmental education activities and make meaningful contributions to their school or community through conservation efforts.

🎓 $3,000 Scholarships (5 Available!) – Awarded to graduating high school seniors planning to major in environmental science or engineering. MEEC will award a total of $15,000 in scholarships to support the next generation of environmental leaders.

📅 Application Deadline: March 13, 2026

Don’t miss the opportunity to recognize an outstanding educator or student — or to apply for one of MEEC’s environmental scholarships!

For nomination forms and scholarship applications, visit: https://meeconline.com/for-teachers/scholarships-and-grants/

Let’s continue building a community committed to environmental literacy and stewardship. 🌱💚

Student Environmental Visionary Awards MEEC is proud to announce its annual Student Environmental Visionary Awards. MEEC will recognize students for their outstanding contributions to environmental stewardship and awareness on Read More »

02/24/2026

MEET MEEC PLATINUM SPONSOR Vulcan Materials Company , a member of the Fortune 500, operates primarily in the United States and is the nation’s largest supplier of construction aggregates (predominantly crushed stone, sand and gravel) and a major producer of aggregates-intensive downstream products such as asphalt mix and ready-mixed concrete. They provide the basic materials for the infrastructure needed to maintain and expand the U.S. economy. Delivered by trucks, ships, barges, and trains, their products are indispensable materials for building homes, offices, places of worship, schools, hospitals, and factories, as well as vital infrastructure, including highways, bridges, roads, ports and harbors, water systems, campuses, dams, airports, and rail networks. They do it all by utilizing 100% of diesel used in our California operations was renewable diesel! Vulcan recycled 2.1 million tons of asphalt pavement and 1.7 million tons of concrete in 2024 and increased renewable electricity to 13% of total electricity use (data points from 2024) .

01/28/2026

Free Trees for Earth Week!
This spring, Mojave Desert RCD is excited to partner with Neighborhood Forest’s 17th Annual Free Tree Program—our second year participating! Together, we’re helping kids and families plant trees and grow a greener future.

How to participate:
• Register a child to receive a FREE tree
• Purchase a tree (Buy One, Fund One!)
• Donate — $5 helps put a tree in a child’s hands

Register here: https://www.neighborhoodforest.org/registration-services/?school=98091

Registration open now–March 15

Trees arrive around Earth Day (April 22)
Species announced in early April (native and/or fruit-bearing)

Let’s get as many seedlings into our community as possible this year!
Questions? Contact Adrianna Holguin at [email protected]

Learn more at www.neighborhoodforest.org

Trees for Kids! We give free trees to kids every Earth Day.

12/18/2025

12/18/2025

MEEC will be awarding five scholarships for the 2025-2026 academic year. Graduating high school seniors attending high school within MEEC’s boundaries are encouraged to apply.

MEEC’s boundaries consist of the High Desert portion of San Bernardino County, the Palo Verde Valley of Riverside County and the High Desert region of North Los Angeles County, including the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale.

Scholarships will be awarded to five eligible graduating high school seniors in the amount of $3,000 each. Recipient must attend a high school located within MEEC’s boundaries as described above. To be eligible students must declare a major in Environmental Science, Environmental Engineering, or other closely related Science or Engineering field.

Applicants are required to provide the following:
1. A completed application form - https://forms.gle/tXyeAiHf9cjca5FA9
2. Transcripts and SAT/ACT scores (unofficial copies accepted and as applicable)
3. 1000 word personal essay on – “My Career Goals and Why I would like a Career in the Environmental Science, or Engineering field ”
4. Applications must be received digitally no later than 11:59 PM, on March 6, 2026.

12/18/2025

SEEKING STUDNT NOMINATIONS- MEEC will recognize students for their outstanding contributions to environmental stewardship and awareness on their campus and in their communities.

Five students from grades K-5 will be the awarded the Jr. Visionary Award and receive a $120 VISA Gift Card

Five students from grades 6-12 will be honored with our Environmental Visionary Award and receive 4 tickets to the Living Desert in Palm Desert, one-night hotel accommodations, and $200 VISA gifts cards to help offset the cost of fuel and food for the trip.

Each winner will also be invited to attend our annual awards banquet which will be held on Thursday, April 23rd at 6 PM at The Hilton Garden Inn in Victorville.

To this end, we are soliciting your nomination for the next Environmental Visionary. The nomination can come from either a principal or teacher. When selecting your student nominee, the nominator must take into consideration the work that the student has done in leadership toward environmental issues and stewardship. The following stipulations will serve as a guide for assisting you in the nomination process:

The student must attend school within MEEC boundaries. MEEC’s boundaries consist of the High Desert portion of San Bernardino County, the Palo Verde Valley of Riverside County and the High Desert region of North Los Angeles County, including the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale.
The student will be nominated by a teacher or principal from his/her school.
The student nominee must have spent a minimum of 12 hours in conservation and environmental education activities.
The student has educated peer students, school employees or community in environmental issues or conservation.
The student must have above average academic standing (>2.0 GPA for secondary, and the equivalent for primary grades).
The student must display leadership qualities, possess good character and a good reputation among peers, and not be a disciplinary problem.



Please take the time to complete the online nomination form available at: https://forms.gle/V9U3tum38ZK2saEf8

Deadline for entries is 11:59 PM March 6, 2026

Thank you for your time and consideration in this request, and we look forward to receiving your nomination.

Please keep the following in mind when selecting your student nominee, the nominator must take into consideration the work that the student has done in leadership toward environmental issues and stewardship. The following stipulations will serve as a guide for assisting you in the nomination process...

12/18/2025

MEEC is proud to once again sponsor its annual MEEC “Teacher of the Year” Awards for the 2025-2026 School Year. Three winners will be selected to receive this prestigious honor: one” Teacher of the Year” winner, who will receive $1000 in prizes and two MEEC “Teachers of Excellence” recipients, who will each receive $600 in prizes.

To this end, we are soliciting nominations from principals, teachers, parents or community members of an exceptional teacher from your school that you feel would be most worthy of this prestigious recognition. Please take the time to formulate a letter describing your nominee and their contributions to environmental education with their students and on their campus.

Nomination letters must be a minimum of 500 words and include specific examples of how the teacher is implementing environmental education with their students on campus and the impact that theses projects/lessons have had on the students/community. The teacher must teach within MEEC boundaries. MEEC’s boundaries consist of the High Desert portion of San Bernardino County, the Palo Verde Valley of Riverside County and the High Desert region of North Los Angeles County, including the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale. A sample nomination letter is included with this email.

We are looking for a teacher who :

Makes continuous and lasting contributions to environmental education.
Demonstrates capacity for creating and implementing successful environmental activities.
Shows creative approaches.
Promotes individual and societal environmental responsibility, and encourages youth to make informed decisions about current and relevant environmental issues.

Nomination letters can be submitted at: https://forms.gle/YFs9XDxMsZaZsDL99

Deadline for entries is 11:59 PM, March 6, 2026