Rock 'n Renew Ecology and Conservation Programs
(FUNDED BY YOUR SUPPORT)

Each project in our programing series links a private school, a public school, a local conservation site, and local businesses to foster mentoring programs, internships, and appreciation of our precious natural resources. We cannot properly educate students on how to protect the planet without providing them a direct relationship to nature. With this in mind, the Rock 'n Renew Ecology and Conservation Programs provide students with hands-on education in conservation and ecological respect. In each community, we foster direct partnerships with organizations and corporations that have access to protected land, and we take students into areas with stunning and dynamic eco-systems that many of them have never encountered.

POWER SHIFT: Washington DC

The Power Shift 2007 conference brought together over 5,000 college students from around the country to legislate for change and make environmental issues a priority in Washington. Participants were inspired by a wide array of speakers, including Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and environmental leaders like Van Jones, Bill McKibben, Judy Bonds, and Billy Parish. Students attended two days of intensive workshops, including a very popular one by Rock ‘n Renew founder Jonny Dubowsky on “The Power of Art and Music in the Classroom.” The conference ended with a lobby day on Capitol Hill in which students visited their senators and representatives and encouraged Congress to pass important climate legislation. After meeting with hundreds of students and activists at the conference, Rock ‘n Renew went away extremely impressed by the ambitious range of initiatives taking place on college campuses all over the nation. .

Global Gallery Exchange

Rock 'n Renew brings visual artists from individual communities together to create pieces based on the premise of sustainability. Alongside individual art pieces is a community-built sculpture of found and discarded materials.

The Rock 'n Renew Ecology Center

The Rock ‘n Renew Ecology Center, located in Bayonne, New Jersey, turns the outdoor environment into a living classroom where students acquire scientific knowledge, life skills, and a deep appreciation for the beauty and potential of our natural world. The Rock ‘n Renew Ecology Center includes a diverse organic garden, a stage for intimate music performances and cultural events, and landscape elements designed to provide a natural oasis in the midst of a busy urban area. To see how your school can be involved, contact us at info@rocknrenew.com. The Ecology Center’s organic garden is a model for sustainable agriculture while teaching botany, ecology, and environmental science to students through direct interaction and hands-on learning. In accordance with the goals of the Rock ‘n Renew Foundation, the Center will also educate youth about their role in safeguarding our natural resources and protecting the planet from harm. Areas of interdisciplinary study are adjusted for each grade level and include: Botany Ecology Environmental Science Watershed Restoration Gardening Sustainable Farming and Farm Management Alternative Energy Recycling Composting Art and Music Projects For Installation and Performance Small Business Management Landscape Architecture Sculpture Installation (Advanced) Pottery (Advanced) Event Programming Civics The 1st major project at the ecology center is our Rain Garden. At schools in NYC, N.j, L.a, and Hawai’i, students are currently working with Rock ‘n Renew on building their own rain gardens as part of our 10,000 Rain Garden Initiative.
"Leave No Child Inside." -Oakley Thorne (Thorne Ecological Institute)

Rain Garden Plantings Begin!