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Issue 78, Spring 2006

Green Teacher is published quarterly in September, December, March and June.Subscriptions: Canada-Cdn$28.04 plus $1.96 GST/$4.21 HST; USA-US$28; all others Cdn$45/US$38 surface, Cdn $50/US$42 air mail

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A Permaculture School Gardenby Patrick Praetorius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . /6

Ethics in Action: Adopting an Environmental Practiceby John P. Engel and Daniel Sturgis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ./11

Leaving ‘Leave No Trace’ Behind: Towards a Holistic Land Use Ethicby David Moskowitz and Darcy Ottey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . /16

Designing a Sustainable Industrial Parkby Robert A. Sweeney and Phyllis A. Sweeney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . /20

Tank Tips: A Freshwater Aquarium in the Classroomby Rebecca Holcombe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . /26

Reading the Landscapeby Janice Schnake Greene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . /30

Habitat House Huntby Kristin Mack-Hammer and Janice Denney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . /33

Field Trips: The Good, Bad and Uglyby Lisa Woolf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . /36

Glorious Weeds!by Jack Greene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . /39

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

Announcements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . /4

Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . /43

Summer Institutes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . /46

GREEN TEACHER 78

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EDITORS’ NOTES

RECENTLY, COPIES OF THE French-language edition of our Teaching About Climate Change book have been selling like des petits pains chauds at teachers’ conferences in Canada.

Naturally, we would like to believe this is entirely due to the outstanding contribution the book makes to the topic, but we know its popularity also reflects the fact that there are a limited number of environmental educa-tion resources available in French. “Have you got anything in French?” is a refrain we’ve heard over and over again during the 16 years we’ve been publishing Green Teacher. In a similar vein, we are often asked if we publish Green Teacher in Spanish. We invariably have to express our regret and then scratch our heads to try to think of similar Spanish-language resources for teachers. There is clearly a need for “green” education resources in North America’s other two (official and unofficial) languages. In the United States, many educators work almost exclusively with Hispanic children, either in the classroom or in extracurricular programs. In Canada, French is the first language of instruction in more than 4,000 public schools, and more than half of all English-speaking students are enrolled in French immersion or French language programs. Yet most environmental educa-tion resources produced in North America are available in English only. With the assistance of our multilingual readership, we’re hoping to make a small dent in this language barrier. We would like to add two new sections to our website — “Green Teacher en español” and “Green Teacher en français” — where visitors can download a selection of Green Teacher articles and learning activities that have been translated into Spanish and French. The service will be free, and we hope that over time the collection will grow to become a well-used and useful resource, not only for North American educators but also for teachers in French- and Spanish-speaking countries around the world. To launch the project, we are seeking the assistance of volunteer translators who can write fluently in French or Spanish and would like to translate a favorite article or an article on a favorite topic from Green Teacher. We would also like to hear from volunteers with desktop publishing skills who would be willing to create an attractive page design for one or more translated articles. We invite you to contact us if you can assist us in either of these ways, and to share this invitation with others who might be interested. Our collection of articles and activities in French and Spanish will be only a small contribution to a larger educational goal, which is that young people around the globe have opportunities to develop the knowl-edge and skills of active environmental citizenship. Achieving that goal will require intercultural cooperation and mutual support — hundreds of small initiatives of sharing, translation, and adaptation by which we acknowledge our interdependence and recognize that the Earth speaks the same language to us all. We hope that “Green Teacher en español” and “Green Teacher en français” will be positive, small steps along that road.

— Tim Grant and Gail Littlejohn, Editors

Note to subscribers

This issue of Green Teacher is the first to follow the Fall 2005 issue. With work on our Teaching Green book series drawing to a close, we expect to resume a regular quarterly publishing schedule in 2006. To find out how many issues remain on your subscription, check the issue number that precedes your name on the mailing label.

Issue 78, Spring 2006Office95 Robert St., Toronto, ON M5S 2K5, CanadaPhone: (416) 960-1244 Fax: (416) 925-3474E-mail: [email protected]: www.greenteacher.comU.S. mailing address: PO Box 452, Niagara Falls, NY 14304-0452

General EditorsTim Grant, Gail Littlejohn

Regional Editors

Bob AdamsonJanet BarlowAnn CoffeySteve DanielSusan HawkinsTina JoryColleen MartinRemy RoddenAli SammelIan WaughCraig White

Kim BaileyTim BrownCynthia CarlisleShelene CodnerAnna Gahl ColeBob CoulterAnne DiMontiLaura Downey-SkochdopoleJoyce GottronFrancine HutchinsonSue LeBeauEmily LinNalani McCutcheonRosalyn McKeown-IceYvonne MeichtryCathy MeyerKaren RileyKaren SchedlerSusie ShieldsMary Lou SmithPhillip SmithSteve SpurgerCatherine StephensonCatherine TullyJoe WallaceKay WilliamsErica ZimmermanDennis YockersBob Zuber

Board of DirectorsJudith Benson (SK), Pat Clarke (BC), Cam Collyer (Ont.), Tim Grant (Ont.), Gail Littlejohn (Ont.), Monika Thoma-Petit (Qué.), Della Webster (NB)

Design and ProductionCover illustration by James Paterson; cover design by Michael Kelley; printing by General Printers, Oshawa, Ontario, on chlorine-free 100% recycled paper with 30% post-consumer waste. Circulation: 7,100 copies.

Green Teacher is indexed in the Canadian Periodical Index, the Canadian Education Index, and ERIC.

Green Teacher is an incorporated non-profit organization. This issue is supported in part by the International Development Research Centre. Mailing costs in Canada are supported by the Government of Canada through the Publications Assistance Program.

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Editorial AssistantLisa Newman


ANNOUNCEMENTS

EE conference in GeorgiaThe Environmental Education Alliance of Georgia’s annual conference takes

place March 17-19 in Norcross. The confer-

ence theme is “Green with EE: the Art, Science, and Busi-ness of Environ-mental Education,” with keynotes by

Brian Day, Tony Mills, and Ken Voorhis

among the expected highlights. Full registration costs $210-$235. Visit <www.eealliance.org> or call Walter Lane at (770) 784-3059 for more information.

Pennsylvania EE conferenceLigonier is the location and March 24-26 the dates of this year’s Pennsylvania Alliance for EE conference. Keynotes by author Jean Craighead George and eco-entertainer David Stokes are among the expected highlights. Full registration (including meals and ac-commodation) ranges from $320 to $360. Visit <www.paee.org> or con-tact Ruth Roperti at (724) 843-7046.

Connecticut EE conferenceThe one-day annual conference of the Connecticut Outdoor and Environ-mental Education Association takes place March 31 in Hamden. This year’s theme is “No Child Left Inside.” Among the expected highlights are a keynote by author Richard Louv and

presentations on how to get more people in-volved in nature programs and environmental education. The

$85 registration fee includes lunch. Contact Jeff Greig at (860) 713-6854 or visit <www.coeea.org>.

EECO conference in Ohio“Tomorrow’s Reality in Environmental Education” is the theme of the annualconference of the Environmental Education Council of Ohio taking place April 7-9 in suburban Cleveland. Keynote speakers include Bob Kobet, Elaine Marsh, and Jeffery Reutter. Registration costs $155-$215. Visit <www.eeco-online.org> or contact Da-vid Wright at (216) 321-5935 x 233.

Sustainability symposium in QuébecFrom April 7-9 in Chelsea, the EYES Project will host a symposium on “Education for Sustainability: From Professional Development to Societal Transformation.” This event will engage up to 50 participants in dis-cussing how to enhance sustainability education in their teaching practice.The $120 registration fee includes meals and tent accommodation. Visit <www.eyesproject.com> or call (819) 827-5119.

Education tours in AlbertaAlberta’s Inside Education is offeringthe following all-expense-paid tours for educators: Pre-Service Forest Education Tour, April 7-9; Forest Education Tour, May 5-7; Electricity Education Tour, April 28-30; and Bow River Education Tour, May 26-28. For more information, call (780) 421-1497 or visit <www.insideeducation.ca>.

National EE Week in the U.S.Now in its second year, U.S. National Environmental Education Week runs from April 16 to 22. It is intended to enhance Earth Day and engage millions of students, young and old, in environmental learning in schools, nature centers, zoos, etc. To find out more, visit <www.EEweek.org> or contact the Na-tional Environmental Education Training Foundation at (202) 628-8200.

EE Expo in Arkansas“The Nature of Economy and the Economy of Nature” is the theme of the Arkansas Environmental Education Association’s annual EE Expo planned for April 20-21 at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith. It will feature members of the team that rediscovered the ivory-billed woodpecker. Visit <www.aeea.us/Eeexpo06> or call (479) 638-7151 for details.

Bateman contest in CanadaApril 22 is the deadline for submis-

sions to the annual Robert

Bateman Writing and Art Contest. “Get to Know Your Wild Neighbours” is this year’s theme. Prizes will be awarded to winners in each of the following grade level groupings: K-4, 5-7, 8-10, and 11-12. For details, visit <www.gettoknow.ca> or call (877) 599-5777.

EE conference in CaliforniaThe California Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education’s statewide conference on “Environ-mental Education: From Words to Action” will take place April 28-30 in Malibu. The conference will feature author Richard Louv as the keynote speaker and more than 60 workshops. Registration (including meals and accommodation) costs $125. Visit <www.aeoe.org> or contact Kris Pamintuan at (909) 744-4484 for details.

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Canadian Network for Environmen-tal Education and Communication (EECOM): Annual conference October 19-22 near Halifax, Nova Scotia. Visit <www.eecom.org> for details.

New York State Outdoor Education Association: Annual conference October 19-22 east of Buffalo. Visit <www.nysoea.org> for details.

Sustainability Symposium in BCVoices of Sustainability:

A Symposium for Educators will

take place April 28-30 on Keats Island (one hour north of Vancouver). Participants will learn how to apply sustainability education in their lives and teaching. The $150 registration fee includes meals and accommodation. Visit <www.seatosky.bc.ca> or call Sea to Sky School for Sustainability Educa-tion at (604) 886-2258.

Colorado EE conferenceThe annual Teaching OUTSIDE theBox Conference of the Colorado Alliance for EE will take place April 28-30 near Winter Park. The theme this year is “Creative Uses of Nature in Education.” Over 50 sessions will address EE trends and techniques, natural history, outdoor skills, stewardship, arts, cultural history, and EE research. Jared Polis and James Elder are the featured speakers. Full registration costs $95-$205. Visit <www.caee.org> or call (303) 273-9527 for more information.

Illinois EE conferenceThe Environmental Education Association of Illinois will hold their conference May 4-6 at Pere Marquette State Park in Grafton. The theme of this gathering of formal and non-formal educators is “Getting Back in the Flow: A Confluence of EE Ideas.” Michael Wiant is the key-note speaker. Registration (including meals) costs $80-$110. Visit <www.eeai.net> or call Paula Edger at (217) 641-4555.

OSEE conference in Ontario“Environmental Education: Gateway to the Future” will be the theme of the annual conference of the Ontario Society for Environmental Education taking place May 6-7 at Paradise Lake north of Waterloo. Featured speakers will include Bill Andrews, Steve Bowers, and Cameron Smith. Full registration costs $160 before April 10, and $185 after. For more information, visit <www.osee.org> or contact Dave Arthur at (519) 579-3097.

Florida EE conference“The Learning of the Green” is the theme of this year’s conference of the League for Environmental Educators in Florida, which takes place May 17-19 in Bradenton. A keynote presentation by wildlife photographer John Moran is an expected highlight. Registration costs $85. For more details, visit <http://leeflet.brinkster.net/> or contact Peggy Hill at (941) 747-0943.

Looking ahead...New England Environmental Education Association: Annual confer-ence September

29-October 1, in West Greenwich, Rhode Island. Visit <www.rieea.org> for details.

Council of Outdoor Educators of Ontario: Annual conference, September 29-October 1, just north of Toronto. Visit <www.coeo.org> for details.

North American Association for Environmental Education: Annual conference October 10-14 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Visit <www.naaee.org> for details.

2006 Summer Institutes for EducatorsDeadlines are approaching! See pages 46–47 for information on more than 30 summer institutes taking place across Canada and the United States.



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by Patrick Praetorius

THE GREAT LAW OF THE Iroquois Confederacy states that “we must consider the impact of our deci-sions on the next seven generations.” This law speaks

to the importance of considering how our actions affect the natural world and in what condition we will leave the world to our descendents. Proponents of permaculture are substan-tially motivated by the same goal. In today’s world of depleted natural resources, species extinction, and other widespread damage to the environment, we must look for ways to lessen our impact on the Earth. Permaculture is a design methodology that seeks to do this through the obser-vation and mimicking of patterns and relationships found in nature. It can be described as a way of living in harmony with the rest of nature by designing landscapes and human habitats based on principles of ecology. Lee Barnes, former editor of Permaculture Connections writes, “Permaculture is the use of ecology as the basis for designing integrated sys-tems of food production, housing, appropriate technology, and community development. Permaculture is built upon an ethic of caring for the Earth and interacting with the envi-ronment in mutually beneficial ways.” Whether applied to food production, land stewardship, urban planning, or social and economic structures, perma-culture is based on a set of principles for working in harmony with natural systems. At Oak Grove School in Ojai, Cali-fornia, faculty and staff decided to follow those principles

in their school gardening projects. They felt that if students could experience permaculture practices first hand, they would develop a greater awareness of the subtlety of nature and learn the values of resourcefulness, stewardship, and sustainability. Examples follow of the application of perma-culture principles in the creation of Oak Grove School’s gardens, pond, straw bale greenhouse, and seating area. It is hoped that these ideas with inspire other educators to incorporate principles of permaculture in their own school-yard “greening” projects.

Principle 1: Work with nature, not against itWorking with nature requires looking at what nature is already doing successfully and planning components that will work in conjunction with it. This takes careful observa-tion, as nature’s ways are often subtle. In creating a perma-culture garden, for example, important considerations are the environmental conditions of the site and the selection of plants. Consider the following: What is the weather like? How much sunlight does the area receive? How’s the soil? What will grow here? Rather than choosing plants you would like to have and then trying to alter the conditions to meet those preferences, look at the natural conditions and select plants that are suited to that environment. Especially interesting are native plants that have played fascinating roles in the human civilization of an area.

A Permaculture School GardenApplying the principles of permaculture in schoolyard projects reinforces values of

resourcefulness, stewardship, and sustainability

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The climate of Ojai is mostly dry and sunny, and we planted herbs, squash, beans, peas, citrus trees, and many other species of plants that thrive easily in these conditions. The Chumash Indians, who have occupied the area for centuries, used many of these plants for food and medicine. In keep-ing with the principle of working with nature, we also chose as a garden site an area with a gentle south-facing slope so that we could take advantage of maximum sunlight and natural soil drainage.

Principle 2: Get the most gain from the least effortThe first step in successful permaculture is a well thought-out design. This principle could be paraphrased “Think twice, lift once!” — a variation on the carpenter’s rule of “Measure twice, cut once.” Anyone who has ever worked a farm or garden can ap-preciate the importance of getting as much work as possible out of every action. In designing a garden, for example, consider how much care a plant needs and how often its leaves or fruits will be harvested. Plants that will be attended to most often should be planted in the most ac-cessible locations, while those with slower growth patterns or fewer needs can be planted further away. Consider whether one garden building might serve more than one purpose. For ex-ample, a greenhouse can make an excellent classroom. Are inexpensive materials available and close at hand? In building a straw bale greenhouse, we needed to coat the walls with layers of mud; at the same time, we knew that we wanted a pond in the garden. We decided to dig soil from an area about 5 meters (15 feet) south of the green-house site, so that while obtaining dirt for the greenhouse walls we were also excavating for a pond. The goal of getting the most gain from the least effort often gives rise to creative ideas that not only reduce work

but also save money and resources. For example, a greenhouse might be built as an extension of an existing structure, with the two buildings sharing a wall (one less wall to build and pay for!). We plan to grow grapevines up fruit trees. This will save the money, materials, time, and labor needed to build trellises.

Principle 3: Seek energy efficiency and use natural materials In permaculture, we seek

energy efficiency (which is also economic efficiency) as much as possible. In addition, we seek to use natural materi-als whenever possible. These two goals reflect the fundamen-tal motivation for permaculture: the need to live in harmony with nature. In keeping with this principle, we decided to build a straw bale greenhouse at Oak Grove. Straw bale con-struction is affordable, and therefore realistic for widespread use; the materials are renewable and environmentally benign; and it produces a well-insulated, energy-efficient structure.

Since the climate in Ojai is generally mild through-out the year, we chose a passive rather than an active climate control system, which meant that we had no need for a cooling or heating system. This required careful design to take advantage of winter light and to limit summer heat, as well as to ensure good air circulation. To provide heat in winter, we have considered having chick-ens roost in the green-house! To reduce summer heat, the glazed windows can be shaded during the hottest time of day. Another example of

efficient design at Oak Grove is an automatic drip irrigation system. The system required an initial investment of money and labor, but these inputs are more than balanced by sav-ings in water and in time spent watering. A drip irrigation system keeps the soil moist rather than flooding it, and so prevents erosion. By setting the system on a timer, we en-sure that water isn’t wasted in accidental overflows. A timer also makes it convenient for the garden to be watered in the early morning, when loss through evaporation is minimal.

Working with nature: native and other drought-tolerant plants on a south-facing slope.

Getting the most from the least effort: A straw bale greenhouse doubles as a classroom and workshop where students raise seedlings and study plant biology.


Principle 4: Make use of the edge effectIn ecology, the “edge effect” is the tendency for boundary areas where two ecosystems come together to have a greater diversity of plants and animals than either of the adjacent ecosystems. Making use of the edge effect in designing natu-ral areas promotes the biodiversity that is necessary for a self-sustaining system. One way to take advantage of the edge effect in a schoolyard is to create a pond. A pond invites an abundance of life, from the smallest microbes and insects to fish, amphibians, and birds. All of these organ-isms contribute to the garden, whether by reducing pests, nourishing the soil through their waste, or pollinating plants. Encouraging such diversity is thus a means of ensuring that elements in the garden make functional connections that are mutually beneficial. At Oak Grove, we created a pond with an amorphous shape rather than one that is geometrically perfect. With many points jutting out and coves going in, the edge of the pond is a varied and hospitable environment where life can flourish. Similarly, the variety of depths in the pond invites a diversity of plant and animal species to co-exist. The pond is also a great outdoor science project. It provides a living demonstration of several different natural processes —

photosynthesis, the food chain, and the water cycle — and students are fascinated by the microbial life of the pond.

Principle 5: Plan for beneficial relationshipsIt is not enough to have a diversity of life in the garden. Stability occurs only when these diverse organisms have beneficial relationships. Under these circumstances, a balance can

emerge such that different elements both enhance and regu-late each other. With this in mind, we are creating a forest garden. The garden consists of a variety of plants — trees, vines, small shrubs, and herbaceous annuals and perennials — grown together so that they serve the needs, and accept the products, of one another. Trees create shady microcli-mates for plants that enjoy partial shade. They also provide habitat for predators that keep rodent populations in check. Nitrogen-fixing annuals grow between rows of fruit trees, increasing the fertility of the soil. Umbelliferous plants such as carrot, dill, and fennel host insect predators, and marigolds naturally repel certain types of nematodes. Perennials are used to create natural borders and pathways, as well as to provide food. We use native species as much as possible, not only be-cause they grow more easily than non-natives do, but also to contribute to the natural self-regulation of the environment.

Permaculture is based on a set of principles for working in harmony

with natural systems.

Left of pond habitats, while aquatic plants oxygenate the water and provide cover for mosquito fish and frogs.


Principle 6: Take advantage of cyclic opportunityClosely related to prin-ciple #5, the principle of cyclic opportunity states that cyclic events increase the yield of a system by retaining energy and nutrients within the system. In a typical garden where lawn trimmings, branch-es, and other excess plant mate-rial are neatly bagged up and hauled away, all of the nutrients and energy in those materials are removed from the system. The eventual result: barren soil that cannot support plant growth without the application of chemical fertiliz-ers. Similarly, when pesticides are used to control insects, many natural cycles are interrupted. Pollination and plant yields are reduced because beneficial insects are eliminated along with pest species; and animals that eat insects become scarce, so that when the pests return (as is inevitable) there are fewer natural predators to help keep them in check. The result: further reductions in yield and increased need for

pesticides. In both of these exam-ples, disruptions of natural cycles

result in a loss of nutrients and energy from the system and

a greater need for inputs from outside the system. In contrast, when energy and nutrients are cycled locally, the result is a resilient, self-sustaining natural web. In the Oak Grove School garden, plants produce food for humans, and food

scraps and other excess plant materials go to the

compost bin. In the com-post bin, the plants’ energy is

used by decomposing organ-isms that break down the plants

into reusable elements while pro-ducing their own rich wastes. The nu-

trient-rich compost is returned to the soil where it nourishes plant growth and supports a

diversity of beneficial soil organisms. The pond is a habi-tat for frogs and other animals that eat herbivorous “pest” insects, and is a source of nutrient-rich water for irrigating crops. By taking advantage of natural cycles such as these, permaculture seeks to create “closed loops” of nutrients and energy in the garden, thereby reducing reliance on outside sources and lessening the burden placed on outside sources for waste disposal.

A straw bale greenhouse needs “good boots and a good hat.” The foundation is made of ce-ment blocks fitted with rebar. The straw bales are then poked down on to the rebar, staggered, in the pattern of a brick wall. Then the straw bales are wrapped with chicken wire, which helps the mud stick to the walls. Before mudding, a timber frame is built around the walls to add stability to the structure. Mudding the walls is labor intensive, but it is simple enough that everyone can get involved. We had children as young as five slathering it on! At least three lay-ers of mud (soil with added sand and cement) should be applied to new structures, and, over the years, it is a good idea to occa-sionally add a new layer. The process takes time and is ongoing, but the payoff is that the building is very well insulated and will last until you knock it down (and if you do knock it down, the remnants are harmless to the environment). Besides keeping the inside dry, the roof should also channel

water away from the building. We chose a slanted shed roof made of clear, corrugated fiberglass so that water would flow toward a rain catchment system into bar-rels and into a French drain, which diverts water into the pond. While a project like this can be expensive, it is often possible to scrounge free materials from local construction companies and businesses. Families, too, are usually more than happy to do-nate supplies left over from home renovations. If the cost of glass is prohibitive, consider asking for do-nations from a local glass company and then designing and building

your greenhouse to fit it. You will likely find that many principles of permaculture make good economic sense. For example, the natural materials used in building a straw bale greenhouse are not only biodegradable but also cheap (straw) or free (mud). Making use of materials that are at hand locally not only saves money, but also conserves the resources that would otherwise be required to produce, package, and ship new materials.

Building a Straw Bale Greenhouse

Turn problems into solutions: ‘Weeds’ and overzealous aquatic plants are harvested and placed around fruit trees as mulch.


Principle 7: See problems as potential solutionsThis principle is more about our attitude toward our work than about the work itself. If we look upon each resource in the garden as offering either an advantage or a disadvantage, depending on the use we make of it, then our challenge lies in discovering the potential benefits of each resource. We bemoan the insects and weeds as the “enemies” of our garden, but they serve a purpose too. Insects provide food for small animals, and their wastes and remains nourish the soil. At Oak Grove, we pick soft weeds before they go to seed and use them as mulch around other plants, thereby making them part of the cycle. We have planted lawn chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) in open areas to inhibit the growth of less controllable weeds. Similarly, weed-barrier plants such as lemongrass, comfrey, and arrowroot can be planted around the edges of a garden to stop the spread of invasive grasses (when they get too big, cut them back and use them for mulching). The task in permaculture is to design components so that the garden can flourish even with the challenges posed by insects, weeds, and other “enemies.” By selecting a diversity of plant species and placing them in such a way that each serves the needs and accepts the products of others, we work with nature to create a strong and resilient system. Permaculture challenges our traditional measure of what a healthy garden looks like: neat, well weeded rows of segre-gated species. To take advantage of the balance of nature, we must mimic her, and that means overlapping and over-growing plant species, and allowing natural cycles, including death and decomposition, to be fully present.

Principle 8: Take care of peopleOur needs for food, shelter, education, work, play, and social interactions must be met if we are to be healthy. Therefore, our permaculture garden is more than a food production area. It is a welcoming place where people can gather to

talk, play, observe, meditate, and work in a pleasant environment. Since we are a school, we felt it was important to create an outdoor classroom that would fit into the natural surroundings and be an inviting space. We chose a spot under a tree

on one end of the garden with a good view. Rather than building up, we went down. We dug out an area that is about 60 cm (2 feet) deep at the back end, but, since it is on a slope, levels out to about 20 cm (8 inches) at the front, creat-ing a horseshoe shape. The back end is lined with dirt-filled grain bags covered with plaster. These are layered like coils on a clay pot to create a circular seating area for resting and instruction. The front end opens to the garden. This outdoor classroom illustrates several principles of permaculture. First, by building into the ground, we worked with nature, not against it, in the sense that we created a smaller visual impact on the landscape. Second, we used natural materials, thereby limiting the environmental impact of the project in both the production and eventual disposal of those materials. Third, by taking advantage of the natural slope, we got the most gain from the least effort. In essence, half the work was done for us. The principles of permaculture are closely interrelated and all are based on the idea that we human beings need to change how we interact with our environment. Our ecologi-cal footprint grows bigger every day, and much of what we call progress is harmful to the environment. When we use the principles of permaculture as the basis for design deci-sions, we act and progress with nature. Doing so reminds us that we, too, are part of nature, and since we cannot survive outside of it, it behooves us to act in harmony with it.

Patrick Praetorius is an educator, writer, and permaculture enthusiast living in Ojai, California.

Resource

Mollison, Bill. Introduction to Permaculture. Australia: Tagari Publications, 1991.

When energy and nutrients are cycled locally, the result is a resilient,

self-sustaining natural web.

Left: Outdoor seating area made of natural materials. Right: Young students show off their lettuce harvest.


by John P. Engel and Daniel Sturgis

ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS ARE THE ROOT of environmental education and ground the promise that we can restore and maintain a healthy balance

between humans and all other life, including Earth’s livingsystems. Yet, while environmental ethics courses often address theories of our duty to the natural world, they are less eloquent on the question of what motivates people to act and why people fail to act. Our students frequently say that they feel overwhelmed by their sense of environmental crisis and that they perceive their own actions as insignifi-cant, a feeling that causes apathy and inaction. Many envi-ronmentalists interpret this inaction as humanity’s inherent selfishness or shortsightedness. We reject this fatalistic worldview. Instead, we choose to believe that inaction often stems from the simple fact that, feeling overwhelmed, students do not know where to start. We have created an experiential assignment that allows college students to explore these questions of motivation and at the same time enhances their motivation to act. Because the question of

motivation applies to all ages, and the answers that the students discover are personal ones, the assignment would be appropriate for K–12 students as well.

MethodsIn this assignment, students are asked to modify a currenthabit and/or adopt some regular action that they think willimprove the health of their environment or the Earth. We have run the assignment for different periods, ranging froma few weeks to several months. The assignment has two purposes. First, it encourages students to reflect on the relationship between their habits and their values and allows them to discover how easily they can adopt an action that they believe will improve the health of the Earth. Second, by showing them the effectiveness of their actions, the assign-ment demonstrates to students that they personally can make a difference. In the first part of the assignment, students complete a handout that asks them to outline and clarify their proposed project. In their proposals, students describe what the action is, how often they will do it, what makes it “environmental,”

Ethics in Action:Adopting an

Environmental Practice

When challenged to align their behavior with their

environmental ethics, students learn how easy it is to change

an old habit or adopt a new one.

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and why it will lead to an improvement. These proposals are not graded, nor do we evaluate them on the basis of whether we agree that the project would improve the Earth; rather, we read them only to make sure that each student has a project that is practicable and can be documented. In this way, we try to create a safe learning environment for healthy risk-taking and experimentation. Projects might involve actions that seem diametrically opposed to the health of the environment. As troubling as it might be to have a student adopt the practice of regularly litter-ing (this did happen once), the student might learn just as much from this practice as from half-heartedly adopting a practice of picking up litter. Our hands-off approach to judging the value of the action is not based on a belief that ethics are relative or subjective. Rather, we believe that it is important for the students to choose their own prac-tice so that they become aware of obstacles that challenge their motivation or ability to act upon their own ideas. We look for clarity and specificity in a proposal. Some students will propose a variety of practices, all of which might be good for the Earth but would be difficult to track. We ask them to pick one action to track for the project. We also look for actions that are performed regularly (a few times per week). For the purposes of the assignment, we encourage students to change some action that they do fre-quently, rather than aim for a few environmental acts, even if they are significant. Students typically choose practices such as recycling, composting, walking to class instead of driving,taking shorter showers, or becoming vegetarian. Some practices (e.g., composting) are more appropriate when the assignment runs over a longer period of time. In their proposals, students are also asked to identify various ways of documenting their practice. First, we ask

them to identify some means of keeping track of what

they experience or learn. For example, how will they document their roommates’ (or siblings’/parents’) reactions to their new behavior? Typically,

this involves a journal.

Second, we ask students to identify some means of keeping track of their success or failure in adhering to their practice. Some students who have adopted a practice of reducing toilet flushes (“if it’s yellow, let it mellow”) have placed a chart above their toilet to record how many times they flush it. We also ask them to come up with some quantitative measures for the project. For example, if the project is recycling paper, how many pounds of paper did they recycle? In addition, we ask them to speculate about and quantify some sort of

secondary benefit, some public good resulting from their action. For example, pounds of recycled paper translate into saved trees; walking instead of driving to class reduces carbon emissions. The students might need to do some preliminary research to identify a secondary benefit associated with their action and will usually need to conduct

additional research later in order to quantify it. Identifying measurable secondary benefits might involve some creativity. For example, a project to spend ten minutes a day meditat-ing in a natural setting could yield a measure of kilowatts of electricity saved by not watching television. Finally, we ask students to speculate about some ways in which they could depict the project visually or graphi-cally. For example, a student who practices picking up trash three times a week for ten minutes could photograph the area before and after each visit. The student could also pro-duce a graph that measures the amount of trash found at the spot each week. In approving the proposals, we are not concerned with whether students will adhere to the chosen practice as long as they are willing to record their failure. For example, some students adopt the practice of using only recyclable food containers, and to a certain degree most fail to adhere to this practice. Nonetheless, the project fulfills the purposes of the assignment since students can easily track the number of times they used a non-recyclable container, as well as the experience of trying to adopt this practice. Similarly, a student who fails to reduce his showering time to five min-utes still could complete the assignment if he accurately records the time he spent in the shower. Moreover, an ambi-tious project for one student might not be so for another student. One student reported that a project to turn off the water while he shaved was “torture,” but another student had significant success in a project to purchase nothing but essential food (and to buy only organic and unpackaged foods). We sometimes encounter students who have trouble

thinking of a practice to adopt because they “do so much already.” Some brainstorming usually generates at

least a few possibilities. One question we ask these students is whether they are thinking of improving the health of the Earth only in terms of reducing the negative effect they have on it. We suggest

that they consider taking on a project in which

Students typically learn something about how their actions affect and are affected

by people around them. By changing what they normally do, they expose

themselves to examination by others.


their regular actions address the effects that oth-ers have as well. A student might, for example, adopt the practice of asking another person to ride the bus with her each day. Once we have provided approval and feedback on the proposals, the students begin to put them into prac-tice. Some projects will require that the students gather baseline data. For example, students who want to shorten shower time by 50 percent will first need to determine the cur-rent duration of their showers. While most practices take place outside of the classroom, we allow some class time for students to discuss their projects with each other. We ask them to discuss how the project iscoming along, what challenges they are encountering, and what they are finding interesting about it.

ReportingNear the end of the period of their practice, we give the students a handout to guide them in writing up their reflections on the project (see sidebar). We encourage them to answer the questions in a format that they find comfortable. Some students narrate their experience of the practice, others write a standard essay, while some write

scientific papers — posing a hy-pothetical question and then using the practice as a sort of experiment to test the hypothesis. We evaluate these reflections for completeness (rather than success) and for the student’s ability to translate the experiment into some graphical illustration. A student who accurate-ly documents his or her inability to take shorter showers would receive a better grade than a student who records “great success” but supplies no data to corroborate it.

ResultsStudents generally report that they like the environmental practice

assignment. Many find it surprising that they were actually asked to “do

something” (as opposed to just think about it) in a college course. At the

middle school or high school level, this project could provide parents and teachers

with a rich context for engaging students in deeper discussions about both action and

inaction and the greater impact of each on other people and the Earth. Even students who are unsuccessful in achieving their desired results often enjoy both the practical aspect and the self-reflective aspect of the assignment. Most discover

Part A: Write a five- to seven-page essay that addresses the following questions:

1. What was your environmental practice?

2. What did you think you would learn:• about the environment?• about yourself?• about other people?

3. What ways did you set up to track your practice?• Qualitative• Quantitative

4. How successful were you in maintaining your practice?

5. To what extent did you fail? Why?

6. What were the results?• Qualitative• Quantitative

7. What measurable secondary benefits can you derive? (For example, if you recycled cans, how many pounds of aluminum did you save? How much electricity does that save?) Be sure to cite your sources.

8. From your practice, what did you learn:• about the environment?• about yourself?• about other people?

9. What difference would your practice make:• if 5 people adopted your project?• if 1,000 people adopted your project?• if 1,000,000 people adopted your project?

10. Discuss how your practice relates to two of the readings from the semester.

11. Does your practice primarily affect environmental values that you have already formed, or does it encourage evolu-tion of new environmental values? Explain.

12. What other similar practices could you adopt that are consistent with this practice?

13. What changes do you now plan to make to your life (if any) in regard to your environmental habits?

Part B: Append a chart of your quantitative results and some pictorial representation, such as illustrations or photos that you created in order to track your project.

Guidelines for Environmental Practice Paper


something enjoyable about the practice. One student who had previously commuted 45 minutes by car to class each way found that her hour-long bus ride provided more time to study and was less stressful than the drive. Likewise, a high school student who chose to commute to school by bike rather than by car could experience the fitness benefits of biking. Most students discover a complex and interesting set of factors that affect their motivation and actions. They learn about a variety of obstacles that arise between their beliefs and their actions. For example, how often do they simply forget to bring their own bags to the gro-cery store? How often do they absentmindedly throw paper in the trash rather than into the recycling bin? What do they do when they remember? Students also learn what sorts of reasons they use to excuse themselves from their practice. If their project is to reduce their water usage, what happens when their family and friends start commenting on their hygiene? Many students notice that they afford a different degree of justification to these excuses at the time they make them than they do later upon reflection. Moreover, students typically learn something about how their actions affect and are affected by people around them.

They find that while their habits are personal, they are also very much the result of social forces.

By changing what they normally do, students expose themselves to examination by others. A passerby asked a student picking up trash what she did to deserve (court-ordered) community service. One student who brought veggie burgers to his fraternity barbecue was chastised for being a hippie. Frequently, students who start some sort of recycling project are frustrated when their roommate, sibling, or parent puts recyclables in a trashcan next to the recycling bin. Of course, not all the interactions students

have with other people because of their projects are negative. Many students’ friends and roommates join in the practice, sometimes becoming the real leaders in the project. This en-ables students to recognize the powerful influence of modeling and that the greatest effect of their project may be motivating others, by example, to examine

and change their own behavior. Many students realize that if others adopted their practice as well, a tangible effect on the environment would result. They see that their project was easy and would be easy for others. Many students also report feeling less overwhelmed by their sense of environmental crisis. Some write that rather than convincing themselves that their project could make a difference, simply doing something, however small, made them feel less overwhelmed. Although every project is minuscule and the students know this, taking some action relieves the stress caused by inaction. Having a weekly opportunity to talk openly about their project experience, students are able to share their frustrations and successes. This creates a sense of “we are all in this together” and encourages mutual support. One way we guide this discus-sion is by asking students to consider not only the obstacles but also the pathways to their desired actions. Additionally, students are asked to reflect deeply to discern which obstacles and pathways are part of their external environ-ment (e.g., “my school does not have a recycling program”) and which stem from their own internal beliefs (e.g., “my actions don’t matter anyway”). This awareness that obstacles and pathways to success have both internal origins (in oneself) and external origins (in others) is one of the most exciting and promising outcomes of the project. Students consistently report that with this shift in awareness, they are far more motivated to take action and to share publicly their action and beliefs about the environment. In connecting their practice with some of the course

readings, most students easily see how one of the assigned authors could endorse their practice.

Assigned readings from Peter Singer’s Animal Liberation are frequently cited in support of

altering eating practices. Readings from Hunter and Amory Lovins’ Natural Capitalism are referenced for those projects that saved the students money. Most frequently, students refer to Hope’s Edge, by Frances Moore Lappe and Anna Lappe. In this wonderful book (part narrative, part

The awareness that obstacles and pathways to success have both internal origins (in oneself) and external origins

(in others) is one of the most exciting and promising outcomes of the project.


philosophical theory, part recipe book), the authors argue that various “thought traps” shape the way we perceive the world and are responsible for our creation of hunger, poverty, and environmental devastation. For example, if we believe that people are inherently selfish, then we will believe that solutions involving community are prone to be less successful. If we face a scarcity of food, then the risks of biotechnology will seem more justifiable. The book provides case studies that counter these thought traps, just as students’ project experiences often provide personal coun-terexamples. For example, students sometimes receive help that is given freely and not out of calculated self-interest. Moreover, a project such as composting can demonstrate the principle that abundance can be found in apparent waste. Although the results are personal, the students see how eas-ily they are applicable to other people. The readings we have mentioned would be accessible to middle and high school students. Nonetheless, we do not think that teachers need to incorporate any advanced materi-als into their curriculum for this assignment to be effective in a K–12 setting. The primary benefits of the assignment are personal awareness that results from self-reflection, and learning about the values of one’s social environment. For most students, the connection to the readings is probably the least interesting aspect of their reflection papers and the personal experiences and interactions the most interesting. This assignment has motivated us, as instructors, to experiment with new practices. We see that so many actions are simply the result of habit and not choice; and when we see the success of our students in changing these habits, it encourages our own actions. Indeed, selecting an environ-mental practice of our own to change (and sharing it with the students) can be a great way of earning credibility with students. Students see that environmental ethics require walking the talk and that their instructors run up against the same challenges that they do. We have offered this assignment for three years, and former students sometimes tell us that they are still practic-ing their project. Some have taken on new practices as well. One student who quit driving for the semester reported not having driven for two years since. Another student who once ate red meat three times a day is still practicing vegetarian-ism. Another who had nearly completed his undergraduate degree in environmental studies reported that the project allowed him finally to align his academic learning about the environment and his day-to-day lifestyle in a way that left him feeling passionate rather than fearful about his future environmental work. The exciting thing for us is not that we have converted students to a particular way of life (many students adopt practices that we might not believe are morally optimal), but that we have helped our students to see what sorts of obstacles they are likely to encounter in effecting change and have given students a demonstration of their ability to take positive action.

John P. Engel teaches in the Department of EnvironmentalStudies at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, and advises graduate students at Prescott College in Prescott, Arizona. Daniel Sturgis teaches in the Departments of Philosophy and Environmental Studies at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado.


http://www.royalroads.ca/ste

by David Moskowitz and Darcy Ottey

IF YOU ASKED AN ECOLOGIST whether it is possible for humans to “leave no trace” on their environment, he or she would probably chuckle. Nothing lives on this

planet without affecting its environment. From subsistence hunter-gatherers to modern western scientists, people have always encountered this truth. Yet in recent years, many outdoor educators, land managers, and recreationists have embraced a set of land use principles known as Leave No Trace. These principles emphasize ways for people visiting wilderness areas to minimize their impact on these areas. However, the central message of Leave No Trace — the notion that it is possible to live in the natural world without leaving a trace — is critically flawed. First, it conflicts with fundamental principles of ecology. Second, it encourages wilderness visitors to view the natural world as an environment in which humans do not belong, disconnecting them from the landscape. Third, the Leave No Trace principles do not address larger environmental issues and day-to-day patterns of behavior. By encouraging people

to examine their actions only while they are in wild areas, the principles fail to help people understand the connec-tion between their actions at home and the preservation of the wild places they seek to visit. These are fundamental shortcomings during a critical time in humanity’s evolving relationship with the natural world. The attitudes and principles of behavior that students learn during camping and traveling in wild areas should be

applicable to their everyday lives as well. They should increase students’ awareness that they are part of the natural world. They should help them to make educated, responsible decisions, and encourage them to take actions that have a positive impact on both wild and developed environments. In the following, we review the origin of the Leave No Trace movement, provide a critique

of its overarching principles, and propose a new set of land-use guidelines that are based on the concept of “Con-scious Impact Living.” These guidelines build on many of the Leave No Trace principles, but go further in helping students to connect with the natural world and to see their actions within a larger ecological context.

Leaving ‘Leave No Trace’ BehindTowards a Holistic Land Use Ethic

It’s as if we ask students who visit the wilderness to live, eat,

travel, and play inside a museum, constantly reminding them not to

upset the fragile displays.

Don

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History of Leave No TraceThe Leave No Trace movement developed in response to the deterioration of wilderness areas resulting from increasing numbers of visitors during the 1970s and 1980s. As more and more recreationists took to wild spaces, land managersgrew concerned about emerging problems such as litter, pollution of water sources, and disturbances of wildlife. They tried a variety of regulatory approaches to address these problems, eventually coining the phrase “Leave No Trace” to describe the guidelines and regulations they developed for behavior in wild areas. Recognizing that guidelines would be ineffective without public education, the U.S. Forest Service partnered with the National Outdoor Leader-ship School to develop educational curricula, training courses, and a variety of programs to support the goal of “leaving no trace” in wild areas. Leave No Trace, at its core, consists of guidelines for traveling through and camping in the back-country. They are summarized in the following seven principles:

1. Plan ahead and prepare.2. Travel and camp on durable surfaces.3. Dispose of waste properly (“Pack it in, pack it out”).4. Leave what you find.5. Minimize campfire impacts.6. Respect wildlife.7. Be considerate of other visitors.

These simple principles are applicable or adaptable to outdoor activities in any landscape, and they have been largely embraced by outdoor education institutions, guide services, land managers, and individual wilderness recre-ationists.1 And indeed, the Leave No Trace principles are very helpful in maintaining pristine wilderness environments. As Outward Bound instructors working in fragile alpine areas, we have seen the destructive effects of overuse and poor management of mountain environments and the abilityof Leave No Trace principles to mitigate these effects. For example, if most of the thousands of summer visitors to wilderness areas were to leave their garbage behind — as was not uncommon 25 or 30 years ago — these areas would quickly be covered in waste. The “Pack it in, pack it out” guideline helps to ensure waste disposal and to preserve the undisturbed appearance of wild lands.

Limitations of Leave No TraceThe benefits of the Leave No Trace principles are not without cost, however. As educators, we teach as much about the nat-ural world and environmental ethics through what we do not say as through what we do say.2 Because the Leave No Trace guidelines ignore basic principles of ecology and are limited in scope, they can engender an inaccurate worldview. The

idea that it is possible for us to leave no trace on our environ-ment stems from a worldview in which humans are utterly disconnected from their natural surroundings. It is similar to believing that garbage disappears once the big truck picks it up, that human waste goes away when it is flushed down the toilet, and that milk comes from the dairy section of the supermarket. Rather than perpetuating this myth, we need to

teach about land use in a manner that allows students to see wild lands in a holistic context, recog-

nizing that everything within an ecosystem leaves a trace on the larger whole.

On an individual level, the Leave No Trace message can perpetuate students’ sense of being disconnected from the natural world. As envi-ronmental educators, we strive to illuminate the complex relationship between people and their environ-ment, and encourage students to develop personal connections with the natural world. Yet one research-er found that the Leave No Trace program taught on Outward Bound

courses actually led students to feel disconnected from their environment.3

Educator and Outward Bound instructor Greg Weiss agrees: “The next time you

watch someone give a ‘Leave No Trace’ talk, put yourself in a novice’s shoes and see

how often it sounds like ‘we humans are bad, don’t touch that, don’t pick that up, and we need to tip-

toe around the woods because we don’t really belong here.’”4 Students exposed to Leave No Trace principles often have a sense that everything they do “out there” is destructive and that it might be better never to go into natural environments. It’s as if we ask students who visit the wilderness to live, eat, travel, and play inside a museum, constantly reminding them not to upset the fragile displays. Finally, Leave No Trace education is silent and blind in regard to systemic environmental issues. It focuses mainly on the visual and immediate impacts on the landscape resulting from certain behaviors. For example, dealing with waste properly involves repackaging food items before we go into the wild and packing out whatever we pack in. By these actions, we avoid creating the visual blight of litter and waste strewn on the landscape. But what happens to the dozens of plastic bags that we bring back with us? Have the producers of our powdered milk, dried meats, and instant rice been respectful of wildlife and “left no trace” on their landscape? On wilderness trips at high altitudes, on rivers, or in winter, proper disposal of human waste may involve packing it out. But it still has to go somewhere. Do our sewage systems leave no trace on our rivers and estuaries? Does a plastic bag filled with feces and gelling chemicals break down in a landfill? Often these questions are avoided by educators, land managers, and recreationists; they are certainly absent in the seven principles of Leave No Trace. Right action by people traveling in wild places will not in and of itself preserve these places. Right action by people in their daily lives can, and that means addressing larger environmental issues.

Tim

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Toward Conscious Impact LivingWe must mitigate our impact on wild lands, and Leave No Trace principles help wilder-ness travelers do this. However, educators seeking to draw con-nections and foster transferable learning need more effective, comprehensive, and accurate ways to frame our relationship with the natural world. We want to reduce our impact on wilderness areas in direct and immediate ways, but we also want to help our students develop a connection to the land and an understanding of their place in it. We believe that an alternative approach, one based on ecological principles of interconnection and interdependence, could teach to all of these goals: keeping wild lands wild and untrammeled, fostering an understanding of the interde-pendence between humans and the rest of the natural world, and improving urban and rural environments in which the human hand has already had a significant impact. Humans always have and always will leave traces on their environment, as all living beings do. We have no choice in this. However, we do have a choice in determining what our impact will be. As educa-tors, we can help students become aware of their impact and give them tools to make choices that mitigate the destruction and support the integrity of landscapes and natural systems. Kroka Expeditions in Vermont uses the phrase “conscious impact living” to describe a broader vision of the ways in which students might learn to interact with the land around them. The notion of Conscious Impact Living allows educa-tors to address the immediate land management goals of the Leave No Trace program and at the same time to place students’ experience within a larger, more holistic context.

Seven principles of Conscious Impact LivingWe propose the following principles as an example of a holistic land use ethic that promotes “Conscious Impact Living.” They can be used in teaching people to minimize or optimize their impact, not only on excursions to wild areas but also in their daily lives in developed environments.

Live simply: Consider the difference between wants and needs, and reduce unnecessary uses of resources. Travel in wild places can help clarify what is essential and what is not.

Think globally and plan ahead: Explore the potential consequences of your choices, both for yourself and for the world around you, and make educated choices that maximize positive consequences and minimize negative ones. For instance, when planning meals for a backcountry trip, consider where and how different foods are produced and strive to purchase whole foods that are local, organic, and have minimal packaging. By also doing such planning in your day-to-day life, you can avoid making unsustainable spontaneous purchases. For example, with a little forward planning you can pack a lunch of local, organic foods, rather than needing to purchase packaging-rich fast food when lunchtime comes. (This principle can include Leave No Trace guidelines for planning ahead and preparing.)

Follow the precautionary principle: The precautionaryprinciple states that if the consequences of an action are unknown, but hold the

potential for grave or irreversible damage, then it is better to act as if the risks will come to pass. Similarly, if an action will likely help but we cannot prove that it will (and the consequences of inaction appear to be dire), it is better to act than to wait for indisputable proof. For example, many disagree about when, or even if, oil production will end. The consequences of being unprepared are likely to be dire, while the consequences of investing in alternative forms of energy could be highly beneficial. The precautionary principle suggests that we should invest in alternative energy sources and reduce oil dependence in order to stave off the potentially grave consequences of running out of oil. Precautionary thinking can help us minimize our impact on the areas we travel through. For example, considering where we place our feet may help to protect fragile plant life with which we’re unfamiliar. In the same vein, if as a society we could avoid embracing the latest technology until we understand its far-reaching and long-term costs, we might avoid problems such as environmental contamination and the exploitation of workers in countries where the products are produced, and at the same time enjoy the benefit of lessening our dependence on technology for comfort and survival.5 (This principle can include Leave No Trace guidelines for planning ahead and preparing.)

The notion of Conscious Impact Living allows educators to address the land

management goals of the Leave No Trace program and at the same time to place students’ experience within a larger,

more holistic context.S

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Reduce, reuse, recycle, relearn: Minimize waste through reducing what you use, reusing what you can, and recycling what you can no longer use. Relearn traditional methods of conserving, such as mending and repairing items that are broken rather than replacing them. (This principle can include the Leave No Trace guidelines for disposing of waste properly.)

Follow nature’s lead and blend into your surroundings: Seek to make your shelter, travel, and other activities blend into the environment and to work with natural systems rather then fight against them. For example, set up your tent in a place where you will not disturb wildlife or sensitive plant communities, such as on a large flat rock rather than next to water or on vegetation; and use the topography of the landscape to protect yourself from inclement weather. In the same fashion, construct or adapt your house so that it keeps you comfortable by working with the environment, such as by passively capturing solar heat through south-facing windows. While traveling in wilderness areas, use gear and clothing with earth tones that reduce your visual impact on the landscape for other human users while at the same time allowing you to blend in and perhaps enjoy seeing more wildlife. In either the wilderness or the city, choose clothing, building materials, and household and school supplies that are made of sustainably harvested, renewable materials. A grey wool sweater from the thrift shop might meet your needs just as well as a brand new fleece jacket made from petroleum in a factory halfway across the world. (This principle can include the Leave No Trace guidelines for respecting wildlife, being considerate of other visitors, and traveling and camping on durable surfaces.)

Use appropriate technology and use technology appropriately: Seek to use situation-appropriate fuel sources for cooking, heating, lighting, and transportation. Seek technologies that support rather then destroy the integrity of wild places and natural systems. In some areas, making fires from wood that you find lying about might have little or no impact on the immediate area and, on a global level, prove better than using a stove that runs on petroleum. In other areas, such as at high altitudes, the natural environment may not be able to support the use of fires. At home, consider using a bicycle or public transportation rather than a personal automobile. (This principle can include Leave No Trace guidelines for minimizing the impact of campfires.)

Show respect and compassion for all forms of life: Approach all living things with respect, compassion, gratitude, and awareness that each plays a part within the whole. By recognizing that humans are only one small part of the world, dependent on the myriad natural systems and

life forms of the planet, we can act in large and small ways with gratitude and concern, remaining humble and aware of our place in the world. (This principle can include Leave No Trace guidelines for leaving what you find, respecting wildlife, and being considerate of other visitors.)

These principles of Conscious Impact Living accurately reflect principles of ecology. They also help to foster a sense of interconnection by encouraging students to explore how they have affected (and

would like to affect) the world around them. This naturally links their behavior in the wilderness to their lives back home. For example, the solution to waste is no longer simply to carry it out of the backcountry; rather, the goal becomes the minimization and proper disposal of waste both in their wilderness travels and in their daily lives. Ultimately we do not want students to seek only to minimize their destruction or strive to have no impact at all on their environment. Instead, we want our students to make positive impacts on the world around them, in both wild and developed places. Let us leave “Leave No Trace” to decom-pose along with many other good ideas that have served their purpose — and explore ways to integrate this ethic into more holistic ways of teaching about our relationship to the natural world. Future generations are depending on it.

David Moskowitz holds a B.A. degree in Environmental Studies and Outdoor Adventure Education from Prescott College. He has worked for numerous outdoor skills and environmental education organizations, including Outward Bound, and is an active member of a number of environ-mental advocacy groups. He currently lives in western Washington and teaches for the Wilderness Awareness School. Darcy Ottey has worked as an instructor and administrator in a number of outdoor and environmental education programs, including Outward Bound and Rite of Passage Journeys. She received an M.A. degree in Environ-ment & Community from Antioch University Seattle. She currently lives in Washington and works for Outward Bound.

Notes

1. Jeffrey L. Marion, and Scott E. Reid, “Development of the U.S. Leave No Trace Program: An Historical Perspective,” 2001, on-line January 6, 2006, at <http://www.lnt.org/about/history.html>.

2. David W. Orr, Earth In Mind: On Education, Environment, and the Human Prospect, Washington DC: Island Press, 1994.

3. Rebecca L. Lemburg, “The Integration Of Environmental Education And Wilderness-Based Adventure Programs,” unpublished masters thesis, Prescott College, 1997.

4. Greg Weiss, “Leave No Trace Versus the Environment,” Outward Bound International Newsletter. June 2003, p. 5, on-line January 6, 2006, <http://www.outward-bound.org/docs/newsletter/2003-06.pdf>.

5. Thanks to Turner, Pearce, & Bateman, Environmental Economics. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993, and Jerry Mander, In the Absence of the Sacred, San Fransisco: Sierra Club Books, 1991, for the ideas in this section.

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by Robert A. Sweeney and Phyllis A. Sweeney

WHILE MOST EDUCATORS WOULD AGREE that societies should work towards achieving sustainable development, there are few classroom

exercises that help students better understand how that goal can be promoted. The following team exercise attempts to demonstrate how sustainable development can be achieved in designing an industrial park. The activity addresses concepts of recycling, energy and resource conservation, and renewable energy. It could be incorporated into science, geography, or social studies from upper elementary grades through high school. Since many communities are contem-plating industrial parks to bolster their tax base and promote employment, this is not an abstract lesson. Further, the set-ting could be modified to reflect the economic activities of your area. For example, the proposed park site could be an abandoned mill or former military base, and the candidate companies could be manufacturers in your region. The activ-ity also could be enriched by involving representatives from regional planning agencies, chambers of commerce, and manufacturing companies as resource people and advisors.

OverviewIn this exercise, students work in teams to incorporate sus-tainable development practices in the design of a fictitious industrial park. They are presented with simplified descrip-tions of the operations and environmental impacts of various manufacturers who are interested in building a plant in the new park. Together, the candidate companies require more land than is available on the site. Therefore, students must choose which companies to include, based on the raw ma-terials (including energy) the plants would use, the wastes they would generate, and other environmental impacts they would have. Students must also consider ways of generating energy on the site and of conserving natural resources in the infrastructure and operation of the park as a whole. This is a useful exercise for exposing younger children to the concepts of reuse and recycling of materials. We throw away a lot of “stuff ” because we do not have a use for it. If, however, we can use discarded materials to make useful items, what was waste acquires value. Through recy-cling we not only conserve natural resources, but also save money and energy by not having to extract and transport raw materials from other locations. The game also gives children

Designing a Sustainable

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practice in spatial thinking: they must arrange the candidate companies on the game board, but the total area of the company game pieces is greater than the space available on the board. Students in higher grades could play the game as it is presented here, or they could be asked to research and write descriptions of candidate companies based on the profiles of real companies in their region. By gathering information on local companies, students can gain a good deal of knowl-edge about the local economy and the raw materials used and effluents generated. It is important to clarify to the firms being approached that the exercise is intended to explore more efficient use of natural resources and not to criticize their existing practices. Staff at the companies, as well as at regional planning agencies, could be enrolled as advisors to the project. (Many manufacturers who have been involved in this way have reported that they benefited from the exercise. In tak-ing a closer look at their waste streams, they discovered ways of making use of materials that were previously discarded.) Students might also research actual industrial parks that have incor-porated sustain-able development planning. More enthusiastic students could be given special assignments, such as looking into alternative sources of energy to run the park. These could include capturing and using methane from an aban-doned landfill, using the wind to generate electricity, and generating low-head hydropower from the flow of the river. Students will gain more from this exercise if initially some time is spent discussing the concept of sustainable development. While sustainable development is difficult to define succinctly, a widely employed definition is the following one given in 1987 by the United Nations’ World Commission on Environment and Development: “Sustain-able development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future gen-erations to meet their own needs.”1 Sustainable development involves practices such as recycling, energy conservation, and the wise use of resources.2

MaterialsFor each team:

• 2 large sheets of paper or foam board, approximately 16” x 25” each

• marking pens, ruler, and scissors

• handouts with a description of the site and information about economics, infrastructure, and candidate compa-nies (see background information sheets, pages 23-25)

Preparation1. For each group, construct (or have the students construct) a game board to represent the industrial park, with one square inch on the board representing one acre of land. We used foam board because it is durable, but a large sheet of brown wrapping paper or flipchart paper would suffice.

On the board, draw the geo-graphical and other features of the site. (See Site Description, page 23, or create a site description that is represen-tative of your region.)

2. Use the same scale to construct game pieces representing the candidate companies. Each company piece is sized according to that company’s land require-ments (e.g., a company that requires 22 acres for its plant and operations might be represented by a rectangular piece measuring

4 inches by 51⁄2 inches, or by an odd-shaped piece that is 4-by-5 inches with a 2-square-inch extension). Eleven candidate companies are presented here, but fewer or more could be used so long as the total area required by all the companies is greater than the area of the park. This ensures that students must eliminate some plants in their configura-tion of the park.

For middle and high school classes, we recommend dividing classes into teams of four to six students, each with their own game board and company pieces. Each team then develops their own industrial park and is given the oppor-tunity to explain their choices and final placement of the companies on the board. In elementary grades, it may be

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An example of a site map and company pieces made of foam board.


more practical for the teacher to construct one large game board and have the students work together as a class.

Procedure1. Ensure that each group has a game board representing the site. Discuss the features of the site and the land needed for infrastructure such as roads and green spaces (see Site Description, page 23).

2. Provide students with game pieces representing the can-didate companies, or with materials for making their own pieces. Explain that the size of each company piece corre-sponds to the area of land the company needs for its opera-tions, and that the park site (game board) is not large enough to accommodate all of the companies.

3. Instruct the teams to read the descriptions of the candidate companies and then select what they consider to be the best combination of companies for their park. Emphasize that sustainability is more important than filling all the available plant sites. In choosing the companies to include in the park, students should be encouraged to:

• Look for opportunities to make use of discharged “wastes” as raw materials for other manufacturing facili-ties in the park. For example, the cardboard manufacturer Eco-star could use the woodchip wastes from Poplar Furniture as well as generate paper and packaging mate-rials for other park participants. More subtle applications could involve the use of waste heat from operations such as Modern Stainless in other factories.

• Consider ways to generate energy on site. For example, the abandoned landfill is a source of methane that could be used to supplement lighting and/or power methane-fueled vehicles to transport people and goods. The wind velocity at the site presents an opportunity to use wind energy to produce electricity, and the river could power a low-head hydroelectric generator.

• Consider ways to reduce the fuel consumption and green-house gas emissions associated with transportation (the average car releases about a pound of carbon dioxide for every mile driven). Examples include carpooling, trans-porting employees to and from work on fuel-efficient buses, and using electric vehicles within the park. Note that reducing the number of cars on the site saves space. Planners generally allow 50 square feet of parking lot space per car; therefore, one acre would be needed to ac-commodate about 870 cars. That does not include rooms for access roads, which need to be 18 feet wide.

• Consider means of conserving energy and natural resources through jointly operated facilities such as a central dining area and cafeteria and a waste treatment plant to serve the entire park.

The best design for the park (i.e., the companies selected and their location in the park) will depend on the objective(s) established at the start of the exercise. If the goal is to achieve sustainability with maximum employment, the final design will be different than if the primary objective is minimization of all wastes that cannot be recycled. While there is no “right answer,” students should be prepared to explain their choice of companies and their plans for incorporating sustainable practices such as generating energy on the site and conserving natural resources by constructing jointly operated facilities.

Phyllis A. Sweeney is vice president of the environmental consulting firm R.A. Sweeney & Associates. Robert A. Sweeney is the executive director of the Pisgah Forest Institute, an in-service environmental training program for K–12 educators, based at Brevard College in Brevard, North Carolina.

Notes

1. UN World Commission on Environment and Development (“Brundtland Commission”), Our Common Future, Oxford University Press, 1987.

2. A useful reference for teaching the concept of sustainable development is “The Education for Sustainable Development Toolkit” by Rosalyn McKeown. It can be downloaded free of charge at <www.esdtoolkit.org>.


http://www.esdtoolkit.org

http://www.littleguypublishing.com

Site descriptionThe industrial park site is a square parcel of land 400 acres in area, located in a valley approximately three miles west of a community of 50,000 people. The major industry in the town, which employed 3,000 people, recently closed, and its site will be converted into a park. The new industrial site is mostly flat, having only a one-degree slope to the east. The land was farmed for more than 60 years, but that activity ceased five years ago. Grasses and small trees, none of which is rare or endangered, occupy the site. An abandoned municipal landfill that received domestic waste for more than 20 years is under a 50-foot knoll on the western border of the site. The landfill site is closely monitored, and no leakage of pollutants into the groundwater has been detected. On the eastern side of the site is a railroad spur that links with a major rail system. A four-lane highway, extending from the nearby community, runs along the southern border of the proposed industrial park. The site is traversed down the middle by a gently mean-dering, 50-foot-wide river that flows from north to south. It ranges in depth from one to three feet, with two feet being the average depth. The watershed of the river lies entirely within the boundary of a national forest and is well protected against anthropogenic sources of pollution. The water within the park site is suitable for human consumption without treatment, and the groundwater at the site also is of high quality. The discharge of the waterway is approximately 500 gallons per minute. More than 10,000 gallons per minute could be withdrawn without depleting the resource. The groundwater has a year-round temperature of 41 degrees F. The prevailing winds come from the west at an average velocity of 10 mph. The floodplain of the river extends 100 feet on either side, so that the river and floodplain take up a total of about 40 acres. The roads and the railroad tracks and bedding will occupy about 15 acres. Pedestrian and bike paths will occupy another 10 acres. An additional 55 acres will be set aside for green spaces (e.g., fountains, flower gardens, trees). Together, these features will occupy 120 acres of the 400-acre site, leaving 280 acres available for the industries.

Economics and infrastructureEach candidate industry has agreed that if they are selected for the park they will contribute $1 million for up to 10 acres of land. For those who require more than 10 acres, there will be an additional charge of $200,000 per acre. The owner of the adjacent railroad has agreed to install trackage to serve the park and to absorb all the costs for doing so. In addi-

tion, the state/province has allocated $100 million for the construction of infrastructure, which includes general site development as well as bike and pedestrian paths linking the site and the community to the east. Unless suggestions are made that have an extrava-gant price tag, there should be sufficient funding to design the park.

Water and utilitiesWater use for sanitary purposes is estimated to be 40 gallons per person per shift. Additional water could be brought to the site by running a line from the nearby town, at a construction cost of $200 per foot. The charge for this water would be $0.25 per 1,000 gallons. Each plant will have to be heated and air conditioned and have ample electricity to power lights and machinery.

Wastewater treatment plantThe potential occupants of the industrial park may decide that, rather than each plant treating its own wastewater, it would be more cost-effective to partici-

pate in the design, construction, and operation of a water treatment facility that would handle all of their wastewater. This facility would require 40 acres and cost more than $40 million to construct. Operating costs would be covered by charging participants based on the quality and quantity of their effluents.

Dining facility Another jointly operated facility that could serve all the fac-tories is a central dining area. This facility would most likely operate 24 hours a day and be configured like a cafeteria, with users paying for their meals. The dining facility would require 15 acres of space.

Designing a Sustainable Industrial Park:Background information for teams


Eco-star Recycled Paper CompanyEco-star produces 80 tons per week of a variety of corrugated cardboard boxes, made from 100 tons of recycled paper, including newsprint. Employing 150 workers

during three shifts, the company needs 500 gallons of fresh water per minute to operate their proposed plant. Their water treatment operation will generate 20 tons of wet cellulose per week with a pH of 7.0 and no measurable quantity of toxics. They will make no discharges to the air or groundwater. They will require 20 acres of land for the plant.

Modern StainlessModern Stainless would pro-duce about 10,000 stainless steel knives each week and employ 75 workers in three shifts. They would burn 1,000 tons of coal per week, which would be delivered twice per year and stored on site. They would require 40,000 gallons

of water per week along with 6 tons of iron ingots, 1 ton of sulfuric acid, and several hundred pounds of other chemicals, most of which are liquid and toxic. The chemicals would be stored on the site in large tanks. The 20,000 gallons of water discharged weekly would be 10 degrees F warmer than at intake, have a pH of 3.9, and contain 1,000 ppm (approxi-mately 7,040 pounds) of iron oxides. The air discharge would have 59 ppb (approximately 100 pounds) of sulfur dioxide. The company would require 22 acres of land for their manufac-turing facilities as well as 8 additional acres for coal storage and handling.

Daggert Packaging and ShippingDaggert assembles and ships televisions, the parts for which are imported from Korea. They would employ 400 people working in three

shifts. In addition to the electronic components, they would use about 5,000 corrugated cardboard boxes each week and about 1,000 pounds of bubble wrap. They would dispose of about 4,000 pounds of cardboard and other paper per week, along with about 100 pounds of electronic components. Other than sanitary wastes, they have no water discharges. Daggert would need 10 acres for their operation, and would like to have an option to acquire 20 more acres for expansion.

Consolidated CanningConsolidated Canning is a seasonal industry that is tied to the tomato and apple production in the area. Between June and December each year, they would employ 300 workers in three shifts. Besides the fruit and vegeta-bles, they use 5,000 pounds of

sugar, 5,000 pounds of salt, 19,000 pounds of Teflon-coated cans, and 80,000 gallons of water per week. Their discharge is green or red in color, depending on what they are canning, and contains 2,000 pounds per day of readily biodegradable organic matter. The latter has a high oxygen demand as it decays. Consolidated is willing to install their own water treatment operation or to pay the costs of treating their effluent at a central facility that handles wastewater from other plants in the park. This facility requires 18 acres for canning and storage.

Poplar FurnitureThis facility would manufacture unfinished chairs, tables, beds, and cabinets from poplar trees. Each week they would bring in logs weighing a total of 100 tons. They also would use several hundred pounds of glue as well as 5,000 pounds of bubble wrap. Wastes would include about 30 tons of bark and wood chips per week. They would have no industrial wastewater or air discharges.

The plant would employ 100 staff working an eight-hour shift. The company would require 10 acres for their factory, which allows room for expansion, and 5 acres for storage.

Western Carolina Greeting CardsWestern Carolina is proposing to relocate from the neighbor-ing town and to donate their present building to a charitable institution. One major factor motivating their move is that they wish to switch to a print-ing process that involves using a higher percentage of recycled

paper and biodegradable ink. They estimate that they would use 4 tons of recycled paper and 1 ton of virgin paper per week, along with 300 pounds of biodegradable ink. They also would require about 400 pounds of corrugated boxes. Their wastes would average about 300 pounds of waste paper. This facility would require 10 acres and employ 75 people working in two eight-hour shifts five days per week.

Candidate Industrial Plants


Lindsey Panel Company This plant would produce building panels consisting of oriented strand board (OSB) sandwiching a layer of high-density recycled foam. OSB is made from chipped logs and wood wastes that are glued together in alternating patterns, or orientations. This creates a panel that is stronger than a comparably sized plywood board. The panel has an insulating rat-ing of R-37. Raw materials

required include 80,000 pounds of logs and/or wood wastes and 2,500 pounds of epoxy glue per week. The plant would use 2,500 gallons of water per week. The water effluent would be filtered to remove wood chips, which would then be recycled into panels. The plant would employ 75 people work-ing in two eight-hour shifts. This company would require six acres for their plant and another seven acres for storing logs.

Apex PharmaceuticalsApex manufactures a wide range of anti-biotics and synthetic hormones used in treating humans. Their plant would occupy 20 acres and employ 400 staff

members in three shifts operating 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Since their processes are confidential, they will not reveal the nature and quantities of their raw materials. However, they do state that they would need several thousand glass medicine bottles and hundreds of cardboard boxes per week for packaging. Their wastewater would contain trace quantities of drugs and hormones, largely from batches that fail to meet standards. They state that no living pathogenic organisms would be released since all discharges to the air and water are subject to “the latest sterilization procedures.”

United Cement This operation would make cement and ship it in a fleet of 200 cement mixers. Each week, the plant would require 5,000 tons of sand, 100,000

gallons of water, and 5,000 tons of limestone for the cement, as well as 20,000 cubic feet of natural gas to operate their kiln. The plant would release into the air roughly 12 million pounds of carbon dioxide per week and over 1,000 pounds each of sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxides. The temperature of the air discharge would exceed 1,200 F. There would be airborne dust from the sand and limestone piles, as well as

exhaust and noise from the cement trucks. The plant would employ 400 people and operate 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. The company would require 20 acres of land for the plant and material storage, and 2 acres for storing and servic-ing the cement trucks.

Anderson Cheese and Ice Cream FactoryThis 40-acre facility, which would include a visitors’ center with a store and restaurant to accommodate 300 guests, would employ 350 people working in three shifts, five days per week. The plant

would process 400,000 gallons of milk per week, obtained from local dairies, to produce the cheese and ice cream. They would use a variety of paper cartons, including two tons of corrugated boxes per week. They would need 100,000 gallons of water per week, primarily for cleaning and sanitizing their production areas. The 200,000 gallons of wastewater gener-ated each week would be slightly basic and contain high concentrations of sugars and other organic, biodegradable materials that have a high oxygen demand as they decay. The firm would construct their own wastewater treatment plant or contribute to the construction and operation of a joint facility. They would generate about 500 pounds of solid waste per week. The company is environmentally conscious. For example, they plan to use china plates, glass drinking containers, and cloth napkins in their restaurant.

Swift Truck RepairSwift would like to construct a 100-bay terminal to service 18-wheeler trucks operating 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. They estimate that they would service up to 1,000 such vehicles per week. Their raw materials

would include 350 tires, 500 pounds of grease, 2,200 gallons of coolants, and 40,000 gallons of diesel fuel per week. Their waste would consist of 350 used tires and about 6,000 gallons of mixed hydrocarbons containing a wide variety of metal shavings. They propose to send the tires to a landfill. Their preference is to pipe their liquid wastes to a centralized treat-ment facility in the industrial park, but they would reluctantly haul it by tank truck to some other site. There would be some air pollution associated with the operation of the trucks that are being serviced. This operation would require 60 acres and employ 450 people.


by Rebecca Holcombe

SOME OF MY FAVORITE HIGH SCHOOL memories are of sitting in science class watching fish. The coun-ters bordering the classroom held about 20 aquarium

tanks of different sizes, representing various freshwater habitats from all over the world. These aquatic communities included pink kissing gouramis, Mexican blind cave fish, a community tank of tetras, a three-foot-long African lungfish (who was hand fed red worms once a day), and platties and swordtails who gave birth to endless schools of tiny fry. We watched the way the fish communities interacted and changed as new fish were added or babies were born. We helped change the water, maintain filters, feed the fish, and design the “landscape” inside the tanks. The science class-room was always an interesting place to be, and the lessons I learned went far beyond science curriculum. I gained a very practical understanding of the effects of water quality and chemistry, developed a sense of ownership and responsibil-ity towards the care of our classroom, and gained skills that have enabled me to enjoy a lifelong hobby of keeping tropi-cal freshwater fish. Today, I still keep tropical fish, both at home and at school, and enjoy sharing a classroom aquarium with my students. Teachers who are interested in adding a freshwater

aquarium to their classroom will find that it offers both aesthetic appeal and the opportunity to integrate learning across many disciplines. Students may study chemistry as they learn how to test water quality, biology as they learn about the anatomy of a fish, math as they calculate how many fish can live in tanks of different sizes, and geography as they map the places in the world where their tropical fish came from. In addition to benefiting academically, students have the opportunity to learn and practice responsible behavior by helping to care for the fish and maintain the aquarium. Further, observations of the interactions of the fish provide excellent opportunities to discuss social rela-tionships and classroom dynamics. The following tips are intended to help teachers select aquarium equipment and freshwater tropical fish that are suitable for the classroom, and to link the classroom aquari-um to various subject areas of the curriculum.

Selecting a tankAquarium tanks are available in many sizes and shapes, and range from the simple and low-cost to the very elaborate. The standard small tank holds 10 gallons (38 liters), but a slightly larger tank is easier to maintain because water chemistry will not fluctuate as rapidly in a larger volume of water. A 20- to 30-gallon (75- to 115-liter) tank is usually a

Tank Tips: A Freshwater Aquarium in the ClassroomA freshwater aquarium in the classroom offers both aesthetic appeal and the opportunity

to integrate learning across many disciplines

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good size for a classroom. Be sure to select a sturdy table or stand on which to place the tank and to position it near an electrical outlet and away from direct sunlight, heaters, and air conditioners. Every tank needs a lid to keep out dust and a light for easy viewing of the fish. If you are not adding live plants, the standard fluorescent lights supplied with most aquarium hoods will be sufficient for viewing your fish. The light should be set on a timer and turned on no more than 12 hours per day, in order to mimic the natural light cycle. If you want to include live aquatic plants in the tank, you will need to purchase a much higher quality light than is typically sold at pet shops.

Filters, heaters, and air pumpsAll tropical tanks need a heater and filter, and a wide variety of these are available on the mar-ket. A filter helps to keep the tank clean, aerate the water, and maintain proper water chemistry. Most filters utilize several filtration methods: mechanical filtration, which removes solids such as dead plants and solid fish waste; chemical filtration, in which activated carbon or another medium removes organic pollutants chemically; and biological filtration, in which beneficial bacteria break down ammonia and nitrite into less harmful substances. The three most common types of filters are those that are submersed entirely in the tank, filters that hang on the back of the tank, and canister filters that are usu-ally housed in a cabinet under the tank. By far the simplest and most user-friendly for children and beginner hobbyists is the hang-on variety, as it is mechanically simple, is easy to access for cleaning, and does not require complicated tubing and plumbing. A hang-on filter also provides adequate aeration (eliminating the need for an air pump), provided that it is large enough for the tank and is properly maintained. An aquarium heater is necessary in order to maintain the water temperature in the range that most tropical fish prefer, between 76 and 80 F (24.5 to 26.5 C). A fully sub-mersible heater, rather than the kind that clips onto the top edge of the tank, is preferable, as the non-submersible variety will break if it is accidentally dropped into the tank. Air pumps and air stones add pretty bubbles but are more decorative than functional. Although air pumps can help to add oxygen to the water, I would not recommend their use in a classroom as they tend to be noisy. However, if your filter is not the hang-on variety, it may not provide

adequate surface turbulence to aerate the water and you may need an air pump.

Aquarium decorationsDesigning the “aquascape” in the tank is a fun part of setting up your classroom aquarium and a great opportunity for students to learn about the habitat needs and preferences of different fish. Generally, fish need places to hide and severalobjects or structures in the tank that help them divide the space into homes and territories. Fish placed in a brightly lit, mostly empty tank are more prone to stress and disease than fish living in a tank with plenty of structures and hid-

ing places. A favorable habitat also promotes more natural behavior, and hence provides opportunities for students to observe natural interactions in the aquarium community. Caves, rocks, plastic plants, and driftwood are all good aquarium additions. Aquatic plants, too, are beautiful and beneficial additions to an aquarium, but be sure to check the specific care requirements of any plants you are consid-ering. Two hardy, beginner-friendly live aquatic plants that will tolerate low light are Java moss (Vesicularia dubyana) and Java fern (Microsorium pteropus). Both of these plants do well when they are an-chored to a piece of driftwood (tie them on with fishing line). Be sure that all aquarium additions are non-toxic and insoluble. Many types of rocks, corals, and seashells are not appropriate for freshwater aquariums because they slowly dissolve, releasing minerals that negatively affect the water

chemistry. Granite, slate, and sandstone are generally safe for aquarium use. Aquarium decorations can be anchored in the substrate, which may be gravel or sand, one to two inches (two to five centimeters) deep. Avoid painted substrates, as the paint often flakes off over time; and avoid very large diameter gravel, as fish can become trapped in the spaces between the gravel pieces. If using sand as a substrate, purchase it from an aquarium shop and ensure that is intended for freshwater use (many shops sell sand for saltwater tanks that contains salts and minerals that will negatively affect water chemistry in a freshwater tank). Sand from a beach is not suitable since it will contain too much salt and organic material. Choosing fishThere are many species of freshwater tropical fish, and many color and form varieties within each species. The best

Observing fish behavior provides opportunity to talk about bullying, community, cooperation, and other

classroom dynamics that are reflected in the aquarium community.


choices for a classroom aquarium are peaceful community fish such as those in the tetra, gourami, danio, livebearer, and rasbora groups. The needs of most peaceful com-munity fish are similar enough that several species can live together. On the other hand, semi-aggressive or aggressive freshwater fish are more challenging to keep and greatly limit the diversity of species that can be kept in the same tank. (The websites listed at the end of this article provide in-depth information on the requirements of various species, including preferred lighting, water chemistry, and recommended tank mates.) Including students in the selection of fish will encourage them to take an active interest in your classroom aquarium. Students can research behavior, adult size, habitat needs, and other information about various species of fish. As there are hundreds of varieties, a good starting point is to make a list of the peaceful community fish that are available at your local pet shop. If you would like a larger selection of fish than is available locally, consider ordering through an on-line company, or ask your pet shop if they will make a special order for you. Be sure to purchase some livebearers (which give birth to live fry rather than laying eggs) if you want your students to watch generations of fish grow up in the tank (note that some fry will be eaten by larger fish if they are not removed and raised separately). The number and size of the fish that you can accom-modate is determined by the size of your tank. A typical aquarium can support one inch of fish per gallon of water (1 cm of fish per 1.5 liters). For example, a 20-gallon tank may contain only 17 gallons of water due to water displace-ment by gravel and decorations. These 17 gallons could support four 2-inch fish and three 3-inch fish, or any other combination that adds up to 17 inches of fish. Overstocking aquariums is a common cause of fish death, as it can lead to rapid fluctuations in water chemistry and result in dissolved oxygen levels that are too low for many types of fish. Teachers will also want to consider the origin of their fish and the environmental implications of keeping exotic fish in the classroom. While it is possible to keep some varieties of native fish in the classroom, it is usually neces-sary to obtain them from the wild as they are not commonly available commercially. In addition, many species of native

fish will grow far too large for a typical classroom aquarium and may require cooler, faster running water than it is feasible to provide. In many parts of the world, fish popula-tions are dwindling due to habitat loss, over-fishing, and water contamination, making wild collection of either native or tropical species undesirable. How-ever, more than 800 variet-ies of freshwater tropical fish are captive bred and tank raised, primarily in the U.S. and Asia. (By contrast, only 10 percent of commercially available saltwater fish are captive bred and raised, the remainder being harvested

from increasingly endangered coral reefs and other marine environments.) When purchasing fish, look for dealers who specify the origin of the fish — whether tank-raised or wild-collected, and where they are from.1 Researching and purchasing tank-raised fish provides an opportunity to talk with students about many environmental and ethical issues, including the distinction between wild and domestic animals and the ethical and environmental implications of the exotic animal trade.

Classroom aquarium challengesKeeping an aquarium has many rewards, but when deciding to add a tank to your classroom it is also important to consider the

challenges. Weekend, holiday, and summer maintenance needs to be planned, as it is very difficult to move an aquar-ium home for the holidays. During short vacations, a timer and automatic feeder can be used to turn aquarium lights on and off and to feed the fish, but the tank should be checked every five days or so to make sure the equipment is working properly. Aside from vacation care, normal tank maintenance includes changing 20 percent of the water every two weeks, monitoring water chemistry through regular water testing, and basic care and cleaning of aquarium equipment (filter, glass, etc.). Testing and charting water chemistry and per-forming routine maintenance on the tank are good opportu-nities to involve students in the care of the aquarium. Fish death is a challenge that most teachers will face at some point, and is not uncommon in the first few weeks when water chemistry is stabilizing in the tank. The mannerin which death is handled by the teacher and students will depend on the age of the children. I believe it is best to establish with students from the start that, together, you will

Tank maintenance includes changing 20 percent of water every two weeks.

Enjoyment of tropical fish in the classroom often sparks students’ interest in learning where fish live in their local community, what their habitat is like,

and how human activities might affect them.


do your best to provide a good, healthy home and care for your fish responsibly, but that some-times fish die and you will talk about it further if it happens. Fish death, although unfortunate, can provide opportunities for discuss-ing feelings and life experiences, and how we learn and grow from those experiences.

Curriculum linksOnce it is set up, a classroom aquarium can be integrated into many areas of the curriculum. Following are lesson and activity ideas for several subjects.

English literature: Read children’s stories about fish and have students write their own stories based on observations of the classroom aquarium. Clara and Asha, a story by Eric Rohmann about a little girl with an imaginary fish friend, will inspire students to think creatively about fish beyond the aquarium. Swimmy, by Leo Lionni, provides opportunity to discuss diversity, problem solving, and the value of teamwork. Fish is Fish, also by Leo Lionni, is the humorous story of a tadpole and a minnow who are born at the same time and look very much alike, but are surprised when they grow up to be different creatures with very different life experiences. What’s It Like to Be a Fish? byWendy Pfeffer is an excellent introduction to fish biology and life cycles for younger children. Math: Many mathematical calculations are involved in setting up and maintaining a classroom aquarium. For example, students can calculate how many fish can live in tanks of various sizes, calculate the volume and surface area of the aquarium, learn to read water temperature on a thermometer, and graph changes in water chemistry over time.

Science: Students may learn basic biology concepts through studying, labeling, and drawing fish anatomy, and learn about habitats and ecosystems through researching and creating aquarium habitats similar to the native environments of particular fish. They may study fish adaptations by observing different mouth forms and feeding habits, and by considering how body shape and color may have been influenced by a fish’s natural environment. As part of routine maintenance of the tank, students may test and chart water chemistry parameters and experiment with different types of filter media. Many natural webs and cycles occur in a well-balancedaquarium, and these too may be studied, drawn, and observed. For example, an aquarium with live plants will have a simple food chain, with plants as the primary producers, snails or herbivorous fish as primary consumers, and

beneficial bacteria serving as decomposers. Aquariums with live plants also serve to dem-onstrate photosynthesis. A very important cycle in tanks with or without live plants is the nitrogen cycle, a process by which toxins such as ammonia and nitrites (from fish waste and decaying plants) are converted by ben-eficial bacteria into less toxic nitrates. Plants and animals use the converted nitrogen to grow, thereby completing the cycle. The levels of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate in the aquarium can be easily tested, making it possible to chart the progress of the nitrogen cycle in the aquarium.

Social Studies/Geography: Mapping the countries of origin of various tropical species is an excellent way to explore world geography. Various cultures

may be highlighted by studying the history of fish keeping around the world (Japanese koi are a particularly good example).

Social Skills: Students can develop responsibility and ownership through participating in the care of a classroom aquarium. Additionally, observing fish behavior provides opportunity to talk about bullying, community, cooperation, and other classroom dynamics that are reflected in the aquarium community.

Finally, a classroom aquarium can be used as a link to studies of the native fish in your area. Enjoyment of tropical fish in the classroom often sparks students’ interest in learn-ing where fish live in their local community, what their habitat is like, and how human activities might affect them. My hope in sharing a classroom aquarium with my students is to teach responsible behavior towards and respect for living things, to provide interdisciplinary curricular connec-tions, and to inspire curiosity about the fish that are native to our community.

Rebecca Holcombe is an environmental educator and the Director of Community Programs for Common Ground High School and the New Haven Ecology Project in New Haven, Connecticut.

Note

1 Live Aquaria, <www.liveaquaria.com>, sells many captive bred and tank raised tropical fish and provides information about the origin of the fish they sell.

Web resources

The Krib, <www.thekrib.com>. This website and community devoted to tropical fish keeping is an excellent source of step-by-step instructions for setting up an aquarium and in-depth profiles of many fish species.

Tetra Fish <www.tetra-fish.com/aquademics/>. This website provides instruction on setting up and maintaining an aquarium, and has a section for teachers that includes lesson plan suggestions, printable activity sheets, and on-line games for students.

Testing water pH.


by Janice Schnake Greene

“The objective [of education] is to teach the student to see the land, to understand what he sees, and enjoy what he understands.” — Aldo Leopold1

LACKING OUTDOOR EXPERIENCES, many stu-dents are nervous or uncomfortable in the natural world because of their unfamiliarity with it. My col-

lege students remind me again and again of their feelings of alienation and discomfort outdoors. Many do not want the class to go outside and they especially do not want to go on field trips to natural areas. They are worried about the “pests” of the outdoors (e.g., poison ivy, mosquitoes, ticks) and seem unaware of the multitude of other organisms that are out there. In Last Child in the Woods, Richard Louv cites a 2002 British study that found that “the average eight-year-old was better able to identify characters from the Japanese card-trading game Pokemon than native species in the community where they lived; Pikachu, Metapod, and Wigglytuff were names more familiar to them than otter, beetle, and oak tree.”2 As educators, it is extremely important that we help students experience and eventually enjoy being outdoors. If they have opportunities to observe plants and animals and develop an understanding of relationships and processes in nature, it is more likely that they will want to protect the landin the future. Aldo Leopold and others have called this learn-ing to “read the landscape”3; another way to put it is learning

the “stories of the land.”4 Lessons in reading the landscape can be integrated into education programs in ways that meet curriculum standards and do not require large amounts of time or preparation. Here are a few activities that I use with all age groups, from elementary school to college age.

Reading the LandscapeThis activity stimulates curiosity and understanding of the relationships in nature by helping students develop the skills of observing the natural world and asking questions about things they cannot explain. I give each student a laminated tag and either a dry eraser marker or an overhead marker. We walk outdoors, as a group, and students are asked to look around as we walk and come up with a question about something they see. Before we begin, I talk about what a good question is — that is, not answerable by yes or no and not a “What is it?” question. I want them to think of ques-tions that look at relationships: for example, Why does one tree have plants growing underneath it and another tree not have plants growing under it? or What effects, if any, do the aphids have on this tree? As students formulate their questions, they write them on their tags and then tie the tags somewhere near the sub-ject of the question. The group continues walking until everyone has written a question. (Sometimes I have the students work in pairs, especially if they do not have experi-ence in asking such questions or if the group is large.) After all of the students have tied their tags, we reverse the walk

Reading the LandscapeStrategies for helping students become curious observers of relationships and processes in nature

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and look at each question as we head back to the classroom. For each question, I ask, “Is this a good question?,” “What other questions does it bring to mind?” and “How would you go about finding the answer?” (You may omit the first question if you think it might discourage some students from asking further questions.) Often, students who had trouble coming up with a question during the first part of the walk now find it easier to think of a question related to one that has already been asked. Students may sug-gest several ways to find the answers to their ques-tions. I try to steer them away from “Look it up on the Internet,” but that is a valid possibility for some questions. Other ways in-clude interviewing people, asking an expert, setting up a field study or experi-ment, and so on. I try not to give too many answers to their questions because my goal is for students to become curious and to want to find out some things on their own. However, I usually give some answers, so as to stimulate their interest and not to discourage them. One way to follow up this activity is to write all the questions down and then have students choose a project dealing with one of them. Sometimes I have assigned a question for the class to solve. I have also let the activity stand alone. Sometimes I repeat it to see how the class has grown in their ability to ask questions.

Task CardsThe Leopold Education Project has a series of task cards that go with activities in the program. Each task card asks the student to go outside and perform a short task that promotes awareness of the area. For example, one task used to introduce a weather lesson is to go outside and identify how many ways you can tell the wind is blowing. This improves students’ observation skills and gives the teacher a way to introduce the topic of how wind is created or how wind affects organisms, and so on. Another example, in this case a task that introduces the topic of seasonal change, is to locate a plant or animal, observe it, and describe how its appearance or behavior is changing with the season. This task could be used to prepare for a lesson about hibernation, why trees lose leaves, and related topics. I have used task cards in a variety of ways. Sometimes, I give everyone a different task card, and when we return to the room (or outdoor meeting place), students each describe what they did. Other times, I give everyone in the class the same task card, one that is related to the day’s lesson. You can use task cards as an introduction or as a closing. You can also use the same cards several times throughout the year to help students get a perspective on seasonal change.

Teachers can make up their own task cards specific to their lessons and their area. For example, if you are giving a lesson on the interactions of organisms, you might have students go outside and look for examples of interactions, such as lichens on a tree trunk or birds’ nests in trees. The task cards provide a way to get students observing and

thinking about where they live and the plants and ani-mals that live there, too.

Phenology studiesThroughout his life, Aldo Leopold studied phenol-ogy, or the timing of events in nature, and he kept records of many of his studies.5 Phenologi-cal studies lead students to an understanding of the relationships between organisms and their envi-ronment. Phenology also gives students a better understanding of natural

cycles in the area in which they live: when, for example, does the monarch migration occur and when do spring peepers breed? When Leopold tested his students, whether formally or informally, he expected them to have an under-standing of phenology and the relationships of organisms. Here is an example question from one of Leopold’s univer-sity-level wildlife ecology classes:

A road is flanked on one side by a subsiding tele-phone pole, then a pink granitic boulder, bluestem, oat stubble bearing ragweed, some young pine, poorer oat stubble; on the other side a Silphium, a double-forked sumac, another pink rock, a fence post, and a bit of corn stubble. A rabbit lay dead on the road.

How long ago was the last hard winter?” (Answer: Two years, indicated by the sumac’s double fork.) “What sex is the rabbit?” (Answer: Male, as females stay close to home in spring.)6

These are difficult questions for many of us, but you can use simpler ones to help your students become more aware of their surroundings. For example, “The redbud trees are blooming. What month is it? What tree will bloom next?” or “Many box turtles [or toads] are crossing the road. What time of year is it?” Teachers can easily develop their own local phenology projects. For example, each week in the spring, students can report their observations of the first leaves on trees, the first flower to bloom, the first migratory bird sighted, and so on. Comparing their findings to the data gathered by previous classes, they can then answer such questions as, Does one species of tree always leaf out before another? There are also many formal environmental monitoring projects with phenology components (see page 32) that give students

Students tag trees and other natural objects with written questions about environmental relationships they have observed.

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• MonarchWatch is a University of Kansas educational outreach program that involves school-children and other non-science professionals in collecting data used in the study of monarch butterfly migration and the conservation of monarch habi-

tat. The website includes many facts about monarchs that can be used for a variety of projects. Students can compare the timing of monarch butterfly migration in their area with that in other regions. Website: <www.monarchwatch.org/about/index.htm>.

• Project FeederWatch and Classroom FeederWatch (Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology) are programs that employ the help of volunteer birdfeeder watchers across North America to gather information about bird population movements. Several ornithology organizations use the data collected and entered into the FeederWatch websites. These programs help students gain skill in observation, data collection, and analysis; learn to identify local bird species; determine which species stay in their area and which pass through; and monitor the timing of spring and fall migration of various species.Websites: Project FeederWatch <www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw>; Classroom FeederWatch <www.birds.cornell.edu/cfw>.

• GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment) is a science program that involves students in taking measurements, analyzing data, and participating

in research in collaboration with scientists. GLOBE has developed protocols for gathering data on dozens of parameters related to hydrology, soil, landcover/biology, atmosphere/climate and phenology. The phenology protocols address events such as the greening, flowering, and sea-sonal dieback of plants, budburst of trees, and the migration of Arctic birds. Website: <www.globe.gov/fsl/welcome/welcomeobject.pl>

• Journey North gives students the opportunity to monitor the northward progression of spring throughout North America by gathering and exchanging data on wildlife migration, the budding of plants, changes in light levels, and other seasonal events. Website: <www.learner.org/jnorth/>

• Many government agencies and other organizations have local monitoring projects in which school classes can become involved. For example, the Missouri Stream Team (<www.mostreamteam.org/about.asp>) provides trainingfor citizens so that they can effectively monitor streams and solve stream problems in their area. Participation in the program gives students opportunities to observe seasonal changes in the macroinvertebrates of streams.

Monitoring Projects with Phenology Components

opportunities to observe the timing of seasonal changes in the life cycles or activities of local plants and animals. These ideas represent only a few of the many ways in which educators can help students learn to “read the land-scape” while at the same time achieving required curricu-lum goals. As teachers, we often find it difficult to include anything in our programs that we perceive as being extra. Yet sometimes we become so set on teaching information that we lose sight of how important it is for students to develop understanding of the world outside the classroom. Even short experiences in the outdoors can affect students’ attitudes and perspectives for years to come. Said Aldo Leopold: “Once you learn to read the land, I have no fear of what you will do to it, or with it. And I know many pleasant things it will do to you.” Janice Schnake Greene is the director of the Bull Shoals Field Station, Missouri State University. The activity “Read-ing the Landscape” was developed by the Leopold Educa-tion Project in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Notes

1. C. Meine and R.L. Knight, R.L. (Eds.), The Essential Aldo Leopold: Quota-tions and Commentaries. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press, 1999, p. 265.

2. Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2005.

3. M. Lorbiecki, Aldo Leopold: A Fierce Green Fire. Helena, Montana: Falcon Publishing, 1996.

4. M.T. Watts, Reading the Landscape of America. Rochester, New York: Nature Study Guild Publishers, 1975 (1999 Reprint Edition).

5. Lorbiecki, 1996.

6. B. Gibbons, “Aldo Leopold: A Durable Scale of Values,” National Geographic, Vol. 160, No. 5 (November 1981), pp. 682–708.

Leopold Education ProjectThe Leopold Education Project (LEP) is an interdis-ciplinary, critical-thinking environmental/conserva-tion education curriculum based on the writings of the renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold. The mission of the LEP is to “create an ecologically literate citizenry so that each individual might develop a personal land ethic.” The LEP provides educator training and materials to help fulfill this mission. For more information about the organization and upcoming workshops, contact the Leopold Education Project, 1783 Buerkle Circle, St. Paul, MN 55110, 877–773–2070, or visit <www.lep.org>.


by Kristin Mack-Hammer and Janice Denney

ALL LIVING CREATURES NEED a habitat that pro-vides them with the essentials of survival — food, water, shelter, and space — and investigating the

unique ways that animals meet these needs can be fascinat-ing. While out-of-classroom experiences in natural settings afford many opportunities for students to learn first hand about the components of habitats, learning about habitats in an urban setting can be challenging. This challenge was the inspiration for Habitat House Hunt, a multidisciplinary activity in which students work in cooperative learning groups to investigate the habitat needs of urban animals. Habitat House Hunt combines classroom work with outdoor explorations in the schoolyard and incorporates activities that accommodate a variety of learning styles. In the first part of the activity, students play the role of real estate agents who must find suitable homes for animals in the schoolyard or a nearby park. They research the animals’ preferred habitats and demonstrate their understanding of habitat components by identifying appropriate habitats outdoors and creating a property guide for their animal “clients.” In the second part of the activity, the groups exchange property guides and the students switch into the roles of animals who use the guides to find suitable homes for themselves. Here, students integrate their knowledge and understanding in order to evaluate “habitat homes” and predict which one would best suit a particular animal.

Drawing strategies from the best practices in education, we have crafted Habitat House Hunt to suit our objectives and our students’ needs. We hope that others will be able to adapt this lesson to suit their needs and environment.

Grade level: Grades 5–8

Time required: Two class periods

Materials: For each group of 3 or 4 students, pictures of four urban animals native to the area (or stuffed toys that represent the animals); field guides with information on the animals; four Animal Description Worksheets (see page 35); various craft materials (construction paper, pencils, markers, crayons, Popsicle sticks, glue, scissors); compasses; sample real estate listings.

Objectives:• Students will identify the habitat needs of four urban

animals.

• Students will demonstrate their understanding of urban animals’ habitat needs by creating a habitat home description.

• Students will evaluate other students’ habitat home descriptions.

• Students will predict which home is most suitable for their assigned urban animal.

Habitat House HuntIn this activity, students play real estate agents who must find

suitable homes for their urban animal clients

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Introduction to habitats 1. Begin with background information or a brief activity such as “Habitat Lap Sit” from Project WILD, which intro-duces the topic of habitats. 2. Have the students begin thinking of what animals need from a habitat. Ask them questions such as the following:

• What determines where animals build homes?

• What causes animals to abandon their homes?

• What are some things that can interfere with animals’ homes?

• Why do some animals use the home built by another animal?

Researching habitat needs1. Tell the students that in this part of the activity, they will play the role of real estate agents. Discuss what is involved in buy-ing and selling a home: real estate agents look for and find properties (e.g., houses, apartments, acre-ages, farms, cottages) for clients; and people who are looking for homes browse through real estate listings and visit homes.

2. Divide the class into groups of three or four students. Assign four urban animals to each group (you may provide pictures or stuffed toys). Provide each group with four Animal Descrip-tion Worksheets (see page 35) and a variety of field guides or other references useful for researching habitats.

3. Explain that, as real estate agents, they must find suitable homes for the animal “clients” assigned to them. To do this, they must first get acquainted with each animal’s habitat needs. Have each group work together to find this information and complete an Animal Description Worksheet for each of their assigned animals.

Finding property for animal “clients”4. Once the students are familiar with the habitat needs of their assigned animals, go to the schoolyard or to a nearby park and have the groups look for areas that would make good homes for their “clients.” They may use their completed Animal Description Worksheets as references. As they find homes, a member of the group should take detailed notes on the characteristics of the habitat.

5. Back in the classroom, have students make “For Sale” signs, numbered 1 through 4, that feature cre-ative written descriptions of the four homes they found. The signs should describe the properties, but should not state what animal the property is for. The notes that students recorded outside may be used in their descriptions. Read aloud some exam-ples of real estate listings from the newspaper so that students have an idea of the type of wording used. Also read an example or two of a “habitat home” description. For example:

For Sale: Luxurious studio apartment. Well-constructed brush heap overlooking a beauti-ful vegetable garden filled with berries and greens. Plenty of room for a rapidly growing family. Immediate occupancy.

For Sale: Perfect aquatic community located in beautiful scenic area. Plenty of food markets. Great schools just a swim away. Call 555-SWIM.

Creating property guides

6. Ask each group to organize their property listings in the form of a property guide that will direct prospective buyers from home to home. The students must determine the for-mat for their guide and can use a variety of methods such as maps, compass bearings, riddles, clues, puzzles, landmarks, or a scavenger hunt. As examples, “Go to the playground. Look around, both up and down, to find a place where this

Beautiful weedy lot boasts excellent insect populations.

Secluded island getaway features plenty of bushes.


creature could call home base,” or “Take 15 paces toward the flag pole; turn left and hop 22 times; look down and you will see home number 2.”

7. After they have completed their “For Sale” signs and property guides, have students return to the schoolyard to post the signs. They should place the signs near the homes they have identified, but hidden so that they are not easily seen.

House hunting8. Have the groups trade animal lists and property guides (e.g., Group 1 gets Group 2’s animal list and property guide and vice versa). Explain to students that they are now goingto assume the role of animals who are looking for new homes. Their property guide will lead them to the homes that are available, and they must work together to determine which of the homes is best suited to each animal. Designate a place for the groups to meet when they have finished.

9. When all of the animals and habitats have been matched, ask each group to verify whether the correct matches were made by the students who were following their property guide. They should also explain why each home is appro-priate for the animal (this is an opportunity for students to teach the group about the animals).

Wrap-up10. End the activity with a group discussion. Questions and discussion points may include the following:

• What important information did you learn about habitats or specific animals?

• Compare your habitat needs with those of two urban animals.

• Predict the effects of a depletion of one habitat compo-nent on one of the urban animals studied.

• Humans have adapted to a variety of habitats; where in North America would be your preferred habitat?

Kristin Mack-Hammer is an educator at Burpee Museum of Natural History in Rockford, Illinois. Janice Denney is the Park Interpreter at Bull Shoals-White River State Park in Lakeview, Arkansas.

Resources

Knapp, Clifford E. Just Beyond the Classroom: Community Adventures in Interdisciplinary Learning. Charleston, WV: Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools, 1996

Peterson, Roger Tory (Ed.). First Guide to Urban Wildlife (Reissue edition). Houghton Mifflin, 1988.

Project WILD. Council for Environmental Education. Houston, TX. <www.projectwild.org>

Swan, Malcolm D. (Ed.). Tips and Tricks in Outdoor Education. 5th ed. Danville, IL: Interstate Publishers, 1995.

Animal Description Worksheet

How big is your animal? Where does your animal find food? What does your animal eat?

What type of home does your animal live in? How is it made? What materials are needed?

What features make your animal unique? Does it have any unusual habits? When is your animal active?

Does your animal sometimes use the homes of other animals? Will offspring need to use the home too?

Does your animal live alone or in a group?


by Laura Woolf

I AWOKE IN TWISTED SHEETS, a reminder of the tossing and turning I had done throughout the night in eager anticipation of the coming day. It was the day I

was taking my seventh grade class to a city park to begin a long-term field project. Since attending a teacher work-shop in place-based education three months earlier, I had been crafting a way to apply the new teaching philosophy discussed — to help my students connect to the place where they live through using the environment as an integrating context for learning. I had met with an educator at the park to design a project that would be both an application of Grade 7 content standards and a means of meeting a current need of the park to enhance native habitat. It was a perfect match and I could hardly wait to get started. Within five minutes of leaving the school parking lot, my dreams met reality: “Julia, please sit down and look forward in your seat. Justin, please keep your head inside the window — the bus driver sometimes cuts the corners pretty close,” I said, attempting to inject a bit of humor. My reminders, unheeded, soon turned into threats. “Okay, the next person I need to ask to stay seated and face forward will be moved. Socialize with the person sitting next to you. Julia, please move to the empty seat up front.”

We were not even at the park yet, and already I was getting hoarse and feeling defeated. This was not what I had expect-ed or hoped for. “Welcome to Discovery Park,” read the entrance sign. We pulled into the park just as I was losing my patience. The naturalist greeted us in a bright room artfully decorated with local species of birds and mammals. She described her vision of the long-term project we were beginning: to restore a landscape that was overgrown with invasive weeds and turn

it into a native plant garden. Our task that day would be to collect baseline data in our study area at the park’s periphery. As the naturalist talked, I be-came angrier. The combination of a new instructor, a new classroom, and a challenging task had been interpreted by my students as an invitation to test behavior boundaries

mercilessly. I was embarrassed by their behavior and help-less to save the situation, as nothing I said or did had any lasting effect. I thought to myself, Don’t they see what a fantastic learning opportunity this is? Would they rather be stuck back at school doing assignments that have no relation to the real world? I finally asked the naturalist to cut her introduction short in the hope that getting the students out into the field would increase their level of engagement. On our walk to the study area, students’ complaints of missing recess for this “stupid class” drowned out the

Field Trips: The Good, Bad and Ugly

One of the most common mistakes made by a classroom teacher when teaching in the field is to forget to adapt the teaching techniques and structures

used successfully in the classroom

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We were not even at the park yet, and already I was getting hoarse

and feeling defeated. This was not what I had expected or hoped for.


symphony of bird songs and the rustling of the new leaves that shaded our path. At the study site, they were organized into small groups, assigned a section of the study area, and asked to record the names and num-bers of each species of bird, insect, and plant they found in their plot. I quietly walked the perimeter of the study site to quiet my mind and assess students’ progress. The first group I visited were throwing insects at one another. Another group had discovered that sticks can be creatively transformed into swords. As my supervisory walk continued, I spoke with each group repeatedly, en-couraging them to focus on the task at hand. I modeled excitement for even the most insignificant of discoveries, hoping to elicit a bit of awe and respect for the study site. But at the end of 15 minutes I had had it. I gathered the class and we headed back to school. I had no energy for a wrap-up or assessment of the day. I felt beaten, discour-aged, angry, and insecure. What had gone wrong? After a refreshing nap and a long run, I was finally ready to face the questions I knew I needed to ask. Had I set the students up for success? Had I helped them become invested in the project? Had I remembered to take baby steps in the process of trying something new? Or had I been so attached to my agen-da that I didn’t see the needs of my students? It was clear that the students had not had enough prior knowledge or experience to succeed at the task assigned to them. It was equally clear that some behavioral expectations should have been established in order to reduce the mayhem. We didn’t return to the park the next week as originally scheduled. Instead, we practiced going on field trips. As a group, we brainstormed to create a list of behavioral ex-pectations for field trips, along with consequences for not following expectations. And then we practiced. We practiced walking respectfully as a group. We practiced listening

respectfully to visitors in the classroom. We practiced treating our immediate environment with respect. We went on mini-field trips — walks in the hallway, walks around the school perimeter, and eventually a short walk to the park across the street. One simple activity, a scavenger hunt, was planned for our journey across the street. This activity gave the students freedom within boundaries, in that the scavenger hunt list was sufficiently open-ended to encourage critical thinking and creative interpretation, and yet still held students accountable for complet-ing a manageable task. For example, students were asked to find something that once was alive; find a resi-dent of the park performing a life-sustaining behavior; find something natural that is turquoise, something the color of pink bubble gum, and something fire-engine red; find something dead that is larger than a football. This activity held the stu-dents’ attention and encour-aged them to explore the park with inquisitive eyes. The students loved it. They successfully completed the task and returned to the classroom with a list of new “cool” discoveries about a place they visit often. Back in the classroom, students assessed their behavior according to the expectations we had created as a group, and each set one personal goal for our next journey. Then they shared with the class what they had discovered at the park. We

discussed biodiversity and explored possible reasons why the biodiversity in the park was so low. We brainstormed changes that could be made to the park to increase its bio-diversity. The conversation was rich and energetic, and students’ ideas creative and optimistic. I encouraged them to think of ways to act on their ideas and to help implement the suggestions they were generating. After much discussion, the students proposed that we

Female hummingbird draws a crowd on a field trip to a local park.

High school students helping ornithologists collect data at a bird banding station.

Identifying a wildflower to genus and species.

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go back to Discovery Park. They decided that they could experiment with designing a native garden at the study site and then share the results of their research with the local park across the street. I was shocked. The students were begging me to take them back to a place which they had detested only months earlier. On the other hand, it made perfect sense. In my excitement to begin this project I had completely forgotten the basic teaching principles I apply to all assign-ments in the classroom. I had forgotten to set clear expecta-tions for the new learning environment. I had neglected to scaffold my students’ learning experience and to provide ample modeling. I had neglected to give them opportunities to practice new skills and receive feedback before applying those skills. I had rushed into the project before eliciting students’ interest in the topic and without providing them with an opportunity to explore the relevance of the project to the “real world.” (A project may take place outdoors in the real world, but that doesn’t mean its relevance or value is clear to students.) Finally, I was reminded of the importance of a lesson “hook,” especially for long-term projects. These two very different outdoor trips demonstrate one of the most common mistakes made by classroom teachers when beginning to teach in the field: we often forget that the teaching techniques and structures used successfully in the classroom environment need to be adapted and applied in the field as well. In reflecting on my experiences, I realized that I had learned a number of lessons:

1. At the beginning of the school year, teachers often spend months teaching their students how to walk down the hall-way and behave respectfully toward others. Similar attention needs to be devoted to teaching students how to move and interact in the field.

2. For a journey outside the classroom to be a meaningful learning experience, pre- and post-trip conversations and activities in the classroom should be designed to support and build upon the learning that takes place in the field.

3. Visiting experts (or, as in this case, park naturalists) can make wonderful contributions to field learning experiences.

Aside from imparting knowledge, they can be exceptional role models and have a profoundly positive influence on students. However, the classroom teacher still needs to direct the show, creating a learning structure that allows the guest expert to share knowledge in a way that best matches the learning goals of the teacher and the diverse physical, behavioral, and intellectual needs of the students. When classroom teachers blend their expertise in teaching with the knowledge of the field expert, learning is more easily trans-ferred between the classroom and the field, and students are taught in a more student-centered way.

4. Outdoor settings lend themselves nicely to the use of best teaching practices such as hands-on inquiry, and teachers need to be mindful of applying such practices when crafting outdoor experiences.

5. Teaching in a new setting, and adjusting tried and true teaching techniques accordingly takes perseverance, flexibil-ity, reflection, and courage. Laura Woolf is on the graduate faculty at Teton Science Schools in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, where she serves as the coordinator of the Outreach Journeys Training Program.

Place-based education programThe Teton Science Schools’ Outreach Journeys Program offers grant-funded teacher workshops that support practicing K–12 teachers in implement-ing place-based education. It includes two weekend workshops at the Teton Science Schools in Kelly, Wyoming, field teaching resources, a three-day site visit by TSS faculty and field instructors, and a year of ongoing support and facilitated communication among participants. For more information about this program and others, email [email protected] or visit <tetonscience.org>.

• Don’t forget to apply the same good teaching techniques you use in the classroom to your work in the field.

• Give students choice and ownership over their learning.

• Provide students with the opportunity to learn through direct experience with the environment before learning about the place from an expert.

• Establish behavioral expectations for the new learning environ-ment. Provide opportunities for students to practice and receive feedback on these expectations.

• Break tasks into manageable chunks.

• Set students up for success by modeling and providing ongoing feedback before, during, and after learning experiences.

Helpful hints for taking learning outside

Lisa Woolf


by Jack Greene

OF ALL THE TOOLS I’VE USED in many years of teaching, I’ve found plants to be the most exciting, if not transformative. Wherever my travels have

taken me — to the inner city of Los Angeles, along the urban trails of Anchorage, to a camp for wayward youth in Michigan, a park in Atlanta, or a campus in Nova Scotia — familiar plants have been there to greet me. Certain plants that we often refer to as “weeds” are ubiquitous, many species being common to virtually all regions of North America. They are free for the picking and often found on or near school grounds. And if you’re hun-gry, they are rich in nutrients, have minimal packaging, and grow or-ganically. Following are a few stories to whet your appetite. I was invited to accompany a group of inner city youth from Los Angeles on a weeklong backpack-ing trip in the Sierra Nevada of California. Many of the youth had never experienced the wilds outside of Los Angeles. Once we were on the trail it became apparent that we would have a major challenge to help them enjoy their experience in this strange if not seemingly hostile environment. Along with the unfamiliarity of their surroundings was the added discomfort of carrying a heavy backpack up several miles of steep trail. Although I had never visited the area, many of the plants were common to the mountains of northern Utah where I live, so I began introducing some of my favorites. As always, I found a bit of nibbling on some gastronomic delights to be highly engaging. Within a few hours the complaining had largely subsided as the students’ interest in the virtues of nearly every new plant we encountered overshadowed their fear and discomfort. As the week progressed, many of them

became amateur ethnobotanists as their interest and excite-ment grew along with their taxonomic skills. They were soon teaching one another and constantly discovering new plants to key out. On another occasion, my teacher son-in-law coaxed me into leading a fifth grade class on a botany hike on the school grounds — a daunting assignment in a schoolyard covered with asphalt and concrete and surrounded by chain link fencing and busy urban streets. But thanks to numerous cracks and holes wrought by nature’s weathering processes, there was an abundance of delightful, delectable “weeds”

to collect for study and stories, and later to serve as treats. The children’s favorites were pineapple weed and wood sorrel, followed by clover and sour dock. Once again, “weeds” saved the day by generating consid-erable excitement and adding a new dimension to the schoolyard experi-ence. As our lives become increasing urban and we drift further from our natural underpinnings, it becomes

imperative that we find ways to help our students reconnect to the broader community of life. Richard Louv’s recent book Last Child in the Woods presents strong evidence of the relationship between academic performance and outdoor experiences in natural settings. Plant studies offer wonderful segues into the natural realm and “natural” connections be-tween subject areas. If a study of plants includes ethnobotany (the study of how different cultures use plants), it slides easily into the social sciences. If it includes plant population studies, mapping, and other forms of measurement, it is easily incorporated into math activities. Even physical education and technology make the list of related curricular areas, as the location and identification of plants can be integrated into a plethora of exciting and challenging

Glorious Weeds!

Photograp

hs by G

ail Littlejohn (left and right), W

ill Munger (centre)

Within a few hours the complaining had largely subsided

as the students’ interest in the virtues of nearly every new plant

we encountered overshadowed their fear and discomfort.


orienteering activities using compass or Global Positioning System (GPS) tools. I often introduce plants by stating that Native Americans had no word in their vocabulary for “weeds,” as all plants had uses. Even poisonous species were often utilized medic-inally, or for hunting and warfare. I challenge my students tochoose any plant they consider a weed and to find some human use for it or learn its ecological significance, especially in its place of origin. The further they look, the longer their lists grow. They often discover that different Native tribes had different uses for the same plant. Further, I mention that great mystery awaits explorers of the plant world, as new plants continue to be discovered. Perhaps only ten percent have been listed in botanical literature, and of those less than one percent have been researched for medicinal application. Finally, I emphasize that many “weeds” that we attempt to remove from our lawns and gardens have greater nutrient value than our cultivated plants.

Plant identificationThere are many excellent resources for identifying plants, including field guides and other books with dichotomous keys, websites, plant collections, and knowledgeable indi-viduals. If your students are from gardening families, they or their parents may be helpful. Master gardeners, green-house operators, nature center staff, members of native plant societies, and land management agencies are good resources as well. I have found slides and flash cards of plants to be very effective for teaching my students. In addition, students can use plant identification websites to enhance their skills, and, with a color printer, can make their own flash cards. I concentrate on identifying the most common plants found in the immediate area and group them according to habitat type (e.g., wetland, forest, field, disturbed area).

Collecting and ingesting plants safelyFor the plants’ safety:

1. Take care not to over-harvest, especially if you find only a few of a particular species in the area.

2. If you are not going to use the root, leave it in the ground to reduce the impact on soil and allow for the plant’s regen-eration.

3. If the plant is an aggressive invasive species, avoid trans-porting its seeds.

For the humans’ safety:

1. Never eat a plant unless you are certain of its identity.

2. Know which part of the plant is safe to use.

3. Eat only small quantities to avoid possible allergic reactions.

4. If the area has been sprayed, or is an industrialized area, wash plants before eating them and avoid eating large quan-tities unless they have been tested and are known to be safe.

Other activitiesFollowing is a brief description of some of my favorite activities.

Plant collection: Have students make a plant collection to use as a reference at school or at home.

Food preparation: Research the nutrient values of “weed” plants and compare to the nutrient values of similar cultivated plants (see chart). Try out recipes using native plants and weeds. This can be done as a homework assignment or in a homemaking lab at school. My students bring in their prepa-rations for the class to sample — a potpourri of wildness!

Plant Vitamin A Units/100 g

Vitamin CMg/100 g

Dandelion greens 4,931 35

Lamb’s quarter 15,000 130

Plantain 10,000 19

Purslane 8,300 26

Prickly lettuce 9,700 44

Shepherd’s purse 5,000 91

Broccoli 660 89

Celery 240 9

Leaf lettuce 330 6

Green onions 2,000 32

Spinach 8,100 51

Eat Your Weeds!

Data on wild and domestic plants are from T.M. Zennie and C.D. Ogzewalla, “Ascorbic Acid and Vitamin A Content of Edible Wild Plants of Ohio and Kentucky,” Journal of Economic Botany, vol. 31, 1977, pp. 76-79. Additional data on domestic plants are from Nutrition in Foods, <www.nutritioninfoods.com>.

Harvesting and preparing dishes of “weed greens” is one of the most enjoyable aspects of a study of wild plants. Most edible weeds and wild plants are low in fat and high-er in vitamins than store-bought produce. Compare the Vitamin A and C in wild plants and common garden plants in the chart.


Ethnobotany research: Research the ways in which plants have been used by people of different cultures.

Weed garden: Till an area and observe the new plants that grow there naturally. “Weeds” are often the first to become established. Identify them and research their uses.

Biotic communities: Observe and list the plant types associated with different biotic communities (e.g., forests, fields, wetlands, shrublands) and with different environmental factors (e.g., sandy soil and clay soil, south-facing and north-facing slopes).

Weed transects: Establish transects and measure and compare native and exotic species of weeds. Track their changes over time.

Plant orienteering: Establish an orien-teering course in which students navigate to various GPS or compass points to locate and identify specific trees, shrubs, and other plants.

Weeds in art: Draw or paint your favor-ite weed. Use weeds for nature crafts.

Plants in your neighborhoodA host of common plants can be found in almost all regions of North America. Considered weeds, many of these plants are loaded with nutrients, have very exciting histories, and ripen well before garden varieties. The following are brief descriptions of five favorites that have wide distribution.1

Chickweed (Stellaria media): Other names include satin flower, stitchwort, starwort, adder’s mouth, and skirt buttons.Harvest time is from early spring through autumn. Chick-weed is a tender, mild-tasting plant that can be used in a wide variety of dishes. The greens are low in calories and packed with copper, iron, phosphorous, calcium, potassium, and vitamin C. As its name implies, chickweed is well liked by chickens and other poultry. The seeds have been used for centuries as feed for caged birds. Rabbits and pigs also thrive on the greens and seeds. Ancient Romans regarded chickweed as “the elixir of life.”

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale): Other names include lion’s tooth, priest’s crown, blowball, swine snout, and cankerwort. Different parts of this amazing plant can be harvested throughout the year. Harvest the leaves before flowers appear. Many foragers cut dandelions about one inch below the surface of the ground in order to harvest the tasty dandelion “heart.” Spring and autumn are the best times to harvest dandelion roots. Dandelion buds are good pickled and added to omelettes. The flowers are rich in vitamin D. The greens are exceptionally high in vitamins A, B, and C, and the minerals copper, phosphorus, potassium, iron, cal-cium, and magnesium. During World War Two, the Russians

cultivated a species of dandelion for its “milk,” which was high in latex and could be used as a rubber substitute.

Lamb’s Quarter (Chenopodium album): Other names include pigweed, wild spinach, fat hen, hog’s delight, straw-berry blite, and Indian spinach. The best harvest time is

spring to early summer. The greens are rich in protein, vitamins A and C, the B vitamins thiamine, riboflavin, and niacin, and the minerals iron, calcium, phosphorus, and potassium. The seeds are used like poppy seed and are suit-able as seasoning or as a grain or coffee substitute. They can even be harvested after a heavy frost. Lamb’s quarter was a famine plant during times of warfare. Napoleon relied on the ground seeds for making a black bread to feed his troops. During World War Two, the greens were frequently harvested as a food source.

Shepherd’s Purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris): Other names include lady’s purse, pickpocket, mother’s heart, poor man’s pharmacetty, and pepper and salt. The leaves are best when harvested in spring, the seeds in summer and fall, and the roots in spring or fall. A

member of the mustard family, this highly nutritious plant provides lots of calcium, iron, potassium, phosphorous, and vitamins A, B, and C. The flower buds are high in protein. It is extremely high in vitamin K, the blood-clotting vitamin.Shepherd’s purse was brought to North America with the pilgrims and sold at markets in Philadelphia into the 1800s. It is still grown commercially in China. The seeds are some-times scattered over water to control mosquitoes, as they produce a gummy substance that binds to the mouths of larvae and kills them.

Plantain (Plantago major): Other names include white man’s footstep, waybread, cart-track plant, and soldier’s herb. Early spring is the best time to harvest common plan-tain greens, while early fall is best for seeds. Seeds make a good, unleavened bread. Plantain provides beta-carotene, calcium, and mucilage, which reduces both LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, helping to prevent heart disease. Scots called plantain the “plant of healing” for its many medicinalproperties. On St. John’s Eve (summer solstice) during the Middle Ages, plantain was smoked and then hung in barns and homes as protection against evil. It has been reported that cobra-stricken mongooses neutralize the venom with plantain and that toads have done the same when bitten by spiders.

Giving thanksWhile teaching a nature crafts course at Central Michigan University, I had the great honor and pleasure of accompa-nying Chief Little Elk and his son Little Bear of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Reservation on an outing to collect black ash trees for a basket weaving project he was assisting me

Lisa

Moo

re

Using a hand lens for close observation of flower parts.


with. While we were bushwhacking our way into a swamp in mid-Michigan a heavy rain began pummeling us. The Chief instructed us to gather any dry material we could find in order to build a fire. In spite of the deluge, we soon had a dandy little blaze going. Assuming the purpose was for warmth, I was puzzled when Little Elk began sprinkling tobacco on the flames and emitting a mysterious, unsolicitedchant. He went on for several minutes after which he explained this was common practice — to thank the Earth Mother and Grandfather for the gifts we were about to receive. “We always give thanks whenever we go out to pick berries, hunt deer, catch fish, or gather plants,” he said. It is a statement I will never forget. How far we have strayed from this ancient wisdom of paying our respect and grati-tude for the daily gifts we enjoy from our miracle planet! When harvesting plants, consider performing one of the following harvest rituals,2 or create your own ritual with your students.

• Before gathering plants, turn to the seven directions — East, South, West, North, Father Sky, Mother Earth, and Sister Moon — while scattering cornmeal and thank-ing all for the gifts.

• Seek the elder of the plant community — the oldest tree or strongest plant in the community. Take a moment to meditate. Leave a gift. Mentally ask permission to gather.

• Plant something each time you harvest. Plant seeds where you harvest a root.

• Offer a prayer of thanks for the harvest.

Jack Greene is a teacher, naturalist, activist, writer, and artist who recently retired from 30 years of teaching environmental science and outdoor education in various institutions, organizations, and agencies throughout North America. He lives in Logan, Utah.

Notes

1. Plant descriptions are paraphrased from Janice F. Schofield, Discovering Wild Plants: Alaska, Western Canada, the Northwest. Oregon: Graphic Arts Center Publishing, 2000, pp. 288-311.

2. Schofield, 2000, p. 323.

References

Look for field guides and other plant identification resources that cover edible and useful plants in your bioregion. A local native plant society may be helpful in finding such resources. The following books have made the top of my list for detail, accuracy, illustration, and enjoyable reading.

Brill, S., and Dean, E. Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants. New York: Hearst Books, 1994.

Dowden, Anne Ophelia. Wild Green Things in the City. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Co., 1972.

Jones, Pamela. Just Weeds. Vermont: Chapters Publishing, 1994.

Schofield, Janice F. Discovering Wild Plants, Alaska, Western Canada, the Northwest. Oregon: Graphic Arts Center Publishing Co., 2000.

Websites

<www.nutritioninfoods.com>, Nutrition in Foods, nutrition data charts for a variety of foods.

<www.taoherbfarm.com/herbs>, Tao Herb Farm, information on medicinal and culinary uses of over 60 wild plants.

<www.botany.org/newsite/education/>, Botanical Society of America, Education and Teaching pages. This is an extensive and comprehensive site for educators with classroom activities and links to related resources.

<www.accessexcellence.org/RC/Ethnobotany/botlist.html> This National Health Museum site has links to ethnobotany sites all over the world


http://www.green-street.ca

http://www.marueverte.ca

Reviewers: Debra Bridgman, Bridget Butler, Alan Crook, Mary Lynne Everhart, Nancy Sklavos-Gillett, Tim Grant, Liza Ireland, Clifford Knapp, Jessica Kratz, Gail Littlejohn, Barrie Martin

Cycle of Life/RecycleCo-authored by Holly Arntzen, Chris Fisher, Stephen Foster, and Bruce Whittington, the Cycle of Life/Recycle: Handbook for Educators (K-6) is a well-crafted manual and musical CD combo addressing sustainability and fostering environmental literacy through the themes of biodiversity and

recycling. The CD features 14 songs, performed by Holly Arntzen and accompany-ing children’s choirs, about endangered species and their habitats

across Canada. The handbook has three main sections: Music, Biology, and Recycling. In Music, the lyrics of each song are matched with 8 to 10 multidisciplinary learning activities. A “Making Connections” page then points to readings in the visually rich Biology and Recycling sections, which provide extensive background infor-mation about the animals or expand upon the issues raised in the songs. Also included is a teacher-friendly bookmark that outlines step-by-step the process of choosing a song and selecting readings and activities appropriate to learning objectives. Together, the Cycle of Life/Recycle handbook and CD provide a lively, well-organized introduction to many endangered species in Canada’s seven ecozones, while the theme of recycling reinforces the idea that “small steps can make a big difference.” – (NS/TG)Artist Response Team, 2004, ISBN 0-9736-847 (pb), 276 pp., C/US$55 (includes s&h and taxes) from Artist Response Team, PO Box 91, Brentwood Bay, BC V8M 1R3, (250) 544-4006, <www.voicesofnature.ca>.

Protecting Vernal PoolsSalamanders and many other animals depend exclu-sively on the unique habitat of vernal pools for breeding each spring.

Yet because these ponds disappear by mid-summer, many go unnoticed and unprotected. The state of Massa-chusetts has developed procedures by which citizens’ groups and biologists can protect vernal pools by having them certified. CERTIFIED: A Citizen’s Step-by-Step Guide to Protecting Vernal Pools is a complete guide to this process. It begins with information on the hydrology and biology of vernal pools, and then takes readers step by step through mapping, surveying, and documenting a vernal pool. While the certification legalities are specific to Massachusetts, the guide would be useful in a study of vernal pools any-where in eastern North America. As a companion to CERTIFIED, the Massachusetts Audubon Society has developed a curriculum guide, Vernal Pool Lessons and Activities, de-signed to help teachers explore these dynamic wetlands with students. It offers 28 activities, suitable for Grades 3 to 12, focusing on the biology, map-ping, conservation, and protection of vernal pools. As a stand-alone resource the activity guide does not have enough information about vernal pools to be truly useful, but it is cross-refer-enced to the background information in CERTIFIED. Also available is a handy, laminated PondWatcher’s Guide to Ponds and Vernal Pools of Eastern North America, which shows common flora and fauna and summarizes energy and water cycles in a vernal pool. – (BM/GL)Massachusetts Audubon Society, CERTIFIED (spiral bound), 1996, 112 pp., US$9; Vernal Pool Lessons and Activities (spiral bound), 1995, 52 pp., US $7.50; PondWatcher’s Guide, ISBN 100-932691-14-5, US$3.95, plus s&h from the Mas-sachusetts Audubon Society, 208 South Great Road, Lincoln, MA 01773, (781) 259-2176, <www.massaudubon.org>.

Salad Bars in SchoolsAn antidote to snack-filled lunchboxes and the greasy cafeteria fare that is the norm in many schools, Salad Bars in Schools: A Fresh Approach to Lunch delivers just what its title promises: a fresh “how to” approach for creating a healthy alternative to traditional school lunch programs. Since 2002, the non-profit community group FoodShare has been helping to implement salad bar programs in public schools across Toronto. Drawing on that experience, Lori Nikkel and Joanne Porter have developed a helpful guide to starting such programs, covering everything from planning, fundraising, and recruiting volunteers, to purchasing utensils, conducting food safety train-ing, and respecting religious dietary laws. A particularly valuable FAQ sec-

tion answers many ques-tions likely to be posed by adminis-trators and parents, and addresses such practical matters as how much food to prepare and

how to select and store fresh produce. The authors have also provided sample letters and survey forms, resource lists, a reproducible manual for volunteers with suggested salad bar set-ups and daily preparation sched-ules, and a 30-page section of menus and recipes for making a variety of healthy and tasty salads, wraps, and dips. Recommended for any school or parent group seeking to turn down the grease and turn up the nutrition in children’s lunches. – (GL/ME)FoodShare Toronto, 2005, 142 pp., C/US$25 (includes s&h) from FoodShare Toronto, 200 Eastern Avenue, Toronto, ON M5A 1J1, (416) 392-1629, email [email protected], <www.foodshare.net>.

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InsectigationsYoung entomologists will be fascinated by Cindy Blobaum’s hands-on activity book Insectigations, while teachers will appreciate its terrific ideas for presenting a curriculum on insects to K-6 students. The book is teeming with information on insect biology and offers fascinating activities for learning about all sorts of creepy crawly bugs. As examples, students investigate how tiny wings produce sound waves, compare insects’ muscle power to their own, discover how some insects walk on water, and conduct experiments such as testing insects’ recognition of visual patterns. Blobaum provides instructions for raising mealworms, suggests several ways of capturing live insects for scrutiny, and encourages students to make journals so that they can record their activities in the manner of the real scientists they learn about. Each chapter concludes with instructions for making action cards for a culminating “Insectigations” board game in which survival skills are tested. Anyone interested in insects will enjoy this captivating book. – (NS)Chicago Review Press, 2005, ISBN 1-55652-568-0 (pb), 144 pp., US$12.95 from Independent Publishers Group, (800) 888-4741, <www.ipgbook.com>.

The Fair Game Designed for ages 15 and up, The Fair Game® consists of five sequential role-playing games that introduce the costs and benefits of world trading systems. In a simulation of global trade, six teams of 2 to 5 players are allocated resources and population proportional to the region they represent (based on United Nations statistics). Players learn basic trading rules and strategies, how trade affects the environment, how technology and other factors give dominance to some players, and how, over time, market dominance by some creates trade barriers and inequality. At the end of each hour-long game,

groups take 15 to 20 minutes to cal-culate the results of market trades and discuss issues that arose. In the final rounds, players examine the role of fair trade and have an opportunity to create new economic rules. Packaged in a large cardboard tube, the game includes trading sheets, resource pieces and paper money for each of the six regions, and a 24-page booklet of instructions and questions for stimulating discussion. Designed for social studies, The Fair Game® will open minds in any study of global trade and resource issues. – (TG) The Marquis Project/Worldly Goods, 2003, C$95 (includes s&h to U.S. or Canada) from The Marquis Project, 707 Rosser Avenue, Brandon, MB R7A 0K8, (204) 727-5675, <www.marquisproject.com>.

Tree of LifeHow can you explain biodiver-sity to children? Tree of Life: The Incredible Biodi-versity of Life on Earth is a beauti-fully illustrated and surprisingly

informative picture book that does just that by asking readers to think of each species of life as one leaf on a very large tree with five branches. There are 1,750,000 leaves on that tree, only one of which represents humans! Each two-page spread gives both general information and illustrated examples of one of the five kingdoms of life: Monera (10,000 species of bacteria); Fungi (72,000 species); Protoctista (80,000 species of protozoa and algae), Plants (270,000 species) and Animals (1,318,000 species). Animals are further divided into invertebrates and various taxa of vertebrates, each covered separately. The last page describes one species — humans — and how we are changing the “tree of life.” Written by Rochelle Strauss and illustrated by Margot Thompson, this excellent resource also offers sugges-tions to parents and teachers on what we can do to protect Earth’s biodiver-sity and links the content with human responsibility. It is suitable for Grades 4-7 as a cross-curricular resource in language arts, environmental science, and mathematics. – (DB)Kids Can Press, 2004, ISBN 1-55337-669-2 (hc), 40 pp., C$19.99 from Kids Can Press, (800) 265-0884; US$16.95 from Kids Can Press U.S., (866) 481-5827.

Winged MigrationWinged Migration: The Junior Edition is an inspiring large-format book that takes read-ers into the

magical migratory worlds of storks, geese, puffins, macaws, cranes, mallards, penguins, eagles, and other birds (13 in all). Each spread features a different species and includes a short narrative that immerses the reader in the sights, sounds, and colors of the bird’s habitat; the perils of its journey; and the threats it faces from natural and human predators. Beautiful photographs combined with migration maps, informative sidebars, and an accompanying CD of birdcalls make this an excellent reference for students ages 8 and up. The final section takes readers behind the scenes of the award-winning film on which the book is based. By offering us a closer look at the lives of migratory birds, Winged Migration encourages emotional con-nections with these mysterious beings that we often see only at a distance in the skies above. An amazing book! – (LI)Chronicle Books, ISBN 2-02-063350-7, 2004, 48 pp., US$19.95 from Chronicle Books, (800) 722-6657, <www.chroniclebooks.com>; C$27.95 from Raincoast Books, (800) 663-5714, <www.raincoast.com>.

EE diversity case studiesWhat’s Fair Got To Do With It, edited by Tania Madfes, is a collection of 10 case studies on issues of cultural diver-

sity. Written by a team of environmen-tal educators, the scenarios are based on real-life experiences of educators grappling with a variety of problems — from conflicting attitudes toward nature and time to cultural issues in inter-agency collaboration, leadership, power dynamics, and environmental justice. Following each case is a com-mentary highlighting the issues raised and a short piece titled “Facilitation Notes” to help in leading discussions


about the dilemmas. A well-researched culminating essay by sociolinguist Sharon Nelson-Barber provides further insight into the cultural issues in each of the cases. The last section is a “Guide for the Facilitator” that is intended to help professional develop-ment leaders present the cases and conduct discussions about the diver-sity issues they raise. Any group of educators who want to consider how to respond to cultural differences that affect learning and partnerships in education will find these case studies a good place to start. – (CK/GL)EETAP, NAAEE, and WestEd, 2004, ISBN 0-914409-20-4 (pb), 122 pp., US$21.50 plus s&h from WestEd Regional Educational Laboratory, (888) 293-7833, <www.wested.org>.

Small WondersSmall Wonders: Designing Vibrant, Natural Landscapes for Early Childhood is a 35-page

booklet from the Evergreen Learning Grounds Program that describes how to design “vibrant, nurturing and safe outdoor spaces for young children.” The guide leads the reader through principles that govern design (site specifics, programming, needs of chil-dren and staff); provides a framework for developing and organizing design ideas; and suggests consultations with children and adults that will help in pulling the plan together. With beau-tiful photographs in both color and black and white, the booklet depicts the remarkable transformation of the yard of a small preschool into a glori-ously rich outdoor space for learning and creative play. Gone are the old-school play apparatus and barren blacktop, replaced and refreshed by landscaping and natural play features. The pictures will inspire you, and the “how-to” planning steps will help you turn that inspiration into reality. This is the perfect foundational resource for anyone looking to improve outdoor learning and play environments for preschoolers. – (BB)Evergreen, 2004, ISBN 0-9732124-8-9 (pb), 35 pp., C$10 plus $3 s&h ($5 to the U.S.) from Evergreen, (888) 426-3138, (416) 596-1495, <www.evergreen.ca>.

Smart ConsumersWhile many environ-mental issues seem distant and uncontrol-lable to kids, consumption

is not one of them. American youth, for example, spend more than $175 billion each year and influence the spending of an additional $150 billion. Smart Consumers intends to help educate that purchasing power through a variety of activities that explore consumer issues and the links between consumption and environmental health. Designed for Grades 6-9, the guide’s 14 interdisciplinary activities have students finding connections between products and the environment; survey-ing consumer patterns and attitudes towards money; analyzing ads, song lyrics, and “green” product claims; tracing product life cycles; reflecting on needs and wants; and calculating ecological footprints. The activities often start from students’ own experi-ence and are set up in a Project WILD-style format that contains writing ideas, detailed process steps (including answers to posed questions), exten-sions, and good, specific, assessment rubrics. The background information can be used for student research in Grades 6 and 7, and contains many referenced statistics that support and reinforce the issues and potential solu-tions. Supplementing the activities are resource listings, a curriculum plan-ning chart, and — for students — a 40-page Community Action Guide that suggests 25 action ideas and outlines three projects in detail. Overall, the guide is well laid out with a good use of graphics, headings, and space. It is linked to an interactive website, <www.ibuydifferent.org>, which has additional information, success stories, and an impact calculator. Students can create their own group, or join and message with over 250 existing groups. (You can also download the Community Action Guide from this site.) This is the best program I have seen in some time. – (AC) World Wildlife Fund and Center for a New American Dream, 2004, ISBN 0-89164-171-8 (binder), 300 pp., US$29.95 plus s&h from Acorn Naturalists, (800) 422-8886, <www.acornnaturalists.com>.

Every Trail Has a Story“If you want to know the pine, go to the pine.” Matsuo’s 17th-century haiku reflects the philosophy of Bob Hender-son’s Every Trail Has a Story: Heritage Travel in Canada, an account of his extensive travels by foot, dogsled, canoe, and horseback in the Canadian North and other parts of Canada. Part travelogue, part social and natural history, the book unlocks the stories of the places he travels though and explores the connection between land and people. Henderson’s vivid lan-

guage and use of primary sources such as journals and folk songs lend a Tolkien-esque element to the text by introducing heroic characters and conveying a multitude of perspectives

through myriad voices. From transpor-tation alternatives to Native rock art, Henderson’s topics can be linked to virtually every area of the high school curriculum. While most students would be overwhelmed by the overall sweep of the text, an astute teacher can mine this treasure trove for selected readings that will bring life to any study of Canadian history, culture, and landscape. – (JK) Natural Heritage Books, 2005, ISBN 1-896219-97-7 (pb), 285 pp., C$26.95/US$19.95 plus s&h from Natural Heritage Books, PO Box 95, Station O, North York, ON M4A 2M8, (416) 694-7907, <www.naturalheritagebooks.com>.

Don’t Trash My PlanetKaren Riley’s new booklet Don’t Trash

My Planet offers compelling statistics about material consumption, waste generation, and recycling, along with “planet-saving tips” and a variety of engaging art projects and activities that promote recycling and reuse of everyday materials. Suitable for Grades 2-6. – (TG)S.C.R.A.P. Gallery, 2005, no ISBN, 20pp. US$12 plus $2 s&h from: S.C.R.A.P. Gallery, 46-350 Arabia Street, Indio, CA 92201, (760) 861-6479.


Institutes in Canada

Simon Fraser University, British Colum-bia, Developing Environmental Citizen-ship. This institute will be offered in Lower Mainland Vancouver in May/June and again in Penticton in July. Contact: David Zandvliet at [email protected] or call (604) 291-5680.

Inside Education, Alberta, Natural Resources Education Institute, Alberta-wide,

July 11-20. All expenses paid. Contact: Inside Educaton, (780) 421-1497, <www.insideeducation.ca>.

Whycocomagh Eco-Centre, Whycoco-magh, Nova Scotia. Getting to the Heart of the Matter: How our Ecological Identity Informs Our Life as Educators, July 10-13. Investigate how our experience of nature informs the way we see the world and our place in it. $100 before April 21; $120 after. Contact: Whycocomagh Eco-Centre, (902) 756-3464, <http://srsbweb.strait.ednet.ns.ca/ecocentre/index.html>.

University of British Columbia, Vancou-ver, Issues and Frameworks in Environ-mental Education, July 17-21, $455.70 (deadline June 14); Environmental Stew-ardship and Social Responsibility, July 24-28, $455.70 (deadline June 17). Also, a new 15 credit post-baccalaureateCertificate in Ecological and Social Responsibility is being offered for school and community educators. Contact: Bharani McGregor, (604) 822-8553, <www.eplt.educ.ubc.ca/di/courses.htm>.

Huntsman Marine Science Centre, St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Beachcombing for Marine Biodiversity, July 31-August 4, $350; and

Whales, Seals and Seabirds, August 8-11 $350. Fees include meals and accom-modation. Deadline: June 24. Contact: Education Director, (506) 529-1220, <www.huntsmanmarine.ca>.

Environmental Learning Institute, Temperate Coastal Rainforest Studies and Research Institute, Clayoquot Sound, Brit-ish Columbia, August 11-18. A leadership

program to enhance science educators’ understanding of inquiry-based learning and global environmental change. $1,200 plus airfare (partial scholarships may be available). Contact: Environmental Learn-ing Institute, (520) 245-3711, <www.environmentallearning.org>.

Institutes in the United States

Wisconsin Center for EE, Steven’s Point, June-August. Numerous courses offered, including EE Research, Investi-gating EE Curriculum

Resources, EE Teaching Strategies, EE Leadership, Water Curriculum Resources, Water Field Trip, Soil Resources, Environ-mental Futures, Energy Education, Out-door Teaching, and Wildife. Tuition varies. Contact: Tim Byers at (715) 346-4176, <www.uwsp.edu/cnr/wcee>.

Teaching Environmental Sciences, June-August in Texas. Texas universities offer no-cost 8- to 14-day summer institutes for K-12 teachers, providing opportunities to visit waste and water treatment sites, and industries and farms, and to monitor air and water quality. Contact: Joe Thomas, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, (512) 239-0012, or visit website after April 15 <www.tceq.state.tx.us/nav/resources/env_resources.html>.

Great Smoky Mountains Institute, Townsend, Tennessee, Smoky Mountain ScienceTeacher Institute, June

11-16; Naturalist Week, July 10-15. Fee of $340 includes room and board. Contact: GSMIT at (865) 448-6709, <www.gsmit.org>.

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Forestry Institutes for Teachers, June 11-17 in Shasta County; June 18-24 in Plumas County; and July 9-17 in Humboldt County. Visit various ecosystems and discuss natural resource management systems and wildlife biology. Deadline: March 17. All expenses paid. Contact: (800) 738-8733, <www.forestryinstitute.org>.

Ohio State University, Stone Laboratory Summer Courses, Gibralter Island, Ohio. Field Ecology, June 11-17; Marine

and Aquatic Education, June 11-17; Curriculum Development and Evaluationfor Great Lakes and Environmental Education, June 18-24; Ornithology for Teachers, June 25 - July 1; Principles of Oceanography for Science Teachers, July 2-8; Stream Ecology for Teachers, July 9-15; Local Flora for Teachers, July 9-15; Geologic Setting of Lake Erie, July 15-21; Earth Systems Education, July 16-22; and Insect Biology for Teachers, July 23-29. Contact: (614) 292-8949, <www.sg.ohio-state.edu/slab/courses>.

Michigan Technical University, Hough-ton, MI. Environmental Science Curricu-lum Teacher-Training, June 12-16; Math-ematics and Navigation for Teachers, June 19-23; Ecology of Isle Royal (field trip), June 19-24; Global Change Institute for Teachers, July 17-24. Deadline: May 26. Contact: Joan Schumaker-Chadde at (906) 487-3341, <www.wupcenter.mtu.edu>.

Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, The GREEN TeachersInstitutes for K-8 teachers.Museum Resources for Teachers, June 12-23 or July

10-21; Environmental Educationthrough Inquiry, June 12-23; Science for Ohio, June 26-30 or July 31-August 4; Picture Perfect Science, July 10-21. Contact: Mike Wright at (513) 529-6084, <www.environmentaleducationohio.org>.

Pisgah Forest Institute, Brevard, North Carolina,Earth/Environmental Science for Elementary Teachers, June 18-23;

Sustainability: Creating Jobs, Preventing Pollution and Conserving Resources, June 25-29; Elements of Nature, July 9-14; The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (plant emphasis), June 16-18; What Goes Around Comes Around: The Art and Science of Recycling and Composting in the Class-room, July 19-21; Earth/Environmental Science for Middle/High School Teachers, July 23-28. Free (including room and board). Pre-register at <www.brevard.edu/pfi> or call (828) 884-8229.

2006 SUMMER INSTITUTES FOR EDUCATORS

The following summer institutes and courses offer educators a wide variety of field experiences and professional development opportunities. They are listed in order of their start dates. Note that the posted deadlines may be extended. Look for listings of additional institutes in our next issue.


2006 SUMMER INSTITUTES FOR EDUCATORS

University of Wisconsin-River Falls, River Falls, Wisconsin, Residential Design Options (sustain-able housing), June 22-28;

Physical Hydrologic Models for Teachers, July 5-14; Lavas, Springs, Glaciers, Del-tas: A Taste of the Geology and Hydrology of the St. Croix Watershed, dates TBA. Contact: UW-River Falls Outreach Office at (800) 228-5607, <www.uwrf.edu/ogs>.

The Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, Jamestown,

Colorado, Earthworks Workshop: Earth System Science for Secondary Teachers, June 24-30. Participants design and conduct a field-based interdisciplinary study. Deadline: April 14. Contact: CIRES K-12 Education and Outreach at (303) 492-5670, <http://cires.colorado.edu/education/k12/earthworks/>.

University of California, Santa Cruz, California, MARE Summer Leadership Institute, June 25–July 1, $1,000. K-6 teachers, administrators, and non-formal educators participate in classroom and field experiences in a variety of marine habitats. Deadline: June 10. Contact: (510) 642-5008, <www.lawrencehallofscience.org/mare/profdev/summer.html>.

Shelburne Farms, Shelburne, Vermont, Principles and Best Practices of Place-Based Education, June 25-27, $50 (contact Pat Straughan, (802)

985-8686 x 43); Discovering Community: Students, Digital Media, and Place-Based Learning, July 10-14, $979 (contact Greg Sharrow, (802) 388-4964); Education for Sustainability Institute, July 17-21, $960 (contact Jennifer Cirillo, (802) 985-8686); Community Works Institute on Service-Learning, July 24-28, $960 (contact Joe Brooks, (802) 655-5918). Fees include lunches and all materials. Visit <www.shelburnefarms.org>.

National Association for Independent Schools, Lawrenceville, New Jersey, Insti-tute for Leadership in Sustainability, June 25-29. Share insights, discuss challenges, and strategize how to enhance a school’s commitment to a sustainable future. Contact: Sterling Yates at (202) 973-9700, <www.nais.org/go/ils>.

Environmental Expeditions & Selby Botanical Gardens, Peru. Amazon Rain-forest Workshop, July 7-16, $1,998 plus airfare. Contact: Dr. Frances Gatz at (800) 669-6806, <www.travel2learn.com>.

E.E. Just Environmental Leadership In-stitute, Meriden, New Hampshire. Three or four courses are offered in each of 3 sessions: July 9-14, July 16-21, and July 23-28. Course topics include GIS and GPS for Community Mapping, IntegratingGlobal Issues & Sustainability Across the Curriculum, Designing Inquiry-Based Curriculum in EE, Village Quest and Storytelling for Ecological Education. $950 per course, includes tuition, room, and board. Contact: E.E. Just Environ-mental Leadership Institute, c/o Kimball Union Academy at (603) 469.2358, <www.eejust.org/educators/index.html>.

Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx Zoo, New York. Pablo Python Looks at Animals Focus on Literacy

(Gr. K-3), July 10-14; Voyage From the Sun (Gr. 5-8), July 17-21; Elly Jelly Looks at Marine Animals (Gr. 1-3), July 24-28; Insects and their Allies (Gr K-6), July 24-28; Habitat Ecology Learning Program (Gr. 4-6), July 31-August 4; Wild Explora-tions for Science (Gr. 7-12), August 7-11; Teachers for Tigers (Gr. 3-5), August 21-25. $185 per institute. Contact: Bronx Zoo Education Dept., (800) 937-5131 or (718) 220-5136, <http://bronxzoo.com/bz-education/teacherinformation>.

Boone and Crockett Club, Texas and Montana, Conservation Across Boundar-ies, July 11-25. A field course in two states to train teachers to integrate biological and ecological sciences, natural resource conservation issues, and computer technology with regional historical and cultural knowledge. Deadline: March 21. Contact: Selma Glasscock at (361) 364-2643, <www.boone-crockett.org/educationPrograms>.

Legacy and the Southern Environmen-tal Center, Birmingham, Alabama, The Legacy Environmental Education Summer Institute, July 16-21. Hands-on training course for K-12 Alabama teachers. All expenses paid. Deadline: April 28. Contact: Legacy at (334) 270-5921, <www.legacyenved.org>.

North Carolina State University, and the Sangari Institute, Sao Paulo, Brazil, Brazil: Adventures in Ecol-ogy and Education, July

17-31. Experience Brazil’s urban life and rainforest habitats, with one-week exten-sions to the Pantanal, the Amazon, Iguazu Falls, or Sao Paulo. Contact: Dr. Harriett Stubbs, SCI-LINK at NCSU at (919) 515-9483, <www.ncsu.edu/scilink> or <www.institutosangari.org.br>.

Adopt-A-Watershed, Tahoe City, California, Place-Based Leadership Development Pro-gram, July 17-21. Builds teams of knowledgeable leaders and

programs that inspire learning, improve student achievement, and restore the environment. Deadline: April 15. Contact: Adopt-A-Watershed at (530) 628-5334, <www.adopt-a-watershed.org>.

Roger Tory Peterson Institute, Jamestown, New York. Nature in the School Curriculum Graduate Course for Teachers,

July 17-28. Contact: Mark Baldwin, RTPI, (800) 758-6841 x 228, <www.rtpi.org>.

Village Quest Summer Institute, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, July 31-August 4, Teachers are guided through

a process for creating a map and treasure hunt to the cultural and natural features ofa community. Contact Valley Quest at (802) 291-9100, <www.vitalcommunities.org>.

American University, Washington, DC. Human Rights and Global Awareness Educator Training Workshop, July 30-31. Introduction to a global awareness curriculum, using case studies on Rwanda and the Sudan. $350, includes meals. Contact: Miya Nazzaro at (202) 487-8713, <www.urbansynergy.org/Institute>.

Teachers College Columbia University and UN Mandated University for Peace,

San Jose, Costa Rica, International Insti-tute on Peace Education, July 30–August 6. Explore the Earth Charter and the UN’s educational initiatives. $400, includes all onsite expenses. Deadline: April 1. Contact: Peace Education Center, TeachersCollege Columbia University at (212) 678-8116, <www.tc.edu/PeaceEd/IIPE>.


GREEN TEACHER 78Page 48

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Available June 2006



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