This section will help us learn about the cool initiatives at the primary and secondary school level that are helping young people think about a more sustainable world.
Got an innovative project? You could have a page on the site, or even enable students to develop their own "book" of online content or photo galleries.
Resources
Cuyahoga Valley Environmental Education Center
Environmental Education Council of Ohio
Student Environmental Congress of the Earth Day Coalition
Environmental Literacy Council
Pesticide Alternatives for Safer Schools
Hershey Montessori School Links Life and Classes Fluidly
Ken_Brickman Says:I have been working with the Hershey Montessori School in Huntsburg, Ohio for four years. Having worked towards an MS in Environmental Education through an Experiential Education format, I was poised to assist this junior high school in its sustainable lifestyles.
We incorporate intentional behaviors into our daily routines and allow young teens to earn responsibility for their behaviors.
The creation of the program a decade ago has set off a global interest for Montessori Adolescent Programs. And every one of these programs keeps environmental stewardship as a central element to the curriculum.
I would be more than happy to offer provide insight into curriculum and prepared environment if any schools are interested in turning the corner in areas such as:
Composting,passive solar, on-site garden, Community Supported Agriculture, curriculum integration with natural environments, etc.
We are a stop on the Solar Tour again this year. Check us out.
Ecity and E4S
Susan Miller Says:Holly Harlan is so busy advancing the Sustainability agenda at Entrepreneurs for Sustainability. And she is doing a bang up job of it! If only she had the staff and or time to suggest a sustainability curriculum insertion for ECity's new Entrepreneurs Prep School.
But EPrep is still hiring teachers according to their website.
Might there be an entrepreneur for sustainability who is ready to help prepare the next generation? Or a teacher who is ready to branch out into a new area of middle and high school curriculum (read science + economics)?
Could E4S interest The Entrepreneurship Preparatory School in a series of lectures? We are becoming better at building the links.
This seems like a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor, before these kids launch into the business world. Would it not be great to expand their thinking beyond the old school business model and have them consider how to put sustainability systems in place from the very beginning of their business planning?
Imagine classes of students from the EPrep School matriculating through the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs or the CSU Business School and then through the Erb Institute at University of Michigan. Wow!
Teaching sustainability
David Beach Says:So much more needs to be done to teach the skills of entrepreneurship and sustainability, especially with young people. Most of the current thinking seems to be focused on MBA-level business school students. For instance, the Weatherhead School at Case will be hosting an incredible international forum this October on the teaching of sustainability in business schools. They are working with the UN Global Compact initiative.
kids study water just east of cleveland
Susan Miller Says:From Michigan and Illinois to Texas and Florida AND just east of Cleveland (in Erie, PA), this program has kids studying their water resources and becoming active in policy issues regarding their environment.
Could a chapter be initiated here? Is there a science teacher ready for action?
EarthForce
JohnMcGovern Says:Susan,
That looks like a program that the Student Environmental Congress could be involved in. I'll take a closer look at it today. Through the Earth Day Coalition's Student Environmental Congress, we work with about 15 urban, suburban, and rural schools on project based environmental education.
In related news, I had the chance to listen to Pittsburgh architect and educator Bob Kobet give the opening keynote at last weekend's EECO (Environmental Education Council of Ohio) State Conference. Mr. Kobet believes that green built, LEED certified school buildings should serve as a foundation of the curriculum. otherwise they are largely showpieces. Here is a link to an exercpt from an article written by Mr. Kobet entitled, "Empowering Learning Through Natural, Human, and Building Ecologies" The full article is linked at the end of the page. The DesignShare site showcases innovative school design and could provide inspiration and solid ideas for the Cleveland school rebuild currently underway.