Post on 12-May-2015
“Children and Nature an Essential Connection”
“We must be the change we wish to see in the world” Mahatma Gandhi
Vision
To create a world where…
• Every urban child can explore the natural world every day of every season of every year of their life
• A mentor can share and guide the child in this adventure, building curiosity and respect for this natural world
• They and others of all ages can come together in a kind of outdoor laboratory: an urban ecology center that educates and inspires people to understand and value nature as motivation for positive change
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Mission
The Urban Ecology Center educates and inspires people to understand and value nature as motivation for positive change, neighborhood by neighborhood. Our Environmental community Centers:
• Provide outdoor science education for urban youth• Protect and use public natural areas, making them safe, accessible and
vibrant• Preserve and enhance these natural areas and their surrounding waters• Promote community by offering resources that support learning
volunteerism, stewardship, recreation, and camaraderie• Practice and model environmentally responsible behaviors
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Approach – Guiding Lenses:
Our guiding lenses provide a way to “see” and evaluate a
new program, partnership or idea for the Center. We look
at these opportunities in seven different ways; an
opportunity must:
1) meet our vision and mission
2) satisfy our educational goals and rationale,
3) address at least one of our established issues,
4) be deemed financially and operationally feasible,
5) be judged as an environmentally sustainable decision,
6) engage the community to fill community needs
7) be fun, creative, or “cool”
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Louise Chawla Significant Life Experience
Rachel and Stephen Kaplan
Attention Restoration Theory
Francis Kuo Crime, learning, ADD
Richard Louv “Last Child in the Woods”
…to name a few
Neighborhood Environmental
Education Project (NEEP)
20002000Just under Just under 6,0006,000 students from 12 students from 12
schools launched the schools launched the Neighborhood Neighborhood Environmental Education ProjectEnvironmental Education Project
An additional 2,000 An additional 2,000 children and 3,000 children and 3,000
adults totaledadults totaled
11,00011,000 visitors visitors
20102010Nearly Nearly 22,00022,000 students from 43 students from 43
schools participated in the schools participated in the Neighborhood Environmental Neighborhood Environmental
Education ProjectEducation Project
An additional 23,000 children An additional 23,000 children
and 31,000 adults totaledand 31,000 adults totaled
77,000 Visitors!77,000 Visitors!
How to build? Decision making guiding lenses:
•“Fun Factor”•Environmentally responsible: “7th
Generation”•Aesthetics “Neighborhood Living Room”•Program•Economics•Time•Politics
Fun!
Environmentally responsible
Aesthetics
Program
Economics
Time
Politics
If it works….
… replicate
Neighborhood Environmental Education Project for schools
Summer Camp
Outdoor Leadership:High School Training
Summer Interns:Adult Training
Teens
Volunteer Program
Stewardship
Festivals
Urban Adventures
Equipment Lending
Research
National Citizen-Based
Monitoring Projects
Family andIntergenerationalPrograms
Economic and environmental plight
Revitalization
Ecological Literacy Chawla, Kaplan and Kuo
Science and ecological understanding
92% students learned science or ecological concepts
Emotional connection:93%
Taking Action92%
Community connection:94%
Impacts• Ecological literacy is developed through:
– Knowledge and academic success– Emotional connection to nature– Recognizing one’s role in the community– Desire and ability to take action
• Crime is reduced by:– Positive community engagement
• Obesity is reduced by:– Health food– Exercise
Average Weight 1960 2002 Difference
Kids6-11 63 lbs 74 lbs +11 lbs
Menover 20 167 lbs 191 lbs +24 lbs
Womenover 20 139 lbs 163 lbs +24 lbs
THE WORLDIS GETTING FAT
No Data <10% 10%–14%
THE WORLDIS GETTING FAT
1985
OBESITY TRENDS IN US ADULTS
1985 - 2006
THE WORLDIS GETTING FAT
No Data <10% 10%–14% 1987
OBESITY TRENDS IN US ADULTS
1985 - 2006
THE WORLDIS GETTING FAT
No Data <10% 10%–14% 1989
OBESITY TRENDS IN US ADULTS
1985 - 2006
THE WORLDIS GETTING FAT
No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19% 1991
OBESITY TRENDS IN US ADULTS
1985 - 2006
THE WORLDIS GETTING FAT
No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19% 1993
OBESITY TRENDS IN US ADULTS
1985 - 2006
THE WORLDIS GETTING FAT
No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19% 1995
OBESITY TRENDS IN US ADULTS
1985 - 2006
THE WORLDIS GETTING FAT
No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19% ≥20% 1997
OBESITY TRENDS IN US ADULTS
1985 - 2006
THE WORLDIS GETTING FAT
No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19% ≥20% 1999
OBESITY TRENDS IN US ADULTS
1985 - 2006
THE WORLDIS GETTING FAT
No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19% 20%–24% ≥25% 2001
OBESITY TRENDS IN US ADULTS
1985 - 2006
THE WORLDIS GETTING FAT
No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19% 20%–24% ≥25% 2003
OBESITY TRENDS IN US ADULTS
1985 - 2006
THE WORLDIS GETTING FAT
No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19% 20%–24% 25%–29% ≥30% 2005
OBESITY TRENDS IN US ADULTS
1985 - 2006
THE WORLDIS GETTING FAT
No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19% 20%–24% 25%–29% ≥30% 2006
OBESITY TRENDS IN US ADULTS
1985 - 2006
THE WORLDIS GETTING FAT
2007
OBESITY TRENDS IN US ADULTS
1985 - 2007
No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19% 20%–24% 25%–29% ≥30%
THE WORLDIS GETTING FAT
2008
OBESITY TRENDS IN US ADULTS
1985 - 2008
No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19% 20%–24% 25%–29% ≥30%
Healthy (and sustainable) Food
Exercise
= Healthy kids
Through the work that takes place at our Environmental Community Centers:
• academic achievement goes up • crime goes down• ecological literacy improves• land is healed • the community is inspired and engaged• health improves
and the neighborhood wins!
= Lancaster County Conservancy + Urban Ecology Center
“Eight year olds should not be
asked to become warriors or
worriers. Children have much more important work to do: Watch ants.
Grow flowers. Dance between the raindrops. This is sacred work, and
childhood needs to be preserved just as much as rain
forests and wetlands.”
Michael Weilbacher