Children and Nature an Essential Connection

“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

Environmentally responsible

Aesthetics

Program

Economics

Politics

If it works….

… replicate

Neighborhood Environmental Education Project for schools

Summer Camp

Outdoor Leadership:High School Training

Summer Interns:Adult Training

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%


1985

OBESITY TRENDS IN US ADULTS

1985 - 2006


No Data <10% 10%–14% 1987


1985 - 2006


No Data <10% 10%–14% 1989


1985 - 2006


No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19% 1991


1985 - 2006


No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19% 1993


1985 - 2006


No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19% 1995


1985 - 2006


No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19% ≥20% 1997


1985 - 2006


No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19% ≥20% 1999


1985 - 2006


No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19% 20%–24% ≥25% 2001


1985 - 2006


No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19% 20%–24% ≥25% 2003


1985 - 2006


No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19% 20%–24% 25%–29% ≥30% 2005


1985 - 2006


No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19% 20%–24% 25%–29% ≥30% 2006


1985 - 2006


2007


1985 - 2007

No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19% 20%–24% 25%–29% ≥30%


2008


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

Children and Nature an Essential Connection

Education

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