The Science of Sustainability
Sponsored by the Clarence E. Heller Charitable Family Foundation
Presented by:
Literacy for Environmental Justice and
The Exploratorium Teacher Institute
www.lejyouth.org/ecocenter/
By Tracy Zhu, Anthony Khalil, Eric Muller, Lori Lambertson, Bryce Johnson and Modesto Tamez
This website url is located at: http://www.exo.net/~emuller/
The Exploratorium Teacher Institute and Literacy for Environmental Justice present a series of workshops titled Understanding the Science of Sustainability, focusing on environmental awareness, stewardship, eco-literacy and sustainability. These workshops are funded through the generous support of the Clarence E. Heller Charitable Foundation.The location is LEJ’s new EcoCenter at Heron’s Head Park in southeast
San Francisco. The EcoCenter is the first environmental education center in the Bay Area to focus on environmental justice. The EcoCenter’s sustainable technology and construction provides the science content foundation for the program, which will be viewed through an environmental justice lens.
At the Eco-Center in Heron's Head Park on 9/11/10
Using the EcoCenter's on-site wastewater treatment system as a model, this workshop explores the water cycle and modeling filtration systems. The park's wetlands provide a model for nature's water treatment.
At the Eco-Center in Heron's Head Park on 10/16/10
Using the EcoCenter's on-site solar energy system as a model, this workshop explores the energy concepts and energy use.
At the Eco-Center in Heron's Head Park on 11/6/10
This workshop examines rain as a resource and the native plant restoration that has taken place at Heron's Head Park. The legacy of San Francisco's natural history includes how former landfills in industrial areas can be revitalized and reclaimed through environmental service-learning and stewardship
Sustainable Food
At the Eco-Center in Heron’s Head Park in San Francisco on 2/26/11
In this workshop, we explored issues of sustainable food and planting practices, "food sheds" and food justice, as well as the math and science of calories and nutrition.
Sustaining Our Connection to Astronomy
At the Eco-Center in Heron’s Head Park in San Francisco on 3/19/11
Exploratorium astronomer Isabel Hawkins joined TI staff to present this workshop on understanding the relative positions of the sun and earth, the relationship between the sun's position and shadow lengths, and the astronomical basis of our understanding of time and calendars.
Sustainable Plant Adaptations
(link coming soon)
At the Eco-Center in Heron’s Head Park in San Francisco on 4/16/11
We explored the roles of the plants in the ecosystem at Heron’s Head Park, including the wetland and the higher grasslands, focusing on how native plants have adapted to live in these environments, and at plant and animal interactions.
| More LEJ curriculum available from Calling Nature Home: Restoring Environmental Justice in an Urban Wetland at:
lejyouth.org/educator/res.html More information and activities from the Exploratorium can be found at: |