Teaching Environmental
Science at Acalanes
Submitted By: Janet Thomas (
thomas@silcon.com)
Challenge
How to educate and inspire the next generation so that they
are even better equipped to deal with a growing array of
environmental and climate challenges.
Solution
Details
At Acalanes High School, Jada Nys teaches about
sustainability daily in her Environmental Science classes.
This is a course that has been taught at Acalanes for the
past five years, originally instituted with the generous
support of
LASF. The course text, Miller's
LIVING IN THE ENVIRONMENT, is that used most commonly
in introductory college environmental science classes.
In the year-long course Students learn about the
nature of our ecosystems, and man's impact on the
environment. Resource use and sustainability are important
themes. This year, Jada has three classes of about 30
(mostly seniors) each. As part of the course, She guides
her students in tending an organic garden. Students have
grown starters from seeds and are planting vegetables in
beds recently gopher-proofed with plywood and screen
bottom. The class has a large new worm bin, built as a
bench. On Fridays, the class meets outdoors next to the
Reliez Creek where students talk about environmental
current events while witnessing the changes in flora and
fauna of the beautiful Lafayette riparian ecosystems.
Benefits
& Payback
Besides the future payoff of close to 100 students per year
learning how the environment works, Lafayette has a
passionate set of students that are contributing to making
our community more sustainable while still in high school.
Students from the Environmental Science class have
contributed to the City's Environmental Task Force and
planned a Symposium on Global Warming that was held on
Earth Day in 2007.
Informational
Links
Living in the Environment by George
Tyler Miller
Acalanes High School
