Green Sugar Press

2011-08-15T08:32:00.000-07:00

Truck Farm Chicago's inaugural tour is nearly four months in (now powered by biodiesel from Loyola University) and we're giving away cherry tomatos on a daily basis.

During a Truck Farm visit the other day, a young grandmother asked me, "If you don't sell anything from your little farm, what do you do with it?" So, while her kids sampled produce and painted veggies on the truck, I explained our mission, i.e. connecting kids to food & wellness, and described our programming (often w/partners), i.e. visiting schools & conducting programming like gardening, wellness education and cooking.

That said, now with a few miles under my farming belt, I'm realizing the power of using the topic of food for learning. We're all connected to it at least three times a day and it's connected to everything else. From brain power, to healthcare costs and from public policy to social justice and jobs, food is our medium. Fresh, tasty food. And the best part is the number of practical ways to improve our system. It's not about sacrifice, it's about abundance. It's not about higher costs, it's about food that tastes great and nourishes us (and the soil). And being with youth to talk about these issues is a great place to be. And that's why Truck Farm continues to roll...

Truck Farm Chicago

P.S. This is my last blog post at blogger. All new postings are here at Green Sugar Press

P.P.S. Coming soon: The difference between corn/soy farm and a small vegetable farm. Then, the real cost of 'flaming hots.'

'Farm-On-Wheels' making it's way around Chicago...

2011-06-10T17:40:00.000-07:00

Props are good. I like props, so I knew Truck Farm Chicago would work. With a 'farm-on-wheels' that lets kids harvest and eat food, it's easy to engage in conversations about health. I just wasn't sure the plants would like being on the bumpy road day after day. Well, from the kale to the onions and spinach, to the chard and broccoli, we're growing food. And yesterday we harvested the first fruit from our strawberry patch. The look on the student's face after he bit into it was priceless. :)

P.S. This link takes you to Jamie Oliver's blog and an article on an innovative school in Chicago, The Academy for Global Citizenship. And Truck Farm gets to visit next week :)

Truck Farm Chicago is on Tour!!

2011-05-07T06:04:00.000-07:00

I have dirt under my fingernails and it feels great. The sun rises higher and our crops grow taller. We visit kids and laugh. Life is good. Check out the latest project- A Green Sugar Press and Seven Generations Ahead collaboration: Truck Farm Chicago.

It's about engaging kids in conversations on food; how it grows, where it grows and why it matters. From toddlers to teens, our programming runs the gamut, from planting seeds to composting demos, to hands-on history/geography lessons and cooking classes.

Check out more, at our w-i-p website: Truck Farm Chicago

P.S. Including are clips from our visits with NBC, ABC and WGN TV.

P.P.S. Don't fret, the kale, spinach, strawberries, onions, broccoli, chard, cauliflower, collard greens, radishes and parsley plants have grown far taller than in this picture.

If standardized tests aren't the whole answer, what is?

2011-04-14T09:23:00.001-07:00

I've yet to meet a teacher that believes existing standardized tests are a fully adequate measure of student performance. And I've yet to meet a business executive that hires (for careers that pay well) based on how well applicants do at rote memorization and linear thinking.

So, how should we spend time in schools and how do we measure student performance?

I've written about Whole Child Education. Still a great site, here.

And here's a three minute video at Edutopia (George Lucas' foundation) on assessment.

Enjoy Spring!!

2011-04-06T06:56:00.001-07:00

I've been a big fan of TED talks. TED conferences happen all over the world and the brief talks/presentations are available for free at ted.com. Listening to them while in my car makes me immune to Chicago traffic. Why mention it here? There are a number of TED speakers with great insight into children and education. Three of my favorite:

Kiran Bir Sethi - empowering children

Aimee Mullins - the opportunity of adversity

Sir Ken Robinson - creativity

I was fortunate to see Sir Ken speak last week with old ski buddy and consultant Dani Stern who runs a Montessori school in Bozeman. We didn't get any photos with Ken, so here's one of Dani and I.

It's all good...biodiesel for Truck Farm & Green Teacher

2011-03-07T12:25:00.000-08:00

Normally, I'm not a huge fan of Mondays. I look at my "Things to Do List" and feel overwhelmed. Well, not today. Sure, my "To Do List" is long and getting longer, but this morning I was lucky enough to meet five inspiring Whitney Young High School students. With Teacher Brian Sievers, they work in a lab at the University of IL-Chicago creating biodiesel from donated used oil, e.g. soy, canola.

Their fuel powers anything that runs on diesel, like the Truck Farm we'll be introducing next month (and Chicago's Fresh Moves Mobile Market). The benefits of re-using waste and burning biodiesel are, to start, reducing disposal/landfill fees (saving money) and lowering air pollution (and higher healthcare costs). For more, check out one of their websites.

Not only are they learning about solving problems and making a difference once they graduate, they are doing it today. As a team, utilizing their different strengths, they secured sponsors and donors and, of course, put the system together and got it working. Yes, Brian Sievers, the Whitney Young Teacher, is an expert, but he's clear about one thing: it's the kid's project. He's there giving his free time and providing support and guidance, but it's the students who are 'running the show.'

So, while CBS TV cancelled their appearance and Senator Durbin only sent an aide, it's neat seeing kids solve real problems and understand that the 21st century is the most exciting time in the world to be alive.

P.S. More to follow on Truck Farm Chicago (whose biodiesel will come from these students). Today was also a good day because Green Teacher, the magazine, gave An Environmental Guide from A to Z, a fantastic review :)

"I'm only trying to love my kids the best I can..."

2011-02-20T10:11:00.000-08:00

A line I get from parents all the time:

"I'm just trying to love my kids. How do I have time to worry about the environment?"

And when the dinner needs to be made, Johnny needs help with homework, the car needs an oil change, Sarah's being bullied, the bills need to be paid and I may get laid off from work... then worrying about the environment falls pretty low on the list of "things to do right now." I understand that.

I also understand that we're living in crazy times. The 21st century is the most exciting time in the history of the world to be alive. Like it or not, change is upon us. Some say we're in an age of information. Bill McKibben prefers to say it's an age of distraction. Yes, we're bombarded with messages, but most is delivered in shallow sound bytes, and much comes from advertisers hawking goods and services for consumption. I'll argue we owe it to ourselves and our kids to dig deep and learn what's really going on. What kind of world are we giving our kids? What does the world look like past the Industrial Revolution?

If there's one book I'd recommend for parents ('green-minded' or not) looking for answers, it's The Ecology of Commerce (revised edition, 2010). Author Paul Hawken comes at it from both a business and environmentalist perspective and leaves us with hope. He makes sense of business, it's relationship to the environment and then articulates a plan of how doing business and doing good can become one in the same. In fact, we're already on the path. It's early and the powers of status quo are strong, but the opportunities are HUGE.

So, being an environmentalist won't add more to your to-do list. Rather, it'll be like falling off a log and improving your quality of life. And for most, that probably means spending more time with the kids they love so much. Hopefully, some of that time is spent playing outdoors. :)

OK, enough with adult books.

These days most of the books I read are for kids and as long as I refer to re-reading books, I picked up Maniac Magee from my shelf last week and didn't put it down 'til I finished it. It's a super entertaining story about a wunderkid and at the top of my recommendation book for any 5th or 6th grader. Or adult...

Quote of the day:

“Education is not filling a bucket but lighting a fire."

-William Butler Yeats

an alternative to improving a flawed and dated model?

2011-02-08T09:38:00.000-08:00

Is it time to consider the Whole Child?

Not long ago, a friend and I were talking about different approaches to education. We, like nearly everyone, agree the current public educational system can do better. But is the movement to narrow curriculum, increase class time, heap on homework and focus on rote memorization for standardized tests the right answer (as promoted by programs like "Race to the Top")? Can we do better than merely try to improve a system created in the 19th century for the needs of the Industrial Revolution? What's best for the kids? What qualities do we want to encourage? Are there other approaches? Alternatives?

Consider: www.educatethewholechild.org

Bio on Green Sugar...

2011-01-03T17:33:00.000-08:00

A recent story in Chicago Artists Resources on Green Sugar Press. Here's the start:

I was good at being a kid, mostly because my parents and grandparents were good at being parents and grandparents. Mom and Dad rarely allowed us kids to watch TV, but they gave us the freedom to wander the neighborhood unchaperoned. Our grandparents provided wild places to roam. I became a world-class frog catcher and a top-notch corn husker...

Read the rest of the story here.

Exercise is good for kids...

2010-12-14T08:31:00.001-08:00

Whenever I visit a school I try to learn as much as possible, always making it a point to ask students how they spend their day. I'm interested for a few reasons, including discovering how much physical activity they get. While my "research" is anecdotal, there's plenty of evidence (besides our waistlines) that shows we get less exercise than we used to.

An
d while
we might "know" exercise is good for our bodies, and we may even "know" exercise improves our mood,
there's mounting evidence showing exercise as being good for brains, especially young, developing brains.
So, when I see kids, parents and teachers push back against reducing gym time,
cutting recess, narrowing curriculums,
increasing homework loads, I say keep pushing.

Less can be more when it means more time for play and getting our heart rates up. Less homework, less rote learning and fewer organized activities can lead to healthier and more creative kids, who also happen to test better.

Consider checking out Spark, a book on the science of exercise and the brain. Dr. Ratey's blog
http://johnratey.typepad.com/blog/

See you outside,
Tim.

P.D. A recent article in Mother Nature Network about a study of high school teens who do better walking to school here.

A Recent Interview and A Recent Review/Recommendation

2010-11-17T11:48:00.000-08:00

A two part interview with Little Green Pen's Michelle Schaub with views on environmental education: http://www.littlegreenpen.blogspot.com/

And Sarah Davies of Unplug your Kids, wrote a review of one of the books I had mailed to her a few months ago:

http://unplugyourkids.com/2010/11/16/environmental-guide-from-a-to-z/

Education System: creating cars or teaching kids?

2010-11-07T08:54:00.000-08:00

I crashed the ISACS (Independent Schools Association of the Central States) conference the other day. Yes, I'm getting too old to sneak into events. I didn't do it for the rubber chicken served at lunch, but to listen to Sir Ken Robinson.

A world-renowned expert in creativity, Sir Ken entertains. After the lunch and a follow up session with him, my cheeks hurt.

Google him and watch one of his videos at the TED conference. Or visit his website: http://www.sirkenrobinson.com/

If you need more information on his thoughts, here are a few pieces I take from Ken:

Things are changing fast and the pace of change is accelerating. In the next 50 years everything must and will change, i.e. from technology to energy use. If the entire world lived like the USA, the earth could support 1.2B people. At issue is the education system in the USA. It's not set up to enable kids to flourish, to follow their passions and to become leaders of the revolution we're in.

Our politicians mean well with programs like Leave No Child Behind and Race to the Top. Rightly, they claim "our businesses need kids that can read and write." Talk with business leaders and, yes, reading and writing is nice, but they also need people that can work on teams, think critically and innovate.

Our school system is based on an industrial model. Like an assembly line, we fill up the brains of children (mostly just one side of the brain) with information as efficiently as possible and move them on. Yet, kids are not cars, but individuals. Why not celebrate diversity and encourage them to find and follow their passions? Kids are restless and curious by nature. The goal is to set up conditions that keep them restless and curious, Why not work to foster creativity, rather than penalize it?

Ken offers ideas to teach creatively and reward creativity, often found happening at schools he visits. In fact, there is a growing backlash against this industrial system. More and more people (in and out of the system) understand rote memorization is over-rated and school can and should be relevant. Additionally, Ken doesn't blame teachers and schools, but does claim they have more leeway than they think. Best of all, Ken's wit keeps it all far lighter than I'm able in a blog posting :)

Boston College Alumni Profile: A Conversation with Environmental Educator and Children's Author, Tim Magner

2010-11-01T09:34:00.000-07:00

Here's the unedited and full-length version of last month's interview in a Boston College newsletter for graduates.

Boston College Alumni Profile: A Conversation with Environmental Educator and Children's Author, Tim Magner
By Timothy Sullivan 
BCEEAN Newsletter Editor and executive committee member, Tim Sullivan, posed the following questions to environmental educator and children's author Tim Magner to discuss his views on environmental education today. 

What drew you to the field?
First and foremost, it’s about spending time with children. I discovered the joy of being with kids while tutoring in high school. After graduating BC as a history major, teaching kids was my full time gig for a few years- from camp counselor, to golf coach to ski instructor. After a stint with EMC Corporation and bored with the rat race, I spent a couple years studying the environment and education. Writing for kids is an opportunity to fill a need and an excuse to be with more kids, more often.

What do you see as the major needs for environmental education?
My motto is growing green minds. The first part is about giving kids the opportunity to be kids. That means unstructured outdoor activity- time to get their feet wet and their hands dirty. It means giving kids a chance to fall- and to fall in love with, to bond with, the natural world.

So, I work to inspire kids of all ages to play. Opportunities to wander and to wonder, to explore and investigate ought to remain a part of childhood. Not only for their health and the skills it develops, but also for their happiness. No matter the technology, electronics will never engage the senses in a way nature does.

And the second part of growing green minds?
Is about kids growing up understanding how nature works. And I don’t necessarily mean the scientific stuff like the regulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, or memorizing the periodic table of elements. Rather, I refer to the concepts behind nature’s successful evolution over the last billion years or so, e.g. nature cycles all its own nutrients, runs on current sun energy, rewards cooperation over competition, thrives on diversity. Nature teaches us everything we need to know. It’s already solved all the problems we face. For example, it’s easy to have a conversation with nine-year olds about worms and composting while demonstrating how waste for one is food for another. In nature there is no such thing as worthless waste, so when we recycle or compost, we mimic nature.

What is the best approach to Environmental Education?
I’ve been lucky enough to see programs across the country and they run the gamut, from head-in-the-sand tactics to the scare-the-hell-out-of ‘em approach. I argue- even if you claim to care nothing about the air, water or soil- education ought to start hands-on, local and relevant to every day life. Our first Parent and Teacher Guides contain nothing but activities that engage nature nearby, offering ways to learn where we live, who lives with us and how it works.

Environmental education isn’t just for science, just for Earth Day or only when we have time to squeeze it in. Learning about the place we live can be woven throughout the curriculum and used to teach reading, writing, math and social studies.

Kids can care about the bog down the street or a grove of trees in the schoolyard, but can a child really know a jaguar in the rainforest? Generally, we go abstract too early. Put away the cookie-cutter rainforest lessons and engage the nearby. Why not do projects that are relevant to their lives and the communities they live? Start with exploring the landscape on school grounds, make maps, measure, graph, document, record, read. It’s not necessarily always teaching about the environment, but teaching through the environment. It takes creativity and demands getting out of the classroom, but the best education provokes thought, goes deep and covers more than one subject at a time. And for those that live and die by test scores, check out results: www.SEER.org

John Dewey said it well: “Give students something to do, not learn: and when the doing is of such a nature as to demand thinking, learning naturally results.“

Do you believe that we, as parents and community members, ought to advocate for more than recycling programs?
Sure, teaching “environmental manners” like turning off lights and separating trash into “reuse/compostable/recycling facility/landfill” bins makes sense, but we can’t process why we do it and what the impact is unless we have a baseline understanding of the connections.

Education ought to be relevant for the time in which we live. Industrialists designed the formal public school system. The result: our “take-make-waste’ system is productive making stuff we consume. But forty years after the first Earth Day, every living system on the earth is in decline. And that decline is accelerating. Sure, we’re the half that live comfortably, and are disconnected from our needs like never before, but that doesn’t change reality. If it were just the destruction of tropical forests, or just the loss of topsoil (& desertification), or just the loss of biodiversity, or just the toxins we produce, or just the collapse of the fisheries or the acidification of the ocean, we’d be OK. But it’s all of them, plus more (like adding another two billion of us) and they are all connected. These issues are just symptoms of a failing system and applying band-aids doesn’t constitute a solution. Linear growth on a finite planet only works for so long.

So, start local and hands-on, but is teaching about the environment in education is for more than just elementary kids?
First of all, I agree with David Sobel: “No tragedies before 4th grade.”
With ten-year-olds, I’d rather discuss how acting like a local detective improves observation skills and aids writing skills.

But for sure, there are universities waking up to the fact that continuing to teach as if we’re in the beginning of the industrial revolution no longer makes sense. Why teach subjects in silos if the world doesn’t work in silos?
If you’re going to have a conversation on food policy, it ought to include fossil fuels, subsidies, defense spending and healthcare. Unfortunately, most universities are structured in silos and change is notoriously slow and painful.

David Orr at Oberlin College believes we don’t have a problem in education, but a problem of education. Consider: those that have created the most damage to the planet are those with the most formal education. So, if more of the same type of education produces more bad, what should we do?

Orr created a 60,000’ university building that produces more energy than it consumes. Oberlin uses it as a teaching tool. He brings in disciplines from across the curricula, from history to econ and they learn how the building works with its surroundings. Sure, the science students may focus on material cycles and energy flows, while econ students cover cost versus price on construction and energy, but they all learn to become ecologically literate.

Another interesting Orr point worth debating is how we rate schools. Rather than base rankings on factors like SAT scores and graduates starting salaries, let’s use factors like ‘waste per student’, ‘how the school benefits the community’ or ‘how much positive work the graduates do.’

Do kids of all ages “get it”? What is their reaction to environmental teachings?
We don’t give kids enough credit. Children blow me away every day. They are brilliant. In a lot of ways, they can be systems thinkers easier than adults. Every six-year-old I’ve met is perfect. Creative and curious, they are natural learners that go through trial and error daily. We only need to make sure they remain curious at 16 and at 26. “To educate,” the Latin root, I believe, means “to draw out.” Too often, however, school kills creativity, rewards passive memorization and dulls our senses.

Empowering kids needn’t be difficult. A middle school class can learn critical thinking skills studying a local topical issue like, for example water. Through exploration, interviews, research, documentation, reading, journaling and debating, they learn deep and wide. Perhaps by working with the local water department, or redesigning the school’s landscape, do something to impact water quality. I don’t mean to ignore, say, the history of Jamestown and Haitian colonialism, but maybe while on water you tie in a comparison on the history of Haiti and the effects of water use and deforestation with local history.

The environmental movement shouldn’t be about the end of the world. It’s about all the good being done creating a new, better world. I tell kids every day, this is the greatest time in the history of the world to be alive. For creative thinkers and problem solvers, it’s a world full of possibilities and opportunities.

Finally, any advice to parents?
Playing outdoors, with little or no agenda, is not wasted time. It’s productive on a lot of levels. On the environmental education part, here’s another Sobel quote: “Give kids a chance to love the earth before we ask them to save it.” And, even if you care nothing about the “environmental movement” consider what qualities your children need to thrive. Kids entering 1st grade this year will reach retiring age in 2070. What kind of changes will they see in next sixty years? How do you develop adults who can think on their own, assess risk and problem solve? Can you nurture their curiosity?

Lastly, my sister has this Eleanor Roosevelt quote posted in her kitchen:
“If you want your kids to turn out well, spend half as much money on them and twice as much time.”

How can your kids learn it all? Teacher Opportunity

2010-10-25T09:33:00.000-07:00

So much to cover, so little time...

Being a kid today is different than a generation ago. Between an increase in the amount of enrichment activities, organized sports, "screen" options (TV, video games, computers, phones) and homework, some kids suffer from increased pressure. The only thing there isn't more of is time.

A lot of teachers I've spoken with feel the same way. They're expected to cover a growing amount of material in a limited amount of class time. Yes, kids have to perform well on tests, but the best teachers understand if they can keep their kids engaged and curious while developing critical thinkers that can problem solve, test scores will take care of themselves.

How do they do it?
Choose lessons they can cover in depth, where students learn multiple subjects simultaneously and tie into life outside of the four walls of the classroom.

To that end, please consider getting your schools involved with local organizations that offer cross-curricula lesson planning. If we're going to raise kids smarter than us, they will understand connections, i.e. we can't have a conversation about healthcare unless we also talk about exercise, agriculture and fossil fuels. The only way to more deeply understand nature around us is if we get in it, eat it, read about it, experiment with it and write about.

BRINGING UP BOOKWORMS:
USING CHILDREN’S LITERATURE TO TEACH PLANT BIOLOGY
Nov. 13 & 20 at the Chicago Botanic Garden
8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Fee: $150 ($140 for Educator Members)
Grade level: K-8
CPDU credit: 15, Lane credit: 1, Graduate credit: 1

The Garden brings you the latest techniques for fostering literacy through science and science through literacy. Learn how to develop practical lesson plans that inspire kids to read, write about, and discover science and nature. Toby Rajput, Children’s and Youth Literature Librarian at National-Louis University will introduce you to the best new books in a variety of genres and suggest learning activities to enhance teaching and learning about the natural world. You’ll take home a bibliography so you can plan your own lessons to engage students with these extraordinary and beautiful books.

We will look at some of our favorite books and learn a number of bookmaking techniques, including pop-ups. Local author, Cheryl Bardoe will be talking about her book Gregor Mendel: The Friar Who Grew Peas and making science content and literacy connections for the classroom.

Creativity in our Kids. Why we need it. How to get it.

2010-08-18T09:45:00.000-07:00

Here's a recap on the disturbing article from Newsweek, titled, "Creativity in America."

While the tests it references confirm enriched environments are allowing our children to test higher on IQ exams, the reverse is happening with creativity scores. This is troubling because creativity and curiosity are a better measure of long term success. It's especially troubling in 2010 b/c:

Current trends at home and at school decrease, rather than nurture, our capacity for creativity
The 21st century needs the original and useful ideas which flow from creativity now more than ever.

The culprits include more screen time, less unstructured free time and more standardized teaching and testing.

The short answer for more creative kids:
1. Limit screen time and increase play time. Consider reading "Free-Range Kids" or at least a blog posting.
2. Meet with school admins and teachers to discuss developing kids who can think critically. Ask for lessons that have to do with problems in and around the school. Ask about project based learning that teaches across the curriculum. Consider using the Environment as an Integrating Context at www.seer.org or the Teacher's Guide to my "An Environmental Guide from A to Z" found on the Green Sugar Press website.

For kids to thrive in the 21st century, they'll need more than the left side of the brain. Creativity happens when both sides are engaged. And to ensure both sides are working well, the part of the body below the neck needs to get exercise too!

For Chicago Area Teachers (and for parents that have kids that have teachers)

2010-08-12T09:02:00.000-07:00

REGISTRATION is now open for FALL TEACHER PROGRAMS at the CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN!

HTTP://WWW.CHICAGOBOTANIC.ORG/TEACHERPROGRAMS

2010 NATIONAL CONFERENCE: IN OUR NATURE
Oct. 13 – 16 at the Chicago Botanic Garden

Begin your Conference experience by joining fellow attendees for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at new Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Plant Science Center. Tour the science center, sip a cocktail, and take a tram ride around the 2.6 perimeter of the Garden. Trams are wheelchair accessible.

To register: visit www.ahta.org
Chicago educators are eligible to register for Saturday only and receive CPDUs.
Grade level: PreK-12
CPDU credit: 1 per hour, CPS Lane credit: 1, Graduate credit: 1

Recent research on psychological development and education has demonstrated the positive influence of exposing individuals of all ages and abilities to the natural world and plant rich environments. The Chicago Botanic Garden and the American Horticultural Therapy Association (AHTA) will address the programs and benefits of interaction with nature at the 2010 AHTA Annual Conference / Chicago Botanic Garden 13th Annual School Garden Conference. Specifically, the conference program will focus on how nature, horticulture, and environmental studies are integrated in a variety of contexts to support educational, vocational, social, and therapeutic goals. Individuals with special challenges are recognized as an increasing segment of the general population, particularly as early diagnoses, medical technologies, and “mainstreaming” or “inclusion” programs improve. Welcoming individuals of all abilities, particularly those with special challenges – physical, cognitive, and behavioral – to a plant rich environment poses particular challenges to educators, therapists, and human services workers alike.

BRINGING UP BOOKWORMS: USING CHILDREN’S LITERATURE TO TEACH PLANT BIOLOGY
Nov. 13 & 20 at the Chicago Botanic Garden
8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Fee: $150 ($140 for Educator Members)
Grade level: K-8
CPDU credit: 15, Lane credit: 1, Graduate credit: 1

The Garden brings you the latest techniques for fostering literacy through science and science through literacy. Learn how to develop practical lesson plans that inspire kids to read, write about, and discover science and nature. We will look at some of our favorite books and learn a number of bookmaking techniques.

EXPLORING DESERT ECOSYSTEMS
Dec. 4 at the Chicago Botanic Garden
Dec. 11 at the Brookfield Zoo
8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Fee: $150 ($140 for Educator Members)
Grade level: PreK-12
CPDU credit: 15, Lane credit: 1, Graduate credit: 1

Why are deserts important? Why are some spreading? Why should we protect them? Join educators in the Garden’s greenhouses to explore desert plants. Then, seek out desert animals at the Brookfield Zoo. At both locations you will learn about the importance of deserts through hands-on activities that support interdisciplinary instruction.

NEW! WANDER THROUGH WONDERLAND: AN EVENING FOR EDUCATORS
Dec. 8 at the Chicago Botanic Garden
5 – 7:30 p.m.
Fee: $25
Grade level: PreK-12
CPDU credit: 1 per hour, CPS Lane credit: NA, Graduate credit: NA

Enjoy wine and cheese while you wander through the greenhouses, and experience a behind-the-scenes tour of Wonderland Express and the Lenhardt Library. See what the Garden has to offer schools, students, and teachers by participating in some of our most popular programs at hands-on activity stations. New this year, we will raffle special prizes including a free guided field trip ($115 value), a Sleuthmobile tram tour for a class ($75 value), Garden Shop and Garden Café gift certificates ($20 value), and more!

2010-08-11T10:30:00.000-07:00

Last night I attended the world premiere of the documentary "Carbon Nation" at Millennium Park. It's a feel-good 90 minutes worth of solutions to our carbon intense industrial aged culture. It's not about limitations to our lifestyles, or going backwards, but, rather, about radically reducing the use of fossil fuels and creating a cleaner world, based largely on efficiency, solar, wind and geothermal. It's as inspirational as much as Gore's "Inconvient Truth" was depressing. We don't need buzz kills, we need a price to be placed on pollution to allow for our creativity and innovation to flourish.

I scanned the audience. There were a number of grade school aged kids at the show (in addition to the college-aged set and their 350.org t-shirts) and the movie did offer hope, e.g. highlighting business people involved in growing industries. It showed teenagers installing rooftop solar panels and recommended kids become engineers. It mentioned how a decrease in the use of fossil fuels will mean a more human labor intensive world.

That being said, a movie can cover only so much. So, while I enjoyed the parts of "Carbon Nation" which draw the connections between the health of our local air, water and soil with the use of subsidized fossil fuels, it wasn't about kids or for kids. There's another documentary I'd like to see and its appears to be more about getting kids outside, to give them a chance to bond with, and fall in love with, the earth, rather than stuck in front of electronic screens. It's called "Play Again." If you'd like to be involved in hosting a screening, let me know. Here's the link: http://www.playagainfilm.com

And, oh, here's the link on information for Carbon Nation: http://www.carbonnation.tv/

Nature Teaches Children Well....an ABC article

2010-07-28T13:10:00.000-07:00

http://www.greenrightnow.com/kabc/2010/07/28/mother-nature-can-teach-the-children-well/

By Clint Williams
Green Right Now

The kids are heading back to the classroom – if they aren’t already there sitting in rows in front of a blackboard – and parents are plotting how to give their children an academic advantage. Some are buying DVDs, books or computer programs. Some are paying for tutors or study skill seminars.

All well and good. But if you want you kids to be smarter, some experts say, push them out the backdoor to play in the dirt, hunt for bugs and pollywogs, and explore the nearby park.

“If you want your kid to go to Harvard,” author Richard Louv told me in 2008, “tell him to go outside.” Louv, who coined the phrase nature deficit disorder in his book Last Child in the Woods, says playing outside with the bugs and the butterflies and the birds is critical to the development of children. In his book, Louv explores the modern disconnect from nature and its impact on children, citing research that links obesity, depression and short attention spans to the lack of time exploring forest and fields.

You don’t need a slew of scientific studies to tell you kids aren’t as connected as they once were with the natural world. But the disconnect is well documented. A British study, for example, found children much better at identifying Pokeman characters than common plants and animals.

Jenna Hunter, an Earth Science teacher at Manhattan’s High School for Environmental Studies New York City, sees the disconnect in her students – students already with a scholarly leaning toward the natural world.

“Their closest engagement with nature is cockroaches,” says Hunter.

So, for the past two summers, Hunter has been a mentor with Leaders in Environmental Action for the Future (LEAF) —an environmental leadership program for teenagers run by The Nature Conservancy out of New York City.

LEAF combines enriched environmental study with paid residential summer jobs for students on Conservancy preserves. For many students, the four-week program is the first time leaving their borough, says Brigitte Griswold, Director of Youth Programs.

The program is a mix of academic work and manual labor—from restoring habitat by removing invasive plants to building trails and footbridges.

“The kids the first week are generally freaking out about bugs,” says Griswold. “They think dragon flies can kill you.”

That’s why it’s important to have the adult mentors – and a 3:1 ratio – and an extended time in the woods, Griswold says. That combination helps ensure the introduction to nature is a positive experience, not an icky one.

The LEAF program got a big boost earlier this year with an $800,000 gift from the Toyota USA Foundation. The grant will enable LEAF to double the number of students and environmental high schools served in the New York City metro area. The grant will also help lay the foundation for LEAF’s expansion into new cities next year.

Science teacher Hunter says she sees long-reaching effects from the time spent outdoors.

“The students are more curious—and not just about environmental science,” Hunter says.

“Their sense of place in the world is greater than reality TV shows, greater than New York City.”

It’s best not to wait until the kids are in high school to expose them to nature. The sooner the better, and the greater the benefits.

The free play of exploring the outdoors has measurable benefits for the cognitive, creative and emotional development of children, says Cheryl Charles, Ph.D., president, CEO, and co-founder with Louv, of the Children and Nature Network, created to reconnect children with nature.

“This isn’t frivolous,” Charles says, adding that the over-scheduled, formal activities that have replaced splashing in nearby creeks reduces the ability of children to make decisions for themselves. Play without risk means not learning how to manage risk.

Tree planting in the city (Photo: The Nature Conservancy)
But it’s not just that no nature is bad. Studies show more nature is good.

“Connection with nature improves cognitive development in all subjects and skill areas,” Charles says. “I often think of nature as the first classroom.”

The sense of wonder children experience brings focus.

“Play in nature, particularly during the critical period of middle childhood, appears to be an especially important time for developing the capacities for creativity, problem-solving, and emotional and intellectual development,” writes Dr. Stephen R. Kellert of Yale University in his book Building for Life: Designing and Understanding the Human-Nature Connection (Island Press, 2005).

Even just being able look out at trees, shrubs and the open sky has benefits. A study of 101 Michigan high schools found schools with larger windows and more views of natural elements had students with higher standardized test scores, higher graduation rates, and a greater percentage of students planning to attend college. The 2008 study controlled for a number of socio-demographic variables.

But one walk in the woods isn’t going to boost your kids SAT scores. There needs to be sustained exposure – and some guidance – to the great outdoors, experts say. But that doesn’t mean regular backpacking trips into a distant wilderness area.

“Nearby nature is incredibly important,” Charles says. “There is more nature to be found than might be expected in urban and suburban settings.”

Griswold of The Nature Conservancy notes that 25 percent of New York City is park space. New York City has more than 1,700 parks, including the 770 acres of the iconic Central Park in Manhattan. Then there are refuges that aren’t frequently the backdrop in movies such as the 654-acre Alley Pond Park in Queens, a place known for massive tulip trees, oaks and beeches, or the 250-acre New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx. There’s also the richly landscaped and lofty High Line walkway that wends its way through Manhattan.

Research of the benefits to children of playing outdoors and tips for parents and teachers can be found at the Children & Nature Network website.

Composting at Home

2010-07-16T11:16:00.000-07:00

Worms eat my garbage. It saves some of my food and paper scraps from being trucked to the landfill, but it also reminds me how nature works, i.e. nature has no worthless waste. So, sometimes, I bring some of my worms on the road with me and get questions from people who want to set up composting at home. To that end, here are a few resources to help:

Comprehenisve Composting Information:
http://www.chicagohomecomposting.org

Worm (or "vermi") Composting and Do-it yourself worm-bin:
http://www.sheddaquarium.org/pdf/Shedd_Worm_Brochure.pdf
http://urbanext.illinois.edu/worms/neighborhood/index.html

Backyard Outdoor Composting:
http://www.homecompostingmadeeasy.com

Sales:
http://www.composters.com
http://www.vermico.com
http://www.urbanwormgirl.com *

*The Chicago-based Urban Worm Girls will even have wine and worm parties to help you get started!!

Nature Journals

2010-06-23T18:36:00.000-07:00

I visited the 2nd grade classes at The Academy for Global Citizenship (AGC) this morning. It's their last week of school until August and we discussed:

1. The fun to be had getting outside to play every single day (side benefit- growing muscles)
2. Exploring their backyards, their parks and their communities (side benefit- getting to know and connecting to where we live)
3. Continuing reading and writing over the summer (side benefit- growing brains)

Often, over summer break kids regress and teachers spend the fall re-teaching what was taught the previous spring. AGC counters that effect numerous ways (e.g. shorter summer). Today, each child received a journal to write in over the summer. We labeled them "mistake journals," and talked about the role mistakes (and "effort") play in the writing process. We brainstormed ideas for how the notebooks might be used (now written on page 1 of the notebook), e.g. writing stories, both fiction and non-fiction, keeping track of summer activities and writing about the books we read.

I was only there for a few minutes and if the notebooks are full when they return in August it's their teachers, Regina Harris and Jim Gribble, that deserve the credit- as they wrap up a school year that's 30% longer than a typical Chicago Public School. There's nothing better than being with curious kids hungry to learn. The only credit I want is for for teaching them how to carry their notebook as they cruise around their neighborhood. :)

See you outside (even if the rain doesn't stop),
Tim.

Note: Thanks also to Clare Walker Leslie for turning me on to nature journaling a few years ago. What a great way to teach observations skills! http://clarewalkerleslie.com/

commencement speech time of the year...

2010-06-01T20:26:00.000-07:00

After hearing from a disappointed Boston College senior following last week's commencement address, I read the script of Jeffrey Immelt's speech. It was more like a GE advertisement than a "what to do with the rest of your life now" primer. That being said, I can't even recall who gave my commencement speech...

Last year at University of Portland, Paul Hawken delivered on the hype. Not only will those seniors remember this commencement speech, if we're lucking, millions more will hear these words and be motivated to shape the 21st century.

http://www.up.edu/commencement/default.aspx?cid=9456

Play...

2010-04-13T14:57:00.000-07:00

Oftentimes, I have a difficult time relaxing. Thinking it will make me feel like I'm being productive, I cram too much on my calendar and don't take breaks. As it turns out, when I'm running around like a chicken with his head cut off, I never work at 100% efficiency. Nor is it much fun. So, I took a few minutes to re- read parts of Dr. Stuart Brown's Play to be reminded purposeless fun can be good for me (in addition to kids). I won't pretend to know how brains function, but love this line:

“Play lies at the core of creativity and innovation.”-Dr. Stuart Brown, Play

We're all born creative. Unfortunately, there's a notion that as we grow up (or grow older, like in the 3rd grade) there's no time for dreaming, tinkering and playing. We need creativity more now than ever...So, make way for play today!

2010-03-31T19:12:00.000-07:00

EDUCATION AS IF NATURE AND THE FUTURE MATTER...

Mention the topic education at a cocktail party, the water cooler or your child’s basketball game, and you’re likely to receive an earful. Everyone has an opinion, and while the US is divided on much, most agree we can, and need to, do better with children’s education. Perhaps divided on whether education is too expensive, too cumbersome or wholly ineffective, most are united in believing the purpose of education is to develop a world-class labor force and to act as a means of upward mobility. And for our children, we want to give them the best opportunity to succeed.

Let’s take a step back and consider how we got here and the consequences of our industrial revolution-aged education:

Not long ago (say, two hundred years), we humans numbered fewer than one billion. We were tied to the land and the seasons and, materially, we were poor. Short labor, we used imagination, creativity and natural resources created over millions of years to boost productivity.

Productive we’ve been, developing a “take-make-waste” economy for the benefit of humans, i.e. extract natural resources, produce "goods" and then throw them "away." Most of the nearly seven billion of us now live longer, more comfortable lives than could have been conceived of two centuries ago.

At the same time, every living system is in decline and more than 1B people are in search of work (and half the human population lives on less than $2 dollars per day). In the US, roughly 15% live in poverty. Our definition of progress has been more, faster, cheaper. For most of the past two hundred years, more, faster, cheaper meant an increase in our standard of living. But “more” no longer necessarily means “better.” The increase in the US GDP since 1970 is staggering, yet at about that year the quality of our lives and our “happiness” hit a plateau.

Most junior high students, given the opportunity, could tell you linear thinking on a finite planet is destined to fail. If the human species use resources faster than the replenishment rate, than we’re bound to run into limits. There are only so many trees to cut and burn, only so much soil to deplete. Only a limited amount of clean, fresh water and biological diversity, built up over millions of years, remain. And the vast majority of scientists agree, the once-in-a-billion-years fire sale on coal, oil and gas is altering the atmosphere, not to mention at the root cause of resource wars.

In the name of progress, we’ve ignored the laws of ecology and the laws of thermodynamics. In effect, we’re robbing Peter (natural capital) to pay Paul (humans). The air, water and soil end up as repositories for the worthless waste our system creates. The system works for a while, but if we need Peter to provide us services to live, soon Paul suffers along with Paul.

So, when it comes to education, the intentions of the large majority are good. Who doesn’t want the best for their children or the children they teach in the classroom? Yet, the current educational system largely ignores reality and the need for real curriculum reform. 1950’s style education doesn’t develop leaders of the 21st century. A new recycling program in the cafeteria and an Earth Day celebration once a year doesn’t cut it.

It begins with children learning where they live and how the world around them works, e.g. Where does drinking water come from? Our food? Energy? (Not the tap and not the grocery store.) At the same time, it’s foolish to think all of a sudden children don’t need to focus on reading, writing and arithmetic. But with a short school day and short school year, who has time to cover both the learning standards mandated by the states and teach environmental education?

How about using the environment as a teaching tool across the spectrum, i.e. studying nature through reading, writing, social studies, math, science and art. A growing number of educators understand children’s brains aren’t wired to sit in desks and memorize abstract information. Additionally, much of that information has little relevance to their real world and future success in it. Rather than separate subjects into silos, why not projects that 1.) cover multiple subjects at once, and 2.) study the “stuff” nearby. Why spend a year teaching the Jamestown settlement, multiplication, the water cycle, writing narratives, reading biographies and try to squeeze in a unit on the Amazon Rainforest when all the same subjects may be covered studying a few different aspects of the school community where the students live? Hands-on, place-based education leads to children who can think AND who perform well on tests.

Give students something to do, not learn; and when the doing is of such a nature as to demand thinking, learning naturally results.” —John Dewey

“Using outdoor learning leads to increases in test scores.”
– Research Article: Closing the Achievement Gap: Using the Environment as an Integrating Context for Learning. www.Seer.org

“Using the environment as an integrating context (EIC) in school curricula results in wide-ranging, positive effects on student learning.” – Lieberman and Hoody

I often joke when asked why I decided to write books for kids, “I want to make sure kids grow up smarter than us.” By that I mean, understanding how nature works. To start, children need to spend time in it so they can comprehend first-hand what John Muir meant when he wrote: “Tug on anything at all and you’ll find it connected to everything else in the universe.”

Things in the 21st century are changing fast, faster than ever before, but the status quo is still powerful, e.g. Ironically, Texas curriculum standards determine text book content nationwide. Yet, California, for all it’s sins, is in the midst of offering a comprehensive set of lessons: http://www.calepa.ca.gov/Education/EEI/Curriculum/Default.htm

The Stone Age didn’t end b/c we ran out of stones and fossil fuel age won’t end because we run out of ancient sun energy. There are better ways and nature show us the way. The opportunity of the 21st century will be transitioning to an economy that works. An economy modeled on the success of nature, namely:

• recycling all it’s nutrients
• running on current solar energy
• thriving on diversity
• demanding local expertise
• rewarding cooperation over competition

It’s time to focus on more than just test scores. Developing creative thinkers connected to the world around them, understanding that the 21st century is the greatest time in the history of mankind to be alive.

See you outside,
Tim
http://www.greensugarpress.com

P.S. If you’d like something for late elementary aged children, check out the Teacher’s Guide for An Environmental Guide from A to Z on our website.

P.P.S. Focused on children and nature, David Sobel is a leader in place-based education. At the high school and university level, check out David Orr of Oberlin College. Paul Hawken’s University of Portland’s commencement speech of 2009 is a must-read: www.paulhawken.com

Outdoor Fun During Winter....

2010-02-24T08:57:00.000-08:00

THIS ARTICLE ORIGINALLY POSTED AT "A Fresh Squeeze" (with pictures)
Click on the link: http://tinyurl.com/ygh4g3k

Winter Weather Got You Down?
Embrace the cold, grab the kids and get outside!
23 Jan 2010 by Tim Magner

While the thermometer reads freezing and we can only dream of a prolonged spring thaw, don’t resign to spend the winter cooped up and stuck inside- especially when it comes to the kids.

Playing outside, no matter the weather, is a critical part of healthy childhood development. Watching children react to snow is enough to remind us spending time outdoors is in our genes and part of who we are.

A wide range of research shows time in nature outdoors during formative years leads to gains in cognitive development, self-discipline, creative expression, motor and language skills and social interactions. Children who regularly play in nature generally demonstrate greater self-esteem, are better able to handle stress and are often healthier (re: sick less often). Many believe that outdoor experiences are critical to the development of a sense of wonder that is an important motivator for life-long learning.

That’s all good, but what do you do when we live in the Midwest and we shiver just looking at the icicles outside our window? Resist the urge to pull up the blanket and read on:

Preparation:
There’s no such thing as bad weather, only poorly prepared participants. The surest way to make an outdoor activity with children (or anyone) successful: dress appropriately.

For bundling up during winter, take notes from wildlife—think ducks, beavers and seals. It’s an analogy that children can understand when getting dressed. The outer layer is waterproof to keep them dry and the under layer keeps them warm. Once covere d from head to toe with boots, hats and mittens, children can engage their instincts to slide like a seal and waddle like a duck.

A couple notes: cotton absorbs sweat, so consider underwear material that wicks sweat away from the body. For ample circulation, sometimes less is more. Make sure boots aren’t too snug. For socks, wool is best. Scarves and hoods are good, but pay attention that visibility isn’t impaired.

Remember two advantages we have over wild animals: 1.) Layers can be shed if we get warm, and 2.) If we get too cold, there’s always soup and hot chocolate inside.

Top 10 Ideas for Outdoor Fun.
Hint: If it’s cold, choose activities that keep kids moving. The more active we are, the more our bodies warm as we burn energy.

1. Go on a Hunt—a Winter Scavenger Hunt: Create a list and then head outdoors to search for different parts of wildlife, e.g. a seed, pinecone, feather, an animal nest, something round, a decaying or chewed leaf, something that feels bumpy/smooth.

2. Become a Tracker: Find as many tracks in the snow (non-human & human) as possible. Identify and see where they lead. Can you find tunnels, empty bird nests or drays (squirrel homes)?

3. Fire the Imagination: Play pretend as animals on a journey through the wild in the winter. Midwest animal examples include: squirrel, robin, raccoon, coyote, bear, dog, mouse, hawk.

4. Unleash the Artist: Paint the snow using brushes and liquid tempera paint, or with colored water in squirt bottles. Alternatively, as a post-outside activity, draw or paint a snow scene. Using white chalk on colored paper, sketch a nearby winter scene. For snow, put down watered-down white glue and sprinkle powdered laundry soap.

5. Become Builders: Start with an ice structure and find containers to fill with colored water and freeze. Once frozen, remove and use to build ice structures. Any props are good that encourage play.

Graduate and build an igloo (or a fort or snow tunnels). Using a straight edge of a metal shovel, create an igloo house by cutting blocks of snow and creating “bricks” to build walls. A tarp may be necessary to cover the roof. Alternatively, cave-like openings in a pile of snow will work. Be careful of collapsing snow!

6. Become a Weather Reporter and make a snow gauge: Use any container, preferably something clear, i.e. ½ cut off plastic soda bottle. Mark the snow gauge in inches and centimeters and hold steady by placing rocks against it on the outside. Track and graph results during winter months. A yardstick may also be used for a snow gauge, but is less accurate due to variables like wind drift.

Additional weather reporting: measure snow bank temperature. Many animals, including mice, understand snow insulates. Place a thermometer at the base of the snow bank (place on the ground, in the bottom, and give it a little room so it’s not “packed” in). Check back several times and compare the reading to outside air temperature. Discuss the role of temperature on the properties of water as a solid, liquid and gas.

7. Create Scientific Experiments: As long as we’re talking temperatures, take the time to freeze water. Fill different sized containers and make predictions. Try with similar containers, using cold water in one and warm in the other.

8. Do Detective Work: Observe the effects of winter on your house, your yard and the neighborhood. How are the trees and plants different? Why is the air dryer? What does frost look like on windows? How and why do icicles form? Take a magnifying glass/hands lens and observe.

9. Be a friend to animals that remain during the winter: Create a birdfeeder, garland or food-rich snowman. Hang it from a tree or build it in a place that’s observable from a window inside. The birdfeeder may be as simple as pinecones covered in peanut butter with seeds. Create a garland with cranberries and popcorn. For a snowman that attracts animals, cover the body parts with food, e.g. carrot, cranberries and raisins, although I still like sticks/branches for arms.

10. If you get cold, start moving: Nothing keeps us warm like burning energy. Conduct running races, sprint up hills, sled or roll down them. Create an obstacle course. Play follow the leader.

Pre- and Post-Outdoor activities/questions/discussions/writing prompts:
Discuss with your kids what you might and, might not, find outside. Why? Why not?

How do animals in Illinois stay warm in the winter? What about the animals in the Arctic? Which ones make changes to help them survive? e.g. extra fur, camouflage, slow heart rate (or migrate!)

How do we stay warm in the winter? Inside? Outside?

How do we make ‘clouds’ when it is cold outside?

If you’re ambitious enough to venture further than your yard:
The Chicago area is full of semi-wild areas that can feel a million miles away. Check out the websites for The Chicago Park District and Forest Preserve of Cook County.

If you don’t experience the itch to get outdoors, it won’t take much coaxing once the electronic games are unplugged. So, leave the hibernating to the polar bears and commit to engage the senses outdoors year-round.

See you outside,
Tim “Green Sugar” Magner

P.S. Bonus Activities:
1.) Arctic Dog Sled Team in Chicago and more… See a real arctic dog sled team, watch as amazing ice sculptures are created, listen to winter tales told by storytellers, sip hot cocoa and snowshoe at the 5th annual Polar Adventure Days at Northerly Island. This free event takes place on February 20 from noon to 4 p.m.

2.) Winter camping is also available at Illinois State Parks through the winter months. Enjoy cross-country skiing and camping at Illinois Beach State Park, Chain o' Lakes State Park, Johnson-Sauk Trail State Park, Kankakee River State Park.

Time to Take Play Seriously: A Little Perspective

2009-08-31T09:45:00.000-07:00

I note the calendar (it says 'September') and watch the sun set (earlier each day), yet I refuse to acknowledge what we know to be true: summer's end is fast approaching. For me, summer represents the best of childhood: long days without schedules, mostly playing outside. So, while school may be back in session, let's hope administrators understand what we know: outdoor play time is critical for healthy childhood development.

Why? For the vast majority of our history, formal education didn't exist. We were hunters and gatherers and childhood was about acquiring the skills and instincts we'd need to be successful adults. Fail in our development tasks and we'd be incapable of feeding ourselves and extending our lineage.

So, here we are 10,000 years into our time as farmers and 200 years as industrialists. Our ability to track game and identify foodstuffs, roots and fungi have all but vanished. Times have changed, as have the instincts needed to survive, but the best way for children to learn remains the same: play.

Children are wired to acquire new skills and knowledge and they do it best without fear and consequence. Said another way, play for it's own sake, self-chosen and self-directed, comes with the benefit of learning as a by-product.

Consider learning a foreign language, how to dance or even how to hit a ball. Without concerns about achievement our minds and bodies instinctively pick up the basics. With repetition, our skills improve. As adults, with structure and pressure, our bodies and minds freeze up. We're inhibited. Adults are able to deal with stress better than children, but children are wired to learn. Compare the way a child picks up new technology versus an adult. Too often, as adults, in our desire to raise Einsteins, we make children act like adults and hamper their development. Remember, Einstein never used flash cards.

So, how do we allow kids enough time to be kids if they're sitting in a classroom most of the day? Be cognizant of their needs and, no matter how they spend their time at school, there are still enough waking hours for playtime. For more, head to the http://www.childrenandnature.org website.

See you outside,
Tim.

Cap-and-Trade. For Adults Only!

2009-07-09T06:34:00.000-07:00

Cap-and-Trade Bill: Perspective and Opinion
On June 26th, the US House of Representatives narrowly passed The Waxman-Markey Energy Bill. The Bill now moves to the Senate where it’s future is far from decided.

What is Cap-and-Trade?
Under the Bill’s cap-and-trade system, the government starts with a total amount of carbon dioxide, “the cap”, businesses can emit. Initially, companies buy pollution credits at auction from the government.

If a company reduces their emissions faster than required, they sell or “trade” their excess emission credits to a company unable to meet the requirements. Over forty years, the cap is cranked down to reduce total carbon emissions by up to 80%.

Ideally, by creating a market for carbon dioxide, a gas released by fossil fuel consumption, we’ll reduce the amount of heat trapping gas we emit. If we make the polluter pay for their waste, the logic goes, we’ll pollute less or figure ways to obtain power from cleaner sources.

Big Deal?
Since most of us rely on carbon from fossil fuels for everything from turning on the faucet (electricity to pump water) to eating a meal (growing, harvesting, transporting, preparing) to typing on this computer, this impacts us all.

Proponents claim a future of green jobs, e.g. developing new technologies, insulating buildings and installing solar panels, while critics argue a fossil fuel energy tax will drive us deeper into recession as business passes on their costs to consumers.

Has anything like this been done before?
There are plenty of precedents for cap-and-trade, including in the US.
During the 1980’s, sulfur dioxide from coal-fired power plants created acid rain and ravaged forests, lake and streams of the Northeast. Despite millions of dollars by the coal lobby, The Clean Air Amendment of 1990 included a cap-and-trade provision to reduce coal plant's sulfur dioxide emissions. (it did nothing to limit other emissions, like toxic pollutants).

Nearly twenty years later, even it’s most ardent critics agree it has been an unqualified success. Emissions were reduced at a fraction of the cost the skeptics had argued it would cost. Additionally, the investment meant billions in health cost savings and increases in crop revenue.

For the first time, coal operators and plant managers had an incentive to reduce waste and pollution. Coal plant technology has changed little since the 19th century. In fact, the pet food industry spends more on R&D than does the entire utility industry.

Unfortunately, a comprehensive carbon cap-and-trade is a great deal more complicated than installing scrubbers on smoke stacks and finding cleaner burning coal for about two hundred coal plants.

European Carbon Cap-and-Trade:
Europe instituted a carbon cap-and-trade a few years ago and the results have been less than encouraging. Their biggest mistake, allocating (for free) more pollution credits than was necessary, caused the price of pollution credits to plummet. At the same time, utilities pocketed windfall profits at the expense of consumers.

Supporters of The Waxman-Markey Bill counter they’ve learned their lessons from Europe’s flaws. Yet, in order to win support from manufacturing, coal and industrial agriculture states, they watered down the bill on every front and agreed to give away, rather than auction, the vast majority (75%+ of the initial credits. There goes most of the revenue!) It also provides wiggle room and exceptions for polluters with clout (read: loopholes and subsides). Note: the bill grew from a two-page outline a few months ago to more than 1,000 pages.

Additionally, while the link between sulfur dioxide’s acid rain killing forests is readily comprehendible, most layman don’t make the connection between our fossil fuel waste and resulting costs, e.g. military expenditures, soil erosion, soaring healthcare costs, etc.

Negatives:
• Vast regulatory machine to set-up and administer
• The majority of credits are given away upfront
• Too little too soon: virtually nothing ‘til 2012, and little ‘til 2016

Positives:
• Revenue collected aimed at provisions to beef up energy efficiency (to save money) and to require large utilities to obtain electricity from renewable sources.
• Regulations in place to beef up the bill and reduce carbon emissions over time.

Carbon Tax: a better option?
Advocates for a simpler plan, with fewer regulatory costs, propose a straight pollution tax, i.e. a carbon tax. Upon closer inspection, it’s not as easy as proponents argue.

Yes, Waxman-Markey chose the cap-and-trade because polluters find it more palatable, but also because the goal is to reduce emissions a specific amount annually and, for this, the cap-and-trade is a better instrument.

Why do we need to reduce carbon dioxide, again?
I’ll agree with the vast majority of climate scientists: our emissions of carbon into the atmosphere cause climate change. I’ll also argue it’s OK to support a tax on carbon even if you don’t agree.

Two hundred years ago, there were fewer than one billion people roaming the land (mostly poor farmers). Today, we’re at seven billion (on our way to nine billion-plus) and more than one billion can’t find work. What changed: the use of fossil fuels.

In the 19th century, when we were short labor and long natural resources it made sense to subsidize the use of natural resources because it contributed to a rise in the standard of living. Times have changed, yet those companies that pollute and externalize their costs, wield more power than ever.

We’ll benefit from eliminating the billions of annual direct subsidies to coal, oil, gas, industrial agriculture and mining industries. Make the oil companies pay the US Naval costs for patrolling Middle East waters. Force coal to pay the clean-up costs of mountaintop removal mining. Demand logging companies pay to cut timber on government owned lands (and pay for the roads to get there). Stop the madness of giving billions to agricultural giants who grow corn with fossil fuel inputs to fatten cattle and fatten kids, read: high-fructose corn syrup.

So what do we do?
Our goal ought to be to increase quality of life, not increase GDP for the sake of increasing GDP. Economic growth, defined by GDP, in the US no longer equates to an increase in the standard of living. Our “happiness” index in the US peaked more than 30 years ago.

What to do about it: Shift subsidies and taxes to fuel a new revolution.

Altering taxes and subsides will affect change. People act on information the market gives them. If we want companies to use less of something, e.g. fossil fuels, eliminate subsidies and begin to tax. If we want to stimulate consumption, e.g. companies hiring workers, remove the taxes.

Reducing waste is good business- just ask some of the companies who aren’t waiting for public policy to change and reaping huge financial benefits from improving design, companies like Interface Global, Dow and Patagonia. Global consultant McKinsey and Company has published extensive reports highlighting the impressive ROIs to be had just by investing in efficiency.

As the Senate debates the cap-and-trade bill, we ought to
1. Work to remove subsidies given to the coal, oil, gas and natural resources industries
2. To encourage creativity and innovation, and reduce our addiction to limited resources, institute a cap-and-trade with teeth.
3. To encourage employment, lower taxes on labor.

Take the time to call your US Senators (and House Rep) and demand they work for you and our futures. www.congress.org

This is a historic time. We have a huge opportunity to move past the 19th century’s Industrial Revolution to smarter ways of producing energy. Now, more than ever, it’s vital our elected officials are working for us and our children, not corporations.

Better Education

2009-06-25T06:17:00.000-07:00

Last week I mentioned one of my heros, David Orr. He runs the Environmental Studies Program at Oberlin College in Ohio and is responsible for the creation of their high performance building, The AJ Lewis Center.

What makes the building different?
It derived it's materials locally, cycles it's nutrients and runs on current solar power—producing more energy than it consumes. Yes, the upfront costs were greater and it took time to plan, but consider the total costs (annual operating costs, externalized costs, i.e. pollution, and hidden subsidies not used) and the building is a fraction the cost of a typical building.

More importantly, the building is more comfortable to be in, e.g. toxin-free. Most importantly, Oberlin uses the building as a teaching tool for it's students, from science to math, to history and economics.

What does it have to do with nature? It's modeled on how nature works.

The only thing crazy about the story is ten years after the building has been completed, there are not more buildings like this.

More on Orr:
David Orr argues for radical reform to our education. While nothing radical with that, Orr doesn't argue for change to better prepare a labor force for the global economy or to promote maximum upward mobility. Rather, Orr argues we've got to move past the Industrial Revolution and prepare students to create an economy that works on a planet with finite resources. In his words:

"The generation now being educated will have to do what we, the present generation, have been unable or unwilling to do: stabilize a world population which is growing at the rate of a quarter of a million each day; stabilize and then reduce the emission of greenhouse gases, which threaten to change the climate; protect biological diversity, now declining at an estimated rate of one hundred to two hundred species per day; reverse the destruction of rain forests, now being lost at the rate of one hundred and sixteen square miles or more each day; and conserve soils, now being eroded at the rate of sixty-five million tons per day. Those who follow us must learn how to use energy and materials with great efficiency. They must learn how to utilize solar energy in all its forms. They must rebuild the economy in order to eliminate waste and pollution. They must learn how to manage renewable resources for the long term. They must begin the great work of repairing, as much as possible, the damage done to the earth in the past two hundred years of industrialization. And they must do all of this while addressing worsening social and racial inequities. No generation has ever faced a more daunting agenda."*

*from "Environmental Literacy: Education as if the Earth Mattered."

2009-06-13T18:08:00.001-07:00

Last week I headed east for a wedding in Long Island. Needing an excuse to spend more time in NY, I scheduled a few school visits. While the schools were neat and the wedding a fantastic party, the highlight may have been a stop en route- Oberlin College in Ohio.

Not only did I get to see one of my heros, educator David Orr, and tour one of the highest performing buildings ever built, I was treated to the best damn asparagus of my life.

Just off Oberlin College's campus lies a 175-acre former commodity crop farm recently given new life. A few years ago, when housing developers nearly turned the depleted farmland into a cookie-cutter subdivision, Oberlin College stepped in and saved the day. The result: The New Agrarian Center at The George Jones Memorial Farm, a restored prairie and wetland with a small farm that grows real food.

The land had been a soybean and corn farm reliant on large doses of fossil fuels to make it go- from the production to the manufacturing to the distribution of processed foods. In the process, wildlife and jobs were eliminated, soil eroded and the air and water polluted.

Today, the land provides animal habitat, cleans local water, sequesters carbon and, in only a couple of acres, grows $60,000 worth of vegetables a year (by comparison, the same amount of land will yield less than $1,500 worth of corn). Just as importantly, it's a teaching tool. College kids intern on the farm and Cleveland elementary kids arrive by the busload to get their hands dirty. They learn about farming and ecology hands-on and are treated to some things kids don't get much of these days—real, local food, and knowledge of where it comes from.

I learned most of this from Director Brad (who pointed out the blue herons) and Educational Programmer Evelyn (who didn't mind me eating two asparagus for every one I picked)....Thank you!

P.S. I'll be back with the high-tech building......it's closer to a living tree than it is to a traditional building.

2009-05-23T14:52:00.000-07:00

Growing Green Minds: The Benefits of the Great Outdoors
Published in www.afreshsqueeze.com

Children benefit from time in nature outdoors. I spend as much time as possible with kids and see the results firsthand. Even if it’s just exploring in the backyard or at the park down the street, the outdoors provide an opportunity to engage all the senses -- see, hear, touch, taste and feel -- in a way electronics can’t. Kids exposed to nature early and often usually are more aware, have higher energy levels and increased levels of self-confidence. The evidence of needing nature for healthy childhood development is far more than just anecdotal.

Sample research findings:

Unstructured outdoor play provides excellent opportunities for cognitive, social, and emotional development in children (Burdette & Whitaker, 2005).
In a study of 400 youths, a majority reported that wilderness challenge programs had major positive impacts on their physical, emotional, and intellectual development and well-being (Keller & Derr, 1998).
Participation in green outdoor activities such as fishing was associated with reduced Attention-Deficit Disorder symptoms in a sample of children from the Midwest (Faber Taylor, Kuo & Sullivan, 2001).
Henry David Thoreau said: "...the more slowly trees grow at first, the sounder they are at the core, and I think the same is true for human beings." In other words, let kids be kids -- get them outside in unstructured activities so they can develop their affinity to bond with the natural world. Wander with toddlers while their imaginations soar and pay attention as elementary schoolers explore their expanding worlds.

Consider efforts to get your children hooked on nature to be an investment in your family’s health. Turn off the blackberry, put away the wallet and get outside! Getting involved is not as difficult as you might imagine. For ideas, visit:

The Chicago Wilderness' "Leave No Child Inside" program
The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
Chicago Botanic Garden is a North Shore gem and packed full of opportunities.
Make 2009 the year of connecting your kids to nature.

For our youth, nature and environmental education shouldn’t be about melting ice caps and disappearing rainforests. Contemporary environmentalist and place-based educator David Sobel sums it up: "If we want children to flourish, to become truly empowered, then let us allow them to love the Earth before we ask them to save it." For older children inspired to make a difference, consider our local Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots organization.

Go Green, Ditch the Screens

2009-04-26T12:47:00.000-07:00

In honor of Earth Week, last week millions of people around the world decided to put down their remote controls, shut off their laptops and make their way outside.

Today is the final day of Turn-off Week 2009, a worldwide event which lasted from April 20-26 and encouraged people to eliminate screen time in favor of a more rewarding, active life. Championed by the Center for Screen-Time Awareness (CSTA) and supported by national organizations like the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Education Association, Turn-off Week attracted about 5 million participants in the USA alone last year, and now, even though the official week has come to an end, you can (and should) join the movement.

Too much screen-time is physically and mentally unhealthy, but in the United States and many other industrialized countries we keep watching more and more television. The statistics are alarming. According to the CSTA Web site, the average American household has 2.55 people and 2.73 televisions, making us a nation of more television screens than people.

photo by Aaron Escobar

Here are some more interesting facts that may surprise you.

•Number of 30-second commercials seen in a year by an average child: 20,000
•Number of minutes per week that parents spend in meaningful conversation with their children: 38.5
•Number of minutes per week that the average child watches television: 1,680
•Percentage of children ages 6-17 who have TV's in their bedrooms: 50
•Percentage of day care centers that use TV during a typical day: 70
•Hours per year the average American youth spends in school: 900 hours
•Hours per year the average American youth watches television: 1500
•Percentage of Americans that regularly watch television while eating dinner: 66

As a nation, we need to find some balance in our lives. By simply switching off the screens for a bit, we have more time to read, see friends and exercise. You’ll probably find yourself feeling more energetic and more productive.

Why not give it a try? Extend your celebration of Earth Week by making it an every day commitment to appreciate more green with less screens.

The Goodness of Green: When a little dirt and sunshine is just what the doctor ordered

2009-04-07T22:25:00.000-07:00

After months of studying parenting magazines and agonizing over the perfect name, months of wondering what color her hair will be or if she'll have dimples, of daydreaming ahead to her enrollment at an ivy-league school or reception of the Nobel Peace Prize, when the big day comes and our baby finally makes her entrance into the world we are thrilled with the utterly simple: ten fingers, ten toes, and the realization that all that ever really mattered to us was holding a healthy, healthy child.

All parents want what's best for their kids, and after getting over the excitement of ten fingers and ten toes, most do everything in their power to give their children the right resources to learn and grow. Traditionally this has meant setting proper sleep schedules, providing nutritious meals or reading bedtime stories. But for the new, technology-savvy parents of Generation Y, the moms and dads who grew up in the internet-age of constant information, the right resources has come to mean interactive learning tools like Baby Einstein--a line of multimedia products for 3-month-olds to 3-year-olds that were designed to boost cognitive development. Hoping for the happiest, healthiest and brightest children, these parents put their trust in technology.

. .

Yet despite the marketing successes of Baby Einstein and other interactive products, studies overwhelmingly indicate that a new approach is needed. To be clear, the time has come to trade in the screens for a little bit of green.

In the early 1980s, Harvard University biologist Edward Wilson developed a theory of "biophilia," the idea that people have an innate affinity for the natural world. Removed from our natural environment, we face innate feelings of restlessness and alienation which may be detrimental to physical and mental health, and the same holds true for children.

Most of us have probably heard about these studies, about the results which confirm that unstructured outdoor play can improve children's psychological and bodily health by reducing stress, improving concentration and encouraging physical fitness. But did you know that nature actually has viable HEALING powers as well?

During the 1980s and 1990s, a number of studies showed that the mere act of looking at the outdoors can have direct benefits for hospital patients, office workers, prison inmates and car commuters. Indeed, a view of nature was found to help reduce blood pressure, headaches and illnesses, while also leading to greater job satisfaction among workers and quicker recovery rates for post-operative patients. It's not surprising, then, that doctors are increasingly issuing "green prescriptions," advising patients to battle their ailments with some exercise and time outside.

By looking at life through nature, or leaving our apartments and entering into life via nature, we gain a little bit of life ourselves. Just imagine how our kids might benefit.

So put away the Baby Einstein toys, turn off the television and go take your children outside. Enjoying nature can be as easy as walking out your front door and finding some chalk to play hopscotch, or encouraging a game of tag in the backyard. Take a look at some of these other fun activities for ideas.

When it comes to helping our kids love nature, the options are endless and the need is real. Indeed, if you're looking to give them all the resources to grow and learn--to ensure the health you came to love years ago when you first counted those ten fingers and ten toes--a little dirt and sunshine is just be what the doctor ordered.

Just Write It Down

2009-04-01T16:27:00.000-07:00

Today's Did You Know fact is a real doozie: There are 851 species of plants native to the Illinois plains. For those of you who thought that prairies were all boring swathes of dun-colored grass, think again: in springtime, the prairies are a veritable riot of color.

The smooth blue aster is but one of the many flowers that covers Illinois' prairies when spring arrives.

Your Miss is reminded of this fact because I keep somewhat of a loose illustrative journal, and in winter, it dies down to a big fat pile of words, whereas, in spring, summer, and fall, it is, on some pages, just a mess of ink and noise. I paste things in, draw macro illustrations of leaves and flowers, or just of funny patterns that I see on rocks or in the sky. I'm particularly fond of drawing in maps of where I am.

I am not skilled in the least, nor can I work in anything but pencil or pen, since I find carrying around a big clutch of writing utensils to be just too much for my rudimentary skills, but still--I jot it down.

A few of the Miss' past journals.

In short, I do everything I can to mark the scene. I'm fully aware that I can't duplicate everything I see, or even come close to it, but it's as if, in the very act of taking time to jot down a rough illustration of the things I've seen, I'm making that much more of an impression on my memory.

And it's true--these journals above are the ones in which I know where everything is. I can tell you that the one on the right, with the life cycle of a butterfly and the curiously tall drawing of a house, also has pasted into it a particularly charming photo of a dog. He's the oldest dog I know to have been adopted from an shelter, and his name is Charlie. (He has four teeth left.) I can tell you that the journal on the right has some really bad attempted illustrations of the Andes and some Amazonian plants from a trip I took to Ecuador.

I'm a writer by trade, so I can do this with some of the other journals I have, which are "illustrated" only with words, but the ones in which I've drawn are the ones that really matter as the materials that reference where, when, I was at a certain point in time. They add such a rich dimension to my memories.

The point is, of course, that, with 851 plants in the Illinois prairie system, and goodness knows how many across our United States--this is a great way to get your family deep into the stuff that makes up your surroundings. Drawing something leads to questions, a conversation, even, and remember, your drawings don't have to be terrific. (Don't be intimidated by gorgeous journals created by professional artists. They are amazing works of art, but every illustrated journal started somewhere, and your kids'--and yours--will have their own unique merits.)

This journal, from graphic designer Gay Kraeger, is something your Miss aspires to on a regular basis, but alas, she cannot draw birds. Or work in watercolor. Or do pretty lettering. Oh, well. (Journal copyright Gay Kraeger.)

Don't pluck anything out of the ground with the intention of pasting it into your book because you're frustrated that you can't reproduce it exactly on your page. When flowers and leaves dry, they don't look anything like they did when they were green and thriving, and anyway, your sketches will help you to remember what they looked like. (This advice comes from the heart. When I was much younger, I plucked things out and pasted them in with impunity, and all I'm left with is some loose scotch tape and some faint plant imprints.)

Do, however, encourage rubbings. Lay a page of your book over a rock or a leaf, or anything with texture, and use the flat side of a pencil or a crayon to rub over the page. You'll have a nice, unique memory of the way something looks like it feels--and that's just as nice, if not better than, having pebbles pasted into a book.

A leaf rubbing. When you're done, have your kids put the leaf back so that someone else can enjoy it.

You can get fairly inexpensive, recycled-stock bound books at any stationer or art store. Get something with a hard back, so you can hold it in your hand and doodle whatever you see in front of you. I like the Moleskine books, which are in the middle price range (although not of recycled stock) and come in a selection of sizes and styles. Invest in some good pencils and some nice erasers, find something pretty to look at, and draw away. Just a quick sketch will imprint the scene in your brain, at least until you see something else to draw--but then you will have something to look back on: Just turn back a page.

Say "Tata" to gas-guzzlers?

2009-03-29T15:05:00.000-07:00

It's News Monday again, and we must confess to being a little slow on the uptake. However, your Miss has an excuse. She's been wrestling with just how to handle this wee little bit of news (and it is wee). In fact, it's so wee that you could probably fit all of it into a Mini Cooper.
Yes, we're talking cars here on the Green Sugar 'Blog today. Specifically, we're talking about the Tata Nano, a 30-horsepower, 52 miles-per-gallon critter that is only available in India and which only costs the equivalent of $3200. It's a sweet little beast that performs best where the traffic is slow and the streets are perpetually crowded. Still, it's got us thinking about the way we travel. The Nano only goes up to 45 miles per hour, which is great for city streets, but wouldn't do so well on our superhighways.

It's cute! It's orange! It's...a car?!

Although I'm already smitten with the Nano's friendly shape and, okay, yes, the idea of a car that uses such a small amount of gasoline and is still large enough to lug around a weeks' worth of groceries, there is something else that is stopping me from fully appreciating the net worth of this addition to the automotive world: It's an addition to the automotive world.
Look, I'm not knocking the Nano itself. I'm really more frustrated with the idea that there are so many people out there who think it's OK to drive the mile to the grocery store. (Your Miss grew up in Southern California. She knows from too much driving.)

The area covered by this map, which covers the Miss' home town of Claremont, CA, is maybe 10 square miles. That's a lot of car dealerships!

The thing is, millions of people in almost every major American city get by without cars. They either walk to the grocery store, pulling along a cart for the food haul if it's going to be a big one, or they get on that most wonderful of creations, the bicycle, for their short-haul trips to the many destinations that make up our lives: the post office, a visit to a friend, picking up something at the drug store.
I'm fully aware that many of us don't live in areas that allow for safe bicycle riding, or safe walking, even. And for those of us with kids, well, it often can feel like an added annoyance to bundle your child into his own bicycle, or, if the kid's young enough, to strap them into the Baby Bjorn, adding another 25 pounds to your own weight, before you head to the grocery store to ballast yourself with 15 pounds of groceries.
But the payoffs are multiple: You get a little exercise. Your child gets outside. Maybe you get to see part of the neighborhood you never discovered before, and from street-level, instead of SUV-level. Perhaps you'll even find it in you to lobby your local representative for better infrastructure all around, so that when your kids are old enough, they can safely hop on their own bikes, help you with the groceries.
The world doesn't need another car. Our immediate world, these United States, needs a better way for folks to get around. The incentives are already there.
Your Miss has one more confession to make before she leaves you until Did You Know? Thursday. I'm missing my own commuter bike, a sweet little mountain bike that's been with me to New York, California and Colorado, terribly. It was poached from our house by someone who I hope will use it to cut down on their own driving. Mmmhmmm. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

A Little Raccoon Story

2009-03-25T14:16:00.000-07:00

This week, for Did You Know? Thursday, we'll be exploring a little something called the raccoon.

We've all seen them: those incredibly intelligent-looking eyes; the very human habit of washing their food before they eat it; and those curiously adept paws. Almost no one I know can look at a raccoon picture without making an "Awwwww!" noise so enthralled, you'd think the raccoon came with a laugh track.
But we're not here to make you make noises. We're here to shed a little light on nature. Today's Did You Know? fact is on etymology: The raccoon's name comes from the Algonquin name for raccons, ahrah-koon-em. It means, literally, the one who rubs, scrubs, and scratches with his hands.
This makes sense, after all. Raccoons do almost everything with their front paws. And when you see them "washing" their food in the water? Well, it's been posited that that's another way for the raccoon to "see" its food, get a better sense of what shape it is, what kind of texture it is, much as a dog feels with his mouth, or we humans feel with our own hands.

Those dexterous paws! [Photo courtesy of alasam's flickr stream.]

So. Yes, we're happy we got to post cute photos, but what's the point? Well, all animals sense things in their own ways. You might think that we humans appreciate nature primarily by sight, but now that things are blooming and so much is happening around us, it's a good idea to exercise your other senses.
Your sense of smell is the strongest of all of your senses, believe it or not. Think about it: Don't you have great memories built entirely around smells from when you were a kid? Now's a great chance to give your child some memories that go way beyond what he or she sees.
One great way to do this is to take your child on a night-time walk in a park, or on a walk in the woods.
Pick a night with a full moon, stick to well-marked, clear paths, and enjoy the show. Keep it short, so no one gets scared--but turn out the flashlights, let everyone's night vision adjust, and just see what you can hear, sense, experience. No pun intended.
You'll find that there's a lot more to nature than you might have thought.
The last time your Miss did this, she spotted a raccoon sitting in the lower branches of a tree, looking right back at her.

Eating Our Way Through News Monday

2009-03-22T14:03:00.000-07:00

Today, I'd like to dedicate the Monday news 'blog to the all-important subject of eating.

Consider it: This week alone your Miss found articles on the First Lady, writers, kids, and farmers, and they were all linked by one big subject: Food, and the way we consume it. Everyone from the White House down is concerned with what we're putting in our mouths, and that's a good thing. But then I found an article titled, "Eating Food That's Better for You, Organic or Not." (Link is below.) It was long, and it took me the better part of a cup of coffee to work through.

The article discusses the shortcomings of the organic label in the United States, and how confusing it can be to try and remedy that confusion while still letting "organic" mean something to the general consumer. It tackles the fact that organic food is still out of the price range of many supermarket shoppers, and it made the very important point that organic doesn't necessarily mean "good for you." And, then, finally, at long, long last, it talked about the concept of local food, but only then to make the point that "organic" doesn't mean "local."

I thought, geez, if it takes one adult human fifteen minutes to read through an article that basically only presents that problems with organic, kids must be totally frustrated.

Here's a solution: Go local first, organic second. In the first place, if we're all about getting back to food the way it's meant to be grown and consumed, doesn't it make sense to also consider what's natural for the land, and growing cycles? And in the second place, kids can learn about the very nebulous idea of organic in a super-tangible way: by looking at what grows best in their own backyard.

I speak figuratively, of course: In my household, we order from a CSA group. CSA stands for "community-supported agriculture," and while it's nice to know that we're supporting local businesses by buying from farms nearby, it's also wonderful that we're getting food that wants to be grown near us, as opposed to being force-grown, in a greenhouse, or in a different state, or country. I like the idea that I'm getting, for instance, root vegetables and dark, leafy greens in the winter, as opposed to delicate romaine lettuces that have no business surviving a hard winter, and endive that had to be shipped in from Mexico.

These are vegetables that belong in winter.

These are vegetables that don't.

Eating organic is something to aspire to, and something every kid should know about at some point, for sure. But this is a great opportunity to teach them about their immediate surroundings, and teach them what belongs there--naturally. (Your Miss is reminded of the unfortunate day she found out that her assistant, who'd grown up in New York City, had no idea what a chickadee looks like. New York City, of course, is a major birding mecca.)

This is a Chickadee. Now you know, too.

Find out what the folks who lived here so long ago, before there were trucking lines and airplanes, lived on. Take a look at our history, learn from it. And, this winter, when the ground is hard and frost covers your window, cook up a parsnip. And when it's hot and sticky in the summer, find an eggplant, saute it with some cherry tomatoes. Your kids will find out right fast: It was meant to grow in the season you're buying it, it'll taste miles better, and it won't have traveled miles to get to you.

Read the article I did at the New York Times.

I Know Why the Migratory Bird Sings

2009-03-18T18:53:00.000-07:00

...with apologies to Miss Toni Morrissey, I find non-caged birds to be ever so much more interesting than caged birds.
Today's 'blog post marks our first-ever Did You Know Thursday, and we'll learn something astonishing about some pretty impressive winged beasties.
When your Miss started work at Audubon magazine, years and years ago, she thought "birders" were little old ladies who stood outside staring up at trees. More likely than not, I thought, they used binoculars because they just couldn't see without them.
But then I started work there. And I realized that birding, as it was called, was a darned fine activity. You got outside; you got to learn something about the world around you, and if you were really cool, like an acquaintance of ours named Kenn Kaufman, you could do really cool, slightly sexy party tricks, like naming a bird from just one note of its song, without even blinking an eye or even looking at it.
Anyway, here's your fact of the day:
Purple martins, a species of bird, have been known to fly an average of 358 miles per day over 13 days during spring migration from Brazil to Pennsylvania.
I think about this bird particularly because it's an early migrater, and, here in Chicago, we sit smack in the middle of the Mississippi Migratory Flyway (below).

Now, while the purple martin does not specifically follow our migratory flyway, some other very impressive birds do: The American Golden Plover, for instance, flies over 50 hours straight--that's no sleep!--over 3000 miles, to get to where it needs to go. And the Eastern Kingfisher, a feisty little critter, summers in our area, starting its migration from South American in mid-April. (In fact, the Eastern Kingfisher is such a cranky bird that its scientific name is tyrannus tyrannus.)

Eastern Kingfisher. Cranky-pants.

So now that we've given you a sampling of some of the great birds you can find out there--and the amazing things they can do--feel free to share some of the knowledge with some young people. I don't think an entire generation of kids who think that birding's, well, for the birds would do anyone any good.
Here are some great birding resources to get you started:

Audubon's Great Backyard Bird Count
Cornell University's All About Birds

Pillows and Sheets Will Do Just Fine, Thanks.

2009-03-15T17:48:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!
It's Monday, and it's also Green Sugar Press' blog's day for news.
We start off this week on an intriguing note: in my old haunts of northern Manhattan island in New York City, there lies a best-kept secret: Inwood Hill Park, home to Manhattan's only remaining old-growth forest. It's a special place where eagles have been reared, and it's rumored to be the spot where the Dutch purchased Manhattan Island from the local Indians. It was also one of your Miss' favorite places to run, there among the lush greenery and the old lamp posts and ghosts of history past.
This weekend, though, seventeen trees were cut down by either axe or machete. It's a terrifically sad story, but part of me just can't get past one line in a brief New York Times story this Sunday: the trees may have been cut down by kids looking to find wood to build forts with, or people looking to improve the views from their condos to the Hudson River.

This is the view from Inwood Hill Park. Didn't think you were still in New York, did you?

This makes your Miss very, very sad. First, since when are trees a lousy view? And second, well, second...well, I only ever built forts out of chairs and pillows.
This might because I grew up in the suburbs. But I think it's more because I grew up very, very lucky, with great people around me who knew the value of a good romp in the woods.
When I was in first grade, for instance, I had an extraordinary teacher. We did a lot with nature. We made leaf rubbings, and earrings out of fallen pine cones for our mothers. We took walks through the woods behind our school, and learned about the way that plants turn carbon dioxide into oxygen. The thing is, though, I don't recall these small forays into the outdoors as being classtime. I just remember them as being flat-out fun, except for the day I got my first bee sting, and even then I couldn't stop marveling at the way a small creature to make me feel such agony.
From that year on, I never could see nature as anything other than a living, breathing entity.
The New York City Parks Department is especially diligent about Inwood Hill Park, for obvious reasons. They work really hard to replant trees that have fallen due to natural or unnatural causes. This March, they have their work cut out for them.
Our work, too, is cut out for us. It's our job to take the next generation outside, let them see nature as a playmate, something to be treasured.
This week is going to be the warmest of the year for those of us living in Chicago. It's going to hit the mid-60s, and it's a perfect time a peek out of the windows, to watch things growing and breathing.
Whatever you do, be sure to tell someone else about it. Maybe they'll be able to see trees as more than raw material for a fort, or, oh, OH--maybe they'll get to see forest AND the trees.

Welcome!

2009-03-12T07:24:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!
This is the blog of Green Sugar Press. You can find us online at www.greensugarpress.com, but keep an eye out here for news and updates, and to find out what's on our minds.
Our most regular posters are Miss Midwesterly, Green Sugar's resident writer, and Green Sugar himself, Tim Magner, the founder of our company and all-around green guy.
We publish great books on nature for kids, but we also love keeping in close touch with you here. So be sure to check in with us frequently.
Over the next few days we'll be rolling out some transplants from our old 'blog and some fun features here. So keep your eyes peeled...we're happy to see you!

Cheers,
The Green Sugar Team

Recess getting some respect!

2009-02-24T14:57:00.000-08:00

The opening line from Tara Parker-Pope's article says it all: "The best way to improve children’s performance in the classroom may be to take them out of it."

Not only can kids perform better with more breaks (unstructured time outdoors), but they learn while playing.

If I had only kept track of all the parents, teachers and administrators that have given me excuses as to why there isn't more recess.....read it here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/24/health/24well.html

Al Gore and Global Warming

2009-02-14T09:43:00.000-08:00

Last night, in Chicago, Al Gore gave another one of his slide shows. This time it was to an enormous crowd of scientists (and at least one person who struggled with high school chemistry). The pictures and graphs painted a gloomy scenario—unless we change our ways and change them fast. Al did ask each and every member of the audience to get involved in policy, but didn't take questions....

Despite a small percentage of fringe "scientists" who still sow doubts in the media, the debate is over—the climate is changing. The "scientists" in doubt are of the same lineage of scientists who in the 16th century clung to the idea the earth was flat and the sun revolved around us.

We're all busy, and to make matters worse the economy is in a tailspin. Do we have to become 'sustainable' too? There is already to much on my to-do list? Can we put off making another sacrifice?

Our solution lies in NATURE. GDP may take a hit in the short-term, but we can improve quality of life in the near-term and over the long-haul.

1.We adults need time away from the grind. Take a break and get outside with the kids.

2.Children need unstructured outdoor activity for healthy childhood development. Just like they need food and water, they need time to wander, wonder and explore with the world they're connected with. It's in our genes and part of who we are. Plenty of research says it also leads to happier and smarter kids.

A fantastic resource: http://www.naturehour.org

3.Nature will show us a better way. I'm not talking about going back to nature, but, rather, the end of the industrial revolution into a smarter way to live. Waste and pollution may have been OK 200 years ago when we were short labor and long natural resource, but if we want innovation and job growth we'll cut taxes on labor and put a price on pollution. Our consumption economy faces a dead-end future unless we redesign what we consume. Imagine a world without landfills and as the children of the world redesign this future, save money by becoming more efficient

Over and Out,
Green Sugar :)

Making the world a better place, and having fun doing it.

2009-02-12T12:55:00.000-08:00

A beautiful poem and worth thinking about
when living your life— or influencing children.
And chances are, you're influencing children
more than you realize.

IF....
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

Rudyard Kipling

Dirt is good for you!

2009-02-02T19:15:00.000-08:00

After becoming mildly depressed reading of continued corporate welfare in the Wall Street Journal, I checked the NY Times for something good. I hit gold in the Personal Health section with an article on dirt! While it stops short of advocating adding dirt to the dinner table, the author points out there are as many negatives associated with being too clean as there are with being too dirty. In sum: letting kids explore is necessary for healthy childhood development!

HEALTH | January 27, 2009
Personal Health: Babies Know: A Little Dirt Is Good for You
By JANE E. BRODY

Since all instinctive behaviors have an evolutionary advantage or they would not have been retained for millions of years, chances are that this one too has helped us survive as a species. And, indeed, accumulating evidence strongly suggests that eating dirt is good for you.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/27/health/27brod.html?em

Winter Fun...

2009-01-29T21:04:00.000-08:00

My long underwear haven't got this much use since I lived in Colorado and skied for a living. Unfortunately, I no longer live in the mountains and when it snows I shovel.....

We haven't seen temperatures above freezing for far too long and a lot of parents are asking—what do we do with kids when it's cold outside?

Set aside some time, bundle up and get outside! (note: wear layers)

Stay warm with plenty of moving:
*sledding (and running back up the hill)
*set up an obstacle course and have races or activities like seeing who can jump the farthest in the snow.

If you have a quiet woods to walk through:
*observe and make note of the differences between summer and winter.
*which local animals are active during winter? follow tracks. can you find animal homes?
*if you're warm enough, consider hunkering down, listening to the sounds and sketching what you see and writing about the experience, i.e. what you see, smell, hear, touch etc.

Just outside your back door:
*make peanut butter and seed covered pine cone bird feeders and hang within viewing distance
*is there enough snow to make snow forts? or to tunnel under the snow?

Mix it up with outdoor activities at the local park district or places like the local botanic garden or zoo. A simple online search might keep you busy for weeks. Or partner up with other families that might have other ideas or places to visit.

Through it all, remember, while it may seem like a hassle (we're busy, the kids are comfy on the couch, it's tiring, etc) make the commitment. If we need time away from "the modern world," developing kids need it more! So, for stronger minds, stronger bodies and great sleep—get outside!

Don't try, do it,
Tim :)

P.S. I'll admit it—I need a new picture. This one is nearly a year ago, taken during a trip in a mud bath at the top of a volcano in Colombia last February...

The Election, The Media and Planning and Working for Better Lives.

2008-11-02T22:05:00.000-08:00

It’s Sunday night, less than two days before election day, and I’m antsy.

I’ve followed these campaigns for nineteen haircuts. In addition to listening to my barber every month, I’ve listened to and read hundreds of opinions on the various candidates. I’m ready to cast my vote and discover the outcomes.

With good friends who have strong opinions on both sides, I’ve paid careful attention to the messages coming from the media on this presidential race. If you’re a Republican, the New York Times, NBC and the like treat Obama as a savior and give him a free pass. If you’re a Democrat, your blood boils knowing most of our corporate leaders trust the Wall Street Journal and blindly listen to Fox, Dobbs and Limbaugh.

Either way, we’ve become too partisan and it doesn’t have to be that way—both sides have more in common than not. At the most basic level, we all want what’s necessary for a good life today. And a better life for our children and grandchildren.

So, let’s start with what’s necessary for life: fresh air to breathe, clean water to drink and soil to grow our food. In our quest for “growth,” we continue to think short-term and sacrifice all three. Why not plan for, and work towards, a day when we can again drink water straight from our rivers and eat fish from lakes? It shouldn’t be crazy to think we can eat real food grown with current sunshine and without chemicals.

Put a price on pollution and waste, and innovation will flourish. We move towards efficiency and then millions of new jobs transition us to an economy that becomes effective.

Why not look out a generation or two and set goals that enable us to spend more time with our families? Where we no longer work more hours so we can spend more...

For one hundred fifty years, growing the GDP meant better lives. “More” no longer means better. Why not demand the government work with us to improve quality of life? Why not measure success with a Gross National Happiness index like Bhutan (the Asian nation whose household income is a fraction of ours, but measure progress with life satisfaction)?

What does all this have to do with Green Sugar Press?

Not only is getting kids outdoors important for healthy childhood development, it’s critical for the well-being of life on the planet. The more time we spend connecting with the environment, starting with ‘nature nearby’ as an early learner, the easier it is to see how to make things better for all life.

To be continued…

Do we really need another blogger? Who has time?

2008-10-13T11:55:00.000-07:00

With banks imploding, our IRAs plummeting and elections looming, do we need another blogger?

With all the time chauffeuring your kids to extracurricular activities and running ragged being the best parent possible, do we need to get our kids hooked on nature too?

Who has time to add more to the never-ending "to-do" list?

I'm still not sold on the blogging part, but consider investing time connecting your kids with nature. Days spent near electrical outlets is not natural. Unstructured time outdoors is crucial for healthy childhood development—and should be a stress reliever for you. So, for your kids and for you, the best investment you can make is to find nature nearby. Besides, it's free.

More to follow,
Tim
http://www.greensugarpress.com

P.S. You can buy early release copies on the website (and have them autographed too).

You can also wait 'til next year, Green Sugar Press has signed a distribution deal with Follett Library Resources. They sell more books to K-12 schools and libraries worldwide than anyone else. Ask your school or library to buy them.