Environmental Experts Bring the Forest to the Classroom
Youth from John Hay Elementary work regularly with Nature Consortium’s forest restoration program.
Nature Consortium launches environmental program for West Seattle, White Center, and South Park schools
SEATTLE (December 7, 2011) – Nature Consortium has launched a new environmental education program aimed at enriching West Seattle and White Center, two neighborhoods with some of the lowest performing public schools in the state. The company’s Forest Restoration team announced the new Environmental Education Exchange program last week as an effort to bridge the gap between lower income youth and the outdoors.
The organization’s educators will lend their environmental expertise to offer age-appropriate lessons in watersheds, water quality, ecosystems or restoration ecology and other related topics for schools in these neighborhoods. After an in-class lesson, students will also receive hands-on environmental experience on a field trip to Nature
Consortium’s ecological restoration sites.
Restoration & Education Coordinator Lizzie Jackson hopes to extend the program to more neighborhoods in the future, but launching the program in West Seattle is strategic. “We work here, many of us live here, our kids go to school here. This is our community, and we want to make the biggest impact right here at home,” says Jackson.
Nature Consortium’s forest restoration sites in the West Duwamish Greenbelt are only minutes away from their office in West Seattle’s Delridge neighborhood. Their team of restoration ecologists spends three days every week removing invasive plants, stabilizing hillsides, restoring wetlands, and planting native trees and shrubs with eager volunteers. By reaching out to schools in the surrounding neighborhoods, the program aims to engage local youth in their local environment.
“Engaging kids in this forest, having them learn about the environment in their own neighborhood,” says Jackson, “shows these youth that they have the power to really make a positive impact on the natural world and in their communities.”
Jackson adds that students, teachers, parents, and community members can all benefit from this program. Awareness of environmental issues can help today’s youth prepare for the green jobs of tomorrow, especially as lower income neighborhoods are disproportionately affected by unemployment and environmental injustice.
According to the Campaign for Environmental Literacy, integrating environmental education into school curriculum also improves student performance in science, math, reading, and other core subject areas. West Seattle Elementary and Cascade Middle School, both in the EEE program’s target area, are among the lowest performing schools in Washington State.
Nature Consortium extended their official announcement to West Seattle, White Center, and South Park schools last month. After only a few weeks, they had already received responses from three West Seattle teachers eager to learn more about the program.
About Nature Consortium:
West Seattle-based Nature Consortium is a nonprofit working to connect people, arts, and nature. They are committed to creating community by inspiring a love for the arts and a connection to the environment. Programs include free eco-themed art classes for youth, a volunteer forest restoration project, and the Arts in Nature Festival. For more information or to volunteer, donate, or attend a workshop, visit www.naturec.org.
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Contact:
Monica Thomas, Outreach & Media Coordinator
Email or phone 206-923-0853