Green Design

May Environmental Education Topic: Green Design



What if we designed with intent to nourish our environment and our bodies?

What if we eliminated the concept of waste?

What if we only used renewable energy?


Riding a bicycle powered blender

Green, or sustainable design, is the process by which materials, architecture, even systems such as commerce and transportation are developed to comply with economic, social, and ecological sustainability.

Kids are natural inventors. Inspire their creativity and imagination with these:

Green Design Activities

Awareness through Inquiry
Asking questions about materials we usually take for granted can open minds and spark discussion. What is this made of? Where do the materials come from? Are they safe? Could something else be used to construct this building, this product?

Build a Solar Oven

This activity can introduce solar power, electricity, renewable and non-renewable resources. Using a pizza box, tin-foil, saran wrap, black construction paper, and the sun students can build an oven which will melt chocolate on s'mores or cheese in quesadillas. Complete instructions can be found on: www.hometrainingtools.com/articles/build-a-solar-oven-project.html

Instructions for other solar powered machines, such as a solar hot dog cooker and a solar powered car can be found on: www.energyquest.ca.gov/projects/solardogs.html

Paper Making

Use our Paper Making Activity Kit filled with the necessary supplies to turn old paper into a recycled artistic creation. See the Activity Kits label for rental information.

How Long Does it Last?
Initiate investigation of raw materials and product "life span". Students place common trash objects in a biodegrade or degrade time-line. Guess how long a plastic bottle will stick around. One million years? Forever?
Complete curriculum can found on: www.education-world.com/a_lesson/03/lp308-04.shtml

Club Energy Audit
Conduct an energy audit at your Club. Challenge youth and staff to find ways to reduce energy consumption. Make public service announcements, skits, and posters to engage in community education. The audit and relevant background information can be found on: www.coolschoolchallenge.org/curriculum-energy.aspx

Instructions for building bicycle powered machines such as this can be found on: www.humbolt.edu/~ccat/pedalpower/

Informational Resources:

Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by William McDonough and Michael Braungart

The Story of Stuff on: www.storyofstuff.com

Gardening

Gardening

It is spring!
And time to think about gardening! In a garden kids can see, smell, and touch the natural world. Gardening encourages responsibility, community, cooperation, and inquiry. Find a way to connect your Club with plant growth!

Beginning a Garden

• Assess your resources; size, shade/sun, time, interests. Pick plants that are appropriate for your resources. Plant according to the recommended times. Maybe start some seeds indoors. Do some research and ask questions.

• Garden information specific to the Pacific Northwest can be found in print: The Maritime Northwest Garden Guide and online: www.seattlepi.com/nwgardens/. For questions or general help call Seattle Tilth's Garden Hotline: (206) 633-0224

• If you already have a garden, till the old plants into the soil, add some compost, plant some starts or some seeds.
  

Tools
A list of tools available can be found under the Tool Library label.

Types of Gardens

Native Plant Garden: Provide home for wildlife, insects, and birds, while creating a low-maintenance garden and year-round naturalist lab .
See the King County site for more information: http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/stewardship/nw-yard-and-garden/native-plant-resources-nw.aspxspx

Container Garden: Perfect for Clubs with limited/no space. Grow herbs, flowers, even vegetables.
5 Senses garden: Plant to delight the senses. Use different textures, colors, smells, and tastes. Attract birds and listen to their songs.

Rotary, Redmond, Mercer Island, B.F. Day, Northgate, Blackwell Elementary, and Renton Skyway Clubs have gardens growing vegetables, herbs, and native plants.

Create Soil Not Landfill
Start a compost or worm bin. Food scrapes can be used to make compost to grow more food. Cool.
Northgate Club built a worm bin in 2008 with the assistance of a Nature Consortium educator and LEAP!. Bainbridge Club just finished a worm bin during their Spring 09 LEAP! program.
Find information at http://www.seattle.gov/util/services/yard/composting/SPU01_001996.aspyard/composting/SPU01_001996.asp
and at http://www.seattletilth.org/learn/resources-1/compost1/compost



Store Your Rain
Build a rain-barrel to harvest the rain.
B.F. Day and Redmond Clubs made theirs during LEAP! programing.
Find information at www.Seattle.gov/UTIL/Services/Yard/Natural_Lawn_&_Garden_Care/Rain_Water_Harvesting/index.asp

Garden Activities

Start with the Soil
What is soil made of? Who lives in soil? What type of soil do plants grow in? Take kids outside to collect soil samples from different locations. Back at the Club study the soil with magnifying lenses and microscopes, or just sharp eyes. What are the differences in texture, composition, and color? If the soil was made into mud pies, what wou ld be the list of ingredients? Kids can use a little water and the dirt to finger paint on paper. Make smudge animals, people, trees. Add pen lines for detail.

Build a Bean-Pole House
Bean-Pole houses can be made by lashing together three or four poles at the top in a triangle and settling the ends into the ground. Plant beans at the base of the poles so they can climb up, leaf-out, and create a shady structure.

Watching Roots
Discuss how plants grow and what they need to live. Kids can watch roots by planting seeds close to the edge of a plastic cup or glass jar. Look closely at a small plant or flower. How many different parts can be identified? What do these parts do? Kids can pre ss the plant or glue and tape it to a paper, labeling form and function.
For more information and activity ideas see: www.picadome.fcps.net/lab/currl/plants/default.htm and http://http//urbanext.illinois.edu/gpe/case1/c1facts2a.html

Plant Growth Time Lapse Video