Editorial Issue 89, Summer 2010


General Editor Tim Grant


Editorial Assistant John Cooper


Editing Tim Grant, Larry Beutler


Regional Editors Canada Gareth Thomson


Bob Adamson Raissa Marks Craig White Steve Daniel Janet Barlow Ann Coffey


Barbara Hanbridge Remy Rodden


United States


Francine Hutchinson Karen Schedler Helen de la Maza Kary Schumpert Mary Lou Smith Phillip Smith Kim Bailey


Darius Kalvaitus Pat Sullivan Cathy Meyer


Shelene Codner


Laura Downey-Skochdopole Yvonne Meichtry Melanie Spencer Sandra Ryack-Bell Bob Coulter Bob Zuber Lois Nixon


Judy Hochadel Susie Shields


Catherine Stephenson Anne DiMonti Cynthia Carlisle Steve Spurger Tim Brown Jen Cirillo


Dennis Yockers


Alabama (256) 236-7942 Arizona (602) 266-4417 California (714) 838-8990 Colorado (720) 436-7105 Connecticut (860) 455-0707 Florida (850) 526-3226 Georgia (770) 888-2696 Hawaii (808) 974-7360 Illinois (217) 322-2865 Indiana (812) 349-2805 Iowa (319) 404-1942 Kansas (785) 532-3322 Kentucky (859) 441-9653 Maine (207) 991-1561


Massachusetts (508) 993-6420 Missouri (314) 442-6737 New York (212) 662-6238


North Carolina (919) 467-6474 Ohio (330) 847-8743


Oklahoma (405) 702-5166 Pennsylvania (724) 357-5689 Rhode Island (401) 245-7500 South Carolina (864) 882-3052 Texas (972) 395-3449 Utah (801) 596-8500 Vermont (802) 985-0331 Wisconsin (715) 346-4943


Board of Directors Judith Benson (BC), Pat Clarke (BC), Cam Collyer (ON), Tim Grant (ON), Gail Littlejohn (ON), Monika Thoma-Petit (QC), Della Webster (NB)


Green Teacher is a nonprofit organization incorporated in Canada.


Design and Production Cover illustration by James Paterson; cover design by Michael Kelley; printing by Annex Publishing and Printing, Simcoe, Ontario, on acid-free paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council and the Rainforest Alliance.


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THE summer sun shone round me, The folded valley lay In a stream of sun and odour, That sultry summer day.


The tall trees stood in the sunlight As still as still could be, But the deep grass sighed and rustled And bowed and beckoned me.


Alberta (403) 678-0079 Manitoba (204) 261-7795


New Brunswick (506) 855-4144 Newfoundland (709) 834-9806


Northwest Territories (867) 873-7675 Nova Scotia (902) 494-7644 Ontario (613) 746-8668


Saskatchewan (866) 254-3825 Yukon (867) 667-3675


(“The Summer Sun Shone Round Me” by Robert Louis Stevenson)


four articles to help us reflect on our goals as educators. In the first, Richard Kool challenges us to think about the images of the future that we convey to young people. To counterbalance the foreboding that inevitably comes with environmental diminishment, he suggests that we talk about, and practice age-old virtues such as respect, hope and courage. In a different vein, Sheila Geisbrecht presents “localism” as a means of reorienting education, thus enabling


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young people to better know the region in which they live. Rosalyn McKeown and Charles Hopkins make a persuasive case for re-thinking climate change education, noting that all the scientific evidence to date has not brought about the significant legislative and behavior changes that are needed to lessen the impacts of a changing climate. Finally, since behavior change is an important goal of all environmental education programs, four Michigan educators suggest that we use different strate- gies, based on whether one provides short programs to many groups or one sees the same kids over an extended period of time. Beyond these analytical pieces, you will find several innovative,


practical learning strategies. You will read about projects in South India and southern California which not only teach young people how to grow food efficiently, but also encourage them to think about food systems. Also included are a math activity about the amounts of waste generated in schools, art activities that explore the natural world and an article about using remote cameras in schoolyards to promote thinking about what can be done to make these areas more conducive to wildlife. In the sultry days of summer, we need both reflective and practical


ideas to help us to become more effective educators. And we also need to take the time to listen to the sigh and the rustle of the deep grass.


—Tim Grant


A Special Thanks to Gail Littlejohn Observant readers will have already noted that only one photo appears at the top of this column. After 19 years of editing Green Teacher, Gail Littlejohn has moved on. I long ago lost track of how many of our 1500 contributors have asked me to convey their highest praise for her elegant and thoughtful rendering of their submissions. It is hard to imagine an editor who has made a greater contribution to environmental education. Needless to say, we owe her an enormous debt of gratitude. She will be missed.


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N THE “STREAMOF SUN AND ODOUR” that is Summer here in the Northern Hemisphere, many of us use this time of year to slow down, get away and reflect. In this seasonal spirit, we present


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