ARTICLES

Sustainability In Our Society
by Emily Carreiro

I’ve noticed that sustainability locally is a ‘project’ instead of a way of being.  Much of modern life is compartmentalized.  Sustainability and ‘being green’ seems to have been as well.  We are rewarded for bringing reusable shopping bags to the store but not to buy eco-friendly products.  An Eagle Scout may do a project on cleaning up a natural area but doesn’t carry the mentality of this task outside of the confines of the project itself. 

Schools and companies will sponsor community service in the environmental field on a particular day each year but not engage in extensive daily recycling programs in their own building.  In looking for sustainability in my community, this is what I found: projects.  Read more…

What will it take to achieve true sustainability?
By Henry Barbaro

There needs to be a better understanding on how the terms "sustainable" and "sustainability" should be used, especially since they are here to stay in the lexicon of the environmental movement.  But these words can lose their meaning amongst the “green” sound bites.  For example, although the phrase "sustainable growth" sounds reassuring, one could argue that it's actually an oxymoron.

The word "sustainable" can be traced back to the book "Limits to Growth" (Meadows, et al. 1972), and was drawn from the concept of "sustained yield," which is used to describe agriculture and forestry practices conducted in such a way that they can be continued indefinitely, i.e., the harvest yields can be sustained.  The terms "sustainable" and "sustainability" became commonly used in the 1980’s as the news media made people more aware of the growing global problems of overpopulation, drought, famine, and environmental degradation.  Read more...

Thanking the Birds: Native American Upbringing and the Natural World
by Joseph Bruchac

One day thirty years ago, Swift Eagle, an Apache man, visited some friends on the Onondaga Indian reservation in central New York.  While he was out walking, he heard the sounds of boys playing in the bushes.

“There’s another one.  Shoot it!” said one of the boys.

When he pushed through the brush to see what was happening, he found that they had been shooting small birds with a BB gun.  They had already killed a chickadee, a robin, and several blackbirds.  The boys looked up at him, uncertain what he was going to do or say. There are several things that a non-Indian bird lover might have done:  given a stern lecture on the evil of killing birds; threatened to tell the boys’ parents on them for doing something they had been told not to do; or even spanked them.  Swift Eagle, however, did something else.

“Ah,” he said, “I see you have been hunting.  Pick up your game and come with me.”  Read more...

Sustainable Agriculture: The Three Sisters Garden
by Kathryn Parent

If you do not have a Three Sisters Garden at your park, center, school or home, I strongly encourage you to give it a try! What better way to study sustainability in society than to take a closer look at how this growing method has sustained the people of North America?

The "Three Sisters" are corn, squash, and beans. When planted together, these plants tend to thrive and provide organic produce with very little environmental impact. In fact, this method of companion planting actually can improve the soil.
Read more...

MEES CONFERENCE

MEES 2010: Bringing Environmental Education Home
March 3, 2010
College of the Holy Cross
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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve's professional development courses integrate science content, math applications, recent research results, and sample classroom lessons.  Graduate credit is available from Framingham State College; please contact Pat Harcourt (508-457-0495 x 106) for more information. 
Rocks, Sand, and Soil in Motion - Course for Teachers (Feb 13-14)  More...
Salt Water Studies: Coastal Science Activities for the Classroom (Feb 27-28)  More...
Wings Over Water - Course for Teachers (April 20-21)  More...
To register, visit www.waquoitbayreserve.org and click on the link for the calendar, then scroll to the course dates and click on the course.

BOOK REVIEWS

EARTH HEROES: Champions of the Wilderness, By Bruce and Carol L. Malnor  Read about it...

JOBS

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