Back to Nature

The following is from the most recent PCEE newsletter:

'Getting Outdoors' the Focus of Several New Initiatives

The U.S. Departments of the Interior and Agriculture are leading a coordinated federal effort to get children moving outside. The Let’s Move Outside initiative, championed by first lady Michelle Obama, gives parents the tools they need to get their families outdoors. By linking to nearby parks, trails and waters – and providing tips and ideas – the initiative will help families become healthier and develop more active lifestyles.

A broad coalition representing the business and non-profit communities (including YMCA of USA, Sierra Club and the Children & Nature Network) announced a national strategic partnership called "Outdoors Alliance for Kids." This partnership addresses the growing divide between children and the natural world. Studies suggest spending time outdoors in green spaces can improve the mental and physical health of children.

President Barack Obama proclaimed June "Great Outdoors Month" and July will be celebrated as "Park and Recreation Month."

As we were saying...

Fairmount Park Guide for College Students

Here's our site!
https://sites.google.com/site/fairmountparkforcollegestudent/

"Why, if people start thinking they can regenerate nature in cities, they'll use that as an excuse for suburban sprawl." -Louv

Man made carving, but fits so well into nature. It also shows such an integral part of the area's history. It is good to know that the family that had this statue carved still has some kind of tie to nature and appreciated it enough to have such a massive figure there.

Growing

The first picture was taken shortly after the planting in the first week of April in the Summer Winter Community Garden.



The second was this past weekend.



Looks like it's going to be a great season!

Two Great Exhibits at The Franklin Institute!!

There are two relatively new exhibits at The Franklin Institute that are both related to nature and the environment that we all live in. One is called "Electricity" and the other exhibit is titled "Changing Earth." Both of the exhibits are opened to the public for viewing at no additional cost. As long as you purchase the Sci-Pass, you are free to roam and play with all the interactives in the exhibit as you please.

"Electricity" is a great exhibit to learn more about electricity and how it works. Part of the exhibit explores how circuits work and how electricity is transferred into your outlets at home. The other part of the exhibit has to do with electricity and its impact on the environment. There are two interactives that I am personally fond of---"Balance of Power" and "Compromising Choices." In "Balance of Power," the goal of the player is to choose different resources (ex. coal, solar, nuclear) to produce enough power for his/her city without costing the consumers a bundle and without producing a lot of waste. "Compromising Choices" is a similar interactive with pretty much the same goal, except your population increases each game round which in turn increases your city's demand for electricity.

"Changing Earth" is an amazing exhibit. It's broken down into 3 parts---Air, Water and Land. There are so many different interactives there that acts as a learning tool to teach visitors about nature and their impact on it. There is an interactive that lets you calculate your carbon footprint, another that shows you what would happen if Antarctica or Greenland melted, and one that lets you experience the event of the shifting of tectonic plates. In this exhibit, there is one interactive that is very similar to the two I described in the "Electricity" exhibit. This one is called "Personal, National, Global Change." The visitor is supposed to choose what methods he/she would use for transportation, housing/buildings, electricity, and heating and cooling in order to cut down the carbon dioxide in the air. Afterwards, the program will show the visitor what would happen to Earth and our lifestyles if his/her choices had occurred.

I encourage everyone to take some time out of their schedule to check out these two great exhibits at The Franklin Institute. It's not only educational, but it's also very fun to play with these interactives because they are all uniquely programmed and have the latest technology installed (ex. touchscreens).

Horticultural Center and Japanese House and Garden (Shofuso)

Here are some photos I took during our class visit to the Horticultural Center and Japanese House and Garden (Shofuso) in Fairmount Park.

For more information on Horticultural Center, please visit: http://www.fairmountpark.org/hortcenter.asp

For more information on the Japanese House and Garden (Shofuso), please visit: http://www.shofuso.com/

Photos taken: May 27, 2010

Location: Horticultural Center and Japanese House and Garden (Shofuso)