Eco Experience

Eco /ˈēkō/ adjective; not harming the environment; eco-friendly

Volume 21, December 2022

Eco Tips and More

- Aristotle

If no one has told you lately, you are AMAZING! Our students are so lucky to have YOU! Take some time over winter break to just BE...get outside. Nature is medicine; the balm to clear your mind, sooth your soul, lift your spirits. Breathe and smile. You've got this. ~Tana

In this issue:

• 4J Kids Get Hands-On Salmon Education thanks to EWEB grants
• Love Food Not Waste coming to middle schools after the new year
• World Soil Day December 5th-Where food begins
• Rethinking Schools- Teaching for Climate Justice booklet
• Sit Spots-they aren't just for kids
• Give the Gift of the Outdoors
• EcoGifting-it's a thing!
• Lane County's Waste Wise News
• EWEB's Pledge to Prepare
• Support Climate Education in Oregon
• 24 Best Climate Change books to read in 2022...not too late to read one.
• Sites: SPLASH!, 4J/EEP, The Salmon Spot

- Terri Guillemets

On a chilly November day, third graders from Adams Elementary School in Eugene learned about the lifecycle of native salmon on a field trip to Lake Creek near Triangle Lake. The field trips take place all month as part of a program funded by EWEB grants. EWEB dedicates a portion of customer rates to inspiring kids to explore the wonders of science and learn about watershed health, water quality, and emergency preparedness.

Give a listen.

This fall has brought successful implementation of the new Love Food Not Waste cafeteria stations in nearly every elementary across the district. In addition, three of the 5 high school programs have implemented the system with help of their student climate clubs. After the new year, 4J/EEP staff will be assisting the remaining schools with the implementation process. Training materials, consultation and support will be provided. The goal is to have every 4J school participating by spring break. With successful up front training, students have been easily able to adapt to the change in waste collection. We have kept hundreds, perhaps nearing thousands, of gallons of food waste out of the land fill so far.

Shout out to the elementaries for getting right on board. Your staffs have been amazingly supportive and proud of your efforts. Way to step up.

Shout out to Cal Young for being our first middle school to implement this year. They utilized the week long advisory lessons and they have an amazing custodian that initiated the effort. Our staff went to support on the first day and little assistance was needed. (Insert big smile)

Shout out to Chinese Immersion/Kennedy for getting their system up and going K-8. This was no easy feat...9 grade levels after all. Phew. We did it! Jen, you rock.

Thanks everyone for supporting this huge carbon emissions reduction effort. It takes a village to keep food waste out of the land fill. It is dreamy seeing the Earth flags flying across the district. 🌎🌏🌍

Soils: where Food Begins

WORLD SOIL DAY 2022

Soil nutrient loss is a major soil degradation processes threatening nutrition and is recognized as being among the most important problems at a global level for food security and sustainability all around the globe. World Soil Day 2022 (#WorldSoilDay) and its campaign "Soils: Where food begins" aims to raise awareness of the importance of maintaining healthy ecosystems and human well-being by addressing the growing challenges in soil management, increasing soil awareness and encouraging societies to improve soil health.

Check out this site for maps and other resources.

This free booklet is an invitation to educators everywhere to join the national conversation about how we help our students understand what is happening to our climate, why it is happening, who it is affecting, and what we can do about it. This work belongs to all of us.

Click here for a free download.

Take some time to reconnect with nature through sit spots-even in winter- in the classroom and as a human on the planet.

Here are a few great links to learn more.

Field Education at Home: Sit Spots

Complete Guide To Using A Sit Spot In Nature (Benefits & Steps)

adventure in place: sit spots – what they are & why they are important

Getting Outside in Winter: How to enjoy the outdoors in the colder months

10 Tips to Help You Get Outdoors More This Winter

The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department is offering an Oregon State Parks 12- and 24-month parking permit sale through December. The yearly passes, normally $30, are on sale to holiday shoppers for $25. The 24-month pass is just $50.Without the passes, vehicle parking costs $5 a day at 25 Oregon state parks.The permit hangtag features whimsical designs from Portland artist El Tran. The holiday sale starts December 1 and runs through December 31. The pass is good for 12 months starting in the month of purchase.

Passes can be purchased online at the Oregon State Parks store. For a complete list of vendors, visit stateparks.oregon.gov.

source: KATU

-Zeno

Crazy to think that 25% more waste is generated during the holiday season...that's from "Thanksgiving" to the end of December, people! And, most of that stuff is still on the planet, likely in a landfill near you. According to Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science, 2020 was the year where human made items outweighed all living things for the first time...but there's good news! (TIME)

Introducing EcoGifting! It's a thing! A hierarchy of options to rethink gift giving. The graphics that are sandwiching this article are great examples of stuff-free giving. And, here are a few links for you to check out to see if there's a small SHIFT you can make.

• Treehugger: How to create less waste during the holidays

• Greening the Holiday for a Less Wasteful Holiday Season

Here are some local ideas:

Rent a Potted Christmas Tree

BRING

MECCA

Holiday Market

Farmers Market

Unique Eugene Give a local gift they choose and use (gift cards good at all businesses in UE)

Join a local Buy Nothing Group

Eugene on the Cheap

Thrift Shopper A National Thrift Store Directory

And, after the holidays...consider non-landfill options for your waste.

Styrofoam recycling-please do it!

Donate to local thrift stores, BRING, MECCA

EcoGeneration

Glenwood Transfer Station

Curbside composting with Love Food Not Waste

Recycle Right

Lots of groups pick up trees...support youth!

― Emma Watson

Read this year's Lane County's Waste Wise News School edition for various waste prevention resources available through the county for schools.

Set an intention for the new year. Pledge to prepare.

There's always the possibility that a natural or human-caused disaster could strike us here in the Pacific Northwest.

Events like wildfire, earthquake or even a really bad winter storm can impact our electric and water systems and other public services we all rely on. In a severe emergency, some services could be disrupted for weeks or even months. And if you are like many of us, the thought of preparing your home and family for a disaster or other emergency can be daunting: Where do you begin? What supplies should you start gathering? How much will it cost?

That's why EWEB created the EWEB Pledge to Prepare, a 12-month blueprint for emergency preparedness.

For additional resources: 4J/EEP's Aware and Prepared

-Carl Sagan

At the request of our students, Oregon Educators for Climate Education have written legislation requiring K12 schools in Oregon to integrate regionally-relevant, hope-inspiring, solution-oriented, climate change lessons across all subjects. The United Nations advises that this is a necessary step if climate goals will be met. Climate Change Education research also suggests that knowing the facts, understanding solutions, and taking action can help alleviate young people's anxiety about the climate crisis.

Oregon Educators for Climate Education and our Student Councils are asking for your support to convince lawmakers that empowering Oregon students with the capacity to effect an equitable, sustainable future deserves their full support

1. Anytime between December 7 and January 12, email your representatives to voice your support. Find their contact info here. In all your correspondences, please include this flyer (Sample letter of support)

2. Share this social media post or poster with your colleagues, friends and family.

3. If you know students that may be interested, have them consider making a video to share with legislators that asks them to tell why others should support climate change education legislation.

Thanks for your support!

The OECE Steering Committee

"So far, 2022 has been a year of tremendous climate extremes. Humanity is learning the extent of the existential threats posed by climate change and ecological destruction the hard way. In a year of such tremendous transformation, leaders and innovators continuously come up with solutions and new ways of thinking that make us reflect and hope. In Earth.Org’s best climate change books, we see a world that is ambitious about humanity’s prospects, but humble about our place in nature. Extremely hopeful for our future, while realistic about what we might have to endure."

I plan on reading Half-Earth and The Nature Fix over the break. How about you?

Check out the link for a comprehensive list with helpful descriptions.

24 Best Climate Change Books To Read in 2022

-Oscar Wilde

Tana Shepard aka Eco Chick

TOSA-Climate. Energy. Conservation

Email: shepard_t@4j.lane.edu
Website: https://bit.ly/4J-eep
Phone: 541.790.5533