“When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.” ~John Muir In April 2019, nearly 70 K–12 educators from Amador, Calaveras, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Tuolumne counties came to a special dinner in Stockton to learn about environmental justice, culturally responsive teaching, and the benefits […]
In May 2019, the California Environmental Literacy Initiative (CAELI) Leadership Council came together to have their second meeting, with a focus on environmental justice and environmental literacy. The goals for the day were to: develop a common understanding of environmental justice concepts and explore the interrelatedness of environmental justice and environmental literacy in K–12 education; […]
The term confluence typically relates to the coming together of two or more streams or rivers. In California’s ever-evolving educational landscape, we can apply it to the coming together and weaving of instructional strategies and priorities that represent an unprecedented opportunity to expand the development of environmental literacy for all California students. This was not […]
What does environmental education look like? Picture it in your mind: You’re likely imagining school children trekking through the woods en route to a team-building exercise, stopping to do leaf rubbings and other nature observations along the way. While this may be the traditional notion of environmental education, it is not representative of the opportunities […]
Walking down the US Army Corps of Engineers Bay Model Pier, third-grade students from Ford Elementary in Richmond, CA, were chatting with anticipation of boarding the boat on a Friday in mid-April. One student pointed to the water, “Look, it’s the ocean!” Soon, she would be seeing and feeling a raised relief map of California, […]
Walking along the shoulder of a busy two-lane thoroughfare called Green Valley Road to Pinto Lake on a sunny morning in Watsonville, CA, bringing up the back of a line of 3rd grade students from Amesti Elementary School, I am reflecting on how aptly the road is named when Juan—everybody calls him ‘Jay’— says, ‘There’s […]
Engaging our sunny, Southern California communities in a critical conversation about the importance of water and water use efficiency is not always easy. For decades, industry professionals have worked tirelessly under the radar, 24 hours a day, holidays and weekends, to provide clean, healthy, safe, and reliable water to the public. The faucet handle is […]
Ten Strands, through the California Environmental Literacy Initiative (CAELI), is currently engaged with partners in districts around the state to implement standards- and environment-based learning for all K–12 students. One of these leading-edge exemplar districts is in Alameda County, located in the Northern California Bay Area. Alameda, an island in the San Francisco Bay, is […]