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Sustainability Summer CampSally Upton Extension Assistant Professor, 4-H Agent in Summit County, UT, Director of Youth Education Programs at Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter
Roslynn BrainAssistant Professor, Sustainable Communities Extension Specialist
Sustainability Summer camp• July 8-12, 2013, Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter,
Park City, UT• Week-long• 9:00 am – 3:00 pm• 15 camper maximum, 8 campers actual and 3 teen
counselors• Youth entering grades 4-6• $170.00 - $5.67 per hour
• Second camp conducted at Stokes Nature Center in Logan, UT on July 29 – August 2, 2013
Objectives1. Help youth develop an understanding of sustainability
concepts2. Help youth develop a respect for our natural
environment3. Teach youth about actions they can implement each
and every day to lessen their impact on our environment and conserve resources
4. Focus on the five major areas of environmental sustainability
1. Land2. Air3. Food4. Energy5. Water
Advertising and Registration• Developed camp flyers and
posted them around town and distributed to local schools
• Newspaper blurb, ad, and article• Radio PSA• Swaner e-newsletter• Websites• Facebook pages• Existing camp structure at Swaner
helped bring in participants
• Online registration system through Eventbrite
Agenda• Day 1: Land
• Objectives:• Differentiate between trash, recycling, and
compost• Learn about the value of preserved open space• List essential resources provided by natural land• Learn how to vermicompost and create a
vermicompost bin
• Activities:• Journal questions (evaluation)• Geocache to learn about the value of open
space• Lunch waste reduction activity• Discussion of garbage vs. recycling vs. compost• Create a vermicompost (worm) bin to take home• Journal questions
Agenda• Day 2: Air
• Objectives:• Identify at least three sources of air
pollution• Discuss ways to improve air quality• List alternatives to single-driver commuting• Describe the basic process behind climate
change
• Activities:• Journal questions (evaluation)• Inversion demonstration and discussion• Bike ride to look for sources of pollution
and encourage biking • Lunch waste reduction activity• Discuss climate change and conduct
experiments• Journal questions
Agenda• Day 3: Food
• Objectives:• Define “local food” and the benefits of
shopping local• Learn about product packaging• Tour a local farm and learn from a local
producer• Build a herb garden to take home
• Activities:• Journal questions (evaluation)• Discuss local food, Food Mile activity, A Peek at
Packaging activity• Lunch waste reduction activity• Bike ride to local farm for tour• Build a grow box to take home• Journal questions
Agenda• Day 4: Energy
• Objectives:• Define renewable and non-renewable
energy• List different sources of energy and
their pros and cons• Investigate solar and wind energy
through solar ovens, solar cars, and wind turbines
• Activities:• Journal questions (evaluation)• Discuss different sources of energy and
bake brownies in a solar oven• Lunch waste reduction activity• Build solar cars and frogs• Design, build, and test wind turbines• Journal questions
Agenda• Day 5: Water
• Objectives:• List at three ways to conserve water• Describe what happens to water in our houses
after we use it• Learn about stream ecology and the
importance of water in the environment
• Activities:• Journal questions (evaluation)• Discuss the importance of water: Life Box,
Drop in the Bucket, and Water Cycle activities• Tour a wastewater treatment plant• Lunch waste reduction activity• Explore a local stream• Ice cream party for lunch waste reduction• Journal questions• Certificate ceremony – parents invited
Journal Evaluation: Questions
Land Questions:• Why is land/open space important? • If you put something in the
trashcan what happens to it?• If you put something in a recycle
bin, what happens to it?• If you put something in the
compost, what happens to it?• What can you do to reduce waste?
Air Questions:• Why is clean air important?• What pollutes our air?• How can you help improve the air
you breathe?
Food Questions:• What is local food?• Why buy local food?• What is a food mile?
Energy Questions:• What is renewable energy?• What is non-renewable energy?• Why is energy important?
Water Questions:• Why is water important?• Where does water go when you
flush it down the toilet?• What can you do to conserve
water?
Journal Evaluation: Methods• Increased Knowledge• What can you do to reduce waste?• Pre-camp: “I don’t know.”• Post-camp: “What you can do to reduce waste, you can
bring less plastic and less trash and less compost.”• Why buy local food?• Pre-camp: “I don’t know.”• Post-camp: “So car exhaust doesn't pollute the earth.”
• Why is open space important?• Pre-camp: “For bugs to survive.”• Post-camp: “East Canyon is our water source and filters
water.”
Journal Evaluations: Methods• Stayed the Same• If you put something in a recycle bin, what happens to it?• Pre-camp: “It becomes something else.”• Post-camp: “If you put something in a recycle bin it
becomes something else.”• What is renewable energy?• Pre-camp: “It is energy that you can use again.”• Post-camp: “Same.”
• Existing knowledge of topic• If you put something in the trashcan, what happens to it?• The trash goes to the landfill.
• How can you help improve the air you breathe? • Carpool and take the bus
Journal Evaluation: ResultsQuestions that showed increased knowledge:
• Why is land/open space important?
• If you put something in the compost, what happens to it?
• What can you do to reduce waste?
• Why buy local food?• What is a food mile?• Where does water
go when you flush it down the toilet?
• What can you do to conserve water?
Questions in which answers stayed the same:
• Why is clean air important?
• If you put something in a recycle bin, what happens to it?
• What pollutes our air?• How can you help
improve the air you breathe?
• What is local food?• What is renewable
energy?• What is non-renewable
energy?• Why is energy
important?• Why is water important?
Questions in which campers DID NOT already understand the concept:
• If you put something in the compost, what happens to it?
• Why buy local food?• What is a food mile?• Where does water go
when you flush it down the toilet?
Journal Evaluation: Results• Drawings:• Draw a city with no air pollution, and nothing in the city
that creates air pollution.• 29% increased knowledge; 71% of drawings stayed the
same
Journal Evaluation: Results• Drawings:• Draw a picture of where the food in your lunch box comes
from.• 63% increase knowledge; 38% of drawings stayed the
same
Journal Evaluation: Results• Drawings:• Draw as many sources of energy as you can.• 75% increased knowledge; 25% of drawings stayed the
same
Journal Evaluation: Results• Drawings:• Draw what water means to you.• 29% increased knowledge; 71% of drawings stayed the
same
Journal Evaluation: Conclusion• Camp increased knowledge on the following topics (all of which the
campers had limited previous knowledge)• Composting• The importance of open space• Benefits of buying local food• Food mile• What happens to water in your house after you use it• The source of our food• Sources of energy• Water Conservation• Reducing waste
• The majority of campers had a pre-existing understanding of the following topics:• The importance of clean air, clean water, and energy• Renewable and non-renewable energy• Recycling and trash• Causes of air pollution and ways to reduce air pollution
• Camp encouraged the following behavior changes during camp: • Reduced waste from lunches
Parent Survey Evaluation: Results• Parent Survey emailed out 6 weeks after start of camp.
• Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements: “As a result of my child/children’s participation in the Sustainability Camp, our family…….” (n = 7)
Strongly Disagre
eDisagr
eeNeutral
Agree
Strongly
Agree
Recycles more
28.628.6 42.9
Looks for local products in the grocery store 42.9
42.9 14.3
Looks for less packaging when shopping for products 71.4
14.3 14.3
Actively conserves water 14.3
57.1 28.6
Composts
42.914.3 42.9
Uses alternative forms of transportation whenever possible 42.9
57.1 0
Parent Survey Evaluation: Results• Please rate your family’s level
of confidence at performing the following activities before and after your child’s/children’s participation in the Sustainability Summer Camp.
• 1 = Not Confident at All• 2 = Slightly Confident• 3 = Neutral• 4 = Confident• 5 = Very Confident
• Paired T-test between confidence ratings before and after • All but two topics showed
statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) in confidence ratings before and after the camp
• Confidence ratings increased from neutral on average to “Confident” or “Very Confident:
Before Avera
ge
After Avera
ge
T Statistic
P Valu
e
Degrees of Freed
om
Describing what “Sustainability” means 3.13 4.5 4.245
0.004 7
Defining the term “local food” 3.20 4.75 3.000
0.020 7
Differentiating between renewable and non-renewable energy 3.25 4.13 2.198
0.064 7
Listing at least 3 different types of alternative energy 3.63 4.63 2.160
0.068 7
Differentiating between trash, recycling, and compost 3.71 5.00 4.500
0.004 6
Listing at least 3 major sources of air pollution 3 4.71 4.076
0.007 6
Discussing specific actions to take to improve air quality 3.14 4.57 4.804
0.003 6
Maintaining a vermicompost bin 1.86 4.14 3.548
0.012 6
Parent Survey: Conclusion• Camp influenced the following family behaviors
• Families recycle more (43%)• Families actively work to conserve water (57%)• Families compost (43%)• Families use alternative forms of transportation whenever possible (57%)
• Families do not look for local food or less packaging when shopping as a result of camp
• At least a one point increase in families’ confidence in all topics – families moved from neutral on their confidence levels to confident or very confident• Defining Sustainability• Defining local food• Defining Renewable vs. Non-renewable energy• Listing Alternative forms of energy• Differentiating between trash, recycling, compost• Listing sources of air pollution• Listing ways to improve air pollution• Composting
Did we reach our Objectives/Goals?
• Help youth develop an understanding of sustainability concepts• Yes, especially on topics they had no/little pre-existing knowledge of• Composting• The importance of open space• Benefits of buying local food• Food mile• What happens to water in your house after you use it• The source of our food• Sources of energy• Water Conservation• Reducing waste
• Teach youth about actions they can implement each and every day to lessen their impact on our environment and conserve resources• Yes, families demonstrated increased participation in a few actions• Recycling• Compositing• Conserving water• Using alternative forms of transportation
Next Steps• Develop curriculum into a state/nation-wide 4-H curriculum• Aggie Adventures• Request for a “Level 2” of Sustainability Camp
• Create “kits” on sustainability topics that leaders/volunteers can check out for camp or other programs:• Renewable Energy• Recycling• Climate Change• Food Miles• A Peek at Packaging• Geocache• Solar Oven• Water activities