Archive for Education

Top 20 Coolest Schools

by admin

06 Sep

A modern-looking building is fronted by a large brick patio and palm trees. — Arizona State University –

For 13 years, Sierra has been ranking colleges according to which ones offer the best sustainability-focused courses, eco-friendly (no such thing as eco-friendly) cafeteria provisions, and carbon-neutral land and energy policies, as well as the most opportunities to engage with the environmental movement. Since 2007, sustainability measures that once seemed cutting-edge have become the norm, and we’ve seen schools effect real change across their communities, regions, and states. This year, a record 282 schools vied to become the eco-savviest in all of academia. Please join us in congratulating the tremendously cool—and diverse—schools topping their class in the most crucial subject of all.

Gardening with Kids for Healthier Children

by admin

19 Jul

4 Things You Need to Know

By Summer Banks on Apr 30, 2018

Children are naturally curious and like to learn by doing and what’s better than playing in the dark?

Working in the garden, children can experience satisfaction that comes from caring from something over time and watching it grow while also learning about healthy eating.

If your child is a picky eater and doesn’t like vegetables, you can encourage them through gardening.

Benefits of Gardening for Kids

Promotes Healthier Eating

Gardening will encourage your children to eat healthier. Studies have shown that students involved in hands-on school gardening programs developed an increased snacking preference for fruits and vegetables. And when parents take the initiative to get involved in gardening with their kids, the results are even better. These studies show a link between growing food and increase food preparation at home as well as a 40% increase in consumption of fresh produce in adults.

Provides Moderate Exercise

Tasks like digging, raking, and turning compost use a lot of muscles in the body. Depending on the intensity of the activity, you could burn anywhere from 250-500 calories in an hour! Not only this, but the act itself teaches children about the patterns of healthy activity, and keeps them outside and away from a computer screen.

Helps Build Confidence

Gardening helps your children feel more capable, as they realize what they can do when they nurture and grow something from a seed. Encourage them to make choices (ie. is there enough sunlight in this spot?) and journal the experience so they can look back on the journey.

Relieves Stress

Gardening helps kids learn how to relax, and teaches them how to calm themselves. Research shows gardening not only has a calming effect on the brain, but benefits extend far beyond the act of gardening itself, such as a decrease in the stress hormone cortisol even after a recovery period.

Visit Diet Spotlight to learn more.

Categories : Education, Sustainability

Tags : children, diet, education, food, gardens, health

Preparing Young People for the Future

by admin

10 Nov

Running school kids Kids today have so many stresses facing them, not the least of which are plans for the future. It’s hard to think about being a successful adult when you also have grades, portfolios, advanced classes, and high emotions to deal with every day, let alone the fact that humankind is starting to look more and more like an endangered species thanks to how we’ve treated our planet.

For many young people, school has become something to get through before they can move on to the next thing, and whether that includes college or not is a big question these days as tuition and student loans skyrocket. The good news is that many states are home to leadership schools, which take brilliant young minds and teach them how to be exceptional leaders in a world of growing technology. There is more to building a sustainable planet than getting some people and businesses to “go green” by giving them tax incentives. That’s not a bad thing, but we need young people to not only develop into environmentally-conscious adults, but to take the lead on preserving our environment.

These schools vary greatly in their curriculum, with each focusing on a different method of teaching and learning. The National Outdoor Leadership School offers wilderness education and leadership to kids aged 14 and up, letting them soak up the outdoors in one of several locations from the Rocky Mountains to Australia. These courses include white water rafting, rock climbing, backpacking, sailing, and wilderness medicine and will teach young people survival skills in addition to how to lead a group in an outdoor environment.
Read More→

Categories : Education

Tags : children, education, leadership, school

Education in Arizona – How Are We Doing?

by admin

05 Feb

Arizonans consistently agree education must be a top priority, so imagine if we all acted accordingly. Every child, regardless of background, income or ZIP code would receive a world-class education—from the early years through college and career. Our students would be the most educated, skilled and sought after innovators of the 21st century. Arizona would lead the nation in attracting and growing jobs. Everything from property values to health care to crime rates would be positively impacted. In partnership with Expect More Arizona, the Center for the Future of Arizona developed the indicators below to track our collective progress. Click through each one to learn more about each issue, statewide efforts to address them and ways to get involved.

Take a look.

Categories : Education

Sustainable Arizona®
49 Pinon Court, Sedona, AZ 86336