Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
FIGURE 22.1.
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) undergraduate stu-
dents participating in an environmental service learning project with the IUPUI Center for
Earth and Environmental Science and Indy Parks and Recreation. Project activities included
installing native trees as part of a reforestation effort in Town Run Trail Park, Indianapolis, In-
diana, USA. (Photos courtesy of Kara A. Salazar, Education Outreach Coordinator, Center
for Earth and Environmental Science, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis)
enhance children's
1
access to diverse vegetation, and open space is increasingly im-
portant amid rising levels of obesity, inactivity, and lack of unstructured play time
among youth (fig. 22.1).
Ozer's (2007) review of the literature indicates that school garden programs show
promise in terms of positively affecting the emotional, social, physical, and intellec-
tual development of students, even when these programs differ significantly in terms
of scale, level of participation, and integration into the curriculum. Other studies in-
dicate school gardens or “greening” have a positive impact on students' behavior and
academic achievement (Blair 2009) and are more socially inclusive with regard to
gender, ability, race, and class than asphalt or turf (Dyment and Bell 2006; Lucas and
Dyment 2010). Other potential advantages of green school grounds include teacher
recognition of unique curriculum development opportunities (Moore and Wong
1997), reductions in classroommanagement issues (Lieberman and Hoody 1998), en-
hanced interaction with nature (Harvey 1989, 1993; Nabhan and Trimble 1994; Bell
2001), and increased diverse, formal, and nonformal learning opportunities (Barlow
and Crabtree 2000; Raffan 2000; Bell 2001; Grant and Littlejohn 2001; Malone and
Tranter 2003).
