Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
lower and lower, and just by planting one tiny seed, it can make a big difference in the
world” (Earth Partnership for Schools 2006).
Issues of environmental protection and ecological restoration can be positively ad-
dressed in diverse educational settings using hands-on/minds-on approaches. This re-
quires examining the science and art of ecological restoration in a coherent fashion
that maximizes its ability to restore ecosystems, enhance biodiversity, meet learners'
needs, and be rewarding for students and teachers alike.
More than two decades ago, Jordan, Peters, and Allen (1988) put forth strategies
for using restoration as an avenue for conserving biodiversity. Although research and
evaluation are scant regarding the environmental advantages of RBE efforts, there are
indications that such initiatives can benefit biodiversity and ecosystem health. For
example, Tedesco and Salazar (2006) describe how restoration efforts in Indianap-
olis, Indiana, that emphasized service learning and civic engagement in a higher-
education context led to enhanced wetland, terrestrial, and riparian habitats; univer-
sity and community partnerships; and programmatic growth. Preliminary data suggest
positive effects in terms of student behavior and environmental stewardship as well.
Other evaluations of schoolyard restoration projects indicate that they result in envi-
ronmental and educational impacts for students and teachers alike (Cline et al. 2002;
Clifford 2003a, 2003b, 2004; McCann 2003). Anthonison's 2005 study of four school
restorations in Wisconsin determined that, while the sites lacked ecological integrity,
they had more animal and plant life—and teacher and student engagement—on
schoolgrounds than their previously monotonous landscapes offered. In urban con-
texts, two researchers (Krasny and Tidball 2009; Tidball and Krasnay 2009) contend
that civic ecology practices and other EE programming may cultivate resilience by
enhancing biological diversity and ecosystem services, integrating various forms of
knowledge, and emphasizing participatory approaches to natural resource manage-
ment. They propose expanding EE research and evaluation to assess the effects on in-
novation, social capital, adaptive learning, and ecosystem services (Walker and Salt
2006). One example of these new directions is Kudryavtsev's (2009) exploration of res-
toration efforts in the Bronx, New York City.
Restoration-based education allows students to learn ecological concepts and in-
vestigate the natural and cultural history of a piece of land that is important and rele-
vant to them. Involvement at all levels of the restoration project allows students to feel
a sense of ownership, competence, and connection to their community. This engage-
ment, in turn, could result in students viewing themselves as part of a larger system,
rather than removed from the natural world or thinking that they live in a world with-
out solutions. Case study research indicates that through students' active involvement
in restoration projects, they “became attuned to the living world in ways that the lawn-
and-asphalt landscaping more typical of schoolyards simply will not allow” (Bell 2001,
153). Thus RBE projects turn a visit to the schoolyard into a field trip, inviting stu-
dents to explore the wonders of the natural world just outside their classroom. Mean-
while, teachers can use a small plot of ground to teach science, math, art, geography,
natural history, and many other subjects.
