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An association of five federal land and water management agencies participate in Hands on the Land, a national network of field classrooms that connects students, teachers, families, and volunteers to special places all across America. In the communities where Hands on the Land sites are located, public, nonprofit, and private partners customize hands-on experiences using local natural, historical, and archaeological settings to bring classroom learning to life.
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D-backs Greens is a vertical garden on the exterior of Chase Field that is visible to both fans and commuters. Adding to their efforts to catalyze change, the Diamondbacks engage with students from local schools to harvest the plants while teaching them how to grow their own fruits and vegetables at home.
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Growing up, John Morales spent many afternoons snorkeling off the coast of his hometown in Puerto Rico. Back then, Morales, now the Chief Meteorologist for WTVJ NBC6 Miami and founder of Climadata, could hop on his bike and be at one of several favorite snorkeling sites within minutes. A short swim later, he’d be exploring an entirely new underwater world of coral reefs and tropical fish. Over the years, the reefs in Puerto Rico and many other Caribbean islands have deteriorated tremendously. Today, live coral and the fish that call them home are much harder to find and nearly impossible to locate without a boat. But Morales’ early memories of these underwater discoveries inspired a life-long interest in science and a growing passion for environmental advocacy.
This is my roof. And these are my #solar panels. Last one installed today and we are ready for inspection! Picture shows only 1 of 4 roof faces. There are 49 panels in total, for generation capacity of 14.7 Kw. More pics to come. Thanks to @Power4theFuture solar cooperative. pic.twitter.com/2DGrxzW5Ym
— John Morales (@JohnMoralesNBC6) November 22, 2017
Driving an electric car, putting solar panels on his house, and composting are just a few of the ways Morales is offsetting his personal carbon footprint—and he regularly shares these actions with his viewers through news reports and social media posts.
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At the start of this school year, 400 Denver-area fourth graders headed out to Denver City Park to explore the natural world around them. With magnifying glasses and notebooks in hand, these students—many of whom don’t have regular access to parks and other green spaces—set about exploring the biodiversity of the different Colorado ecosystems and identifying and cataloging the different plants, fungi, and species they discovered. Led by Americas for Conservation + Arts (AFC+A), the annual BioBlitz featured guides led in English and in Spanish as well as hands-on learning opportunities. According to the organizer, students who participate in this event often go on to pursue additional opportunities to learn about their connections to the environment.
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Gabe, Addy, Xavier, Ruby, Kevin, and their science teacher Alice Ryan from Quileute Tribal School in La Push, Washington, set out to study ocean acidification – changes in the chemical make-up of ocean waters due to excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere – in partnership with the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary. The students were selected by NEEF to be Nickelodeon Get Dirty! Ambassadors. With the help of NEEF’s Learning Expedition Toolkit, the team is monitoring plankton populations and collecting ocean chemistry data as well as teaching fellow students about data collection techniques. The team will be uploading their data to the GLOBE program and sharing their findings at a NOAA event in May.
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Maine-based researcher Abby Barrows was surprised to find that when she looked at a water sample from a local stream under a microscope, it was filled with techno-colored pieces of plastic. She wondered how those plastic particles were affecting the ocean, drinking water, and other bodies of water throughout the country and around the world. Abby partnered with Adventure Science to find out. Adventure Science pairs endurance athletes with researchers and subject-matter experts and takes them into some of the most remote and hard to reach places on the planet to conduct scientific, environmental, humanitarian, and conservation-focused projects.
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Save the environment for a song? Marine biology students at North Hollywood High School in California teamed up with the LA Opera to develop a marine science-themed opera, “The Wreck of the Miranda.” Students research environmental issues in their communities and worked with a librettist to create an original youth opera about the cover up of a bay contamination. The students are currently workshopping the production and have plans to debut it, backed by LA Opera musicians, later this Fall.
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Environmental Education has gone to the birds. A new music video from BirdNote teaches children age four and up about North American black birds. Set to the tune of the popular children’s nursery rhyme “Sing a Song of Sixpence,” the animated video features the actual sounds of six different birds. BirdNote hopes the engaging video and catchy tune will make it fun for kids to learn about birds.
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With Mt. Fairweather rising high in the distance, fourth grade students from Harborview Elementary School in Juneau, Alaska, felt the warm sun on their faces as they started their day with the traditional Chookaneidi coming ashore greeting. The students were part of Haa Aaní Tóonáx Kawtudzixát, which translates to, “We are connected through our land.” Through traditional Tlingit oratory, the students explored their relationship to the land while studying the four clans that resided in Glacier Bay. A tribal specialist of the National Park Service was on hand to explain rich traditions of local tribes—gathering, hunting, and fishing—that contributed to the ecosystem that exists today long before it was designated as a National Park. From sitting in a carved-out canoe to determining which of the area trees represents the type that was used to make the vessel, the students, their teachers, and several of their parents spent the day listening to stories and singing songs from the past while building a solid understanding of their connection to the land and need to protect the area for the future. The event was part of Every Kid in a Park, a partnership of federal land management agencies that aims to connect fourth graders and their parents to the intersection of history, culture, and outdoors.
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Nicolás "Nico" Ibargüen, the environment correspondent for the Univision-backed digital media company Fusion, has mastered the art of meeting people where they are with the online platform Project Earth. Backed by data suggesting millennials prefer to access news through video, Project Earth delivers short, shareable documentary films about issues likely to impact Generation Y. Since its launch in 2016, Project Earth has produced hundreds of hours' worth of short documentaries, pithy explainers, and occasional long-form investigations on topics ranging from mass extinction to changes to the food supply—and it directly relates these issues to the viewer.
"It's about touching people in ways that'll spark conversations," Ibargüen—whose videos are reaching nearly 2 million viewers a month—recently told Sierra magazine, noting that social-media-savvy millennials are the most likely to share online journalism. "People may know that polar bears or rhinos are going extinct, but not understand how that will affect their own lives. We try to bridge those connections—to show, for instance, how no sharks means no reefs, which means no surfing."
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