Foundations Supporting Sustainability (Featured: The Colcom Foundation and YOU)

Let's face it, money plays a role in environmental issues.  Notice how poorer areas have more pollution?  Don't you think that residents in those areas also deserve clean air and water?  You want clean air and water, don't you?

You see what happened to Dukakis, politically, when he spent money to clean up the Boston Harbor?  The Waterfront went from smelling like an open sewer to smelling like clean, salty, ocean breezes.  People's water bills went up and Dukakis was voted out of office.

"In 1919 the Metropolitan District Commission was created to oversee and regulate the quality of harbor water... In 1972 the Clean Water Act was passed in order to help promote increased national water quality.

Signage on the streets of Boston says:     Don't Dump!

" ... Boston [had] little incentive to increase water quality of the harbor. Since the mid-1970s organizations within the Boston community have battled for a cleaner Boston Harbor. More recently, the harbor was the site of the $4.5 billion Boston Harbor Project. Failures at...[a]... sewage treatment plant in Quincy and ... Deer Island plant adjacent to Winthrop had far-reaching environmental and political effects. Fecal coliform bacteria levels forced frequent swimming prohibitions along the harbor beaches and the Charles River for many years.^[3]... finally[action] by the United States government, [resulted] in the landmark court-ordered cleanup of Boston Harbor.^[4]

Drains to

"Before the cleanup projects, the water was so polluted thatThe Standells released a song in 1966 called Dirty Water about the sorry state of the Charles River.

[Thank you Standells...  All musicians note your role in creating a sustainable Earth!]

Boston

Harbor

"...Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis to propose separating the water and sewer treatment divisions from the MDC, resulting in the creation of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority in 1985 . 

"[Dukakis'] environmental record, ... was better ...^[5]The court ordered cleanup continued throughout the next two decades and is still ongoing.^[4] 

"... water quality in both the Harbor and the Charles River has significantly improved, and the projects have dramatically transformed Boston Harbor from one of the filthiest in the nation to one of the cleanest. Today Boston Harbor is safe for fishing and for swimming nearly every day, though there are still beach closings after even small rainstorms, caused by bacteria-laden storm water and the occasional combined sewer overflow.

Source:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Harbor;  Accessed 20 March 2014. 

Meanwhile, some people took advantage of the revived waterfront area and built assets there to make them even more money.  These should have brought in enough tax revenue to compensate for the cleaning of the water.  Did they?  As a global citizen, you need to reflect on these kinds of issues that affect clean air and water.  What do you think?  What happens to the sewer in your town city or rural area?

Public health depends on your active participation in global sustainability.  And money is always involved.  Reflect on issues in your community.  I will post foundations supporting sustainability here and in other posts as I come across them.  Perhaps you will think about establishing a foundation in your community to support clean air, water, and other sustainability issues.  (Do you know how to do that?)

Here is a link to Colcom foundation (I read about the Colcom Foundation when following up on  a mention in an aarticle on Mister Rogers.  Read about Mister Rogers if you are not familiar with him.)  The mission of the Colcom Foundation is stated as:

... to foster a sustainable environment to ensure quality of life for all Americans by addressing major causes and consequences of overpopulation and its adverse effects on natural resources.

Regionally, the Foundation supports conservation, environmental projects and cultural assets.  

(Source:  http://www.colcomfdn.org/mission.html, accessed 20 March 2014.)

The Colcom Foundation has local, regional and national areas of interest that they support.  At the regional level, for example, they are committed to ensuring quality of life and environmental sustainability.

The Colcom Foundation aggressively addresses:

• watershed remediation,
• natural resource preservation,
• clean air,
• improved water quality, and
• farmland and wildlife habitat conservation.

I am interested in those same points in Orange and Rockland Counties in New York state, which have had tremendous population influxes following the 911 events.  Farm and woodlands, and, thus clean air and water, are rapidly disappearing.  Can you help?  Can you contribute?  Can we build a foundation to support the Orange and Rockland area?

I am interested in these points for other areas around the globe.  What can each area do to raise the needed funds to create sustainability globally?

If you are starting a foundation, post a comment here.  If you are a foundation, post a comment here.  If you have a good idea about raising money to build a sustainable Earth, let us know of your success.  

We can create a sustainable Earth together.  All it takes is our effort, and, money...so, let's set about finding ways to get the job done.  We can build a sustainable Earth.

Thank you Colcom Foundation for your inspiration and support, and, thank each and every one of us who is doing our part to build a sustainable Earth.

Photos (c)2004-present J S Shipman

Here's a Quote and Picture from the Store Listing of One of the Items that helps support this Blog and other Science Education and Science Literacy Projects.

Post under development.

Support science literacy and science education.

Quote (") (from Zazzle.com/ShipmanCenter, Proceeds to support science literacy and science education)

 Product Details

Infant Organic Creeper
The finest organic cotton for your baby. 100% organic baby rib cotton, combed for softness and comfort. Designed for easy on-and-off. Fits all babies – both boys and girls. Triple-seat snaps for bottom/diaper closure. Imported (But looking for US manufacturers).

About the Design
The Gone Forest by J S Shipman

Sustainability is key. The artist's passion is science literacy and science education leading to global sustainability. 

For [...] deer [to exist], we need the forest. We cannot be plant-blind.

A portion or the proceeds from the sale or this product will support such education. (Read more: http://read-about-it.blogspot.com) The Gone Forest. (Photo or acrylic original). Artist/artistiekerigst: J S Shipman [(c) 2008 J S Shipman. Used with [permission].]

Read more...

"I am selling different items with designs I have drawn or painted.
I may sell some items designed by others also. I am using part of
the profit on items bought from my store to support
science literacy, science education, and
sustainability." 
More information can be found at http://read-about-it.blogspot.com. 
Please share the link [...]with others. Thanks.

Read less...  [As a literacy site, we really want you to, "Read more."  For example:  http://read-about-it.blogspot.com/2013/01/looking-at-review-article-to-engage.html]

End quote (")

See the more about Iowa Lakeside Laboratory, Dr. and Mrs. John Dodd, and art and science here:  The Gone Forest

The Gone Forest: Art and Sustainability

Mrs. Dodd, wife of the famous algologist, Dr. John Dodd, quietly went over to the trash can at Iowa Lakeside Laboratory and retrieved some watercolor paintings I had tossed in the clean can.  She turned to me and said, "In all the years I've been at Iowa Lakeside Laboratory, I've never seen anyone paint the lab."  She took the paintings, had them framed and put them up to decorate the mess hall at the lab.  When I went to the laboratory last, they were still on the wall.  I feel much more a scientist than an artist, but, it is very nice to be appreciated.   Now, I am using my artwork to support science education and science literacy.  I found that the products can now be available in different countries.

Using an expression I learned in Iowa, I named this acrylic painting, "The Gone Forest."  After the tragic events of 911, many people moved out of New York City into these woods...Now there are human homes here and the deer (as well as bear and other wildlife) are missing the woodlands, thus, the gone forest.

Here are the links and descriptions for the art posted in the Netherlands, for example.  There may be some errors in the Dutch.  If you see any, please correct them.


http://www.zazzle.nl/melamine_plateer_het_gegane_bos _door_j_s_shipman-115452896327967650

The Gone Forest
Artist/Artiest: J S Shipman (Bewerken)

Sustainability is key. The artist's passion is science literacy and science education leading to global sustainability. For the deer to be there, we need the forest. We cannot be plant-blind. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this product will support such education. (Read more: http://read-about-it.blogspot.com) The Gone Forest. (Photo of acrylic original). Artist/Artiest: J S Shipman (c)2008 J S Shipman. Used with permission.

In other words:
Houdbaarheid is hoofd. De passie van de artiest is wetenschapalfabetisme en wetenschapopvoeding die tot globale houdbaarheid leidt. Voor het hert om daar te zijn, hebben nodig wij het bos. Wij kunnen plant-blinde niet zijn. Een gedeelte van het gaat door van de verkoop van dit product zal zulke opvoeding steunen. (Lezing meer: http://read-about-it.blogspot.com) Het Gegane Bos. (Foto van acryl origineel). Artiest/artistiekerigst: J S Shipman (c)2008 J S Shipman. Gebruikt met toestemming.

http://www.zazzle.nl/shipmancenter  Netherlands Store:
Mijn winkel op Zazzle bekijken

http://www.zazzle.co.jp/shipmancenter  Japanese Store

http://www.zazzle.fr/shipmancenter/cadeaux French Store

http://www.zazzle.com/shipmancenter  American Store (USA)

Canadian Sustainability Group Provides a Role Model

Here's a link to a Canadian sustainability group:
http://blogs.ubc.ca/biorenewablescafe/.

The Biorenewables Cafe meets informally and provides a networking forum for people interested in sustainability.   The September meeting featured a speaker, Dr. Richard Chandra, from the UBC Faculty of Forestry.  Dr. Chandra is a research associate in the Forest Products Biotechnology/ Bioenergy Research Group. His talk, "Bio-fuels and Bio-products from Biomass:  Breaking apart something that's meant to stay together," will springboard the networking session.  Here is a quote of the abstract from his presentation:

Bio-fuels and Bio-products from Biomass: Breaking apart something that’s meant to stay together! 

The major hurdle to overcome when trying to unlock the energy in leftover agricultural biomass and woody waste to supply our needs for renewable fuels and products is the inherent recalcitrance of the biomass itself. Nature has interwoven the chemical components of biomass into a structure that resists breakdown by biochemical means, thus necessitating various processes called pretreatments. Pretreatments aim to cleanly separate these chemical components in a usable form and, in many cases are analogous to processes used in the pulp and paper industry. This presentation will examine the biology, chemistry and physics responsible for the resistance of biomass to breakdown, while detailing the various pretreatment processes that are currently being examined at UBC which aim to maximize the value obtainable from biomass.

This Canadian sustainability group serves as a model because many of us could form such groups in our own communities where we can learn from one another, listen to experts, read, discuss, and improve science literacy on sustainability.  In fact, global sustainability will increase as more and more of us educate ourselves and each other about how we can sustain the Earth. 

In school communities, each student could spend time becoming a mini-expert by reading up on a particular aspect of sustainability, or, even by "slogging" through a journal article and slowly learning its vocabulary, and content.  Then, students could come together after 2 weeks or three of their independent or small group work and could then learn in a cooperative manner, but also have fun, by having their own Sustainability Cafe...healthy snacks included (by assisting parents and school volunteers).  Please feel free to report back here on your experiences either by adding a comment or by submitting a post. (Please put BLOG POST in the re: line.  Thanks.)

Forest Products Biotechnology/Bioenergy Research Group:  http://www.bioenergy.ubc.ca/
Biorenewables Cafe on Linked-in:  http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Biorenewables-Caf

(c)2012 J S Shipman.  All rights reserved.

Stretch your Thinking starting with Encyclopedia.com Side-by-side Comparison of Bioremediation Ideas

Here's a link: http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Bioremediation.aspx

Start with an encyclopedia's description of bioremediation and let your imagination wander. What ideas pop into your mind? Play with them.

Have fun thinking up solutions to today's global problems.

Did you come up with information and ideas that should be protected before they are shared? Remember to protect your ideas.

Something you can do about the oil spill and preventing some of the environmental damage that can result from oil spills:

So many times I've seen students who have been discouraged about environmental issues. They haven't realized that each of them can do many things to improve the environment. People are very resourceful in solving problems. I believe that is the message to convey to students. Using the HOT Skills Wheel TM brings students through several levels of critical thinking (Contact me to arrange training for faculty and students on the HOT Skills Wheel TM.) Problem solving results from using higher order thinking skills and then taking action. Here are some links to get you started in solving one global crisis: the current oil spill. Having such deep-thinking skills, the HOT Skills, and knowing that each of us can take action in solving global problems gives hope for achieving both sustainability and a peaceful World.

Here's a video about using human hair to prevent damage from oil spills:
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/video?id=7425820


Here's a link to the organization that you can contact for more information:
http://www.matteroftrust.org/

Use Reach Reading TM (Workshop Inquiries) and come up with research to back up other decisions about what you can do to help the environment. You might also want to look at the book Mycelium Running for ideas on not only cleaning up oil, but, also cleaning water before it is returned to the environment.

The current oil spill gives students the opportunity to understand the relevancy of their science education. It helps them understand why Reach Reading TM, science literacy, and science education are so important to their abilities to solve and prevent global problems. I challenge you to empower your students. Show them they can use their skills to take positive action to solve problems, even those of a global nature. We can show them the resiliency of the human spirit and give them pathways to solve and prevent future global problems. We can help them achieve sustainability and peace if we give them the science literacy and higher order thinking skills (HOT Skills)

Every Day is Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day!

What did you do today to increase sustainability?

Thank you, and you, and you, too.

We each play an important role. We can all consume less, plant more, save energy, enjoy the wilds.

Thank you.

Sustainability portal:

http://www.earthman.tv/2004/index.html

How To Contact (Earthman@Earthman.TV) and Support The Earthman Project
E-Mail:Earthman@Earthman.TV - 954-536-7888. We are a 501( c )3 Not-for-profit organization. Get more information about us, and our innovative programs here.


Source: http://www.earthman.tv/2004/forums/index.php. Accessed 8 March 2010

Symposium on Sustainability at Iowa State University (ISU)

Symposium on Sustainability draws campus crowd
Iowa States' second annual "Symposium on Enhancing Sustainability" featured sessions topics, including, but not limited to:

• Teaching sustainability in the classroom,
• Campus energy conservation,
• Sustainable agriculture, and
• Student activities in support of ISU's Live Green! initiative.

Other presentations included:

• Patagonia clothing company founder Yvon Chouinard,
• The keynote speech, by Leith Sharp, the founding director of Harvard University's green campus initiative.

One of the ideas Sharp presented was, "[P]eople with very high consumption levels are no happier than people with quite conservative consumption levels."

Read more: http://www.livegreen.iastate.edu/symposium.

Source: ISU News Flash. 3-5-2010

Observation, Public Policy and Science in the news today...Mexican Axolotl (Frog-like Organism)

This story is about the Mexican Axolotl. Note, in the photos accompanying the story, there are plants. Did you see them, or, were you, "plant blind?" Do you think plant-blindness has anything to do with the disappearing frog-like creatures? Do plants play a role in lives of organisms? Do we need plants (Tropical and temperate forests, weeds, crops, herbs) for organisms like axolotls and humans to live? Do some investigating and write an essay, supported with facts you've found, or, experiences you've had. Formulate an opinion on endangered species, such as the axolotl. Indicate a global public policy that you feel would help sustain the Earth. Check with your parent, guardian, teacher, or, supervisor: Should you submit your essay as a letter to the editor of a local paper, or, post it on line? Would it make a good bulletin board? Are any science standards covered by your activity?

Fill your essay (and your mind) with hope. When we educate ourselves and act toward sustainability, we are very capable of achieving sustainability. I believe it is important to carry the message of hope with any activities where we deal with global problems, including extinction, or loss of habitat, among others.

Story:
http://uk.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUKTRE5114WI20090202

Film (in Spanish): http://uk.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=98040&videoChannel=82

Here is a link to various sustainability issues that also lets you send e-cards.

Posting this link does not imply support, or lack of support, for any of the issues presented.

Solar panels and wind turbines for home and school...

[Under development]

Lesson plan ideas for sustainable energy systems for home and school coming soon...

http://homemadeenergy.org/aff/resources.html

One Viewpoint on Global Health Care (Available in Several Languages)

Posting this link does not indicate support or lack of support for the ideas presented. In other words, the view of the blogger is not, or is not necessarily, presented.

The viewpoint presented is that of the company IBM and suggests a sustainable health care system from its perspective: http://www-03.ibm.com/industries/healthcare/doc/content/landing/2955767105.html?re=gihclshome

It is presented to serve as a discussion starter. Your viewpoints and comments are welcome in the comments (Click on, "Comments," below the post.) For Earth to have sustainable systems, all our voices, ideas, and effort are needed. Yours are welcome!

Dr-J

Australian Ideas for Science Education

Here is a link to Australia K-6 ideas:
http://science.uniserve.edu.au/school/curric/k_6/ouroz.html

For example, you can take a virtual field trip to Australia.


You might like to compare and contrast Australian environmental weed control methods with Control of invasive species in your own country.

Nathaniel Hawthorne and You: floral Displays, beautiful and unusual Trees at Leamington Spa

Overlapping humanities and science is a way to get more students interested in science. A stroll through Leamington Spa, or view its gardens on-line, for example, and you will share something with Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Our Old Home, by Nathaniel Hawthorne describes, in a section on Leamington Spa, the gardens and their beauty. Students interested in literature, or especially in Hawthorne, may find a connection to science through the gardens of Leamington.

A stroll through gardens in your own vicinity might encourage students to write, as Hawthorne did of the gardens of Leamington Spa, of their beauty. By writing, a student can educate others as to the beauty of gardens and of nature in general, and this, in turn, may contribute to the sustainability of the Earth.



(c) 2008 J S Shipman

Kipepeo: Build your science vocabulary in Swahili!

http://www.kipepeo.org/ is the site for a butterfly farm in Kenya.

"Kipepeo," is the Swahili word for butterfly. Visit the link to learn more about kipepeo.

###

Sustainability through science education is a major theme of this blog. In order to have a global audience, I try to add topics of interest to scientists and science educators, and the general global community. By increasing communication among different people, all over the globe, I hope to enhance global sustainability. So, today, I have chosen to add a link to Kenya. I hope to encourage all of us to get a better understanding of each others' cultures and science applications throughout the World. Please add more links from Kenya or other parts of the World.
Dr. J

For more information on science in Kenya: http://www.loc.gov/rr/international/amed/kenya/resources/kenya-science.html

Thank you for visiting!

I am very happy to announce that recent visitors to this science education/global sustainability blog have been from many places on the globe. Most recent visitors have been from the following countries:

Australia * Canada * Colombia * France * India * Japan * Maldives * New Zealand * Pakistan * Phillipines * Portugal * Singapore * Switzerland * United Kingdom * United States of America

What a wonderful global forum. Please add your comments and suggest posts. Each person might contribute something on his or her own educational system, how science is taught, new research to discuss and other science ideas. Welcome.

You may contact me via my e-mail, or, by leaving a comment.

Thanks,
Dr. J

More Higher Order Thinking Links

1. Dan Montano added "higher-order-thinking" to Wiki
2. 
   Visit Gifted Education 2.0
3. Graphic Organizers---Video Welcome to Teachers At Risk

Elona Hartjes

(Click the "Graphic Organizers" link above, scroll down to the green video box, just above "Crowd") By the way, you may find the rest of the Elona Hartjes' Teachers at Risk page has useful information, too.

1. A video resource: Animoto Future link
   
2. Use "rich media" to engage and evaluate students' higher-order thinking
3. Andrew Churches: Digital World meets Higher Order Thinking
   
4. Higher Order Thinking Workshop a Success2008년 7월 28일 Dr-J이(가) 작성
5. Higher Order Thinking and Multiple Intelligences

The higher order thinking skills lead to students becoming good global citizens. No matter what country someone is from, he or she can look at data, and using his or her background knowledge, family's value system, and world view, evaluate the data and make informed judgments. It is likely if we all increase our higher order thinking processes we can contribute to World peace. Higher order thinking can lead to sustainability and to solving or lessening problems such as hunger, global warming, energy usage.

Solar power leads to sustainability... What do you think?

Watch this video and think about it. Compare and contrast your life to what you see in this video. Evaluate it based on what you know of science of solar power and on your own value system. Try writing about it. Do you know of other ways to use science to improve sustainability of the Earth and concurrently end poverty? Does charity overlap with science? Reflection using your science skills helps make informed decisions...


###
I have added another video that I found later:

Curriculum Guides Available from Newspapers

Curriculum Guides for Teachers (or, for parents providing enrichment at home) are often available from newspapers.
For example, the Times-Herald Record lists several. Click on the paper name to see what they have. You can also contact your local paper and see if they have anything. You might also want to ask them to have more articles on science topics. (I would like to see articles on preservation of habitat, especially in urban and developing sub-urban and rural areas. Often development proceeds more quickly than thinking about habitat preservation. Sustainability of the Earth requires that we think deeply and implement sustainable, preservation measures. What would you like to see? Let us and your paper know.)

If you are looking for curriculum guides for specific science areas, please email me at shipmanjs@gmail.com and let me know.