Sally Upton Extension Assistant Professor, 4-H Agent in Summit County, UT, Director of Youth Education Programs at Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter Roslynn.

Sustainability Summer CampSally Upton Extension Assistant Professor, 4-H Agent in Summit County, UT, Director of Youth Education Programs at Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter

Roslynn BrainAssistant Professor, Sustainable Communities Extension Specialist

Sustainability Summer camp• July 8-12, 2013, Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter,

Park City, UT• Week-long• 9:00 am – 3:00 pm• 15 camper maximum, 8 campers actual and 3 teen

counselors• Youth entering grades 4-6• $170.00 - $5.67 per hour

• Second camp conducted at Stokes Nature Center in Logan, UT on July 29 – August 2, 2013

Objectives1. Help youth develop an understanding of sustainability

concepts2. Help youth develop a respect for our natural

environment3. Teach youth about actions they can implement each

and every day to lessen their impact on our environment and conserve resources

4. Focus on the five major areas of environmental sustainability

1. Land2. Air3. Food4. Energy5. Water

Advertising and Registration• Developed camp flyers and

posted them around town and distributed to local schools

• Newspaper blurb, ad, and article• Radio PSA• Swaner e-newsletter• Websites• Facebook pages• Existing camp structure at Swaner

helped bring in participants

• Online registration system through Eventbrite

Agenda• Day 1: Land

• Objectives:• Differentiate between trash, recycling, and

compost• Learn about the value of preserved open space• List essential resources provided by natural land• Learn how to vermicompost and create a

vermicompost bin

• Activities:• Journal questions (evaluation)• Geocache to learn about the value of open

space• Lunch waste reduction activity• Discussion of garbage vs. recycling vs. compost• Create a vermicompost (worm) bin to take home• Journal questions

Agenda• Day 2: Air

• Objectives:• Identify at least three sources of air

pollution• Discuss ways to improve air quality• List alternatives to single-driver commuting• Describe the basic process behind climate

change

• Activities:• Journal questions (evaluation)• Inversion demonstration and discussion• Bike ride to look for sources of pollution

and encourage biking • Lunch waste reduction activity• Discuss climate change and conduct

experiments• Journal questions

Agenda• Day 3: Food

• Objectives:• Define “local food” and the benefits of

shopping local• Learn about product packaging• Tour a local farm and learn from a local

producer• Build a herb garden to take home

• Activities:• Journal questions (evaluation)• Discuss local food, Food Mile activity, A Peek at

Packaging activity• Lunch waste reduction activity• Bike ride to local farm for tour• Build a grow box to take home• Journal questions

Agenda• Day 4: Energy

• Objectives:• Define renewable and non-renewable

energy• List different sources of energy and

their pros and cons• Investigate solar and wind energy

through solar ovens, solar cars, and wind turbines

• Activities:• Journal questions (evaluation)• Discuss different sources of energy and

bake brownies in a solar oven• Lunch waste reduction activity• Build solar cars and frogs• Design, build, and test wind turbines• Journal questions

Agenda• Day 5: Water

• Objectives:• List at three ways to conserve water• Describe what happens to water in our houses

after we use it• Learn about stream ecology and the

importance of water in the environment

• Activities:• Journal questions (evaluation)• Discuss the importance of water: Life Box,

Drop in the Bucket, and Water Cycle activities• Tour a wastewater treatment plant• Lunch waste reduction activity• Explore a local stream• Ice cream party for lunch waste reduction• Journal questions• Certificate ceremony – parents invited

Lunch Waste Reduction

Journal Evaluation: Questions

Land Questions:• Why is land/open space important? • If you put something in the

trashcan what happens to it?• If you put something in a recycle

bin, what happens to it?• If you put something in the

compost, what happens to it?• What can you do to reduce waste?

Air Questions:• Why is clean air important?• What pollutes our air?• How can you help improve the air

you breathe?

Food Questions:• What is local food?• Why buy local food?• What is a food mile?

Energy Questions:• What is renewable energy?• What is non-renewable energy?• Why is energy important?

Water Questions:• Why is water important?• Where does water go when you

flush it down the toilet?• What can you do to conserve

water?

Journal Evaluation: Methods• Increased Knowledge• What can you do to reduce waste?• Pre-camp: “I don’t know.”• Post-camp: “What you can do to reduce waste, you can

bring less plastic and less trash and less compost.”• Why buy local food?• Pre-camp: “I don’t know.”• Post-camp: “So car exhaust doesn't pollute the earth.”

• Why is open space important?• Pre-camp: “For bugs to survive.”• Post-camp: “East Canyon is our water source and filters

water.”

Journal Evaluations: Methods• Stayed the Same• If you put something in a recycle bin, what happens to it?• Pre-camp: “It becomes something else.”• Post-camp: “If you put something in a recycle bin it

becomes something else.”• What is renewable energy?• Pre-camp: “It is energy that you can use again.”• Post-camp: “Same.”

• Existing knowledge of topic• If you put something in the trashcan, what happens to it?• The trash goes to the landfill.

• How can you help improve the air you breathe? • Carpool and take the bus

Journal Evaluation: Results

Journal Evaluation: ResultsQuestions that showed increased knowledge:

• Why is land/open space important?

• If you put something in the compost, what happens to it?

• What can you do to reduce waste?

• Why buy local food?• What is a food mile?• Where does water

go when you flush it down the toilet?

• What can you do to conserve water?

Questions in which answers stayed the same:

• Why is clean air important?

• If you put something in a recycle bin, what happens to it?

• What pollutes our air?• How can you help

improve the air you breathe?

• What is local food?• What is renewable

energy?• What is non-renewable

energy?• Why is energy

important?• Why is water important?

Questions in which campers DID NOT already understand the concept:

• If you put something in the compost, what happens to it?

• Why buy local food?• What is a food mile?• Where does water go

when you flush it down the toilet?

Journal Evaluation: Results• Drawings:• Draw a city with no air pollution, and nothing in the city

that creates air pollution.• 29% increased knowledge; 71% of drawings stayed the

same

Journal Evaluation: Results• Drawings:• Draw a picture of where the food in your lunch box comes

from.• 63% increase knowledge; 38% of drawings stayed the

same

Journal Evaluation: Results• Drawings:• Draw as many sources of energy as you can.• 75% increased knowledge; 25% of drawings stayed the

same

Journal Evaluation: Results• Drawings:• Draw what water means to you.• 29% increased knowledge; 71% of drawings stayed the

same

Journal Evaluation: Conclusion• Camp increased knowledge on the following topics (all of which the

campers had limited previous knowledge)• Composting• The importance of open space• Benefits of buying local food• Food mile• What happens to water in your house after you use it• The source of our food• Sources of energy• Water Conservation• Reducing waste

• The majority of campers had a pre-existing understanding of the following topics:• The importance of clean air, clean water, and energy• Renewable and non-renewable energy• Recycling and trash• Causes of air pollution and ways to reduce air pollution

• Camp encouraged the following behavior changes during camp: • Reduced waste from lunches

Parent Survey Evaluation: Results• Parent Survey emailed out 6 weeks after start of camp.

• Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements: “As a result of my child/children’s participation in the Sustainability Camp, our family…….” (n = 7)

Strongly Disagre

eDisagr

eeNeutral

Agree

Strongly

Agree

Recycles more

28.628.6 42.9

Looks for local products in the grocery store 42.9

42.9 14.3

Looks for less packaging when shopping for products 71.4

14.3 14.3

Actively conserves water 14.3

57.1 28.6

Composts

42.914.3 42.9

Uses alternative forms of transportation whenever possible 42.9

57.1 0

Parent Survey Evaluation: Results• Please rate your family’s level

of confidence at performing the following activities before and after your child’s/children’s participation in the Sustainability Summer Camp.

• 1 = Not Confident at All• 2 = Slightly Confident• 3 = Neutral• 4 = Confident• 5 = Very Confident

• Paired T-test between confidence ratings before and after • All but two topics showed

statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) in confidence ratings before and after the camp

• Confidence ratings increased from neutral on average to “Confident” or “Very Confident:

Before Avera

ge

After Avera

ge

T Statistic

P Valu

e

Degrees of Freed

om

Describing what “Sustainability” means 3.13 4.5 4.245

0.004 7

Defining the term “local food” 3.20 4.75 3.000

0.020 7

Differentiating between renewable and non-renewable energy 3.25 4.13 2.198

0.064 7

Listing at least 3 different types of alternative energy 3.63 4.63 2.160

0.068 7

Differentiating between trash, recycling, and compost 3.71 5.00 4.500

0.004 6

Listing at least 3 major sources of air pollution 3 4.71 4.076

0.007 6

Discussing specific actions to take to improve air quality 3.14 4.57 4.804

0.003 6

Maintaining a vermicompost bin 1.86 4.14 3.548

0.012 6

Parent Survey: Conclusion• Camp influenced the following family behaviors

• Families recycle more (43%)• Families actively work to conserve water (57%)• Families compost (43%)• Families use alternative forms of transportation whenever possible (57%)

• Families do not look for local food or less packaging when shopping as a result of camp

• At least a one point increase in families’ confidence in all topics – families moved from neutral on their confidence levels to confident or very confident• Defining Sustainability• Defining local food• Defining Renewable vs. Non-renewable energy• Listing Alternative forms of energy• Differentiating between trash, recycling, compost• Listing sources of air pollution• Listing ways to improve air pollution• Composting

Did we reach our Objectives/Goals?

• Help youth develop an understanding of sustainability concepts• Yes, especially on topics they had no/little pre-existing knowledge of• Composting• The importance of open space• Benefits of buying local food• Food mile• What happens to water in your house after you use it• The source of our food• Sources of energy• Water Conservation• Reducing waste

• Teach youth about actions they can implement each and every day to lessen their impact on our environment and conserve resources• Yes, families demonstrated increased participation in a few actions• Recycling• Compositing• Conserving water• Using alternative forms of transportation

Next Steps• Develop curriculum into a state/nation-wide 4-H curriculum• Aggie Adventures• Request for a “Level 2” of Sustainability Camp

• Create “kits” on sustainability topics that leaders/volunteers can check out for camp or other programs:• Renewable Energy• Recycling• Climate Change• Food Miles• A Peek at Packaging• Geocache• Solar Oven• Water activities