School Gardens and awareness

[Carol N Walker <carolnwalker@yahoo.com>]

  I am a teacher from California who advocates school gardens as a tool for heightening environmental awareness in children and therefore, adults. Many of the messages I see posted bemoan the epidemic public apathy and ignorance toward critical social/environmental issues. How can one love and care for what they don't know? 

  So much emphasis is placed on kids passing state tests that there is no longer time for music, art and biological sciences.

  When I do manage to get students out to "Life lab" they absolutely adore it and beg to go out more often. 

  I believe it's at this early age that we, as a society, "grow" environmentally aware and responsible adults.

  Most people in my city could tell me where to get the best deal on a pair of shoes but could not begin to tell me the components of a healthy ecosystem.

  If we want to encourage public discourse about environmental issues we need to get outside and learn about the soil, air, water, sunlight, flora and fauna of this truly magical planet.