Education Commons^™

Taste Of Place And Provenance, Alison Stevens

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Bioregionalism is a framework that could serve to bridge the gap between humans and the land that they inhabit. A bioregional food system exemplifies the reduction of large scale agriculture and economy to one that falls within climatologically and geographically determined regions, superseding anthropogenic and political borders. Not only would a bioregional food system encourage mindfulness of the ecosystem that surrounds a community, but create a secure, community-based economy scaled to match the bioregion. The valuation of products and crops of local farmers and artisans would reflect the reliance on bioregionally specific wares, as well as ground members in their …

Wildfire Education In Washington School Districts, Jessica Martin

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Wildfire education is an important and often overlooked unit of a comprehensive public school education. Ecology, earth science, and disaster preparedness for events like earthquakes and house fires are examples of subjects already taught to students in schools throughout Washington; however, given the effects of climate change, wildfire education warrants much greater integration into school district curricula. To assess the general extent of wildfire education in Washington state, Washington state public school districts were contacted and asked if they provided their students with wildfire education. A majority of the school districts contacted reported that they either do not formally include …

Public Meetings: Barriers And Solutions, Pauline Mogilevsky

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Public meetings and hearings are some of the most common avenues of interaction between government officials and the public. In many circumstances, they are a legally required element of the public involvement process. However, elected officials, government staff, and residents often find public meetings to be frustrating, unrepresentative, and ineffective (Hajnal and Trounstine, 2016; McComas et al, 2007; Walters et al, 2000). This has prompted many planners to employ other, more nontraditional methods of public participation in order to gain meaningful feedback and build relationships with residents. Though these newer methods, which include workshops, tours, and charrettes, are often more …

Regional Textile Production: Mapping The Pacific Northwest Fiber Network, Caroline Vogl

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Inspired by the slow food movement, more people have started to question the source of their clothing and textiles due to the environmental and human rights abuses in the current global fashion industry. The Pacific Northwest in particular is a place where questions about textile production and sourcing have been raised and where many textile farmers, retailers and makers already exist. Currently there are many gaps in production and a lack of connection between the various players in this regional economy. The first step in creating a stronger regionally-based fiber economy is to connect the participants in this economy. To …

Western Washington University Sustainability Action Plan 2015 - 2035, Western Washington University

Western Sustainability

Western’s Sustainability Action Plan is the University’s road map for protecting local and global ecology, upholding social equity, creating economic vitality, and maintaining human health.

Lummi Youth Riparian Education Program, Kirsten Moore

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Lummi Youth Riparian Education Program, an Honors project by Kirsten Moore. It is a series of educational activities to be performed at Marietta Slough in order to fulfill the educational component of the grant written by Lummi Natural Resources.

As defined by the grant, "Lummi Youth" includes students grades 3-12. The following lesson plans are aligned to the Washington State Learning Standards for grades 3, 4-5, and 6-8, with the intention of involving students grades 9-12 in leadership/mentor roles. The lesson plans are similar from grade level to grade level, primarily varying in topics and depth of discussion. My hope …

Environmental Education Plan For The Valdivian Coastal Reserve, Hillary Landers

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

For my Honors senior project, I developed a 3-year environmental education plan for the Reserva Costera Valdiviana (RCV), a nature reserve located in southern Chile, owned and funded by the Nature Conservancy. Because it is owned by a non-profit organization, this reserve has limited funding and resources. Five park rangers run and maintain it year round, and during the school year they put on environmental education workshops for the neighboring schools of Huiro, Chaihum, and Huape. Because the park rangers have little extra time and no college-level education, they asked me to design an environmental education plan for these workshops, …