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Open-Ended Learning: Spaghetti Bridges

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       For this project it was suggested that we choose something that is meaningful to us. For me, one of my major concerns is that students have lost the ability to think critically or apply information outside of the exact context that they’ve learned from. When they ask for “help,” what they’re really asking for is the answer; they don’t actually want to understand why it is the answer. They’re obsessed with the percentage at the top of the test paper, not the ability to understand the topic and use the knowledge again in the future.             Zhao et al. (2016) talks about the idea of Boomerang Kids who need to return home to live with their parents because they do not have the skills to be financially independent. In just one generation, the percentage of youth that fall into this category has increased from 10% to 60%. Honestly, I am not surprised by this statistic at all. I teach in a middle school and many students come to class empty handed; they “can’t be bothered” to br
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Why you should #EatLocal

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       Not everyone has the ability to grow or produce their own food on a large scale, but the next time you go out to eat at a restaurant consider going somewhere that both supports your local economy and local farms. Click the link for more information about why you should   #EatLocal . 
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Interview with a social entrepreneur: Sarah Mills, Program Manager: Stella’s Circle

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  Sarah’s Description of Stella’s Circle: “Stella’s Circle is a large social services agency working in St. John’s to provide support to marginalized populations in the areas of Employment, Housing and Clinical services. Around 15 years ago staff began exploring the feasibility of incorporating social enterprises into our programming. The motivation for this was 2 pronged. 1) To develop additional revenue streams to assist with funding the larger organizations mandate of transforming lives through Real Homes, Real Help, and Real Work. 2) To create opportunities for participants of Employment Services to gain real world work experience and receive training in 3 sectors including food service, commercial cleaning and property maintenance / trades."  There are many opportunities for learning throughout the process of developing and maintaining social enterprises. Stella’s Circle successfully opened the Hungry Heart Café in 2008 as an eat-in café providing breakfast, lunch and cat
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Sustainability Starts at Home

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  Trying to live a sustainable life may seem daunting when you see the cost of building a house off grid or an electric car. However, when we start with the little things at home (and multiply that by 8 billion people on the planet), every bit counts!
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One Week Journal

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  Dear Journal, Having a BSc. in Environmental Science doesn't automatically make you a tree hugger or a hippie or make you live a super sustainable lifestyle. It does, however, make you realize the impact each individual can have on the environment and make you feel slightly guilty about your everyday choices. Guilty enough to change? In some ways, but not always. Before starting my one-week reflective journal about my consumption habits (which I know are not great), I used an Ecological Footprint Calculator to give me an idea of just how much damage my lifestyle is causing.  After a series of questions, here are my results:     The calculator stated that my personal overshoot day is April 2nd. This means I use up a years worth of resources in just over three months. It also means that if everyone on the planet lived the way I do, we would need four planets to sustain the population. Rough!      I question the accuracy of this website, not because I am afraid to admit that I cons
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How does poverty affect the ability to live sustainably?

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    Someone tells you that you need to live more sustainably. That your actions are hurting the environment. That you are not thinking about the children. PLEASE GAWD! Won't someone think about the children???       But what does all of this mean and where should one start to live more sustainably?      A quick Google search will give you the Oxford (2022) definition of sustainable as " able to be maintained at a certain rate or level," which we can apply to the resources we need to survive such as food and water. These days, in most towns and cities, a recycling bin is as common as a garbage can, so simple tasks like throwing your can or bottle into the proper bin should be pretty natural in 2022. Other sustainable options such as curbside recycling or public transit may also be an option for many, though not all.       Although I am in full support of these simple everyday actions and others - you know...turning off the lights and throwing on a sweater before turning u
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