Scientific & Political Change

Thanks for this Felecia - I have been continuing to follow news about bees and CCD too. Interesting that this news was first acknowledged in France and other European countries a year or more before the US would start sharing the "news". The first study had many "problems" with the validity of the data according to some sources. But I knew it would only be a matter of time...It's interesting to think about the complexities of why science does or does not get into mainstream knowledge.

Cornell University monetary value study on pollination contributions to US Agriculture.

an initiative to build an international infrastructure, open to public as well as researchers. mimics what it studies.

Thanks for posting this, Felicia. It's interesting that Poland was first to make this link stick. Makes me wonder what else in Poland was at play. But great news for the bees and beekeepers!

In Bakersfield, CA a beekeeper claims in court that a crop duster killed 1 million honeybees by spraying pesticides without warning on cotton fields the bees were pollinating.

On-the-job learning

Those lunch pictures look great! But the real reason I responded here is that the Scott Arboretum and other public horticulture organizations across the country have assisted with many school gardens. The problems always fall back to maintenance when the children are not in school over the summer months and then they lay dormant most of the winter in colder climates.

Rhoda, those are good points. This might open up opportunities for small groups. Boy Scouts, Girls Scouts, Youth Center groups, and Community Service could handle the summer months and vacation days and weeks. I am not sure if there is much that could be done in the winter in New England. I will try to have something on this for my PowerPoint.

Occupy the Farm Activists Reclaim Prime Urban Agricultural Land in SF Bay Area. Category: Comments from The Berkeley Daily Planet

This is interesting... UC Berkley of all places. I wonder what their side of the story is and why they don't want to support a sustainable farm program.

a nice overview from a personal perspective about the power of story in a changing world.

An interesting site I found while searching for topics related to storytelling and effectual change.

An interesting article discussing the intersection of reasons for storytelling.

University of Houston, College of Education has lead a digital storytelling effort that strives to expose instructors and students to the educational opportunities that the technique provides.

Short stories from people about how climate change has influenced their lives in Africa.

Richard Louv is a well renowned author, best known for his book "Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature Deficit Disorder" In this page, Louv presents a field guide based on his more recent work, "The Nature Principle: Reconnecting with Life in a Virtual Age". The guide is meant for citizens to help apply his principle to their daily lives in areas such as "Resources and Ideas for Creating a Restorative Home & Garden", "Creat(ing) a Natural Health Care System for Your Family and Community" and "Know(ing) Who You Are by Knowing Where You Are".

Richard Louv discusses "nature deficit disorder" in this 12 minute video

Kendra - I read his book a few years back and can really appreciate his approach to "intelligence."

"For scientists, the struggle between their work and the way society views that work is nothing new, says Francesca Grifo, director of the scientific integrity program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. After all, she says, Galileo was forced by the Catholic establishment to renounce his evidence for a sun-centered solar system, and Darwin's ideas have been a political football for more than a century." This article places the current Tennessee proposed bill on "academic freedom" in the context of other challenges the scientific community faces when trying to reconcile their knowledge and research within the context of social believes and attitudes.

A series of articles by Tom Vanderbilt exploring the behavioral consequences of infrastructure development in American transportation systems.

A great site with short podcast stories but also links to live events around the country.

Link to the Massachusetts Curriculum frameworks by subject. Download-able pdfs and word documents.