“A first of its kind, this book portrays the growing sustainability movement in American K-12 education. It showcases inspiring stories of public, independent, and charter schools across the country. It offers hope, inspiration, and expert advice, while documenting a rising trend that is good news for education and the environment.

Smart by Nature is beautifully written by our senior editor, Michael K. Stone, who has covered education for sustainable living for nearly a decade. It features a foreword by Daniel Goleman, author of Ecological Intelligence, and has already been endorsed by the National Wildlife Federation, David W. Orr, Alice Waters, and others.

Since many of you have already asked, here are a few ways you can help:

* Write a short review on Amazon.com
* Send this message to all your friends and all the educators you know
* Become a fan on our new Facebook page and share your thoughts
* Blog about it
* Ask your local bookseller to carry it
* Buy copies for the schools you care about

We encourage you to purchase your copy from University of California Press. Smart by Nature is also available from Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.

Thank you for your support and for being a part of this vital community.”

Warmly,
Zenobia Barlow
Cofounder and Executive Director

“In his new book, “Inside the Painter’s Studio”, artist Joe Fig documents the day-to-day lives of 24 contemporary artists with photos of their studios, notes on their work habits, and interviews about where and how they make art. In addition, Fig’s own sculptures are shown—miniature reproductions of the artists themselves in the process of creating, a spellbinding sort of diorama as portraiture. For any artist, historian, or art fan, there’s fascinating stuff in the minutia about gear and paint brands, and also the larger questions about what it takes to get up every morning and go paint. As Chuck Close says, “Inspiration is for amateurs, the rest of us just show up and get to work.”

via themorningnews.org

“By bringing us unique footage from over fifty countries, all seen from the air, by sharing with us his wonder and concern, with this film Yann Arthus-Bertrand lays a foundation stone for the edifice that, together, we must rebuild.”

Watch the film in its entirety, all 1 hour and 33 minutes

By Catherine Jameson
Illustrated by Julie Flett

“An adventure begins when Zoe finds a lone fawn in the forest and helps search for its mother. But who could be the mother…a bunny, a fish? Join Zoe and her father as they encounter many woodland animals and learn their Native names along the way.”

Available from Theytus Books – “Widely recognized in North America and internationally as the Oldest Indigenous Publishing House in Canada, Theytus is respected for its efforts in producing and promoting appropriate reading material and information created by Indigenous authors, illustrators and artists. Theytus strives to ensure that the Indigenous Voice and Vision is expressed in the highest level of cultural authenticity and integrity. Today, Theytus continues the legacy to be fully owned and operated by Indigenous people and is a division of the En’owkin Centre.”

Michael K. Stone and Center for Ecoliteracy.

“Throughout the United States, a movement of educators, parents, and students is remaking K-12 education to prepare students for the future environmental challenges. What would a green school or an eco-schooling curriculum look like? Smart by Nature: Schooling for Sustainability offers firsthand accounts and strategies for greening campuses, rethinking school food, and transforming schools into model sustainable communities.
Green and healthy campuses with rooftop gardens and innovative designs are serving as living laboratories in which educators teach energy conservation, resource management, and earth sciences.

Smart by Nature documents this movement through inspiring success stories from public and independent schools across the country. Practical “what you can do” checklists and pages of resources make this a twenty-first-century guide for our educational future.”

The L-Shaped Classroom: A Pattern for Promoting Learning.

“…the environmental qualities of classrooms—high/low, open/closed, big/little, vertical/horizontal—do indeed affect the learning process in young children”

—- Dyck, J. A. (1994, November). The case for the L-shaped classroom: Does the shape of a classroom affect the quality of the learning that goes inside it? In Principle Magazine, pp. 41-45.

NEWS, PROJECTS, PAPERS and LINKS

EcoLabs gives us EcoMag – “a magazine about art, design & sustainability. Each issue will focus on a theme while investigating issues lying at the root of the ecological crisis”.

The theme of the first issue is ‘Future Scenarios’. EcoMag is available as a low resolution Pdf download here.

Barefoot Books “began with two mothers who wanted their children to have books that would feed the imagination, while instilling a respect for diversity and a love of the planet. Today, we are a world-wide community of writers, artists, storytellers, musicians, and others who are committed to providing timeless stories and captivating art that can help children become happy, engaged members of a global society.”

“Get outdoors and let your creativity run wild. See all that you can make with simple components found right outside your front door!”

“This collection of 65 art projects for crafty kids features activities that use natural materials, including twigs, vines, pine cones, shells, and much more. Includes simple step-by-step instructions.”

Click to ENLARGE

Food, Inc. “reveals how a handful of corporations control our food supply and often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, and the safety of workers and the environment.”