Sally Upton Extension Assistant Professor, 4-H Agent in Summit County, UT, Director of Youth Education Programs at Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter Roslynn Brain Assistant Professor, Sustainable Communities Extension Specialist

July 8-12, 2013, Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter, Park City, UT Week-long 9:00 am – 3:00 pm 15 camper maximum, 8 campers actual and 3 teen counselors Youth entering grades 4-6 $ $5.67 per hour Second camp conducted at Stokes Nature Center in Logan, UT on July 29 – August 2, 2013

1.Help youth develop an understanding of sustainability concepts 2.Help youth develop a respect for our natural environment 3.Teach youth about actions they can implement each and every day to lessen their impact on our environment and conserve resources 4.Focus on the five major areas of environmental sustainability 1.Land 2.Air 3.Food 4.Energy 5.Water

Developed camp flyers and posted them around town and distributed to local schools Newspaper blurb, ad, and article Radio PSA Swaner e-newsletter Websites Facebook pages Existing camp structure at Swaner helped bring in participants Online registration system through Eventbrite

Day 1: Land Objectives: Differentiate between trash, recycling, and compost Learn about the value of preserved open space List essential resources provided by natural land Learn how to vermicompost and create a vermicompost bin Activities: Journal questions (evaluation) Geocache to learn about the value of open space Lunch waste reduction activity Discussion of garbage vs. recycling vs. compost Create a vermicompost (worm) bin to take home Journal questions

Day 2: Air Objectives: Identify at least three sources of air pollution Discuss ways to improve air quality List alternatives to single-driver commuting Describe the basic process behind climate change Activities: Journal questions (evaluation) Inversion demonstration and discussion Bike ride to look for sources of pollution and encourage biking Lunch waste reduction activity Discuss climate change and conduct experiments Journal questions

Day 3: Food Objectives: Define “local food” and the benefits of shopping local Learn about product packaging Tour a local farm and learn from a local producer Build a herb garden to take home Activities: Journal questions (evaluation) Discuss local food, Food Mile activity, A Peek at Packaging activity Lunch waste reduction activity Bike ride to local farm for tour Build a grow box to take home Journal questions

Day 4: Energy Objectives: Define renewable and non-renewable energy List different sources of energy and their pros and cons Investigate solar and wind energy through solar ovens, solar cars, and wind turbines Activities: Journal questions (evaluation) Discuss different sources of energy and bake brownies in a solar oven Lunch waste reduction activity Build solar cars and frogs Design, build, and test wind turbines Journal questions

Day 5: Water Objectives: List at three ways to conserve water Describe what happens to water in our houses after we use it Learn about stream ecology and the importance of water in the environment Activities: Journal questions (evaluation) Discuss the importance of water: Life Box, Drop in the Bucket, and Water Cycle activities Tour a wastewater treatment plant Lunch waste reduction activity Explore a local stream Ice cream party for lunch waste reduction Journal questions Certificate ceremony – parents invited

Land Questions: Why is land/open space important? If you put something in the trashcan what happens to it? If you put something in a recycle bin, what happens to it? If you put something in the compost, what happens to it? What can you do to reduce waste? Air Questions: Why is clean air important? What pollutes our air? How can you help improve the air you breathe? Food Questions: What is local food? Why buy local food? What is a food mile? Energy Questions: What is renewable energy? What is non-renewable energy? Why is energy important? Water Questions: Why is water important? Where does water go when you flush it down the toilet? What can you do to conserve water?

Increased Knowledge What can you do to reduce waste? Pre-camp: “I don’t know.” Post-camp: “What you can do to reduce waste, you can bring less plastic and less trash and less compost.” Why buy local food? Pre-camp: “I don’t know.” Post-camp: “So car exhaust doesn't pollute the earth.” Why is open space important? Pre-camp: “For bugs to survive.” Post-camp: “East Canyon is our water source and filters water.”

Stayed the Same If you put something in a recycle bin, what happens to it? Pre-camp: “It becomes something else.” Post-camp: “If you put something in a recycle bin it becomes something else.” What is renewable energy? Pre-camp: “It is energy that you can use again.” Post-camp: “Same.” Existing knowledge of topic If you put something in the trashcan, what happens to it? The trash goes to the landfill. How can you help improve the air you breathe? Carpool and take the bus

Questions that showed increased knowledge: Why is land/open space important? If you put something in the compost, what happens to it? What can you do to reduce waste? Why buy local food? What is a food mile? Where does water go when you flush it down the toilet? What can you do to conserve water? Questions in which answers stayed the same: Why is clean air important? If you put something in a recycle bin, what happens to it? What pollutes our air? How can you help improve the air you breathe? What is local food? What is renewable energy? What is non-renewable energy? Why is energy important? Why is water important? Questions in which campers DID NOT already understand the concept: If you put something in the compost, what happens to it? Why buy local food? What is a food mile? Where does water go when you flush it down the toilet?

Drawings: Draw a city with no air pollution, and nothing in the city that creates air pollution. 29% increased knowledge; 71% of drawings stayed the same

Drawings: Draw a picture of where the food in your lunch box comes from. 63% increase knowledge; 38% of drawings stayed the same

Drawings: Draw as many sources of energy as you can. 75% increased knowledge; 25% of drawings stayed the same

Drawings: Draw what water means to you. 29% increased knowledge; 71% of drawings stayed the same

Camp increased knowledge on the following topics (all of which the campers had limited previous knowledge) Composting The importance of open space Benefits of buying local food Food mile What happens to water in your house after you use it The source of our food Sources of energy Water Conservation Reducing waste The majority of campers had a pre-existing understanding of the following topics: The importance of clean air, clean water, and energy Renewable and non-renewable energy Recycling and trash Causes of air pollution and ways to reduce air pollution Camp encouraged the following behavior changes during camp: Reduced waste from lunches

Parent Survey ed out 6 weeks after start of camp. Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements: “As a result of my child/children’s participation in the Sustainability Camp, our family…….” (n = 7) Strongly DisagreeDisagreeNeutralAgree Strongly Agree Recycles more Looks for local products in the grocery store Looks for less packaging when shopping for products Actively conserves water Composts Uses alternative forms of transportation whenever possible

Please rate your family’s level of confidence at performing the following activities before and after your child’s/children’s participation in the Sustainability Summer Camp. 1 = Not Confident at All 2 = Slightly Confident 3 = Neutral 4 = Confident 5 = Very Confident Paired T-test between confidence ratings before and after All but two topics showed statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) in confidence ratings before and after the camp Confidence ratings increased from neutral on average to “Confident” or “Very Confident: Before Average After Average T Statistic P Value Degrees of Freedom Describing what “Sustainability” means Defining the term “local food” Differentiating between renewable and non-renewable energy Listing at least 3 different types of alternative energy Differentiating between trash, recycling, and compost Listing at least 3 major sources of air pollution Discussing specific actions to take to improve air quality Maintaining a vermicompost bin

Camp influenced the following family behaviors Families recycle more (43%) Families actively work to conserve water (57%) Families compost (43%) Families use alternative forms of transportation whenever possible (57%) Families do not look for local food or less packaging when shopping as a result of camp At least a one point increase in families’ confidence in all topics – families moved from neutral on their confidence levels to confident or very confident Defining Sustainability Defining local food Defining Renewable vs. Non-renewable energy Listing Alternative forms of energy Differentiating between trash, recycling, compost Listing sources of air pollution Listing ways to improve air pollution Composting

Help youth develop an understanding of sustainability concepts Yes, especially on topics they had no/little pre-existing knowledge of Composting The importance of open space Benefits of buying local food Food mile What happens to water in your house after you use it The source of our food Sources of energy Water Conservation Reducing waste Teach youth about actions they can implement each and every day to lessen their impact on our environment and conserve resources Yes, families demonstrated increased participation in a few actions Recycling Compositing Conserving water Using alternative forms of transportation

Develop curriculum into a state/nation-wide 4-H curriculum Aggie Adventures Request for a “Level 2” of Sustainability Camp Create “kits” on sustainability topics that leaders/volunteers can check out for camp or other programs: Renewable Energy Recycling Climate Change Food Miles A Peek at Packaging Geocache Solar Oven Water activities