As another successful year of outdoor school comes to a close, National Sustainability Education Week is in full swing. Although their schedules may not correspond, Metro’s ongoing sponsorship of waste reduction education for area outdoor school programs promotes the same goals as National Sustainability Education Week, a nationwide program to encourage awareness and adoption of sustainable practices.
Since the Metro Council approved funding for outdoor school waste reduction education programming in 2008, more than 12,000 sixth-gaders from area schools have attended Metro-sponsored outdoor school programs. In addition to providing financial support for waste reduction education, Metro staff helps outdoor schools craft award-winning curriculum for such programming.
Outdoor school is a fun and interactive way for students to experience the environment that surrounds them and better appreciate the importance of conservation, habitat protection and sustainable living. Along with learning about ecosystems and natural processes, students learn how to shrink their environmental footprint by reducing the amount of waste they create. Educational and experiential activities are integrated throughout the week in all aspects of the programs, including meals, duties, field study, recreation and evening programs.
Metro’s support for outdoor school has gained statewide attention: Metro’s waste reduction curriculum received the Oregon Association of Recyclers annual Education Program of the Year award for 2010. Waste reduction education programming has been shown to strengthen students’ willingness to recycle and follow sustainable practices that will, in turn, reduce the amount of waste entering the landfills.
As school budgets have continued to decline, many schools have considered cutting outdoor school opportunities for their students. Metro’s sponsorship of these programs has allowed many schools to continue allowing students the opportunity to attend outdoor school and provides incentives for other schools to resume their outdoor school curriculum. Metro reimburses the cost of providing waste reduction programming for 14 outdoor schools provided by four providers across the tri-county metropolitan area.