environmental education

[Portia]

So, I've realized that one of the best advantages of growing up in Utah was the backyard access to spectacular national parks, bike trails, and canyons for a decent price. I feel like fewer kids get outdoors anymore, and I come from a tradition that is very active on both sides. I really care about education, so was just wondering what anyone thought about combining these fields. There's environmental science teaching, working in parks, and writing, both from a travel perspective and an activist perspective.

Also, not sure if I'm going to settle in Utah or California for the moment, but I'm really glad to see this LDS portal on the environment. Of course, I have Opinions on Herbert & co. (do I have to choose states with insane governors?) and the toxic sludge air, but if the LDS Church put their weight behind real change ... wow, that would be fantastic.

(SW Mormons should pay heed, too, because I think water will be the issue of the 21st century.)

[Whistler]

Yes! There is a study "abroad" program at BYU that is actually hiking around Utah, where freshman can get Biology and first-year-writing credits, among others. I so wish I had known about it as a freshman, cuz it sounds awesome.

My mother is a very outdoorsy person, but she doesn't like camping very much. She would take us on hikes and bike rides and insist we play outside when we had nice weather (in the California bay area, so pretty much whenever it wasn't raining, although I consider cool and foggy 'nice weather'). I walk outdoors often, but I don't get to hike around in the mountains as much as my ideal self would. I bought a guide to woody plants of Utah because for a month or so I wanted to get to know my local plants better (I... can recognize Mormon Tea now!).

[Dragon Lady]

We already combine them in our home. We do after schooling, which basically means we send our kids to school, then keep teaching them as things come up. So last year when we were in a drought and could only water our yard/garden every other day, we talked a lot about water conservation and what plants needed a lot of water and which ones were drought resistant. We talked about drip irrigation and how that saves water. We live so close to so many awesome geology sites that when our kids are older, we plan on spending several months to a year focusing on geology and going to Craters of the Moon, half of southern Utah, Rock Canyon in Provo, etc. Dragon Baby already hates big trucks because they pollute the air. Hah! And she came up with that one on her own. She asked questions, we answered, and then she came to her own conclusion.