From pir565@freenet.mb.caMon Nov 13 21:42:13 1995
Date: Mon, 13 Nov 1995 14:59:43 -0600 (CST)
From: Keith Turner <pir565@freenet.mb.ca>
To: sanet-mg@amani.ces.ncsu.edu
Cc: Bryan Johnson <bryan@gatewest.net>
Subject: From the Ground Up - On Line Educational Resource

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Green & Growing Environmental Education Projects has produced a new
on-line resource for teachers.  "From the Ground Up" is a set of 5 lessons
dealing with food and agriculture issues from a sustainable development
perspective. To date this package, including the French version "Vert la
croissance...", has been approved for classroom use by the provincial
curriculum departments of Manitoba Education and Education Alberta. 

Our address is http://www.gatewest.net/~green/
Please come, have a look, and tell us what you think.


Keith Turner
green@gatewest.net and pir565@freenet.mb.ca


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Here's what the critics have to say: 

From Green Teacher Magazine, issue 41. P37
Sustainable Agriculture Education

This is the best agricultural education resource for high school audiences
that we've reviewed. "From the Ground Up" (en francais "Vert la
croissance...") is a 29 minute video that immerses viewers in discussions
about what is sustainable agriculture. 

Farmers and ecologists highlight critical issues, such as soil erosion,
nutrient cycles and chemical pest management. Skillful editing links these
concerns to the larger issue of sustainability. The teacher's guide offers
an effective range of introductory, developmental, and concluding
activities to extend the learning. 



From CM, November/December 1994, P240

Nature/Environment "From the Ground Up": With the participation of groups
such as Environment Canada, Manitoba Education and Training (Curriculum
Services), and Agriculture Canada, Green & Growing Education Projects Inc.
presents a video accompanied by a teacher's guide on sustainable
development. From the Ground Up examines the topic of Sustainable
development in food and agriculture. With sustainable development now a
required curriculum standard in Canada, current, national based material
such as this video and guide is essential in the presentation of this
issue to students. 

The teacher's guide is divided into five lessons, on the history of
agriculture, soil erosion and crop nutrition, and chemicals and
agriculture. The lessons are designed to stimulate discussion of
agriculture practices within the relationship of sustainable development.
Each lesson contains objectives, focusing questions, and a variety of
student based activities. A glossary of terms, a bibliography, and
resource guide [G&G Note: The resource guide now contains many links to
other on-line resources] are also provided. 

The lessons were designed for high school use but the video itself, with
some suggestions from the guide, could serve as an introduction to the
topic of sustainable development and agriculture in the upper elementary
grades and in junior high. The video is congruent with Senior 2 Social
Studies (in Manitoba) and is also relevant for senior Home Economics and
Senior Science. 

From the Ground Up offers students an opportunity to grasp a better
understanding of the issues of sustainable development and agriculture
through its use of and frequent reference to the Sustainable Development
Model. It uses the Manitoba Education and Training definition, which
incorporates the concept that this is "a process of decision making." This
approach allows for active rather than passive interaction on the part of
the viewers. By showing two current (and different) approaches to farming,
the video allows students to analyze for themselves the relationship
between the environment, the economy, and the health of society. Following
the viewing of the video, the ensuing discussion can assist the students
in the decision-making process. 

"From the Ground Up" would be a useful supplement to the curriculum issue
of sustainable development and would generate discussion among young
people on topics such as food production, consumer influence, and
marketing practices. 
 - Written by Janice Foster


From Farmer to Farmer, July/August 1995, no.10
Taking it to the Classroom

Canada has taken a progressive lead with a nationwide program to educate
its citizens about sustainable development. As part of that country's
"Green Program," a new thought provoking video for high school students
gives a thorough introduction to modern agricultural practices, raising
issues about which most urban food buyers remain blissfully ignorant. From
the Ground Up, a half hour film from the Canadian firm Green & Growing,
may not provide easy answers, but it will help enlighten the next
generation of food buyers. 

Two farmers are prominently featured - a conventional large scale wheat
grower and a small, diversified organic farmer - and their practices are
compared from a number of angles. Background information on erosion,
pesticides, soil biology and other basic topics are thoroughly discussed.
Subtler issues are raised as well, including the propensity to emphasize
cosmetic appearance to sell food, labor issues, and the connection between
economic health and sustainable systems. Perhaps most importantly, the
message of personal responsibility is stressed: "It's up to all of us to
work together to make changes. We need to know where our food comes from
and how it's grown to make agriculture become sustainable." 

An accompanying teacher's guide includes more detailed lessons. It uses
Canadian examples, making it slightly off the mark for American students,
but an energetic teacher could easily search out local sources and facts.
Better yet, let's hope a homegrown video rises to the Canadian challenge.
  [Part 2, Application/MS-TNEF  5.9KB]
  [Unable to print this part]

