Service Learning and Environmental Education

HortScience ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 509f-509
Author(s):  
Mary Taylor Haque ◽  
Lolly Tai ◽  
Brenda VanderMey
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Teaching Method ◽  
Environmental Stewardship ◽  
Habitat For Humanity ◽  
Design And Implementation ◽  
Sustainable Landscapes ◽  
The Creation ◽  
The City

Service learning is a teaching method that enables college students and faculty to learn while identifying and solving community problems. A case study involving the creation of sustainable landscapes for a low-income community in Clemson, S.C., will be used to illustrate the methodology necessary to complete a successful service learning project. Clemson Univ. students from four courses worked towards advancing their knowledge and commitment to environmental stewardship. They enhanced their education in landscape design and implementation through a partnership with the City of Clemson, Habitat for Humanity, the National Wildlife Federation, and others which resulted in the creation of certified backyard habitats for low-income residents.

scholarly journals 651 Educating the Public about the Design and Implementation of Sustainable Landscapes for Low-income Communities

HortScience ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 510B-510
Author(s):  
Veronda B. Holcombe ◽  
Mary T. Haque
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Educational Outreach ◽  
Outreach Program ◽  
Habitat For Humanity ◽  
Design And Implementation ◽  
Design For Sustainability ◽  
Sustainable Landscapes ◽  
In The Beginning

The concept of designing and implementing sustainable landscapes for low-income communities grew from collaboration between several community partners and Clemson Univ. It was our desire to research, plan, design, and implement sustainable landscapes for Habitat for Humanity homes. The primary goal of designing for these low-income homes was to design for sustainability. We wanted our plans to promote energy efficiency, water conservation, and low maintenance costs. These implemented principals would help the homeowner drastically cut living costs. The design and implementation of wildlife habitats was also encouraged to promote knowledge and research on environmental issues. In the beginning of our design phase we interviewed our client about her user needs/desires and later presented her with the design. This began the exhibition and education phase of the project. By exhibiting the project we hoped to education the homeowner about the sustainability issues that are pertinent to her case. Our biggest educational outreach program took place during homecoming at Clemson Univ. Partnering with other student organizations and using donated plant material from a local nursery, we constructed gardens and “planted” trees around a Habitat for Humanity house that is built each year during homecoming and later moved by trailer to its final site. We also displayed our designs inside the house and created pamphlets and brochures for visitors to pick up detailing such topics as Butterfly Gardening. Spurred on by the success of this project a web page detailing our community and organizational involvement was created. Our projects have been covered in many newspaper articles, cable TV, and in a video on service learning being produced for national distribution. As a student it has given me and my other student colleagues an opportunity to engage in and acquire valuable hands-on experience in horticulture and environmental education/stewardship all the while providing a much needed public outreach service that assists and partners with community members in order to enhance their personal home environments.

Successful leadership in a rural, high-poverty school: the case of County Line Middle School

2014 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 422-445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans W. Klar ◽  
Curtis A. Brewer
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Leadership Practices ◽  
Leadership Strategies ◽  
High Poverty ◽  
Content Type ◽  
School Principalship ◽  
Successful School

Purpose – In this paper, the authors present a case study of successful school leadership at County Line Middle School. The purpose of the paper is to identify how particular leadership practices and beliefs were adapted to increase student achievement in this rural, high-poverty school in the southeastern USA. Design/methodology/approach – After purposefully selecting this school, the authors adapted interview protocols, questionnaires, and analysis frameworks from the International Successful School Principalship Project to develop a multi-perspective case study of principal leadership practices at the school. Findings – The findings illustrate the practices which led to students at this school, previously the lowest-performing in the district, achieving significantly higher on state standardized tests, getting along “like a family,” and regularly participating in service learning activities and charity events. A particularly interesting finding was how the principal confronted the school's negative self-image and adapted common leadership practices to implement a school-wide reform that suited its unique context. Research limitations/implications – While the findings of the study explicate the specific ways the principal adapted leadership strategies to enhance student learning, this study also highlights the need to understand how principals become familiar with their community's needs, cultures, norms, and values, and exercise leadership in accordance with them. Practical implications – The case offers an example of the need for context-responsive leadership in schools. In particular, it illustrates how this principal enacted leadership strategies that successfully negotiated what Woods (2006) referred to as the changing politics of the rural. To realize this success, the principal utilized his understanding of this low income, rural community to guide his leadership practices. Critically, part of this understanding included the ways the community was connected to and isolated from dominant sub-urban and urban societies, and how to build enthusiasm and capacity through appeals to local values. Originality/value – While it is widely acknowledged that school leaders need to consider their school and community contexts when making leadership decisions, less research has focussed on understanding how this can be achieved. This case provides rich examples of how this was accomplished in a rural, high-poverty middle school.

scholarly journals Una misión educativa

2005 ◽  
Vol 10 (18-19) ◽  
pp. 237-248
Author(s):  
Ofelia Brown ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Financial Support ◽  
Teaching Method ◽  
Innovative Teaching ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
The People ◽  
The City ◽  
Innovative Teaching Method

This case study describes an initiative by a computer engineer to develop an innovative teaching method. The company providing financial support has as their sole motivation the altruistic purpose of improving education in Peru. After enacting the program, the people involved decided to form a non-profit association in order to collect donations and assure the resources that will allow the project’s expansion. The story unfolds in the city of Lima, Peru, in May of 2005.

REGENERATION OF A DECAYING URBAN INDUSTRIAL AREA DRIVEN BY ENDOGENOUS HOME INDUSTRIES: A CASE STUDY OF MARÉ FAVELA, RIO DE JANEIRO

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 237-248
Author(s):  
Shanshan Wu ◽  
Hao Li
Keyword(s):  
Urban Communities ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Rio De Janeiro ◽  
Industrial Area ◽  
Production Model ◽  
Home Production ◽  
Home Industries ◽  
The City

ABSTRACT Favelas are low-income urban communities in Brazil, and Maré in Rio de Janeiro has the largest cluster of favelas in the country. The prevailing view of a unique, regulated, and normative city conflicts with the reality of the continued expansion of the favelas, posing challenges for architects and urban planners in developing new strategies for integrating informal areas with the main city. This study focused on a decaying industrial area adjacent to the Maré favelas and explored a sustainable path for improving both the quality of the built environment and the quality of life of the residents. Effective infrastructure and socioeconomic links between the favelas and the city were proposed. The home production model that emerged from the favelas inspired the use of the abandoned industrial area as a home-industry incubator. The study proposed an urban regeneration strategy involving a bottom-up industry-space process evolving from home industries to group industries, and finally to larger community industries. This strategy can accelerate Maré’s development and integration with the city of Rio de Janeiro.

Rooting a new event in its place: the case of Festa Templária, Tomar, Portugal

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 324-345 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hermínia Sol ◽  
Marisa P. de Brito ◽  
João Pinto Coelho ◽  
Luís Mota Figueira ◽  
Christopher Pratt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Longitudinal Case Study ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Creation ◽  
The City ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose With fierce competition in capturing tourists, it is crucial that destinations be prepared to adapt and to refresh their event portfolio. The purpose of this paper is to look into the decision-making process that led to the development of a new festival in a middle-sized city, Tomar, in Portugal. Design/methodology/approach This study analyses the creation process of the Knights Templar Festival, in Tomar, a new event focusing on the Templar history of the city. A retrospective outlook on the evolution of the event is given. Primary data were collected via quantitative survey analysis and semi-structured interviews. The theoretical scope is events and placemaking. Findings The strengths and weaknesses of the region influenced the conception and setting up of this particular event. This awareness is important for cities in meeting the challenges and opportunities that event portfolio diversification calls for. Research limitations/implications This paper helps us to understand the motives and challenges in establishing a new event in the city, through the analysis of a single case study of a European middle-sized city. Simultaneously, it is a longitudinal in-depth case of the first editions of a new historically focused event. Practical implications Several practical implications can be derived to the case of Tomar. Overall, it is key that cities align the focus of new events with the city’s identity (as Tomar did). Originality/value This paper presents an in-depth and longitudinal case study, from the moment of the creation of a new event to its fourth edition, mapping the decision-making process, highlighting the learning curve of the decision makers.

scholarly journals Performance Evaluation of LEED-certified Affordable Homes: Case Study of LEED-certified Habitat for Humanity

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 120
Author(s):  
Eunsil Lee
Keyword(s):  
Performance Evaluation ◽  
Environmental Quality ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Family Relationships ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Indoor Environmental Quality ◽  
Habitat For Humanity ◽  
Positive Effects

Despite the rapid growth in the number of LEED-certified homes, little data is currently available about the actual effects of LEED-certified affordable homes. The purpose of present study is to conduct a comprehensive performance evaluation for LEED-certified Habitat for Humanity residences in terms of (1) energy efficiency, (2) indoor environmental quality, (3) health impact, (4) residential satisfaction, (5) quality of life, and (6) environmental attitudes and behaviors. A case study was conducted with 15 households living in LEED-certified Habitat for Humanity homes in Kent County, Michigan using observation, in-depth interviews, and surveys. Findings revealed overall housing satisfaction was very high although some residents indicated lower satisfaction with their neighborhood. Most of case study homes had 30-50% lower electricity and natural gas bills. Most participants were satisfied with indoor environmental quality (IEQ) including thermal comfort, indoor air quality, amount daylight, quality of artificial lighting, and acoustical condition. Most participants agreed that since moving into their current homes they have experienced improved family relationships, better health conditions, more positive attitudes, and better performance of their children. The major findings of this case study support the positive effects of LEED-certified low-income homes on residents’ behavioral, social, and psychological aspects of well-being.

Brigdeheader Space for Dwell in Jakarta

2015 ◽  
Vol 747 ◽  
pp. 136-140
Author(s):  
Deni ◽  
Salwin
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Practical Observation ◽  
Low Cost Housing ◽  
The Government ◽  
Almost All ◽  
The City ◽  
Collection Methods

Bridgeheader is one of the typology of low-income people in the city who assume that the house is only ‘a springboard’ for their life in the city. This group of people dwelt not far from the location of their place to work; occupying marginal spaces in the city and its environment tend to be slump. Almost all areas in the city of Jakarta have marginal spaces, therefore the government attempt to improve the quality of their houses, for example by providing low-cost housing. In fact the low-cost house which was provided by the government failed to be ‘consumed’ by the brigdeheaders at the time when the used value of the house has been turned into market value. The research aimed to determine such approaches of use value of the house that can be ‘consumed’ by the brigdeheader, but did not undermine the space in the city. Data collection methods using practical observation conducted with interviews. While the analysis using descriptive pragmatic method in four case study area in Jakarta. The findings indicate that the concept of house for this group is not determined only by the ‘low price tag’ but also ‘the way of use’ of the space contributed with the result that the house can be ‘consumed’ well.

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