Resources for Places We Live Activity 6 – Vision for the Future

Discover ways to help make our outdoor spaces, state and national parks more inclusive with these five ideas and action steps from outdoors experts and activists. According to the most recent National Parks Service survey, about more than 70 percent of those who visit or work in federal parks are white. Moreover, the outdoors industry workforce lacks representation from African Americans,  the Latinx community, women, and members of the LGBTQ community, lending to low perceptions and limited access to the outdoors for minority populations. Consider discussing diversity in the outdoors with your middle and high school students and ways to make changes using these five ideas.

Imagine you and your friends are citizens, policymakers, business leaders, and nonprofit leaders of a coastal city. As a decision maker, your job is to make sure your city is resilient to the impacts of climate change. Use this game, Beat the Uncertainty: Planning Climate-Resilient Cities, with students to help them visualize the impact of climate change and rising sea levels. This simulation was adapted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Download the instructions and game booklet!

This UN Foundation will work with high school students across the U.S. and select countries. During a ten-day period in October 2007 and March 2008, students across the globe organized public debates in their high schools and coordinated a global vote on the debate topics. You can view the debates and student created media on The People Speak.  

This report attempts to understand who lives near transit today and who is expected to live there in 25 years, with the desired outcome of creating a dialogue between those who want to ensure high-quality transit service and those who want to ensure high-quality neighborhoods.

“Growth and Water Resources” Training Module explains how changes in land use affect water resources, and it presents national data on trends in development patterns that have become increasingly significant challenges for achieving water quality standards. EPA’s Watershed Academy Web has over 50 modules on a wide variety of watershed management topics. The Academy also offers a Watershed Management Certificate program for visitors who complete 15 required modules.

My Community, Our Earth: Geographic Learning for Sustainable Development (MyCOE) is designed for youth to develop their own projects using a vast array of free on-line resources including; a student project guide, GIS software, gallery of past projects, access to maps and data worldwide, and a pool of expert mentors.

“What Happened to Our Village Green?”  is an article in the Huston Chronicle by C.E. Hunt that discusses the loss of “green space” for children to learn and play.  

As we know, trees represent more than just beautiful natural elements of our land, they also provide shade, manage water, stop erosion, protect streams, soothe the soul, clean the air, protect the quality and health of water, and attract homeowners, renters, and shoppers. Check out this Doodle Lecture created by Alabama Cooperative Extension that unveils the many benefits of having trees in our communities.