33+ Stats, Facts, & Observations of My 3 Days Walking 60 Miles



Opening Ceremonies @ National Stadium ~ Powerful!

This past weekend, I participated in this year's Washington, DC's Susan G. Komen Walk for the Cure for Breast Cancer on September 23rd, 24th, and 25th.  Here, 24 hours after being home (and  spending a lot of time relaxing & recouping & definitely napping), I'm still so filled with so many emotions from taking part in this event.  Perhaps the best way to start would be with some of my personal statistics of the experience: 



♥ 3 days

♥ 60 miles 

♥ 20 pitstops

♥ 5 of us "Green Chicks 4 Pink" teammates

Day 1 "Green Chicks 4 Pink"

♥ $11,692 our 5 "Green Chicks" raised for breast cancer

♥ 1 de facto "Green Chick" we met along the way and adopted as one of us

♥ Countless other walkers we met, shared smiles, stories, and encouragement with along the route.
♥ 100s of people along the way who cheered for us, honked to salute us, had baskets of candy for us, & sprayed cooling misty water at us  

♥ 1 pink tent in a sea of tents in a pink tent city

♥ 2 nights

♥ 1 mudfest
♥ 2 amazing dinners that were devoured lickety split quick
♥ Countless water bottles full of Gatorade and water

Tent City and our camp:  Green Tree Frogs 4 Pink.

♥ 2 pair of shoes

♥ 9 pairs of socks

♥ 4 resulting blisters

♥ Copious amounts of bandaids, "2nd skin" gel cushions, & pieces of moleskin

♥ My Day 1 steps Friday:  41,014
♥ My Day 2 steps Saturday:  51,616
♥ Day 3 steps Sunday:  40,893
♥ 3-day total pedometer count:  133,523 mind-blowing steps

♥ Numerous slap happy silly moments
♥ More than a handful of emotional teary moments

Walking the Walk!  Day 1, downtown DC.

♥ Billions of raindrops that fell on us Friday

♥ Millions of prayers gratitude that the weather was dry yet cool on Saturday and Sunday.

♥ 2500 walkers covering a lot of real estate in DC, Bethesda, Potomac, & Chevy Chase, Maryland

♥ 425 crew members encouraging us on
♥ In total, over $7 million DC walkers raised for breast cancer because "everyone deserves a lifetime."
♥ Every 69 seconds, a woman dies globally of breast cancer 

Day 2:  Downtown Bethesda, MD about 1/2 way to 60.

After taking part of this experience, this 3 Day Walk, I am changed. I am achy, blistered, and tired; yet, I am awed, inspired, proud, and changed.  Seeing women who have battled cancer and are survivors and those who are still battling cancer walking, I am humbled.

Walking alongside me, there were women much younger and much older. Women of all shapes and sizes. Women with jitters and uncertainties...yet with hearts, compassion, courage, and triumphs. Now I am one of them.  I feel honored to be in their company.

Remembrance Tents for those who passed.

I feel doubly proud of our team, "Green Chicks 4 Pink."  I feel blessed to be part of my amazing team with our roadside addition of a 6th very special member we met along the way. I am proud of the money our team has earned for this cause. I am thankful to all of our friends and family members who helped with their both their monetary and emotional support.  Without them, none of us could have had the courage and ability to go forward and do this sizable accomplishment.



Day 3: What "We Made It" Looks Like!
Green Chicks 4 Pink!

While our team walked, we found inside of us strength we may or may not know we had.  Alongside that, we discovered an inner-current of perseverance to know how hard to push forward...and river of self knowledge to know when we had to step aside and rest.  While our blisters grew, so did our capacity to love and care for each other, and humankind.

Will I do it next year?  Um, let's not go crazy with that yet!  But this cause will always be important to  me.  A question asked often: "Why do you walk?"  Among my many reasons, a major one: "I walk for my daughter...so she won't have to."



My credentials

As an environmental educator, I feel strongly about the fact that little actions we each can take can make a monumental difference. Feeling the energy of these 3 days, despite Friday's downpours and the mud squishing through my toes in our pink "Tent City" that night, I feel the re-conviction of that sentiment. Yes, individual actions make a difference.  All of our little steps led to 60 miles. Every donation dollar led to an amount over $7,000,000.  My credential badge serves as a reminder of the power of one...as do the picture and memories I will always have.

  

Day 3: Closing Ceremonies ~ We Made It!
Raising the Shoe to tribute survivors!

To learn more about breast cancer, click here to discover more stats and facts, like: 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in their lifetime.

Click here to find out more about the Susan G. Komen 3 Day Walk for the Cure or to donate to a wonderful, important cause.

Pictures from my camera!

Things I've Learned While Walking

For the last 6 months, I've been getting ready for the 3 Day/60-mile Susan G. Komen Walk for the Cure. I'm coming up under the wire...the walk is right around the corner, this weekend: Sept 23--25th.

Am I ready?   I wish!!   I've earned my required $2300...no small feat (pun intended). My team of 5 "Green Chicks 4 Pink" has earned over the required $11,500. ($11,692... to be exact.)  Definitely no small feat!! 

Do I feel proud of that monetary fundraising goal? You better believe it.

Other emotions are surfacing as we're here, right up under the wire. It feels a little scary...a little awesome. One of my 3rd graders the other day said there's a word for that: "Scawesome!"  Yes, it's a bit "scawesome!"

In my prep (and associated shoe-conundrums and training-turmoils), I learned a lot while walking: 

Things I learned while walking:

1. $20 Shoes from Target can be your best friend...until the treads are gone.

2. Target rotates their shoes too quickly....The shoes I love and long for no longer exist. Very sad but true! (Yes, there was a moment of wanting to scream at the tops of my lungs in the Tar-ghzay shoe section!)

3. Expensive shoes can still hurt your feet, even if you do all the proper analytics to get you the "good" and "right" shoes.

4. A new pair of shoes that don't work can jack up your knees in a matter of days.  This is bad...very bad!

5. Numb toes are NOT a good thing.

6. Sometimes it takes 6 pairs of shoes to get to the right pair of shoes (or at least the "right enough" pair of shoes)....even after 3 months of perfect training in cheap Tar-ghzay shoes. (Add in, you need 2 operable pairs of shoes for THE Walk!)  I opted for the New Balance 860s  which were designed for the walk, and truly wish that I would have gone that route mid-June to avoid the quest I embarked on instead.

7. Shoes only have an odometer of 400-500 miles before you need to get a new pair.  For the price, it's sometimes mind-boggling.

8. Blisters hurt like a son-of-a-gun.  Avoid them at all costs.  When you feel that hot spot coming on, stop then and there to take care of it!

9. Walking is good therapy when someone you love is sick.

10. Walking is good therapy when someone you love goes on to heaven. (Well...sort of...is there ever good-enough therapy for that?)

11. Walking with buddies makes the time go quicker.

12. It takes a very long time to walk 10 or 20 miles. Patience most certainly becomes a virtue.

13. Fundraising is easy when the cause is good, but equally hard.   I don't like asking for money.

14. People are so incredibly generous.   I am soo incredibly thankful!

15. Doing something bigger than yourself feels good, even when the flip flops and cute sandals no longer do.

16. Cancer is an overwhelming, horrible disease that mutates into so many forms. Whether breast or bladder...I hate it.

17. Walking most certainly slows you down to make you better able to "smell the roses" and gain greater perspective. 

18. It's easier to walk in the springtime breezes or amidst the cool fall air than it is during the summer humidity.

19. Teaching in tennis shoes to save my feet for the walk is sooo against my aesthetic sensibilities, yet so necessary an evil.  So you learn to color coordinate.

20.  Having your family and friends behind you is worth its weight in gold!!

I normally have a tendency to get caught up in my work, and the hustle and bustle of all that needs to be done.  I have a feeling that during these 3 upcoming days, I'll get a grand opportunity to live in the moment. Regardless of what the weather holds.  I have a feeling the ripeness of the moment will be easily in reach.  I think it'll be a pretty phenomenal experience.

Catch you on the flip side! 
(Hopefully, the feet are functional on that side!!) 

Pic from our "Green Chicks 4 Pink" T-shirts graphics (names & logo listing for all of our team's $100+ donors), http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3651/3416001461_1e41d2ea26.jpg and 

Moving Planet ~ Go Global, Go Green, and Go Car Free

This weekend ahead, I'm walking in and around Washington DC for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day/60 mile Walk for Breast Cancer.  My shoes and pedometer are ready (not so sure about my feet though).  A-walking, walking, walking I will go.

Perfect timing:  Saturday, Sept 24th is the global event and day of "Moving Planet."  From their website:

Moving Planet will be a day to put our demands for climate action into motion—marching, biking, skating—calling for the world to go beyond fossil fuels.  WHY? For too long, our leaders have denied and delayed, compromised and caved. That era must come to an end: it's time to get moving on the climate crisis.

So, watch the movie below, and walk, bike, hike, scooter and skate...and check out some alternate modes of transportation, and take part in Moving Planet.


Video from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ztEgLXSiek&feature=player_embedded and Image from http://thenailthatsticksup.com/2011/09/14/moving-planet-moving-louisville-september-24/

When Nature Meets Gratitude

"Oh My God" is defined in the above video...and I love the manner in which it is defined. Nature meets wonder meets awe and awareness. Ahhhh, indeed!

Louie Schwartzberg, award-winning cinematographer, director, producer and founder of Blacklight Films, spoke at TEDxSanFrancisco in June of this year. In 9 minute and 54 second, he was able to encapsulate the meaning of happiness, mindfulness, connection, and inspiration in such a swift and visual way...it leaves you saying "Oh My God."

If you haven't, go have a Schwartzber moment of "ahhhh!" by clicking the video above.

If you are unable to view this video here, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXDMoiEkyuQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player.

[Thank you Les for illuminating me to this amazing find.]

Mark Your Calendars: Sept. 14 ~ Climate Reality Project: 24 Hours of Reality

What kind of difference can a day make?  Well, starting in T-minus 2.5 hours in my timezone (8 pm EST, 7 pm CST), Al Gore and Friends are going to show you.  

September 14th, 7 pm CST, marks the start of a 24 hour time period brought to you by the Climate Reality Project.  Check out the Video Below!

The plan?  24 hours 24 presenters. 24 Time Zones. 13 Languages. One Message: bringing awareness about Climate Change. Reporting from Beijing, Boulder, Canberra, Cape Verde, Dubai, Durban, French Polynesia, Hawaii, Husavik, Ilulissat, Islamabad, Istanbul, Jakarta, Kotzebue, London, Mexico City, New Delhi, New York, Rio de Janeiro, Seoul, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Victoria.

In that 24 hours of Reality, all types of presentations about and from people living with the reality of climate change will address our extreme weather as of late.  With this message live streaming at http://climaterealityproject.org/, you'll be able to check it out and multiply your awareness of global issues as related to climate change. 

Not in the mood to stay up?  Odds are, that's probably okay, as the presentations will invariably make their way to recorded podcasts for later events. 

I'm sure, given the creators, it will be chock-filled with dynamic facts and images!  Take time to get a hefty dose of reality.

For more information about this, also check out the article Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project: The Denial Ends Today.

Images from the Climate Change Project Facebook Page (http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=188742181183369) and http://www.sustainablemelbourne.com/events/the-climate-reality-project/

"Power"ful Infographic

Here is an interesting and "power"ful infographic about energy consumption that comes from Power SuperSite.  Special thanks to Melanie for sharing!

Source by Power SuperSite

Power SuperSite helps engineers with maintaining power quality.  This can mean creating a custom UPS configuration for a battleship or renting UPS's so your server farm stays protected while you move equipment.  If you need something a little more complicated than your average uninterruptible power supply, then they're a good company to call.

Infographic from http://www.powersupersite.com/v/vspfiles/assets/images/electricityinfographic.html

Farewell to the 2011 Park Quest Season

Ah...Another season of  Maryland Park Quest draws to a close here today, Labor Day. 

Our crew, Team Green Gators with our ultra-busy travel summer, just squeaked by.  We got in right under the line, just making the qualification of 10 completed quests by Labor Day.  In doing so, we have earned the right to participate with the September 24th Park Quest Rendezvous grand finale. Yay Us.

We're in awe of our buddies, Team Bay Bougheys, who completed 19 quests.  Many teams, as indicated on the Park Quest Leader Board, did the whole 24.  Knowing how tricky it was to get 10 of them into our schedule, hats off to anyone with 11 or more!!

Here's a great tribute to Park Quest which really gives you a feel for the wealth of activities that MD's Park Quest has to offer.  Special thanks to Team Bay Boughey for sharing their movie with us!




Park Quest Logo from http://www.facebook.com/pages/Park-Quest-Maryland/129931197022579?sk=app_2373072738

Darkening Our Shade of Green

Friday was the 2nd day of school with my latest crop of 3rd graders....and the first Friday, which means it is our weekly "Capri Sun Collect and Count" day in my classroom. 

For the last 3 years, one of our 3rd grade duties is to go around to all the classes to gather up the bins of juice pouches, chip bags, ziplock bags, and glue sticks that we upcycle to TerraCycle.  Given my new batch of worker bees, I wanted to share with them the TerraCycle back-story so that they had more insight as to why it is that we do what we do at our Maryland Green School. 

So once again, I shared this presentation (see below or click here).  My favorite part (and the students' too) were the 4 animated videos I included with TerraCycle CEO Tom Szaky.  (They also got a kick...and a little grossed out...by the fact that TerraCycle started with "worm poop.")

Watching the presentation, it was really neat hearing these 8 year olds and their discussions.  One of my gents made the comment that it got him thinking about the things he could invent, so that maybe one day he could help get rid of the idea of waste.  Those are the things that excite me as a teacher...watching them get inspired by the creativity of others.  They were getting it--that if we aren't careful on this planet, we run the risk of being over-run by landfills and trash. 

Just like the "If a pug can do it, why can't you" video...if a class of 8 year olds get it, why don't the other 6.9 billion people on this planet?

Capri Sun PowerPoint for ECS Students

View more presentations from Vicki Dabrowka

Book Pic from Amazon.com; Terracycle "Outsmart Waste" pic from http://www.greenfudge.org/2010/04/19/join-the-recycling-brigade-at-terracycle/

Free Tech 4 Teachers

One of my favorite go-to spots on teaching trends and technology is Richard Byrne's "Free Technology for Teachers."  So, of course, as I was catching up on what Richard has posted lately (as I've been a bit backlogged with storm damage and the start of school), I found a lot of share-worthy goodies.

11 Resources for Teaching and Learning About The Forces of Nature
(Lots of great things here--11, in fact!)

A Great Overview of Web Tools For Teachers--Free eBook
(I LOVE "The Super Book of Web Tools for Educators")

Learn More About Geocaching--A Great Learning Activity

Teaching Library--Lesson Plans for Children's Books

Children's Books Forever--Free Children's eBooks

Lyric Gaps--A Musical Way to Practice Language Skills


Seriously...if you haven't spent any time at FreeTech4Teachers, please jump in.  There are some great finds there that'll transform your teaching and classroom!!

Pic from Richard Byrne's website:  http://www.freetech4teachers.com/

Because I Love It So

This video has debuted on GTG before, but in the spirit of starting up another school year (and being busier than all get-out), it seemed just about perfect!  May you have a great and green school year, remembering that if a pug can do it, so can you!

A Hurricane of Gratitude

Adios Irene, and hola to the shining sun....Somewhat ironic given the hurricane swirls were overhead not that terribly long ago.

Nothing like a hurricane to:
a).  Remind you of your Florida-living years,
b).  Illustrate the power of wind and rain.
c).  Make you feel a strong sense of gratitude.

Here on the 29th of August, we're now on the flip side of Hurricane Irene, and we're also at the 6th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.  There's something a tad eerie in that... at the very least, it shows you the strength of history and memory. 

With Irene now a thing of the past, we all have seen the images (either on the television or in our own neighborhoods): floods, trees down, winds, waves, and more. I think something like this causes you to take pause.  At my house, luckily, we weathered the storm rather incident-free.  Insert gratitude here.  I know several people (including our school) that are still battling without power, with the prognosis being to get power back anywhere between the next hour... to 3 to 5 days from now.  I know people with flooded basements, and can feel their pain as we were living that life last week with our renegade hail storm and torrential downpour.  I've seen Pennsylvanian pictures of complete flooded portions of town.  I know that upper New England got thrashed in a way that's pretty darn rare for that part of the country from a hurricane. I know that an unfortunate few did not survive the event. I have the memory of the images of Katrina.

In situations like this, where large negative events occur, I am often struck with a mental image of a massively huge boardroom.  The type with a large meeting table in the middle of the room.  I envision everyone I know, or even a world of people, sitting around that mammoth table.  I picture us all placing our troubles in front of us, on the table. After going around, showing and sharing all these problems, we're invited to take from the table whatever problem we so desire.  Looking at the selections, I see everyone reach right out, and take back our very own.  It becomes obvious that no matter what turmoil we may feel we're encountering, others have equally heavy loads, some of which we'd rather not have! 

I find this visualization really brings it all into perspective.  Post-hurricane:  my classroom is a disheveled mess due to storm-prep, not looking at all like the start of school is near.  Yet, as daunting as back-to-school set-up feels in a classroom with no electricity and with children (hopefully) coming Thursday, I find myself thankful.  It's not flooded. We had no major issues at school due to the storm.  I have electricity at home.  Even if I didn't have electricity at home, my home is safe.  Even if a tree were on top of my home or my car, this "boardroom image" reminds me to be thankful I have insurance...thankful for the safety and health of my family. 

Yes, there are inconveniences...like the need now to tile my basement from the last storm, poorly-timed with the start of school and my needs there. But given our home, I appreciate that we had friends and family who jumped right in to help us out.  I repeat, yes, the inconveniences are frustrating, but I do find great comfort in swimming in the swirl of gratitude. 


Images:  Satellite map of Hurricane Irene from http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hurricanes/archives/2011/h2011_Irene.html, boardroom table pic from http://www.med.cornell.edu/events/spaces/a126.html, Gratitude quote from http://aboutmyrecovery.com/gratitude-is-the-memory-of-the-heart/

Back to School, but Insert Hurricane Irene

It's back to school time.

As a teacher, Friday was the beginning of my 19th year with my 19th "Back to School" first-day-of-teachers'-meetings.  It would have been my 20th, but a cross country move and a baby sort of got in the way.  My new crop of 3rd graders start up Thursday, first of September.

In the normal set up time, I'd be changing up bulletin board paper, laminating nametags, getting my ducks in a row. 

Satellite of Hurricane Irene, projected

to run North Carolina to Maine

and into Canada

Yet insert Hurricane Irene.  Given a river-side campus and a potential storm surge up the Chesapeake Bay, battening down the hatches and getting my classroom/the school hunker-down-ready takes precedence.  All bookshelves under the windows, rather than being lined witth a tidy row of books, now lie empty.  All items off the floor. The plan when I left yesterday was for sandbags to be placed by the doors. The weekend school picnic was canceled.  The entire school looked more like a wrecking zone than a school ready for starting up next week.  Necessary evil when there's the potential for flooding.  Just can't do much about it.

So we're home.  Waiting.  Waiting for the rain and the wind (which is starting to stir it up, out there).Waiting to see how exactly the hurricane tracks.  Waiting (and hoping) that we've done everything we could to come out as dry and intact as possible.  What more can you do, really, but chill out, hang out, watch movies, nap, and read books after gettin everything all into place?  There's nothing more you can truly do...but relax. 

During a normal year, sometimes you wind up pushing yourself like crazy that last weekend before going back.  Amazing how something as menacing as a hovering hurricane can help to change the perspective!  Even hurricanes come with silver-linings sometimes!

Back to school pic: http://twinpossible.com/preparing-for-back-to-school-in-every-way-the-earlier-the-better; Satellite map from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2030447/Hurricane-Irene-path-2011-Latest-travel-advice-Brits-visiting-US-East-Coast.html; The Gift of Time pic from https://boundaryinterfaces.wordpress.com/2009/12/25/

Hail Storms & Hurricanes, Earthquakes, Flooded Basements & Beyond

It's not often you get to play around with hail storms, flood, earthquakes, and potential hurricanes/tropical storms all in the same week.  Add in right when school is starting--yes, the perfect storm indeed.

This past Friday, an unexpected hail storm hit our hometown, probably complete with tornado touchdowns or microbursts based on the neighborhood trees that were down.  Definitely complete with golf-ball-sized hail--and a lot of it.  Good time to be cooking out hamburgers!

"Lucky" for us, due to the rate of rainfall, we ended up with water pouring into through our basement door to the tune of gushing a foot or two through the basement entry stairwell.  Friday's total carpet saturation led to Saturday's total carpet annihilation...and a backyard stormwater management landscaping project that we're trying to get all together by the potential of Hurricane Irene's impact come this weekend.  Some storm weather projections:  right up the Chesapeake Bay--not good for us Baltimorians, and definitely not good when your school is adjacent to a river, sitting 6 feet above sea level.  Memories of Hurricane Isabel come to mind.

Pepper in the equally unexpected surprise of the 5.8 magnitude East Coast earthquake yesterday...it's made for an interesting week.  It certainly was an odd sensation--I was reading in our above ground pool, and thought both it and I were going to test out our new backyard drainage system!  My kids came running out, not sure what was going on inside and a little on the freaked out side...stories all over Facebook tell you variations of the same tale.

 Given the fact that a number of years ago I lived in Florida for 5 years. the media drama of "the cone of uncertainty" (insert dramatic piano music here) and spaghetti models all comes back.  So does my Wedding Day Weekend mid-Sept. 1999 when Hurricane Floyd hit this same area.   It'll be interesting to see what the weekend holds...with any luck, the more easternly track, the better!

Is it just me, or does anyone else think it's interesting that 12 years ago mid-September we were only at Hurricane F(loyd) = the 6th of the season....yet, here and now, we're at Hurricane I(rene) = 9th of the season, and a whole 3-4 weeks earlier than where we were 12 years ago.  Climate change in action?  Maybe. 

But it seems that according to the UNISYS Atlantic Storm Tracking site, it has ebbed and flowed for this August 27ish time table over the past 12 years, having had 4-9 seasonal hurricanes/tropical storms by this point (= D-named to I-named)...with one grand exception.  A little storm named Hurricane Katrina (11th Atlantic Storm that 2005 season).  With it's dual impact of a Category 1 hurricane crossing Florida and the Bahamas August 23, 2005, then the big kahuna hit of New Orleans as a Category 3 hurricane on August 29th.  As the #1 costliest, the 6th overall strongest, and 1 of the 5 deadliest Atlantic storms, we all recall--it was a doozy. 

So scientists more knowledgeable on the subject than I will have to make the call as to whether this weather history is climate change based or not.  I just seem to find it striking, and wouldn't be surprised.  Now, as to whether earthquakes and plate tectonics are related--that may take further research.  Some interesting articles indicating that perhaps there is a connection are as follows:

--From SmartPlanet: "Climate Change is Linked to Tectonic Plate Movement" (April 14, 2011)
--From AlterNet: Scientists Find Link Between Global Warming and Earthquakes (April 14, 2011)
--From Grist: "2011 Natural Disasters Cost a Record $265 Billion" (July 15, 2011)   

No matter what, wacky weather and the ground shaking such as this are memorable, and they make you think. I think it goes without saying:  while looking ahead to the weekend, let's hope it's not too terribly memorable!! 

Stay dry out there!


Pics:  Basement:  Mine, August 20th, Earthquake Map:  http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsus/, Hurricane Irene Spaghetti Model Map: http://brianmejia.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/site278.png,  Hurricane Floyd map: http://www4.ncsu.edu/~nwsfo/storage/cases/19990915/, Hurricane Katrina: http://www.katrina.noaa.gov/

Trash-Free Parks: Friend or Foe?

Just last week I went on a Maryland Park Quest over at Sandy Point State Park.  Given I wrote about the Park Quests of Maryland left, right, and then some last summer, it's been a virtual drought this summer.  With multiple road trips, training for my Susan G. Komen 3 Day walk, and this-that-and-the-other, this summer I am severely behind schedule with my Park Quests!

But Sandy Point was a very delightful Park Quest, and it was there that I was struck with a new concept...just as I was struck at Deep Creek State Park a few weeks ago.  The "Trash Free Park."  Apparently, Maryland's State Forests and Parks are making the shift to being "Trash Free," which means they have removed their trash cans in favor of promoting waste reduction and park aesthetics .  Supposedly this will "improve the appearance of the park and...ensure a more enjoyable experience for you."  It is following the "Leave No Trace" policy, meaning you are going to leave nature the way Mother Nature intended it, with no evidence that you've been there.

From the Maryland Department of Natural Resources page:

"Maryland's Parks Are Trash-Free:  In order to promote and encourage recycling, reduction of waste and reuse of our resources, all trash barrels, receptacles and dumpsters have been removed from picnic and beach areas. Visitors to day-use areas are provided with bags when they enter parks and are asked to take home their own refuse. Please pack your picnic in reusable containers and help us keep our parks clean."

Ohhhh-kay.....good on paper, but in my little belief system I ponder the rationale from a consumer point of view. Especially since no bags were distributed upon my entrance at either park (though, Deep Creek did have a board near the concession stand with biodegradable bags posted. Yet, what if you don't happen upon this board and bag location?) 

Yes, Trash-Free Parks stresses the importance of taking trash/recycling with you when you leave.

Yes, it encourages us all to do our part.

Yes, by providing trash bags, there is a built in layer of stepping up, taking responsibility.

Yes, it gets rid of the "grody-groderton" bee-attracting trash bins.

BUT...

What about me, who saw a bag of crud, tied to and suspended from a bush at the park.  I now no longer have anywhere to deposit it? 

What about the wayward granola bar wrappers, Capri Sun straw plastics, and left over cups that are lying on picnic benches?

What about the dog owners who bring their pups to the park, scoop the proverbial poop, then are left with a full baggie with no where else for it to go?!!?  Most people are NOT going to want to put that in their car for the 20-60 mile ride home from the day trip to the state park.

I can and will tend to all my stuff.  But what are the odds that "Joe Park-Goer" has the same level of eco-warrior-ism in him as I have in me?  How do we know that by doing this, it ultimately doesn't make things worse?!

This plan assumes the best in citizens, which is an optimistic, whole-hearted, fantastic approach.  Perhaps I'm now becoming too jaded in my old age, and I'm not feeling like people innately recycle and tend to their trash. To me, it feels a little bit like "throwing the baby out with the bathwater."

My hope: That I'm wrong. That people will step up, and do the right thing!  But, perhaps until that's a guarantee, perhaps Maryland might want to return one or so of those trash bins!  While we're at it, let's throw in a recycling bin or two!


Trash free sign from my camera Aug. 19, 2011, "Trash Free Maryland" pic from http://www.trashfreemaryland.org/

#GETABC on Symbaloo

Here's a total one-stop-shopping Symbaloo Webmix of the 30+ A-Z resources I've been investing this summer during my #GETABC Series on all things incorporating Green, Education, and Technology.  You can scroll through it below, click on the title above to go directly to Symbaloo to add it to any existing webmixes you have, or click here to go directly to it..

Cheers from Green Team Gazette for a great school year ahead, and it's my hope that my #GETABC series offered a bit of inspiration that you'll be able to bring to your classroom this year. I know my quest most certainly brought me a lot of "new to pursue!" 

Be sure to use the scroll bar to get find all the #GETABC Goodies!!

An Alphabetic Review: #GETABC Reflections

Ahh...here we are at the end of the summer, and at the end of my personal quest:  To embark on my own form of homeschooling, teacher-style; to learn a little more about what's out there in the world of #GETABC--my alphabetic adventure incorporating Green, Education, and Technology. 

I must say, I really do feel wiser, learning so much about things that (a mere 3 months ago) I didn't even know existed. 30+ things, to be exact.

Of course, there's the old adage:  the more you know, the more you realize you don't know. 

However, when I think of my pretty-decent-tech-savvy-skills and what I do already know...then I add in what I've learned this summer...it certainly makes me realize the amount that I still have to learn.  Moreover, it makes me realize how much work teachers in the 21st Century have in front of them to stay current.  This goes for new and seasoned teachers alike.  I do think we are in an era where most teachers have acquired your basic amount of tech skills (as opposed to 15 years or so ago).  We are now past the era where the computer is downright scary to many teachers. 

But, twice this summer I've spoken with former teaching buddies (both who are currently the tech coordinators at my former schools).  We spent a decent amount of time during each visit talking about how there are still a lot of teachers out there--great teachers--who are still resistant to bringing true technology integration into their classrooms.  It's hard.  On top of the forever issues of teaching:  curriculum, testing, report writing, differentiation, behavioral issues, learning differences/difficulties, dealing with parents, lunch/recess duties & playground politics, lack of planning time, expanding classroom numbers, budget and extracurricular cuts, and more...integrating technology seems like that "one more thing."  That thing that might be enough to send a teacher over the edge. 

Add in, the learning curve on the ever-expansive new technologies is huge...not to mention time-consuming.  Most of us do know that!  And moola for tech-training is sometimes hard to come by.  So, only the mega-motivated (who probably aren't getting enough sleep just trying to carve out time to do this) find info-videos on YouTube, or putz endlessly on the computer in self-teach mode.  Or maybe that's just me, who does goofy stuff like this for fun in my spare time.

For those of you who still might not be quite sure where to start on the "EdTech curve," here's a great article entitled "50 Ways to Integrate Technology in your Classroom Tomorrow," with an equally fabulous follow-up "50 MORE Ways to Integrate Technology."  I also added in a few interesting infographics on the subject of tech and education.  At the end of the day, it goes to show, there's a lot of food for thought.  Yet it is through reflection that we, as teachers (regardless the subject), grow and become better teachers.  I do feel that technology is a tool...just as "getting outside" is a tool.  Both scream of "experiential learning."  Pulling up our sleeves, and getting a little dirty or messy as we go (or at the least, getting out of our desks and moving around a bit) are exactly what our students need.  We, as teachers, might need that too.

Online Activities by Age Group: From: http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2010/05/infographic-which-age-groups-use-social.html

From http://edtechtoolbox.blogspot.com/2011/05/infographics-at-school.html

From http://edtechtoolbox.blogspot.com/2011/05/infographics-technology-enhances.html

ABC pic from http://www.davidairey.com/alphabet-photo-art-gallery/, "Learning" Wordle from http://drapestakes.blogspot.com/2010/04/national-ed-tech-plan-online-data.html. Infographic sites listed in each caption.

Z = The ZimmerTwins #GETABC

Z is for ZimmerTwins

(GTG's  #GETABC Series =

Green, Education, & Tech*)

Here at the end of the alphabet, we have a bonus.  Falling somewhere in between Charlie Brown's "Peanuts" and Jeff Kinney's "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," we have the ZimmerTwins.

The ZimmerTwins (or ZTs, as I like to call them--which does bring to mind the ziti pasta) are a kids site combining storytelling and comic books.  A known entity since 2005, the ZTs are a quirky duo( with their black cat) that was created by Jason Krogh to provide an online tool to stretch student imagination, storytelling, and character development.

Lesson Plans abound on-site, largely in the field of writing, but one of the unique factors is that the ZimmerTwins can serve as a mode of presenting just about any piece of information--a story summary, a math problem, a science or social studies concept.  My at-home-9 year old had hours of fun at home this summer creating with the ZTs....and she was virtually self-taught

Check out their lesson plans and teacher section, then go make some academic comedy with the ZTs.

Introduction To The Writing Process (gr. 4-6)

Making Movies Using Exclamation and Question Marks (gr. 4--6)

The Truth About Commercials (gr. 5-6)

More Great Lesson Ideas

Z pic from http://husamjandal.com/generation-c-onnect-or-z/ and the ZimmerTwin photo from their website.

Note:  In an attempt to meld my pursuits of green, education, and technology, "GET" and this ABC series began...as did my twitter thread #GETABC.  To see the inception of #GETABC and give yourself a tidbit of background, go to GTG's True Confessions & Whirling Dervishes.

Z = Zunal, WebQuest Maker #GETABC

Z is for Zunal

(GTG's #GETABC Series =
Green, Education, & Tech*)

Z!  At long last!!  With the zillions of things on the Internet, I tell you--it never ceases to amaze me all the new things there are to find out there.

Zunal is my latest and greatest new find. 

Zunal is a free WebQuest Maker.  WebQuest, you ask?  It is an online presentation of a task to students, where they are given resources to find, analyze, and incorporate their finds via the resources to solve the problem at hand.  As stated in their "Definition of Webquest" from their WebQuest Workshop:

"A well-written WebQuest requires students to go beyond simple fact finding. It asks them to analyze a variety of resources and use their creativity and critical-thinking skills to solve a problem. WebQuests help students analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information."

So here is Zunal, complete with numerous templates, the ability to attach endless numbers of files and videos, a preview-before-publish option, the ability to add tables & rubrics/quizzes & photos...there's a ton here!  At today's writing, there are 80,597 published WebQuests!!  Zowie!!!

Sample Zunal WebQuest Image

Their WebQuest Menu includes the following categories, where WebQuests are sorted by grade level:

--Art/Music
--Business/Economics
--English/Language
--Foreign Language
--Health/PE
--Life Skills/Careers
--Mathematics
--Professional Skills
--Science
--Social Studies
--Technology
--Most Reviewed
--Latest Published
--User Profiles
--WebQuest Searches

Such a zany wealth here...definitely explore what they have, which will give you a better feel of the endless extent of what you can create!!  Here is a listing of just a smattering of the environmental education webquests I found on Zunal.  The Science thematic area has a ton from life cycles, to animals, to habitats, to biomes...darn-near, (in the words of Buzz Lightyear), "to infinity and beyond!"

SaVe ThE PlaNeT--gr. K-2

Earth Day--gr. K-2

Taking Care of Planet Earth--gr. K-2

What is pollution--gr. 3-5

Great Barrier Reef--gr. 3-5

Deforestation--gr. 3-5

Saving the Rain Forest--gr. 3-5

Food & Nutrition--gr. 3-5

Water Conservation--gr. 3-5

Global Health Planeteers--gr. 6-8

Save the Tigers--gr. 6-8

Global Warming--gr. 6-8

Water Systems: Groundwater--gr. 6-8

How an Invasive Species Can Effect the Ecosystem of the Great Lakes--gr. 9--12

Pollution--gr. 9-12
  
Deforestation--gr. 9-12

Help Animals in Danger--college to adult


Letter Z picture from http://www.fonts.com/aboutfonts/articles/letterseries/letterz.htm.  WebQuest pic from http://webpages.shepherd.edu/DREED01/WebQuest%20Reviews.html

*Note:  In an attempt to meld my pursuits of green, education, and technology, "GET" and this ABC series began...as did my twitter thread #GETABC.  To see the inception of #GETABC and give yourself a tidbit of background, go to GTG's True Confessions & Whirling Dervishes.