Conservation Tools

This discussion guide is designed to help citizens take a fresh look at the problems of building and maintaining nice places to live against the forces of sprawl. The issue guide provides an overview of the issue and, to promote public deliberation and citizen action, outlines several perspectives or choices. Free moderator’s guide available, additional resources can be ordered.

This is an excellent educational resource on Pennsylvania biodiversity. It is full of photos and information presented in a creative and interesting manner.

Provides active opportunities to construct communities and apply planning concepts. Box City Curriculum, Classroom and Festival Pack are available through CUBE/archiSources.

This manual addresses the social and cultural aspects of community-based environmental protection. It gives leaders in government agencies and in nongovernmental organizations and tribes a process and a set of tools for defining and understanding the human dimension of an environmental issue and gives them technical tools for more effectively working with the public on environmental protection efforts. The Guide is based on the elements of social science theory and methodology that are most relevant to defining and understanding community life as it relates to environmental issues.

The Damariscotta, ME, Heart and Soul Visioning Process has a website to serve as an informational depot for all project material and presentations. This can help stakeholders keep track of the process, comment on project material, and disseminate information to others.

It is an organization that engages young people as active citizens to improve the environment and their communities. It provides materials and resources for developing projects for service learning through community action and provides networking opportunities with teams throughout the country, Earth Force provides a framework and program for moving students to action. Pennsylvania Earth Force projects are located in Erie, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

An environmental program for secondary students developed by Project Learning Tree that focuses on land use decision-making. For information and to obtain copies contact PDE Office of Environment and Ecology at 717.783.6995.

In March 2007, Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell convened a two-day conference and assembled experts and organizations with various perspectives on the relationship between people and the outdoors. A 16-member Task Force met to forge this final report, summarizing input from the conference and public meetings, and offering the recommendations that make up thsi report

Lessons and activities for designing community maps that share information on energy conservation, recycling, composting, rain barrels, water conservation, organic markets/restaurants and other GREEN highlights of the community. Be sure to check out the Green Map K12 Activity Guide.

If you have children, teach children, or care about children, this is a must have. Last Child in the Woods is the first book to bring together a new and growing body of research indicating that direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development and for the physical and emotional health of children and adults. More than just raising an alarm, Louv offers practical solutions and simple ways to heal the broken bond—and many are right in our own backyard.

This is a curriculum developed to educate young people about land use and the role of citizens in shaping a sustainable future.

This site offers an expanded and updated library of National Geographic’s popular education content, highlighting our iconic media and expert resources aligned with education standards.

Some of the different ways that walking can help either informally, or more formally to benefit the whole person

This survey provides statistics on the use of social media by both large and small organizations and corporations. It also offers information on effectively establishing and managing social networking sites for nonprofit organizations.

Legislation authorizing municipalities to create environmental advisory councils.

PA Land Choices is a collection of sequential activities developed for use by educators and community leaders that guides the learner in understanding the forces and choices that shape a community and region. It challenges participants to become involved in their community and to conserve their natural resources.

The purpose of this handbook is to help communities like yours begin thinking and planning for the future. It is not, however, a cookbook on community visioning. Every community in Pennsylvania is unique, so it must develop its own vision and plan for the future. On the other hand, many of the same principles and activities that are included in the process may be useful to many communities. To help communities find that common ground and allow them the freedom to decide what their plans might include, the Center for Rural Pennsylvania designed this handbook to focus on the process of visioning, not the outcome.

This guide, created by YouTube specifically for nonprofit organization, details effective strategies for using YouTube as a mechanism for education through social media. It explains different functions on the YouTube site and provides examples of effective video campaigns.

This education program is administered by the Center for Civic Education in cooperation with the National Conference of State Legislatures. It is funded by the US Department of Education. The purpose of the program is to help students engage in community projects as a responsibility of citizenship

This material focuses on the forest as a window to learning and involves hands-on activities that provide students opportunities to investigate environmental issues. For information and to obtain copies contact PDE Office of Environment and Ecology at 717.783.6995.

Project WILD is an interdisciplinary conservation and environmental education program emphasizing wildlife. Workshops are coordinated by the Pennsylvania Game Commission. The activity recommended in PA Land Choices is called “Oh Deer!” and is located in Project WILD.

Save Our Land, Save Our Towns is an organization founded by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Tom Hylton to facilitate change in regional planning, town design and protection of rural areas through education and advocacy. Save Our Land, Save Our Towns is the title of a book and an hour-long television documentary which has classroom materials. Lessons, activities and a video on Pennsylvania land use are excellent resources for teachers and community leaders.

This revised and expanded version of a North American classic is a valuable tool for teachers, educators, and parents. Available at any retail book source.

This fact sheet provides useful tips for utilizing social media tools such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and blogging to effectively spread a nonprofit organization’s message.

This packet gives helpful instructions on methods of shifting from communications media to social media and describes the ensuing benefits. It includes descriptions of a wide variety of social media and their uses for nonprofit organizations.

This comprehensive guide to social media usage provides tips for implementing and improving the use of social media in the workplace, including details on the effective use of some of the most popular social networks, potential benefits of social media, suggestions for risk prevention policies that companies can implement, and additional resources helpful in establishing new social networks.

This is a Pennsylvania—specific interdisiciplinary program of instructional activities on Pennslvania forest and land use aligned with the academic standards.

Contains environmental advisory council (EAC) news, articles, guidance, lists of EACs by municipality and county, and profiles of many of Pennsylvania’s EACs.

These are elementary and middle school curricula for students in grades 3-8. They include numerous educational activities with photographs developed by The Dunn Foundation which was founded to address community appearance and community identity.

Walk for Wellness trail-map set #1 consists of 25 trails in the Lehigh Valley. Trail-map set #2 consists of 30 trails within a short distance of the Lehigh Valley. The pdf order form is attached.

This program was developed to help use nearby natural resources as a valuable teaching tool for students in grades 6–12. Teacher training is provided as well as field and classroom training provided by Bureau of State Parks environmental educators.