Getting Started—Learning about environmental issues

Exploring Your Environment is a project guide for 4-H Clubs that has background information on environmental issues and activities groups can do. Order from: www.4-hcurriculum.org

Public Awareness Campaigns

• Promote more environmentally friendly activities like carpooling, recycling/reusing, composting, preventing the introduction of invasive species, etc.
• Make posters or public service announcements for radio or newspapers; teach workshops/sessions to youth and adults in your community on ways to reduce personal environmental impact.

ONLINE RESOURCES:

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Environmental Education for Kids EPA's Recycle City Composting with Worms How Other Youth are Getting Involved

Community Action Activities

• Get in and take direct action.
• Coordinate a community garden to grow healthy food for local consumption by low income families or people in need.  Then get your hands dirty and grow some veggies!
• Challenge your club and community to a Bike/Run/Walk event to promote going green and active lifestyles.
• Organize highway, river or park clean-ups, gather people to remove invasive species like garlic mustard or buckthorn, plant trees, start recycling programs in public areas that do not recycle already.

ONLINE RESOURCES:

4-H Million Trees Project--started by a California 4-Her Wisconsin Adopt-a-Highway Program Volunteering in State Parks, Forests, and Trails St. Croix Watershed Take Me to the River Projects How other 4-Hers have gotten involved with Community Gardens

Personal Action

• Work to incorporate fun exercise like dancing, biking, or outdoor games and healthy snacks into your club activities.
• Look at ways individuals and households can reduce their consumption on natural resources. You and your group can research and share ways to reduce your environmental impact. Set a goal and record your results as a group. For a true service-learning project, combine personal action with community action or with a public awareness campaign.
• Energy reduction with fluorescent light bulbs, installing rain barrels to save water, shopping smart to reduce waste by reusing bags and purchasing products with less packaging; transportation alternatives to driving, safe disposal and recycling of hazardous wastes like paint, batteries, oil, computers, cell phones, other electronic equipment and appliances.

ONLINE RESOURCES

Calculating your Ecological Footprint Creating an Environmental Action Team Where to Recycle and Dispose of Hazardous Materials