At our school this year we have decided to take on the theme of water across the curriculum and the entire school as a way of promoting ecological literacy among our students.
Recently in Toronto I was able to attend the opening of Edward Burtynsky's new photo exhibition, Water. It was a great conincidence that this exhibit happened to be displayed at the same time that I've been trying to wrap my head around activities that students from kindergarten to grade 8 could do around this massive theme, while at the same time linking it back to the Ontario curriculum in a meaningful way.
Not only are these photographs massive, but I felt like they moved me in a massive way. It was increadible to see what an impact water has not only had on shaping our way of life, but also how we have shaped water. As well, to accompany this major photo exhibition Burtynsky and documentary film maker Jennifer Baichwal have released their second film, Watermark, which is currently in theatres.
Looking forward to seeing this theme take shape in our school and really exploring the impact of water!
I've also included a few photographs from the Burtynsky exhibition below, but please check out his website for more of his amazing work from this show.
I'm sure that you've see or heard about Jamie's mission to get children to not only eat better but know more about their food and where it comes from.
I really liked Jamie's idea of having food ambassadors in grocery stores to show people what they can make from local ingredients in their store. I'm sure that we've all been to the grocery store or farmers market and seen something and had no idea what it is let alone what it tastes like. It was a little scary see all those kids trying to identify the foods that he brought in.
The video is about 20 minutes long. So sit back, relax, and enjoy.
If you didn't get a chance to see this documentary last summer I strongly suggest that you see it now. If you're not able to make it out to Hillside Outdoor Education Centre (HOEC) you can rent this film at most video stores, but why not get out and support Friends of the Rouge with a great screening.
This documentary is about to be released in Japan, but there have been many threats to theatre owners not to screen this film. It seem like there are some people out there who don't want the Japanese public to find out about what is going on in this quiet little community.
Event Info Documentary Screening of the Movie The Cove and discussion hosted by Friends of the Rouge Watershed at Hillside Outdoor Education School
Wednesday June 9th, 2010 @ 7:00 p.m.
Join us at Hillside School, 2259 Meadowvale Rd, one block north of the Toronto Zoo.
THE COVE Flipper was one of the most beloved television characters of all time. But ironically, the fascination with dolphins that he caused created a tragic epidemic that has threatened their existence and become a multibillion dollar industry. The largest supplier of dolphins in the world is located in the picturesque town of Taijii, Japan. But the town has a dark, horrifying secret that it doesn't want the rest of the world to know. There are guards patrolling the cove, where the dolphin capturing takes place, who prevent any photography. The only way to stop the evil acts of this company and the town that protects it is to expose them....and that's exactly what the brave group of activists in The Cove intend to do. Armed with state-of-the-art surveillance equipment, the members of the small group, led by the most famous dolphin trainer in the world, devise a covert plan to infiltrate the cove to document the horrifying events that happen there. Along the way, they uncover what may be the largest health crisis facing our planet— the poisoning of our seas. Part environmental documentary, part horror film, part spy thriller, The Cove is as suspenseful as it is enlightening. The final result is a heart-wrenching, but inspirational, story that shows the true power of film in the hands of people who aren't afraid to risk everything for a vital cause.
This will have to be a quick one before I shut everything down for Earth Hour tonight.
This video was sent to me recently and I thought that you might be interested in checking it out. USC is a Canadian seed/organic/sustainable small scale farming advocacy group with a global focus. Check out their website for more information about who they are and what they do. They have an awesome seed map that I saw at Seed Sunday and am totally ordering.
Okay, I've got to get ready for my electricity free evening. I hope everyone has a family fun filled Earth Hour, I'm playing Catan with friends.
Bottle Water Free Day will be March 11th, 2010. I encourage everyone look at the website and read the information they have. Lets see how many people can make the pledge to be free of bottled water on March 11th. On Monday I will make the challenge to all students at our school to go without bottled water for the whole week. I will also extend this challenge to include juice boxes, terra packs (Kool Aid Jammers), and other on non-reusable drink containers. Not only are non-reusable containers wasteful in the long run they will end up costing you more money!!!
Here is a fun video about Bottled Water Free Day.
Why are you paying for water when it is already hardwired into your house?
These days eating locally has becoming more and more popular. So much so that now Hellmann's (the mayonnaise) has put together a video about Canadian food imports, the economics of eating locally grown food, and how that affects our environment. I know that no one wants to eat root vegetable sandwiches all winter, but we should be making an effort to buy locally grown organic produce whenever possible. I've included the video and a link to their website, but I'm always weary of big companies jumping on board with the latest trends. I wonder how many of the ingredients Hellmann's uses are locally sourced for each factory?
