Green Summer Camps Teach that “Everything Goes Somewhere
Contact: Lawrence Hollins, 207-789-5862
LINCOLNVILLE — Summer camps are going green, if the recent presentation by University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s Tanglewood Camp to the American Camping Association (ACA) is any indication. Several hundred camp staff attended the ACA’s March 23–25 Northeast Regional Conference in Manchester, New Hampshire. Tanglewood’s “Greening Your Camp” session focused on the growing interest in sustainable living.
Jessica Decke, summer camp coordinator at Tanglewood, and Leslie Hyde, UMaine Extension professor of forestry and environmental education, discussed the Tanglewood model for incorporating ecological lessons and sustainable living concepts into a camp.
Decke explained that “we attach ecological laws like ‘everything goes somewhere’ to seemingly trivial acts like eating, so people understand that their choice in food matters in terms of the waste generated or the energy it took to get the food to their plate. We hope people will begin to understand that they will leave a footprint on the environment and that they can determine how big or small that footprint will be.”
Hyde and Decke focused on Tanglewood’s Earth Connections program, which, while rooted in an understanding of biology, ecology and the social sciences, is more of a process than a set of well-defined answers. The program leads participants through a journey of discovery and investigation toward a new appreciation of the natural world and how to respect nature in order to protect it for future generations. Instead of teaching youth and adults about nature, Tanglewood’s 4-H Earth Connections program teaches that humans are part of the interconnected web of all life.
Earth connections is based on six core concepts: Everything is connected; Everything goes somewhere; Everything changes; Every action has costs; The earth has limits; Diversity tends towards stability.
Hyde elaborated, “With these laws as guidelines for program development, Tanglewood tries to mitigate any adverse effect on the surrounding environment by reducing waste, increasing recycling efforts, reusing materials, and helping campers adopt more earth-friendly practices at camp and at home.”
Tanglewood 4-H Camp and Learning Center offers summer programs for youth between the ages of six and seventeen, including residential camp sessions, discovery trips, and youth leadership programs. For more information on Tanglewood, its programs call 207-789-5868.