2002 CONFERENCE SESSIONS
 Concurrent Session One| Concurrent Session Two| Concurrent Session Three| Student Sharing  Session| Exhibit Hall

Please note that most presentations were geared toward a student audience, but a few were directed toward teachers. These teacher-focused presentations are indicated with an asterisk (*).

Easy Breathers
Elisabeth Kuisis, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Easy Breathers is an educational video and web site dedicated to teaching teenagers about transportation choices and how they affect air quality. We will preview the video, explore the web site and learn about how we impact the world with every choice we make. All participants will receive a free video.

Holding Onto the GREEN Zone: Monitoring the Health of Community Riparian Areas Elaine Andrews and Kate Reilly, University of Wisconsin Environmental Resources Center
While occupying relatively small areas of land, riparian areas can strongly influence how watersheds function. Take a virtual tour of riparian areas to explore how they impact the quality and quantity of water in our communities and how land uses and practices affect these vital ecosystems.

How Green is Your School? The Wisconsin Environmental Schools Program
Al Stenstrup, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
The Wisconsin Environmental Schools Program is a noncompetitive program that will serve to recognize and celebrate the achievement of schools that meet rigorous environmental education criteria. The criteria for Environmental Schools will include curriculum integration, school grounds management, community-based involvement, energy and water conservation, and operations sustainability. Learn about the program and share your ideas. Your school could be one of the pilot schools to assess the criteria established by the Green Schools Program.

People and the Environment: Making the Connection
Colleen Kulesza, Population Connection (formerly Zero Population Growth)
Catch a glimpse of the history of human population growth with an award winning video, then explore and debate the relationship between people and the planet in a series of interactive simulations addressing issues of carrying capacity and resource consumption, and how we can each work toward a more sustainable world. Free activism kit!

United Nations Sustainable Consumption Campaign
Geoff Bradshaw, Madison Area Technical College and Common Futures Forum
The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) maintains a Sustainable Consumption initiative that examines the impact of lifestyles and consumption patterns. In November of 2000, presenter Geoff Bradshaw participated in an UNEP "Experts Workshop" in Paris, France. This presentation will summarize the issues raised in that workshop and ways to rethink our lifestyles and impact on the planet.

* Energy Education Opportunities for Teachers
Jennie Lane, Wisconsin K-12 Energy Education Program (KEEP)
Attend this workshop to learn about the many opportunities available in Energy Education. We'll share information about resources, hands on activities, grant programs, professional development programs and much more!

Affluenza: Responding to Over-Consumption
Dan Dieterich, University of Wisconsin– Stevens Point English Department
Join us for a discussion of "affluenza." Learn both how we are producing and consuming faster than our planet can absorb the pollution and how you can live a simpler and more meaningful life. (Based on the PBS program and the book, Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic.)

Healthy Farms, Healthy Kids
Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems staff
Students interested in supporting their own personal health and a healthy environment through responsible food choices will want to know more about the national trend of Farm-to-School and Farm-to-College initiatives and two such projects in Madison, WI: The Wisconsin Homegrown Lunch and The College Food Project. Come and learn how high school and college students can be, and often are, the driving force behind encouraging and motivating their school food service to purchase and offer more local, seasonal, and sustainably- or organically- raised food items through the meal plan. Farms and food producers utilizing eco-friendly production methods, in turn, find new vitality in the stable market opportunity this creates.

History of Garbage
Terry Mesch, Associated Recyclers of Wisconsin
A short history of garbage disposal from 3 million B.C. to the present. Dozens of overheads featuring drawings, photos, cartoons, and graphics add dramatic details to the story of garbage disposal. This is a participatory session that will draw you into the subject matter.

How Green is Your School? The Wisconsin Environmental School Program
Al Stenstrup, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
See description listed in session one.

Taking A Stand
Ocean Robbins, Youth for Environmental Sanity
How do we find our voice and take a stand for what we believe in in these troubled times? Gain insights, inspiration, and support to make a meaningful difference for a thriving, just and sustainable way of life for all.

* Population Education: Preparing Students for Global Citizenship
Colleen Kulesza, Population Connection (formerly Zero Population Growth)
Consider challenging questions that address the complexity of human-environmental interactions in this dynamic, hands-on workshop. Participate in imaginative, inquiry-based activities designed for the classroom or community group. Explore issues of carrying capacity and resource consumption, and how we can each work toward a more sustainable world. Free materials!

Brighten Up Wisconsin
Susan Ermer, Wisconsin K-12 Energy Education Program (KEEP)
Want a "bright" idea for a fundraiser this year that will be useful, educational and profitable? How about a fundraiser that raises money, reduces parents' electric bill, and helps the environment? You get all this by selling ENERGY STAR^® qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). Come and learn about this opportunity sweeping the state.

Consumerism, Co-ops, and Cucumbers
Stevens Point Area Co-op staff
How can what you eat, where you shop, and what you buy positively effect the environment and your life? Come and learn about this as we discuss the co-operative business model, organics, buying locally grown cucumbers and no-waste buying practices. Video and live presentation relating to this topic, along with samples of organic, natural and locally grown foods.

Life Under the Ice
Laura Felda, Adopt-A-Lake
In this session we will take a look at winter adaptations of plant and animals under lake ice, the power of frozen water, snow structure and survival techniques. Come learn about a delicate and amazing ecosystem that humans need to protect.

Renewable Energy Works
Midwest Renewable Energy Association Staff
The session is an overview of renewable energy systems and how they work. You will learn about how solar, wind, and water can be used to create clean, reliable, power for homes and businesses.

Vermicomposting: Watching Your Waste Wane With the Work of Worms
Mike Kerkman and Kyle Niedfeldt, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point graduate students
Vermicomposting is the process of using worms to compost your household kitchen scraps. This technique allows us to save landfill space while creating a nutrient-rich compost to "feed" gardens and houseplants. This session will provide the information you need to start your own worm box. We will also answer any questions you may have: Does it smell? Can they escape? Where do I get the worms? What can they eat? How long does it take? Students and teachers are invited; this is a great project for home and for the classroom.

* Resources for Teaching about Consumption and Sustainability
Phyllis Peri, Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education Resources Library
Teachers! Want to find out about resources to teach about consumption and sustainability issues in your classroom? Relevant materials from the Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education (WCEE) Resources Library will be available at this session for examination. Handouts will include a listing of materials and web sites.

LUNCHTIME STUDENT SHARING SESSION

Students involved in environmental groups or engaged in environmental projects were invited to give a short (3-5 minute) presentation about the work that they were doing. This was an excellent opportunity for students to promote their own projects, get new ideas from their peers, and possibly develop opportunities for collaboration.

EXHIBIT HALL

Between sessions, conference participants had the opportunity to learn about environmental organizations, projects, and programs by visiting the exhibit hall.