Sustainability Workshops Offer Accreditation to Participants
There is a saying that goes, “Find something you love to do, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.” Do you love sustainability? Maybe not. Maybe you just have always loved the outdoors and want your kids and grandkids to experience it the way you have. Or maybe you just love science and think that sustainability is a really good idea. Or maybe you are interested in sustainability because there is an increasing demand for it in the business world.
Regardless of what motivations brought you to this blog, I’ll bet that you are at least interested enough in sustainability that you would be willing to go to a one day workshop in order to boost your resume to future employers. And perhaps you’d be even more willing to go if you realized just how much fun the workshop could turn out to be.
Earlier this month, I went to the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks and I did the rot thing.
Wait, what?
You read correctly. I did the rot thing.
Project Learning Tree (PLT) is an environmental education program, funded by the American Forest Foundation, that offers various workshops throughout the year to enable participants to earn various professional development certifications for different environmental topics. On June 15th and 16th, they partnered with the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality and hosted two day-long workshops: one at the Eco-Vista Landfill on the topic of Municipal Solid Waste, and the other at the Botanical Gardens of the Ozarks on the topic of composting, endearingly named “Do The Rot Thing!”
The PLT workshops are geared towards K-12 educators who are looking for innovative ways to involve their students in learning about various aspects of environmental science. This means that the workshops consist of facilitators leading the participants through fun activities geared towards engaging younger students in the learning process. What better way to spend a lovely summer day than freeing your inner kid and playing in the dirt again?
Compost is the “rot” thing to do!
Now, just because the workshops are geared towards educators does not at all mean that they are the only ones allowed to come. In fact, a good proportion of those who came to the “Do The Rot Thing!” workshop were not outright educators—they were interested citizens, local professionals, and university students looking both to learn about composting and to boost their resume with a completed certificate proving their newly acquired knowledge of composting to any future employers.
Composting and Municipal Solid Waste are not the only topics covered by Project Learning Tree workshops. Other covered topics include: invasive species, forest ecology, conservation, energy and society, biodiversity, biotechnology, pollution, recycling economics, environmental experiences with early childhood, and much more. The more involved you get, the better the program becomes. There’s really no good reason to not attend a workshop when you can learn about interesting topics, participate in fun and engaging activities, and earn accreditation all at the same time!
If you are interested in becoming involved in a Project Learning Tree workshop, contact Rob Beadel, the state coordinator for Environmental Education in Washington County, at rbeadel@arkforests.org or 501-374-2441, or see the calendar of upcoming workshops at https://www.plt.org/arkansas.
Note: “Do the Rot Thing” was originally developed by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality and Arkansas Project Learning Tree using a Secondary Audiences Implementation Grant from Project Learning Tree’s national office. The grant was received in summer 2007 and the first workshops were held in summer 2008. Any information included in this article pertaining to PLT workshops and material is not owned by the author and is copyrighted by Project Learning Tree.