Educational Greenhouses Add a Hands On Component to STEM Education
The United States Botanic Garden has just released a new manual on starting an educational greenhouse and that’s good news for educators all over the United States. As we talk about increasing STEM Education (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) for students, the addition of educational greenhouses in our schools is a great way to do just that and to increase student interest in agricultural careers.
That’s significant for those of us who live in Michigan, as I do because Michigan agriculture contributes more than $104.7 billion annually to the states’ economy and we have the second most diverse agricultural industry in the US. (California is the most diverse.)
Growing up on a cherry farm I knew that Michigan was a leader in tart cherry products. And as a wine grape grower I know that while our acreage is less than in California, New York, Washington and Oregon our state is growing as a recognized wine producing area. What I didn’t realize until I read a report from Michigan State University Extension is that Michigan leads the nation in the production of asparagus, black beans, cucumbers, Niagara grapes, chestnuts, pickling cucumbers and squash. Plus, we’re third in the nation in apple production.
So why add educational greenhouses to schools in a state where the agriculture industry is flourishing"? One big issue as I see it is sustainability. Where I live on the Leelanau Peninsula most of the farmers are in their 50s, 60s or 70s. When they are gone who will care for our land and grow our food? We need to be getting the next few generations interested in agriculture and starting them early is one great way to do that.
If you’d like to work with a local school on getting a greenhouse established you’ll be excited to know that you can download the manual for free from the United States Botanic Garden website. Or, you can share this blog with a teacher you know who may be looking for another way to get students interested in plant science as part of their science curriculum.
I’m fortunate to live in a community where we do have a hoop house at the local school that focuses on getting students involved in growing food when they are in elementary school. You can read about how the hoop house came to be and how students not only learn to grow food but get to taste it during “Try it Local” Mondays.
Creative and targeted programs that make an impact are the hallmark of experienced marketing professional Ruth Steele Walker. Focusing on results that improve the bottom line, she accelerates projects from conception to implementation with a mastery of writing, production, placement, budgeting and coordination.
During more than 25 years with Foremost Corporation of America, the nation's leading insurer of manufactured housing and recreational vehicles, Walker consistently produced effective communications programs that resulted in increased net written premium. Her expertise in crisis communications was a vital part of Foremost's exemplary customer service in the wake of hurricanes, floods and earthquakes. Walker specializes in communications targeting the 50+ demographic, with an emphasis in communications for the 65+ segment.
Among other achievements, Walker developed communications for the merger of Foremost and Farmers Insurance, addressing audiences including customers, employees, trade and consumer media. For Foremost's 50th anniversary, she created a celebration program of internal and external promotions, special events, recognition and a 162-page commemorative book.
Earlier in her career, Walker was a newspaper reporter, a TV and radio producer, and worked in national sales and traffic at network TV affiliates. Walker earned a BA in journalism from Michigan State University and an MS in communications from Grand Valley State University.
She and her husband Scott operate a small vineyard in Michigan's Leelanau Peninsula, producing premium vinifera wine grapes. The vineyard has been the largest local supplier for Suttons Bay wine label L. Mawby, recently named one of the world's top producers of sparkling wines.
