Today was the day we have been thinking about for over 9 months--the day we would get to learn more about the eco-schools program and restoration work done by Landvernd (Iceland's Environmental Association). As much as seeing the natural wonders of Iceland was well worth the trip, our real mission was to gain new global environmental knowledge to enrich the work that we do with our students at Whitehall Middle School through the Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative.
We started out our day by picking up Rannveig and Katrin and driving to Sellfoss to drop off some Ecology books written by a teacher who is also a member of Landvernd's board of directors. While at the high school in Sellfoss, we toured the school and got to peek in some science classrooms. Students in Iceland have not yet officially gone back to school, but the youngest students at this school (16 years old, up through 20) were there in the morning for orientation. Next we stopped at a bakery to pick up some sandwiches to eat later for lunch.
We hit the road again and drove to the Soil Conservation Society's restoration exhibit east of Fludir. This was a wonderful facility that had interactive displays about the desertification and restoration of the land around the base of the volcano Hekla. Historically, erosion has come about by the pressures of over-grazing by sheep and poor land-management, weather extremes, and volcanic eruptions. The SCS has worked over the last century with farmers and other land owners and officials to build rock walls to block the wind and blowing sand, as well as to plant Lyme grass and other native species.
After learning about the SCS's restoration efforts, we headed over to visit some of the experimental plots that Rannveig supervises with 11 year old students at local schools. These plots compare different types of natural fertilizers and grass seeds to see which combinations work best. Students get to come back each year to measure and categorize the plants in their plots for long-term data. Their work will help the SCS and Landvernd continue their restoration work.
Our next stop was at a very small school near Fludir. We had a lovely time being led on a tour of the school by one of the teachers. This school is recognized as an Eco School by Landvernd due to their recycling, conservation efforts, outdoor education, and school potato garden, amongst other things. Mrs. Reid and I shared some information with them about the USGBC Green Apple Day of Service that will be held this September, and we look forward to Skyping with this school throughout the year to compare environmental projects.
Last, but certainly not least, Rannveig and Mummi took us to the U.S. Embassy in Reykjavik to meet with the Deputy Chief of Missions, Paul O'Friel. It is an important mission of our Embassy to work with the Icelandic government and people to help grow environmental stewardship in Iceland, and to connect Americans to this work if possible. Deputy Chief O'Friel was very interested in how we found out about Landvernd and the work they do, and he wants us to keep in touch.
This was an incredibly exciting day, filled with rich connections to teachers, administrators, and environmental champions, and we owe a huge thank you to Katrin and Rannveig for organizing all of this for us. We can't wait to see how our new friendships and partnerships grow moving forward, and the learning opportunities that they will provide for our students.
We started out our day by picking up Rannveig and Katrin and driving to Sellfoss to drop off some Ecology books written by a teacher who is also a member of Landvernd's board of directors. While at the high school in Sellfoss, we toured the school and got to peek in some science classrooms. Students in Iceland have not yet officially gone back to school, but the youngest students at this school (16 years old, up through 20) were there in the morning for orientation. Next we stopped at a bakery to pick up some sandwiches to eat later for lunch.
We hit the road again and drove to the Soil Conservation Society's restoration exhibit east of Fludir. This was a wonderful facility that had interactive displays about the desertification and restoration of the land around the base of the volcano Hekla. Historically, erosion has come about by the pressures of over-grazing by sheep and poor land-management, weather extremes, and volcanic eruptions. The SCS has worked over the last century with farmers and other land owners and officials to build rock walls to block the wind and blowing sand, as well as to plant Lyme grass and other native species.
After learning about the SCS's restoration efforts, we headed over to visit some of the experimental plots that Rannveig supervises with 11 year old students at local schools. These plots compare different types of natural fertilizers and grass seeds to see which combinations work best. Students get to come back each year to measure and categorize the plants in their plots for long-term data. Their work will help the SCS and Landvernd continue their restoration work.
Our next stop was at a very small school near Fludir. We had a lovely time being led on a tour of the school by one of the teachers. This school is recognized as an Eco School by Landvernd due to their recycling, conservation efforts, outdoor education, and school potato garden, amongst other things. Mrs. Reid and I shared some information with them about the USGBC Green Apple Day of Service that will be held this September, and we look forward to Skyping with this school throughout the year to compare environmental projects.
Last, but certainly not least, Rannveig and Mummi took us to the U.S. Embassy in Reykjavik to meet with the Deputy Chief of Missions, Paul O'Friel. It is an important mission of our Embassy to work with the Icelandic government and people to help grow environmental stewardship in Iceland, and to connect Americans to this work if possible. Deputy Chief O'Friel was very interested in how we found out about Landvernd and the work they do, and he wants us to keep in touch.
This was an incredibly exciting day, filled with rich connections to teachers, administrators, and environmental champions, and we owe a huge thank you to Katrin and Rannveig for organizing all of this for us. We can't wait to see how our new friendships and partnerships grow moving forward, and the learning opportunities that they will provide for our students.