<p> Across much of the Western world there is a growing movement working to plant the seeds of a holistic worldview that is based on a recognition of the interdependent relationship between self, Earth, and community. One way to nurture this emergence on a local level is through community-based workshops that offer theories and practices in support of such a perspective. The purpose of this study is to create a curriculum that could be used to shape this type of workshop. The design of the curriculum content is meant to offer interior and exterior tools and experiences that catalyze both individual and group development. The primary method utilized in the research was a curriculum advisory board to assist with content development. The ultimate goals of such a workshop are two-fold: (a) to deepen participants&rsquo; relationships to self, Earth, and community; and (b) to create and inspire local community groups that can support social justice, environmental stewardship grounded in an ethic of care, and regenerative (sustainable) community development during this time of great planetary need. The findings of the research span the fields of adult development, relational education, community organizing and activism, regenerative leadership, nature connection, and sustainable community development. Tools and practices include but are not limited to meditation, dialogue, shadow work, worldview inquiries, journaling, group development, and community action plans.</p>

<p> Zoological parks are a complex place of human-animal, animal-environment, and human-environment interactions; as the global population becomes more urbanized, zoos are one of the only places in which urban dwellers can learn about and experience the "natural" world. Zoos now act as key purveyors of public conservation education, shaping the ways in which visitors understand and situate themselves within local and global conservation issues and natural environments. Zoos educate the public on these and other topics through the implementation of informal education programs (IEPs) within their institutions, but the effectiveness of these programs in positively altering visitor knowledge, attitude, and behavioral is not well understood. Through interviews, questionnaires, and participant observation conducted at the San Antonio Zoo I explored (1) how zoo visitors interacted with and perceived of a zoo animal species, the white-cheeked gibbon; (2) how zoo visitor perceptions of animals were influenced by visitor-animal interactions in various zoo contexts (e.g. within and outside of IEPs); (3) what zoo visitors were learning about animal and conservation within these various contexts; and (4) the effectiveness of an IEP in inspiring zoo visitors to actively participate in conservation initiatives. I framed my inquiry into visitor and zoo animal relationships within post-humanist theories and explored visitor perceptions of animals, the environment, and conservation through the lens of virtualism, resulting in a novel view of visitor experience and learning within the zoo setting. In this thesis I discuss the results of this research and their implications for conservation education efforts within zoos.</p>

<p> The economic turmoil of the past decade has reinvigorated the debate over the use of public funds to support local Extension efforts. State Extension groups across the country have begun to demonstrate their worth in a variety of ways, including attempting to show both the behavioral and economic outcomes of Extension initiatives. However, showing the value of the 4-H Youth Development Program has proved challenging. The benefits of joining youth programs tend to be latent, not fully manifesting for years or even decades until participants mature into adults. Studies are starting to provide insights into the social, physical and mental rewards of joining youth development organizations such as 4-H, but these behavioral outcomes are disproportionally reported when compared to economic studies. From 2012-2013 families enrolled in Oklahoma's 4-H Youth Development Shooting Sports Project were surveyed about their recreational spending habits. Economic contributions for the state of Oklahoma, and impacts on local economies are estimated using primary data and an IMPLAN model. These economic analyses provide estimates of the economic worth of one youth project overseen by the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service. Subsequently, policy makers are provided justification of the project not only from a social, physical, and mental perspective, but are additionally provided economic indicators of the project's immediate worth.</p>

<p> This paper evaluates an organics and recycling program in a large urban school district over a three year period 2010-2013. Student researcher evaluates the effectiveness on organics and recycling via a K-12 program. Is the school district closer to reaching its organics and recycling goals? What are the cost savings to the school district? What are the best practices from other schools in the United States? District waste is compiled over a course of three years and analyzed. An on-line data tracking system was created to evaluate the program. Student creates recommendations for maximizing cost savings to the district and benefits to the environment.</p>

<p> Using an online survey methodology and descriptive statistics, 92 self-identified outdoor leaders, representing a spectrum of wilderness experience programs in the United States and Canada, were surveyed to ascertain their knowledge of select psychological theories and concepts relevant to outdoor leadership. This study explores personal leadership philosophies, attitudes, and practices and knowledge regarding the facilitation of trip participants' relational development with self, others, and the natural world. General findings indicate that leaders possess a range of knowledge and skills to facilitate participants' relational development. Therapeutic outdoor leadership is tripartite relational theory emerging from outdoor programming literature. This study finds that leaders are actively nurturing participant well-being through a relational framework, indicated by the 34% of respondents who agree with the author's definition of outdoor leadership, addressing relational development of intra, inter, and transpersonal domains. However, findings indicate that leaders do not necessarily have, or are being educated in content and skills to maximize their abilities to develop outdoor program participants' relational abilities. Less than 13% of outdoor leaders are familiar with the concepts of therapeutic alliance, transference, and countertransference. Nearly all outdoor leaders claim to facilitate participant-nature relationships, approximately 80% use nature based metaphors, 72% use ceremonies or rituals, and most of the benefits attributed to contact with nature were identified. Most participants are unfamiliar with conservation psychology, the biophilia hypothesis, or ecopsychology. Almost half of outdoor leaders understand what self-efficacy describes and 55% of respondents were familiar with locus of control. Additionally, this survey explores leaders' perceptions about trust factors, how they define emotional safety, relevant professional boundaries, and feedback giving strategies. </p>

<p> This exploratory study investigated the effect of a twenty-one day outdoor orientation program (OOP) on participants' relationships with the natural world, as understood via the lens of biophilia. The primary research question was "Does the Prescott College New Student Orientation have an effect on participants' biophilic profiles, as measured by the Kellert-Shorb Biophilic Values Indicator (KSBVI)?" <i>Biophilic profiles</i> were calculated pre and post with the KSBVI, a 99-question survey that shows survey-takers' expressions of each of the nine biophilic responses at a specific moment in time. The KSBVI was administered to instructors and participants prior to the trip and to participants on the last day in the field; instructors also completed a questionnaire about the curriculum implemented. Correlation analyses showed highly stable biophilic expressions over time, and paired-sample t-tests showed changed on 8 of the 9 KSBVI subscales. Alpha tests indicated that the KSBVI had acceptable reliability as a whole, however the aesthetic and symbolic subscales showed poor reliability. The KSBVI was determined to be a promising tool for understanding how OOP and WEP participants relate to the natural world through the lens of biophilia, however further research is warranted to better understand the KSBVI's strengths and limitations. This research determined that participation on this OOP may have influenced change in these participants' relationships with the natural world, with strong evidence for the impact of the curriculum on type and amount of change in biophilic expression.</p><p> <i>Keywords:</i> biophilia, adventure education (AE), outdoor orientation program (OOP), Kellert-Shorb Biophilic Values Indicator (KSBVI), Wilderness Experience Program (WEP)</p>

<p> Sustainability educators could benefit from better understanding how the built environment, natural environment, and curricular activities can interface to encourage connections between people and place. My research explores the relationship between these dimensions at the Michael Ritchie Big Barn Center for Environmental Health and Education at the Center for Discovery--an innovative project in place-based education and design for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders and other disabilities. Specifically, my research addressed the following question: For the occupants of the Big Barn, what is the relative and synergistic importance of (a) the built environment, (b) the natural environment, and (c) the curricular activities and experiences, as they encourage connections between people and place? My research was supported by a range of literature related to place-based education and design, as well as research related to universal design and phenomenological ecology. This literature review shaped my decision to use various research methods, including photo elicitation, surveys, interviews, observations, and document analysis. Using qualitative and quantitative techniques, I identified several important themes, including the relationship between photo content and meaning; the importance of curricular activities and the pedagogical value of the farm; the synergistic relationship between the environment and the activities; the relationship to the broader community; and the potential for staff training. These themes provide insight into the lived experiences of the Big Barn staff and highlight lessons that could potentially inform place-based education more broadly.</p>

<p>Outdoor spaces for young children are becoming increasingly recognized for their learning potential. A movement has begun to naturalize children's playgrounds. Designers and landscape architects are moving away from large, plastic superstructures, which allow children to climb and slide and instead creating spaces with interesting topography and water features which allow for more open-ended, imaginative play. In this study, research and data collection took place in three phases. Preschool playgrounds in Boulder, Colorado were evaluated using the Kritchevsky, Prescott, and Walling (1977) model to assess structures and layout for complexity and variety. Playgrounds were also assessed using the Preschool Outdoor Environment Measurement Scale (POEMS) developed by the University of North Carolina. In Phase II, four preschools were chosen to examine children's play. These schools were chosen based on their scores from Phase I. Play behaviors were assessed using scan sampling and coded with a modified Parten-Smilansky Play Scale developed by Shim, Herwig and Shelley (2001) as well as the behavior mapping definitions used in Dowdell, Gray and Malone's 2011 research. In conjunction with this data, a case study at Sunflower Preschool observed and interviewed children for a three-week period in the fall of 2013. The findings from this research indicate that the presence of loose parts and natural features may enhance the types of play displayed on playgrounds. This research focused on child-directed play as opposed to curriculum implementation in outdoor spaces and potentially enhances the credibility of programs like Nature Explore, which provides guidelines for creating a play space with less commercialized equipment and more natural features.

Manitoba does not have a specific course in environmental education (EE) but has related outcomes within the current science and social studies curricula. Has the curriculum created a populace with the knowledge, attitudes and skills to begin to act for environmental change? Do students and teachers perceive science to be the course that should teach EE? This mixed-method study used surveys, student focus groups, observations of recycling habits and teacher interviews to determine if grade 10 students (last year of required science) are acting in positive ways toward the environment. Students from grades nine and ten exhibited almost the same environmental knowledge and attitudes, but the grade tens were more alarmed about the state of the environment and less naive about their abilities to have individual impact. While both groups reported pro-environmental behaviours, neither recycled materials after a luncheon. Where EE should be taught differed between all groups studied.

<p> This paper describes a teacher's action research within the place-based education (PBE) program at Forest Grove Community School (FGCS), a first through eighth grade public charter school in Forest Grove, Oregon. It seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of the program in delivering the skills, knowledge, values and internal locus of control necessary to promote stewardship and citizenship among students. A review of literature discusses the factors that contribute to the development of stewardship and citizenship, and how the philosophy of place-based education supports these factors. The researcher uses mixed methodology to gather diverse data regarding the school's program and its impact on the student body, and a collaborative action research approach to examine the program's strengths and identify areas for development. Instruments utilized for data collection include a survey administered to students and parents, teacher reflections, student work samples, and records of professional development meetings. An evaluation of the PBE program details the strengths and potential areas of development revealed through research. The conclusion presents several recommendations to the school for enhancing stewardship and citizenship development among students.</p>