Committee Report CR-8
The Civic Unity Committee held a public meeting on July 1, 2009 at 5 P.M. in the Sullivan Chamber. The purpose of the meeting was to conduct an informal brainstorming conversation with individuals and organizations working on energy conservation and climate protection and with youth organizations in Cambridge on how better to engage youth, in energy and action, about environmental actions and awareness in their communities.
Present at the meeting were Councillor Marjorie Decker, Chair of the Committee, Patty Nolan, School Committee member, Susanne Rasmussen, Director of Environmental and Transportation Planning, Community Development Department (CDD), Michelle Farnum, Director of Youth Programming, Department of Human Services Programs (DHSP), Sarah Link, DHSP, Ariane Berelowitch,CRLS student, Melissa Judtke, Robert V. Lange, George Mokray, Sue Butler, 14 Clinton Street, Lilah Glick, Cambridge Energy Alliance, David Rabkin, Cambridge Energy Alliance, Laurie Leyshon. Phil Sego, Norfolk Street, Sierra Club, and City Clerk D. Margaret Drury.
Councillor Decker convened the meeting and explained the purpose. She invited Professor. Lang to describe his work. Professor Lang first described his work with Village Projects International, part of the International Collaborative for Science, Education and the Environment. Professor Lang described working with youth in Sub Saharan African villages without electricity to supply solar-powered lighting and to construct more energy efficient and healthful stoves. He has also worked on developing and teaching kite-based aerial photography to monitor deforestation in Haiti. This summer he is holding a workshop for Newton middle school technology teachers on how to build a small solar project.
Professor Lang said that his main colleague in his work is Robert Busker, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory of California. They are cooperation on developing a solar box, modular solar power units, and training kids to use wonderful energy output monitors in Berkeley for energy efficiency and design. He can get matching grants from the National Laboratory for this kind of project.
Councillor Decker then invited Ms Farnum and Ms. Glick to describe summer programs for youth related to energy efficiency and climate change. Ms. Farnum provided an overview. They have four pre-teen programs at the youth centers that are mostly focused on science. There is a week-long program at the West Cambridge Youth Center entitled "Going Green." There is also a program at Fresh Pond on biological collecting, which is enabling the kids to develop a relationship with the Fresh Pond Ranger and to learn about water treatment and conservation. In a program in partnership with City Sprouts, the kids are doing a lot of work based on apples. Kids are involved in the City's energy champions program as well. Ms. Rasmussen noted that the Frisoli Youth Center will soon have solar panels on the roof.
Ms. Farnum said that the biggest teen environmental program this summer is "Terra-Scope Radio." In partnership with MIT, kids are developing a science-based radio program. They are also working with the Children's Museum on the production of an hour long radio program on environmental features. The features will be based on other programs in the city that are focused on environmental preservation. The teens will be doing the narration.
Ms. Farnum said that there are also three environmentally focused programs under the umbrella of the Mayor's Summer Jobs (MSJ). MSJ interns are working on the DPW collaboration with Green Sense on how to increase energy efficiency at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. For the second year, MSJ kids are working with the Friends of Alewife ecology program. In addition MSJ kids are part of a program at the New England Aquarium which provides opportunities for kids to learn about and describe for visitors the exhhibits.
Ms. Farnum said that there is room for many more new and interesting hands-on experience for young people during the year. They are always interested in getting professionals to help out.
Ms. Butler said that Jason Taylor is putting on a youth center micro/macro economics energy savings program in which the energy savings for the household will be split 50-50 between the youth and their parents. Ms. Glick said that some other communities have used a program in which the students go back home and bring energy saving techniques to their parents. In a Marshfield project, kids deployed solar devices into households and then measured the savings. This was an NSTAR program for middle school and high school students designed by the Rocky Mountain Institute.
Councillor Decker said that the youth centers offer another opportunity for teens who are not necessarily connected to science learning at the high school. Ms. Link said that DHSP has put a lot of work on engaging middle school students in after school programming. Starting in September they expect to have several hundred kids involved.
Ms. Nolan listed some other environmental agencies that either are now or could be useful in kids' science programming including: Green Streets, City Sprouts , the Cambridge Energy Alliance. In addition it would be useful for DHSP staff to discuss this issue with Summerbridge and the Bridge staff. She also suggested getting Rindge School for Technical Arts (RISTA) involved. Ms. Berelowitch said that she is working with Sarah Colby, a science teacher at CRLS who is focusing on developing a stronger environmental curriculum. Next year she wants to work with the freshman academy.
Ms. Rasmussen said that it is city policy now that all city projects will follow LEEDS standards. Members of the CRLS program at DPW described earlier are thinking about how kids can be involved and learn from this. It would be possible to develop a curriculum that could be used every time the city is doing a LEEDS construction project. Her department has been involved in most of the programs that have been discussed at this meeting. She is very happy to continue the discussion.
Councillor Decker said that she is interested in talking about more system ways to engage kids that are not dependent on the interest of a particular city employee, for example perhaps there could be an assessment and sign off on kids' involvement that would be required before the project could be called complete.
Ms. Butler said that perhaps young people could develop a structure to collect information, for example about city buildings where lights are left on at night, and get that information to the right places.
Mr. Mokray suggested using youth to monitor and including learning how to monitor in the curriculum. The project could include doing a complete through-put analysis and giving kids the responsibility to do the monitoring. He also suggested contacting the Charles River Watershed Association about having kids involved in water monitoring, and contacting Steve Kirwan, who produces the "Living on Earth" science oriented show. Also, Second Wind in Somerville is one of the foremost monitoring companies in the world.
Mr. Mokray demonstrated his solar bicycle lights. He said that with his solar-powered equipment, his battery is off-grid. Mr. Mokray suggested John Francis as someone who could communicate well with kids. He said that he personally would be willing to do a workshop with teachers on how to make simple solar-powered devices.
Councillor Decker suggested that Ms. Farnum and Ms. Glick could meet with some of the people who shared their experience and knowledge at this meeting. If they would like assistance from her office in scheduling such a meeting, she would be happy to arrange for such assistance. There could be another Civic Unity Committee meeting on this topic in the fall.