Tuesday, September 14, 2010

A Time to Plan, Amend and Plant! Meetings Start 09/17/10 at 1:20 PM

The 2010-2011 gardening school year begins! The garden club invites all interested middle school students to participate in planning, designing, building and tending the deck garden. Students need to plan on attending the weekly club meeting on the science deck 1:20-1:55 PM each Friday. Students leave JK Park at 1:15 and return to PHS with an adult in charge.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

07/29/10 SFPUC Waste Water Treatment Oceanside


LEAF at SFPUC Oceanside
Experiencing this facility blows your senses away! Getting to see where our waste goes and what needs to happen to treat it so that it isn't toxic to our environment is an important and powerful experience. San Francisco is doing everything it can to use all this waste, turning our biological waste into compost and energy from the methane. The problem is the garbage that we all throw down the toilets and drains. There are only three things that should be going down the drain to include human waste and toilet paper. The rest needs to be recycled, reused or sent to landfills.

Thank you to Johnathan Smith at SFPUC for making this happen. He really opened our eyes to our role in managing our waste and inspired us all to spread the word. Thank you to Dale and Rusty for showing us around the control room.

Waste Water Reflections
“I’ll try not to flush as many times in a day. I’ll try to use less fresh water.”

~Shannon

“I’ll try not to waste water! I’m going to spread the word about not flush garbage.”

~Gena

“It was very, very, very stinky. I learned the water we flush goes back to the ocean. I was surprised that sewer water ends up so clear… it starts out in such an awful condition.”

~Alex

“It shocked me what people put down the drains and toilets. I’ll think twice before I flush anything down the toilet. I can teach my parents about what they should put down the drain.”

~Daphna

“I was impressed by how much of SF waste is transformed to clean water, compost and methane energy.”

~Wendy

“Visiting the sewer isn’t something I would normally do. I’m going to be way more cautious about what I flush!”

~Natalia

“I care more about what I flush!”

~Paolo

“I was surprised to see how clean and organized a waste treatment facility can be! It was wonderful to see how our waste is being put to use in creating compost and bio fuels.”

~Isaac

“I think differently about global warming. Now I know SF isn’t putting everything into the ocean and I feel better.”

~Hannah

“It was so fun being in the SFPUC’s laboratory! We all need to experience the biological waste we produce in this way. The sights, sounds and smells are powerful. I feel more connected to what is really happening and am ready to be more responsible for my impact on the environment.”

~Todd

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

07/28/10 Recology

LEAF at RECOLOGY
We saw the shocking amount of trash a single San Francisco neighborhood can produce in one week! Mountains of trash rose up everywhere at Recology's 501 Tunnel Avenue site in San Francisco. Armies of workers were busy dealing with composting, garbage and recycling. Trucks roared past us, in and out of buildings, dumping our waste. Monster sized bulldozers plowed valleys through the towering drifts of garbage. Growling machines and conveyor belts whisked trash past the people who were sorting out items not properly sorted in homes, schools and businesses.

Monster Machine
We met a group of remarkable people. Val, an artist in residence, welcomed us into her studio to share her work and to show us how she reclaims the trash at Recology to produce her art. Val will be having a showing at Recology 09/17/10 and 09/18/10! You should check it out. Next, Mika took us into the transfer station. It was like stepping into a science fiction movie! Huge machines and vehicles racing everywhere we looked!

Sculpture Garden Resident
We hiked up to the sculpture garden on the hill started by Jo Hansen in 1992. Each sculpture in this beautiful garden is the work of a past Recology artist in residence. The lush plants were found in and saved from on site trash and compost and have been given a second chance in this thriving garden.

We  joined a caravan and traveled to Pier 96 where San Francisco's recycling goes to be processed. It operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They bale up plastics, aluminum and paper which will be turned into new products. The aluminum stays in the United States and the paper and plastics are shipped to China. When ships carrying imported goods from China are unloaded in Oakland the recycling from Recology is loaded and shipped back to China.

Thank you to Val, Mika, Kate, Marcus and Sharon for making us feel welcome, sharing their expertise and passion and for keeping us safe.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

07/27/10 Day of Service at McKinley Park

LEAF with SF Park and Rec.


Thank you to Kristin Bowman for coordinating this event and for creating endless opportunities for youth to serve and make differnces in our communities. Kimberly and Jadd did a remarkable job of providing the history of parks in San Francisco and creating context and meaning for doing service. As a result, students really understood why open spaces and parks are important to all people living in cities. Joyce and Susan from the Mckinley Park Board made us feel very welcome and appreciated. Horticulturist, David Lamb, was a great teacher and leader for this project informing us and inspiring us to work hard and be safe. Thank you to all the neighborhood people who stopped to talk and thank us for our efforts.

Monday, July 26, 2010

07/26/10 Steep Ravine Canyon

LEAF at lunch
Steep Ravine Canyon is spectacular.  This year's rainfall has left the canyon lush, and green with water cascading from every arroyo. We choose this location for the endless opportunities to practice applying the principles of ecology as tools for making observations and describing the connections and relationships among the members of this ecosystem. We tested water quality and were fortunate and observant enough to find a nest of fish eggs and an egg sack at our sampling location in the stream. We were pleased to have another chance to practice identifying plant species and found we remembered pretty much every type of plant Jody had shared with us while working with her last Tuesday at SPAWN.

Xochitl Gonzalez's impressions from the Marine Mammal Center

Today I got to go to the Marine Mammal Center.

Dolphin Necropsy
One sad thing I saw was a dead dolphin.
The workers found it on the shore of Bodega Bay.
We could see them necropsying the dolphin.
And... the good news is a California Sea Lion that had a lung problem is getting set free tomorrow!

~Xochitl Gonzalez

Saturday, July 24, 2010

07/23/10 Rodeo Valley Watershed and The Marine Mammal Center

Rodeo Beach
The day started with us reflecting on our week's experiences and getting ready to present our observations, learning, growth and conclusions to you. We came to consensus as to what needs to be shared from each day. We put energy into going over our field notebooks which are full of writing, data and sketches. We sorted through the photos and movies that have been taken of the week’s events. The two hours of work were very productive and we felt like we achieved a lot. Next, we packed up our lab equipment and computers and headed to Rodeo Valley to monitor the water quality in the watershed. Rodeo Valley was a great location for seeing that all water is flowing toward the ocean. We practiced measuring dissolved oxygen, turbidity, pH, and temperature. We learned about these measures and their meaning from Blaine at SPAWN. However, this time we got to use the digital equipment for ourselves! We each took turns at mastering the process of using a sensor or probe and then would teach that process to another student team. Once our water quality data was complete, we headed to The Marine Mammal Center where we were immediately led to the viewing of a dolphin necropsy already in progress. The necropsy was necessary to determine the cause of death. We proceeded to the center's classroom to study a collection of specimens and artifacts highlighting how our trash and abandoned fishing gear injures wildlife, specifically seals and sea lions. Finally, we sat and observed the many seals and sea lions living at and being cared for by the center, a sight that inspired each of us to write and sketch.

07/22/10 Graze the Roof an Edible Garden Project at Glide

We sat in on a gardening class of sixteen students in Glide's summer education program. It was a confidence building experience having to introduce ourselves to this new group of people. The class presentation covered the history and benefits of rooftop gardening. It was interesting to observe the different conditions in which people come together to learn and to see how different the atmosphere down in the building was as compared to the feeling of being in the garden on the roof. Maya, Glide's gardens project coordinator, took us on a tour of the edible garden on the roof six stories above the Tenderloin streets. We met other volunteers who were there to tend the garden as well. Maya showed us strategies used to tend container gardens and then set us loose to work. She expected us to identify plants that had gone to seed and needed to be removed. We harvested anything that could still be eaten, dug seeding plants up, and amended the soil with compost from American Soil. We disposed of the plant bodies in Glide's rooftop worm bins. We were productive and inspired! Maya challenged us to come up with ideas as to what we could add to their garden. Three possibilities were hanging planters for the fencing around the garden, a weather station and hummingbird feeders. Maya suggested we come up with a plan and return to Glide to install the project once school started in September. Maya also invited everyone to continue participating in the weekly garden work days scheduled 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM each Thursday.

Friday, July 23, 2010

07/21/10 SPAWN Water Quality Monitoring

We joined Blaine, Jeannie and Carrie of SPAWN to learn how to monitor the health of streams through invertibrate sampling and the use of digital lab equipment.  We learned about disolved oxygen, electroconductivity, pH, and how temperature infuences them. This experience made us think about how an ecological community regulates and organizes itself always striving for balance.

07/20/10 SPAWN Plant Species Identification and Habitat Restoration

Today was fabulous! It was fun having an expert take us through and help us understand a specific ecosystem. Jodi, Jeannie and Kate took us on a plant ID walk at Devil’s Gulch. We learned about the life cycle of the salmon and about how the cycle of the salmon is important for that ecosystem (dead salmon feed the surrounding living things, etc.) We learned about native and non-native and how to identify the two. We learned about Willow trees. We then went to Roy’s Pools to learn about the restoration work there. We had a great time pulling wild radish from the creek bed.

07/19/10 LEAF at Cataract Falls in MMWD

Today we recommitted to being mindful, being safe in all situations, to the respectful ways we do business and shared ideas about the projects we will create together. We traveled to Cataract Falls, a remarkable community of plants, animals and organisms to observe how they are all interconnected. Our job was to observe, collect data and to share our experiences with the group and the world at large.

Notes 03/04/11

Leaf Notes 3/4/11

In attendance:

Eleanor/Todd/Isaac

Daphna

Hannah

Alex

Xochitl- at the end

Paolo- at the end

I-movie (Isaac and Daphna)

-Notes of what to change

- next LEAF meeting (March 18th) voice-overs

Water Bottle committee (Alex, Hannah, Eleanor)

Important Dates: Thursday, March 10th (Staff meeting presentation preparations)

Worm People (Gena, Paolo and Todd)

Worms cared for…

Next Week’s agenda:

1) Water Bottle Campaign meeting on Thursday at lunch in Interior Room (Alex, Xochitl, Hannah)

Focus: Presentation to Staff Meeting

The purpose and the logistics of the campaign (why?, when?, how?, where?)

Post Announcement!

Notes 02/18/11

In attendance:

Eleanor/Todd/Isaac

Xochitl

Daphna

Natalia

Alex

Gena ?

Paolo

Ashley (honored guest)

Bulletin Board Committee (Xochitl, Daphna, Ashley) met:

Tasks accomplished:

bulletin board got the background paper up

Leaf images went up

Next Meeting: Drink Outside the Bottle Campaign

Water Bottle committee (Natalia, Alex, Lynda, Eleanor)

Decisions made:

Start selling bottles March 18th

Sell bottles for $10/ bottle; rebate $5 if the 21 day challenge is met!

Leaflets will track the 21 day challenge for MS/ collect info from LS each Friday of the challenge (ends around Earth Day- what an awesome coincidence!)

Alex and Natalia will present the campaign at the Tuesday staff meeting (3/15- ides of March; Need Scott’s permission

Worm People (Gena, Paolo and Todd)

Worms cared for…

Next Week’s agenda:

1) Water Bottle Project [Alex, Natalia, and other leaflets (Shannon?, Hannah? Make it all Leaflets? and honored guests, Eleanor]

Need to write Post article- connect with the Green Corner people?

Need to update blog (Todd- can you help with this?)

Create tracking sheets for MS/ LS

Bulletin Board: Featured Project: Drink Outside the Bottle

2) LEAF: the Movie editing [Xochitl, Daphna]

With Isaac in 5th grade classroom!!!!

3) Caring for Worms Project [Gena and Paolo, w/ Todd]

-Check on worms

-Create a “How To Care” routine checklist- laminate!!

On the Docket:

Rain Barrels [Hannah, Daphna]

Light Switches [Xochitl and ???]

Leaf Notes 2/11/11

In attendance:

Eleanor/Todd

Xochitl

Daphna

Ashley (honored guest)

Bulletin Board Committee (Xochitl, Daphna) met:

Tasks accomplished:

bulletin board got the background paper up

looked at various calendars

have a doc detailing what goes on the "Club Board"

Next week meeting: need to put info up on the board- laminate headings: use colorful paper!

Water Bottle committee quasi-met (me asking bulletin board committee questions)

Decisions made:

2 students/ Coffee Friday sell the bottles.

2 Bake Sales

@ Auction

Need to write up an advertisement for the Green Corner in the Post (next Friday)

Next Week’s agenda:

Water Bottle Project [Alex, Natalia, and Eleanor]

Meeting with Lynda at 1:20 to discuss bottle selling campaign

LEAF: the Movie editing [Xochitl, Daphna]

With Isaac in 5th grade classroom

Caring for Worms Project [Gena and Paolo, w/ Todd]

-Check on worms

-Create a “How To Care” routine checklist- laminate!!

On the Docket:

Rain Barrels [Hannah, Daphna]

Light Switches [Xochitl and ???]

Student(s) not assigned to a project: Shannon