Editor's note: The following story appears in the June 24 Town of Paradise Valley Independent. Post comments by hitting reply in the upper right-hand corner. Comments will be posted in an upcoming issue of the Town of Paradise Valley Independent.
SRP hosts workshop on global climate change
Forum hits on climate issues, renewable energy
By Zach Colick
Independent Newspapers
The topic of global climate change often brings about more questions than answers, as well as a wide variety of opinions from leading experts as to its exact cause.
To better prepare students to tackle the complex issue when they eventually become decision makers and enter the workforce, Salt River Project and the Arizona Foundation for Resource Education hosted June 10-13 the second annual Global Climate Change in the Southwest: An Academy for Educators.
The four-day workshop provided more than 50 elementary, middle and high school educators throughout the Valley and Arizona with the tools and knowledge to enable them to teach students about global climate change and renewable energy.
Teams of educators, including many from nearby Kiva Elementary School, 6911 E. McDonald Drive, learned new ways to bring this complicated topic, as well as the future of renewable energy, to the classroom across a variety of subject areas and grade levels.
Many of the teachers said they received a better perspective on energy resources and climate change, but this time from a business perspective.
The teachers took part in tours and various hands-on experiments to take back to their classroom. Stops along the way included:
• A renewable energy facility tour at Tri-Cities Landfill Generating Facility, 2341 N. Beeline Highway, Scottsdale;
• Rogers Solar Park, Lazona and University drives, Mesa;
• National Guard Solar AC Project, Arizona National Guard Papago Park Military Reservation, 5636 E. McDowell Road., Phoenix;
• Arizona Falls Hydroelectric Plant, 5802 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix.
Patty Garcia-Likens, SRP spokeswoman, said the topic of global climate change is broad since experts on both sides of the fence have their own opinions on the matter.
Because of the convulated nature of the topic at-hand, she said teachers at last week’s event asked many questions as they simply did not have the answers themselves.
Ms. Garcia-Likens said the purpose of the workshop was to show teachers the many different ways they can teach their students — in the hopes they will get interested and ask more questions — about renewable energy and the issue of global climate change.
“We gave them some powerful tools and information, so they (the teachers) can bring it to the classroom across a variety of subject areas and grade levels,” she said.
Last edited on Tue Jun 23rd, 2009 11:08 pm by Zach Colick
|
