ANN ARBOR—The University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment today launches a community-focused environmental education program to help educators, their students and the general public better understand sustainability and the benefits of building green.

The first component of the Teaching and Inspiring Environmental Stewardship (TIES) program is a field trip for educators and students. The two-hour program uses interactive displays, sustainability stations and a tour of the University’s greenest building to demonstrate environmentalism in action. Concepts of recycling, re-use and consumption reduction are emphasized.

The field trip is targeted toward students in grades 6-12. Educators will be able to use a form on the TIES Web site to begin requesting trips. All educational aspects of the field trip?what is taught and the educational learning principles used?were created to comply with State of Michigan Grade Level Content Expectations and Benchmarks.

“The TIES program is the first of its kind in the state of Michigan,” said David Allan, acting dean of the School of Natural Resources and Environment and a professor of aquatic sciences. “By incorporating lessons on sustainability, the environment and green construction into one educational experience, we are educating and transforming the behavior of future generations.”

A highlight of the trip will be an extensive tour of the Samuel T. Dana Building, the greenest building on Michigan’s campus. From its solar panels and composting toilets to motion-sensor lights, the building is a model of sustainable construction. The enhancements are all the more remarkable, since they breathed new life into a building that first opened in 1903.

An environmental studies class of juniors and seniors from South Lyon High School participated in one of the pilot programs. Science teacher Eric Kennedy said the tour’s hands-on approach is an invaluable educational tool.

“You can look at pictures, you can research the topic and you can have people talk with you about being green until you are blue in the face,” Kennedy said. “But until you actually see it and feel it, you really can’t get a handle on what sustainable building practices look like.”

Businesses and community groups are also an audience for the program and can take advantage of a guided building tour. The tour is given by trained U-M docents and includes stops at the 10 new interactive displays throughout the building. The tour gives business owners and their employees first-hand experience with working in a green building.

The TIES program was piloted during the past six months. Initially, SNRE set out only to standardize tours that were granted to interested parties on an ad hoc basis. But the school took that opportunity to expand its community outreach by strengthening the educational aspects of the tour and placing more emphasis on sustainability principles.

SNRE plans to create other educational and community outreach programs under the TIES umbrella.

Teaching environmental sustainability was indeed one of the main goals of the Dana renovation. “The Greening of Dana” was completed in 2004 and spanned two phases of renovation over five years. The U.S. Green Building Council awarded SNRE a Gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating, making it the only Gold LEED-certified building on campus. The renovation, conducted using sustainable building materials and green design principles, resulted in a 31 percent reduction in water use and a 30 percent reduction in energy use in the building.

During the field trip, students and teachers will experience:

• The “Trash to Treasure” activity. An Interactive and fun way to get students thinking about humans’ impact on the environment, in particular waste generation. The activity reinforces concepts of reducing, reusing, recycling and composting while introducing the concept of an ecological footprint.” It also links the ideas surrounding waste-minimization to the Greening of Dana.
• An “Introduction to The Greening of Dana” presentation. Provides brief history of The Greening of Dana renovation and explains how the building obtained a Gold rating based upon the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards of the U.S. Green Building Council.
• The “Great Green Adventure” tour. An interactive way to tour the Dana Building’s green features. SNRE docents guide smaller groups around the building to view green features and educational displays.
• Sustainability Stations. Links concept of sustainability to students’ lives by introducing environmentally responsible options to everyday decisions (e.g. clothing materials, grocery bags, light bulbs, transportation, food and lunches, cleaning products).
• “Green Futures” presentation. Provides students an idea of what they can do if they are interested in the environment by highlighting college course tracks and careers related to the environment.

More about the Green Ties Kick-Off:
The TIES Kick-Off begins at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 1, in the Ford Commons of the Dana Building. Guided tours of the building begin every 30 minutes; the ability to interact with the Sustainability Stations will be ongoing. Light refreshments will be served.

Related links:

• TIES
• Greening of Dana
• The LEED rating system
• Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute: http://www.graham.umich.edu/