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Pls. forward to SAED-share (fwd)
Hi SAEd people;
I am posting this for Valerie Burton, USDA-SARE. Looks like lots of
interesting educational material re: sustainable ag & other issues.
Best,
Nancy GS
>From: vberton@wam.umd.edu (Valerie Berton)
>Subject: Pls. forward to SAED-share
>
>Nancy:
>
>I was told you might be able to post the following message to SAED-share
>for me. Please let me know if you can't.
>
>Thanks in advance for your help.
>
>Valerie Berton
>SARE Communications Specialist
>
>
>
>What follows are excerpts from a public television press release that
>details a three-part mini-series, "Journey to Planet Earth," to air on PBS
>in April. For SAED-share, I've focused on part 3, "Land of Plenty, Land of
>Want," a study of agriculture in diverse farming communities. One profilee
>is Steve Groff, a sustainable row crop and vegetable farmer in
>Pennsylvania.
>
>Several free educational materials were developed to dovetail with the
>series. See below.
>
>"Land of Plenty, Land of Want" was funded in part by USDA's Sustainable
>Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program. For more information,
>contact Michele Reap of South Carolina Educational TV. Her contact
>information is at the end of this message.
>
>
>JOURNEY TO PLANET EARTH
>
>THREE-PART MINISERIES PREMIERES APRIL 6 ON PBS
>
>FREE EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS AVAILABLE
>
>The delicate relationship between people and the world they inhabit is
>explored in a new three-part documentary miniseries, JOURNEY TO PLANET
>EARTH, premiering Tuesday, April 6, 10-11 p.m. ET on PBS (check local
>listings). The series is made possible in part by funding from the USDA's
>SARE program.
>
>Narrated by Kelly McGillis, JOURNEY TO PLANET EARTH provides a perspective
>for viewers to understand the complexities underlying ecological issues.
>Each episode looks at a specific problem from the scientific, economic,
>political and historical viewpoints, as well as at efforts by different
>communities to address these problems. Computer-enhanced images open the
>episodes, dramatically illustrating the devastating impact people have made
>on the planet's ecosystem.
>
>Land of Plenty, Land of Want (April 20, 10-11 p.m. ET) visits diverse
>farming communities on four continents to examine worldwide problems of
>feeding a growing population. In Zimbabwe, an El Nino-related drought
>threatens famine for traditional subsistence farmers of a small village. In
>France, global competition forces farmers to abandon the harsh, remote
>Auvergne region, while in Brittany agriculture booms but at a severe cost
>to the local fishing industry and the environment due to overuse of
>pesticides. In China, expanding industry gobbles up much needed, highly
>productive, fertile farmland. In Lancaster, Pennsylvania, a farmer turns to
>more traditional methods to sustain his soil. In the Iowa corn belt,
>farmers use the latest technology to increase production and profitability
>and to preserve their soil.
>
>The first program, Rivers of Destiny, looks at the threat to the world's
>river system.
>
>The Urban Explosion (April 13, 10-11 p.m. ET) explores the effects of
>rapid, massive urbanization through journeys to four of the world's
>mega-cities.
>
>
>Free Educational Materials
>
>A Middle School Teacher's Package consists of a teacher's guide and video
>segments excerpted from the hour-long programs. The teacher's guide is made
>up of three lessons based on concepts covered in the programs. The
>specially selected video segments and teacher's guide are being made
>available to PBS stations nationwide. The video segments and teacher's
>guide may be duplicated and used in perpetuity. The teacher's guide can
>also be used with the full 60-minute programs, which carry the standard PBS
>one-year off-air record rights.
>
>The JOURNEY TO PLANET EARTH After-School Package, developed in conjunction
>with the National 4-H, combines video excerpts from the Land of Plenty,
>Land of Want program with hands-on activities. "Sustainable Agriculture--It
>All Starts with Soil" focuses on the importance of soil and is designed so
>a teacher, parent or volunteer can facilitate it with middle-school-aged
>youngsters. It can be used in after-school programs, local Boys and Girls
>Club programs, 4-H or Future Farmers of America programs, or with similar
>groups.
>
>The two video excerpts illustrate how the managers of two very different
>American farms--one a large-scale operation in Iowa; the other, a small
>tomato farm in Lancaster, Pennsylvania--are working to sustain their soil.
>The "Sustainable Agriculture" print component explains the importance of
>soil, the different kinds of soil, and how to determine the makeup of soil.
>The first hands-on activity introduces students to realistic examples of
>the differences between clayey, sandy, and silty soils; while, the second
>activity, an experiment, looks at the makeup of the layers of soil.
>
>The "Sustainable Agriculture--It All Starts with Soil" video segments and
>brochure are being made available to PBS stations nationwide. The video and
>print piece can be duplicated and the segments used in perpetuity. The
>print piece can also be used with the complete Land of Plenty, Land of Want
>program.
>
>The JOURNEY TO PLANET EARTH teacher's guide and the brochure for
>"Sustainable Agriculture--It All Starts with Soil" will be available to
>download from the JOURNEY TO PLANET EARTH Web site which will go up in
>mid-February. Additional resources for teachers can be found on the site,
>too. The address for the site will be
>http://www.pbs.org/teachersource/planetearth
>
>For more information on the JOURNEY TO PLANET EARTH programs and free
>educational materials, or to order educational materials if they aren't
>available from your PBS station, contact: Michele Reap, South Carolina
>Educational Television, 803/737-3394 or e-mail:
>
>The JOURNEY TO PLANET EARTH series, produced by Marilyn and Hal Weiner in
>association with South Carolina ETV, is underwritten by NASA, The W.K.
>Kellogg Foundation, The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, Continental
>Airlines, Inc., The World Bank with additional support from The Rockefeller
>Foundation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture-SARE, and the American Honda
>Foundation.
>
>
>-----------------------------------
>Valerie Berton
>SARE Communications Specialist
>2121 Ag/Life Sciences Surge Bldg.
>University of Maryland
>College Park, MD 20742-3358
>(301) 405-3186
>(301) 314-7373 (fax)
>vberton@wam.umd.edu
>http://www.sare.org
>-----------------------------------
>
*************************************
Nancy Grudens-Schuck, Ph.D.
Department of Education
422 Kennedy Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853
PHONE office: 607 255-2508
FAX: 607 255-7905
E-Mail: ng13@cornell.edu
http://www.cals.cornell.edu/dept/education/faculty/grudens/