Stormwater Solutions Deep Dive Final Synthesis
Celina Steiger Urban Ecology Antioch EDUC 536 Fall 2015
Contents Introduction
Page 1
Project Exemplars 1: Blacktop to Bioswale – Portland, OR
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2: Greenroof – Bronx, NY
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3: Greening Greenfield – Philadelphia, PA
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4: Student Stormwater Interns – Encinitas, CA
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5: RainWise – Seattle, WA
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6: School Trees for Stormwater, East Palo Alto, CA Environmental Education Applications
Page 11 Page 13
Introduction Stormwater runoff is one of the Pacific Northwest’s greatest environmental challenges. Stormwater runoff going into streams, rivers, lakes and the Puget Sound itself is the number one source of toxic pollution in the Sound1.
Background As our urban areas grow year after year, the amount of impervious surface increases as well. Impervious surfaces are those that do not let water enter the ground as in a natural system. Impervious surfaces include rooftops, roads, parking lots and other paved places. In addition, lawn and other compacted surfaces do a poor job of letting water drain into the ground, making those Runoff from mostly impervious surfaces compared to runoff from fewer impervious surfaces. Image from surfaces essentially impervious https://nyustormwateroutreachprusvi.files.wordpress.com also. As water drains off these impervious surfaces and into either waterways or combined sewer systems, two main problems arise. 1. Water picks up speed and volume, thereby increasing the risk of flooding and erosion, and the number of sewer overflows;
2. Water picks up pollutants that end up in waterways, causing harm to fish and other wildlife, people and ecosystems.
Stormwater management solutions are necessary to slow runoff water down, clean it, and allow it to soak into the ground. Slowing and capturing stormwater runoff down allows it to soak into the ground, which recharges groundwater and removes pollutants from the water via soil and plants. A current popular slogan for handing stormwater is “slow it down, spread it out, and soak (or sink) it in”, representing the methods of management suited for community and homeowner action to treat stormwater Green stormwater infrastructure solutions use soil and plants: “onsite”. Many municipalities around the Rain gardens or stormwater gardens country have promoted and mandated Bioswales stormwater management through Green roofs “green” and “gray” infrastructure. Green Gardens and other plantings stormwater infrastructure (see box) has Retention ponds and wetlands the added benefit of acting as habitat for Gray stormwater solutions do not involve plants: wildlife and native plants, as well as Cisterns and rain barrels providing general greenspace values. Pervious pavement
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Puget Soundkeeper. http://www.pugetsoundkeeper.org/aboutpugetsound/pollution /. 1
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Stormwater at Schools As stormwater runoff becomes more understood by scientists (for example, that it has deadly effects on salmon) and green stormwater infrastructure becomes more common in our cities as a way to manage runoff, education is needed for adults and youth to better understand stormwater runoff. In schools around the country, especially in urban areas, it seems that stormwater is a “hot topic”. Students in many places are not only learning about stormwater, pervious and impervious surfaces, and green infrastructure, they are seeing and helping with stormwater projects in their schoolyards. Stormwater infrastructure projects at schools and involving students have many benefits beyond the ecological value that these projects provide. These projects can serve as models for other schools, and for school districts and government agencies. Stormwater solutions that are at least partially engineered (designed) and/or implemented by students have a variety of benefits, such as:
empowerment in learning through relevant, hands-on, team-based projects, skill-building and career development, experiential learning in STEM (specifically engineering), fostering engaged, knowledgeable citizen stewards.
Projects that occur at schools benefit not only the students involved in their implementation, but all students benefit (with regard to physical and mental health and improved learning, for example) from the green space that is created.
This Synthesis The six project case studies, or exemplars, contained within this synthesis shine the spotlight on the work of urban students, organizations and agencies working to improve water quality and ecosystem health, as well as support equity-minded educational opportunities and student achievement. The projects illustrate the power of collaboration and partnership between various groups to achieve goals. In some cases these projects were initiated by students, and in other cases by municipalities charged with taking care of stormwater runoff. Each exemplar includes a section about “the project” itself (who, when, where, etc.), “highlights”, or unique and interesting elements about the project, and “implications” for our understanding of stormwater solutions. Urban projects in Philadelphia, Seattle and California schools will be highlighted, among others. Specific stormwater solutions outlined are: a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h)
Removing impervious surfaces Rain gardens and bioswales Green roofs Pervious surfaces Edible gardens Trees Cisterns and rain barrels Education and outreach
The final section of the synthesis outlines three environmental education activities that could be developed further using the information contained within this introduction and the exemplars.
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Blacktop to Bioswale James John Elementary Portland, OR
Stormwater Solutions Deep Dive Celina Steiger Urban Ecology Fall 2015
The Project James John Elementary joined a unique group of schools in Portland that are removing some of their blacktop. Organized by Depave, a nonprofit based in Portland Oregon, the project started with heavy machinery brought in to cut up the asphalt, then chunks were dug up, lifted out and put in dumpsters by hand by volunteers from the community. In place of the blacktop at this school, volunteers planted a bioswale and planting beds (shown at top right) and converted some space into a soft-surface play area and turf field.
Highlights 4000 ft2 of blacktop removed by hand by youth and adult volunteers, supporting community building during the process (image at bottom right) Funding received in part from an EPA Environmental Justice Small Grant and East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District Project completed over two phases in 2011 and 2012 and supported by a variety of local organizations
Planting bioswale at James John Elementary School in Portland, OR. Image from Eric Rosewall/Depave.
Implications Blacktop, asphalt and pavement are all surfaces that keep rainwater from entering the ground, forcing it to runoff into stormdrains or nearby soil. By removing at least some of these impervious surfaces, schools do their part to manage stormwater runoff while enhancing school grounds with garden spaces or other green features like bioswales. An Students digging out asphalt at depaving project at James John additional ecological benefit from removing blacktop includes Elementary School in Portland, OR. Image from Depave. the reduction of the “heat-island effect” (dark surfaces absorbing sun, trapping and radiating heat). Depave’s projects Sources: involve community groups and school students and families as Amara Holstein. “Asphalt Be Gone! How Depave is Replacing Parking Lots with Parks” in Build a Better Burb, the online journal volunteers in an effort to empower and boost community solidarity. of suburban design. http://buildabetterburb.org/asphalt-be-goneThis project serves as a powerful example of groups coming how-depave-is-replacing-parking-lots-with-parks/ together to work on stormwater issues in a creative way that Depave: http://depave.org/james-john-2012/ includes community building, student learning, and school enhancement. 3
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Stormwater Solutions Deep Dive
Greenroof Bronx Design & Construction Academy
Celina Steiger Urban Ecology Fall 2015
The Project Led by teacher Nathaniel Wight, high school students at Bronx Design and Construction Academy developed and installed New York City’s first greenroof on a public school in 2010. The project allowed for a deeply integrated context for learning and skill building, involving students learning about architecture, engineering, environmental science, art, math, plumbing and drafting. The 1500 ft2 roof is planted with sedums and other plants, including edibles. Rain catchment and solar panels were part of a second phase of the project.
Highlights $40,000 project funded by City Gardens Club, NY Bronx Design and Construction Academy ninth-graders Elton Hollingsworth Department of Environmental Conservation and (left) and Noel Cruz, both 14, stand atop the green roof with Nathaniel Wight (far right), a teacher who leads the school's science club. (Photo by Nick Sustainable South Bronx Pandolfo) Students presented original research about the effect of the greenroof on solar panels that were installed on the roof at national conferences School won $100,000 Zahed Future Energy Prize from Abu Dhabi for solar panel/greenroof study
Implications Greenroofs provide a place for rainwater to be stored and absorbed by plants and soil and In summer, depending on the plants and depth of growing medium, green roofs retain 70-90% of the precipitation that falls on them; in winter they retain between 25-40%.
Green roofs not only retain rainwater, but also moderate the temperature of the water and act as natural filters for any of the water that happens to run off.
Green roofs reduce the amount of stormwater runoff and also delay the time at which runoff occurs, resulting in decreased stress on sewer systems at peak flow periods. (www.greenroofs.org)
This particular project illustrates how a stormwater feature can be integrated into curriculum across disciplines, involving students in the whole process from design and implementation to evaluation. In this case, the students use a project-based learning model to collaborate with university students (on the study) and present their study findings at a professional conference, winning an award along the way. 4
Sources: Nick Pandolfo. The Bronx Ink, “The green roof that keeps on giving”. Posted on 04 November 2010. http://bronxink.org/2010/11/04/9306the-green-roof-that-keeps-on-giving/ Nick Pandolfo. Hechinger Report, “Experiments on Bronx Schools Green Roof Taking Students Far”. Posted on May 25, 2012. http://hechingerreport.org/experiments-on-bronx-schools-greenroof-taking-students-far/ http://www.greenroofs.org/index.php/about/greenroofbenefits http://inhabitat.com/nyc/bronx-school-with-first-city-approvedgreen-roof-scoops-100000-prize-in-abu-dhabi/
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Greening Greenfield
Stormwater Solutions Deep Dive
Philadelphia
Celina Steiger Urban Ecology Fall 2015
The Project Efforts to green Albert Greenfield Elementary School in Center City, Philadelphia, PA began in 2009 and continued until 2013. This 5-phase project included porous play surfaces, an edible garden, a rain garden, and native woodland trees, all designed to collect the runoff from the adjacent asphalt areas as well as provide educational and wellness benefits. A variety of partners were included from design to implementation. Students were involved in the design process through design charrettes and helped plant some of the gardens spaces.
Highlights Involved a range of community Above: Good planning for both plants and play: Play equipment is adjacent to rain stakeholders: gardens, which means that students end up interacting with the native plants—playing o Greening Greenfield Committee of the hide and seek, digging for worms—while at recess. The paved play areas have the added benefit of channeling water into the plant beds. (Image from Community Design school’s Home and School Association Collaborative) including parents and teachers o Community Design Collaborative, a local nonprofit o Philadelphia Water Department and its Green Schools program o Philadelphia Horticultural Society o Philadelphia School District o Neighbors and community groups o Students! Won National Green Ribbon Award from US Department of Education in 2013 Curriculum by Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center was designed around green stormwater features and connected to wider watershed issues. Water quality testing and trips to nearby Schuylkill River connected learning from the school grounds to the river.
Implications According to the Philadelphia Water Department website, “Schools cover more than 1,400 acres in Philadelphia's combined sewer area, and 67% of these school sites are covered in impervious surfaces such as rooftops and asphalt paving. The Green Schools Program is an effort to build green infrastructure at schools to manage stormwater runoff from these impervious surfaces in order to reduce the impact of combined sewer overflows on Philadelphia's rivers and streams. Green stormwater infrastructure also provides educational opportunities for students and instructors, and 5
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enhanced recreational amenities and aesthetic improvements to campuses.” The Program supports greening of schools through grants, curriculum and other tools and guides, and a network of resources. Glen Abrams of the Philadelphia Water Department notes that it used to be that in urban areas, the intention was to “get the water offsite as quickly as possible” but that we should consider “rainfall as (a) resource (and) part of a natural system” (video, Philadelphia Water Department). In this project, some asphalt was left in place to direct the runoff into the porous play surfaces and gardens where it could absorb into the ground. In this way, 97% of the stormwater from the school grounds is captured (Pope, 2013). Handling stormwater onsite was key to this project. The first two phases of the project were designed by Viridian Landscape Studio, and included: a bioswale with check dams to slow run-off and allow absorption. a variety of native plants; the landscape evapotranspires stormwater, provides shade, and creates a mini native Pennsylvania forest Mind the flow: The thin gray topographic lines on this site plan for Greenfield’s stormwater features show how the playground’s ecosystem. stormwater flows towards the street and shaped the design. (Image a porous rubber play surface with a series of from Community Design Collaborative) mounds for play. Infiltrated stormwater collects in a planted bed and infiltrates or evapotranspires. (Viridian Landscape Studio) It was critical to the organizers that the space add to the community green space and that “integrated curriculum is just as important as physical improvements”. This project is a model of a collaborative, multi-faceted effort by a local community bolstered by the support of the school district and municipal water authority. The project served as a catalyst for greening the inside of the building (including installing a rooftop solar array), and for sparking stormwater-focused projects at other schools around Philadelphia.
Location of Albert Greenfield Elementary, just blocks from the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, PA (Image from Google) Sources: Community Design Collaborative. http://cdesignc.org/guides/schoolyards/case-studies/greenfield Philadelphia Water Department. http://www.phillywatersheds.org/what_were_doing/green_infrastructure/programs/greenschools Green Treks Network Video: https://vimeo.com/15231400 Charlotte Pope. Philadelphia Public Schools online Notebook “Center City elementary school greens its way to national honor”. Posted on Apr 24, 2013. http://thenotebook.org/blog/135921/greenfield-elementary-named-green-ribbon-school Viridian Landscape Studio. http://www.viridianls.com/#!greening-greenfield/c22oq 6
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Student Stormwater Interns Encinitas & Carlsbad, CA
Stormwater Solutions Deep Dive Celina Steiger Urban Ecology Fall 2015
The Project In 2014, the Encinitas Union School District implemented a plan to enlist 5th and 6th grade students at 5 elementary schools develop Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans (SWPPPs) for their schools. Approximately 100 students have participated so far, guided by stormwater experts from the community, and resulting in the presentation of the students’ plans for the District in May, 2015. During this year-long course, students researched where the rainwater went at their school, collected and tested water samples and then produced the SWPPPs, which included Best Management Practices (BMPs) for the district and for specific school sites.
Students from the SWPPP program conduct outreach at a fundraiser 5/10K run organized by Surfing Madonna Oceans Project. (Image from Surfing Madonna Oceans Project)
Highlights Focus on student-driven effort to address stormwater at schools through student-proposed BMPs and SWPPPs. Included community-based professionals (scientists, lawyers and municipal water experts) to guide hands-on science and engineering learning. Program is a part of a District-wide focus on sustainability and wellness that integrates issues of environmental health, nutrition, energy, waster, water, grounds, transportation and civics within curriculum. (Specific curriculum information unavailable).
Implications The Encinitas Union School District encompasses the cities of Carlsbad and Encinitas, on the southern coast of California just north of San Diego. Stormwater in this region flows nearly directly to the ocean, so contaminants quickly affect beaches where many people go for recreational activities. Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans are developed to outline strategies for improving the quality of stormwater. Plans identify potential contaminants and describe ways to reduce pollution of stormwater through BMPs. These are 7
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technical documents that serve as a strategy for municipalities and others that must deal with stormwater based on state and federal regulations. Through a process of research and education, data collection and evaluation, and BMP design and presentation, students took ownership of their school’s stormwater management. The SWPPPs were presented to the District Board of Trustees and adopted. That 5th and 6th grade students were involved in the process of creating such documents for their schools, with the guidance of professionals in the community, speaks to the vision of the Encinitas Union School District and their desire to prepare students for citizenship and careers in the green economy.
Students conduct water quality testing at Batiquitos Lagoon (L) and investigate where their schools’ storm drains lead (R). (Below) Students test water samples at Encina Wastewater Authority. (Photos from Olivenhain Municipal Water District)
Sources: The Coast News “Youth have a hand in protecting ocean”. June 18, 2014. http://www.thecoastnews.com/2014/06/18/youth-have-hand-in-protecting-ocean/ Dudek Blog “5th and 6th Graders Add Stormwater Quality to Curriculum”. Posted on June 15, 2015. http://blog.dudek.com/5th-and-6th-graders-add-stormwater-quality-tocurriculum/#.VlEOnnarTre Olivenhain Municipal Water District. https://www.olivenhain.com/files/docs/csda/CSDA%20Present%205.14.14.pdf Surfing Madonna Oceans Project. http://surfingmadonna.org/storm-water-drainfiltration-systems/ US Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools report. http://www2.ed.gov/programs/green-ribbon-schools/2014-schools/ca-district-awardencinitas-union-school-district.pdf
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RainWise at Hope Academy & Alnoor Mosque
Stormwater Solutions Deep Dive Celina Steiger Urban Ecology Fall 2015
Seattle The Project In November 2015, Hope Academy, a K-8 private school in West Seattle/White Center associated with Alnoor Mosque, unveiled two rain gardens and four rainwater cisterns, the result of two years of work with multiple partner organizations. These stormwater solutions will divert and capture tens of thousands of gallons of runoff per year from approximately 5,500 square feet of rooftop. This project involved the following organizations, which provided funding and expertise: Stewardship Partners Environmental Coalition of South Seattle 12,000 Rain Gardens RainWise, a program of the City of Seattle King County
One of two “RainWise” rain gardens at Hope Academy (Image from West Seattle Blog)
Highlights Project features the Somali Muslim immigrant community in West Seattle, typically an underserved community. As Mohamed Moalim, Hope Academy’s principal, noted, “Faith has to do with the environment all the time” (Morrow, KING 5 News) Through rebates from the City of Seattle’s RainWise program and funding from a new ACCESS grant available from Stewardship Partners, RainWise and King County, the project was FREE to Hope Academy. Students are “RainWise-trained” to monitor and care for the rain gardens. Teachers will use the rain gardens to support education about climate change, water quality and other environmental issues.
Implications Ribbon cutting ceremony with students, school leaders and community In the beginning, the rain garden/cistern project was a supporters at Hope Academy rain garden. (Image from West Seattle response to flooding in the basement of the school resulting Blog) from inadequate drainage around the building. To get the water away from the building, the downspouts were disconnected from the combined-sewer system and instead 9
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connected to the cisterns and the rain garden. This rain garden is now one of 2,260 in the Puget Sound Region; Stewardship Partners and 12,000 Rain Gardens have a goal of 12,000 rain gardens in the region by 2016. Cisterns are large water containers that can be used to collect runoff from roofs. The cisterns at Hope Academy (see photo below) can store 45,000 gallons of water per year, slowly releasing it into the garden or being used to water gardens during the summer. This project was an interesting exemplar of stormwater solutions in part due to the involvement of Environmental Coalition of South Seattle (ECOSS). According to the West Seattle Blog, “for two years, ECOSS guided the mosque through the project by coordinating logistics, interpretation, troubleshooting issues such as old plumbing and drainage, teaching the students and staff about water topics, and engaging the community members in planning, plant selection, and work parties”. ECOSS was able to leverage their resources, funding from Russell Foundation and the RainWise rebate and grant program to support the vision of the leaders of the mosque/school. ECOSS’s expertise in placing communities of color central to creating and implementing sustainable environmental solutions is a model for other urban organizations focused on environmental challenges.
Cisterns at Hope Academy. (Image from West Seattle Blog)
Sources: Stewardship Partners “Stewardship Partner Spotlight”. Posted on 19 August, 2015. http://www.stewardshippartners.org/blog/page/4/ Allison Morrow. KING 5 News, “First RainWise Mosque Celebrates in Seattle”. Nov 23, 2015. http://www.king5.com/story/tech/science/environment/2015/11/20/rainwise-mosque-storm-water-run-off-rain-garden-cisterns/76138956/ West Seattle Blog. “VIDEO: Dedicating Seattle’s first mosque raingarden in South Delridge”. Posted on November 22, 2015. http://westseattleblog.com/2015/11/video-dedicating-seattles-first-mosque-raingarden-in-south-delridge/ West Seattle Blog. “Celebration of First RainWise Mosque in Seattle”. Posted on November 19, 2015. http://westseattleblog.com/ai1ec_event/celebration-offirst-rainwise-mosque-in-seattle/?instance_id= 12,000 Rain Gardens. http://www.12000raingardens.org/blog/
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Stormwater Solutions Deep Dive
School Trees for Stormwater East Palo Alto
Celina Steiger Urban Ecology Fall 2015
The Program Canopy, a nonprofit based in Palo Alto in the Bay Area of California, is planting trees at schools in Palo Alto and East Palo Alto through their “Healthy Trees, Healthy Kids” (HTHK) program, an off-shoot of their successful “East Palo Alto Tree Initiative”. These programs focus attention on “canopy equity” that is need in the East Palo Alto community (see image at right). The goal of HTHK was to plant 1000 trees at schools between 2011 and 2015 (they completed their goal in only 4 years). Planting events often include students, and tree education is included in Canopy’s involvement with schools. Additionally, Canopy runs a “Teen Urban Forester” program, training and employing high school students from East Palo Alto as urban forestry technicians.
Tree cover near schools in Palo Alto and East Palo Alto is markedly different, leading to the need for “canopy equity” in East Palo Alto. (Image from Canopy)
Highlights Program addresses environmental justice Program includes education components, including a high school training and employment program Program relies on volunteers to complete tree plantings. Corporate volunteers are utilized with the goal of increasing community connectedness.
Implications According to Canopy’s Healthy Trees, Healthy Kids website, “the program creates healthier school grounds for children by: scrubbing the air of 85% of particulate pollution, a major contributor to asthma
Young students helping to plant a tree in Ravenswood City School
District, East Palo Alto. (Image from Canopy) replacing a sea of black-top where play equipment can be too hot to touch, with cooler shaded areas that encourage the kind of active play that can combat obesity
protecting children from harmful UV rays providing shade for lunch time, which will leave students more alert for afternoon learning 11
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lowering air-conditioning costs for school campuses offering healthy additions to kids’ diets with fruit-bearing trees on campus”. While these benefits are extremely important, especially in the context of schools, trees’ value in managing stormwater should not be overlooked. When planted in existing lawn – which is usually considered pervious, but is often fairly compacted and could be approximately 40% impervious – trees are increase the effectiveness of that area in handling stormwater (Bowles). Trees increase the absorption of water into the soil through their root system and store and slow down large amounts of water through the increased surface area of leaves and bark, as compared with grass and especially blacktop (Fazio; see image at left). Evergreen trees, especially in the Pacific Northwest, are ideally suited for helping with stormwater, as they still have their leaves when it is most rainy in the fall and winter. Canopy’s work to “to bring the life-giving benefits of trees to the schools, neighborhoods, and public spaces of the San Francisco Mid-Peninsula” is important and they can be acknowledge for their consideration of environmental justice in their efforts. Like many organizations that do work to plant trees with youth or at schools however, Canopy’s programs and educational messages could be strengthened by including the very relevant impacts trees have on stormwater and water quality.
Watering newly planted tree at East Palo Alto school. (Image from Canopy) Sources: Glenn Bowles. “Impervious surface – an environmental indicator”. Center for Land Use Education, UW-Stevens Point. http://www.uwsp.edu/cnrap/clue/Documents/Water/Impervious_Surface.pdf Canopy, “Healthy Trees, Healthy Kids”. http://canopy.org/programs/tree-planting/healthy-trees-healthy-kids/ Canopy, “Canopy Tree Awards”. http://canopy.org/about-canopy/canopy-tree-awards/ James R Fazio. Tree City USA Bulletin #55, “How Trees Can Retain Stormwater Runoff”. US Forest Service. http://www.fs.fed.us/psw/programs/uesd/uep/products/11/800TreeCityUSABulletin_55.pdf 12
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Environmental Education Applications and Audience - Introduction The following environmental education lessons are designed to suggest ways to enhance a new classroom science curriculum developed by IslandWood for Seattle Public Schools fourth grade classes called “Community Waters”. This multi-week unit is written to address the new Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), with a focus on utilizing the engineering design process to develop plant-oriented solutions for stormwater runoff problems at schools. The sketch-level descriptions of the lessons (below) are aimed at expanding upon the existing curriculum by incorporating examples from around the country of projects based at schools, and in most cases, involving students in some part of the process.
Students leading the way The goal of this lesson is to illustrate the power of student-led or implemented projects through videos and the exemplars (and their source references) that show students at work and the results of their work. For example, the “Student Stormwater Interns” project presents a useful example of how students develop the background knowledge and skills needed to produce a professional-quality pollution prevention plan. By the students themselves developing the plan, they will have a higher degree of ownership in the outcomes (ie, preventing pollution entering the ocean, in this case). The “Bronx Greenroof” project illustrates the extended benefits stormwater solutions can have at schools, and how a green infrastructure project can be a focus of project-based learning that integrates multiple disciplines.
Planting school greenroof. Image from http://www.greenroofs.com/projects/pview.php? id=67
Students would view the following videos and identify ways in which students are taking action, and ways they could take action that aren’t shown in the videos. Students would identify the challenges and successes of the youth featured in the videos. This could also be an entry point for starting a web-based conversation with other students, through online conferencing, blogging, etc. to practice “21st Century skills”. Portland Depave school projects (elementary): https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=UUfSkgZ6ak5t6apUbZhnQrmQ&v=1Bi7yIQZD_o Philadelphia Green Schools (elementary): https://vimeo.com/15231400 Melbourne, Australia rain garden (high school): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8075YANcvDk Bronx greenroof (high school): https://vimeo.com/25900748 13
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Researching solutions – writing about stormwater solutions Two key components of science and engineering in schools is the ability to “engage in argument from evidence” and “obtain, evaluate and communicate information” (NGSS, 2013). Using briefs that include diagrams, videos and readings as separate research pieces, students would engage in an English Language Arts lesson that would have them researching a variety of stormwater runoff solutions. Students would evaluate the solutions through information about the benefits and challenges of each so that students can assess which solution fits the “constraints” and “criteria for success” for their problem site. From there, students can communicate to others, and defend their claim, about which solution could work for their site. The table below (Table 1) is an example of a product students might create or be provided, based on the needs of the class; this table is a space to outline the “pros” and “cons” of a solution. From there, students can evaluate the solutions based on what is needed and desired (their criteria for success) and the given limitations (constraints) for their site/school (see example in Table 2).
Table 1
Solution Removing Blacktop
Bioswale
Constraints (challenges)
Requires heavy equipment Less surface to play on
Allows water to go into ground creates a place to put plants (bioswale, rain garden, edible garden) or pervious pavement
requires maintenance students can’t play in them
fits long, narrow spaces place to put in native plants students can help plan, plant and maintain
probably not accessible by students requires maintenance
out of the way so it won’t get damaged can help school save money by keeping heating and cooling costs low
requires equipment to remove blacktop and install new requires maintenance
Keeps surfaces to play on
students can help plan, plant and maintain place to grow food
Greenroof
Pervious pavement
Edible garden
Rain garden
Features (benefits)
can be large or small, different shapes requires maintenance students can’t play in them
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In Seattle, can get for free or reduced price students can help plan, plant and maintain
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Cisterns/rain barrels
can only hold a relatively small amount of water if not taken care of, mosquitos might be a problem
Planting trees
Education/Outreach
Have to choose the right kinds of trees Take a long time to grow large
Doesn’t include plants
In Seattle, can get for free or reduced price Can store water for watering gardens Usually not in the way of playing or working Can provide shade, clean air, less noise Don’t have to take up a lot of space Cheapest of all options Doesn’t require space, sun, lots of money Students can plan and teach
Table 2
Our Site:
Solution #1:
Solution #2:
Solution #3:
playground
Rain garden
Education
Pervious pavement
Constraint #1: Surface is paved/blacktop
Have to remove some blacktop
Have to remove some blacktop
Constraint #2: Kids play there Constraint #3:
(rebates from RainWise)
Don’t have $ Constraint #4: Area is very large Sources: Next Generation Science Standards: APPENDIX F – Science and Engineering Practices in the NGSS. http://www.nextgenscience.org/sites/ngss/files/Appendix%20F%20%20Science%20and%20Engineering%20Practices%20in%20th e%20NGSS%20-%20FINAL%20060513.pdf Next Generation Science Standards: APPENDIX M – Connections to the Common Core State Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects. http://www.nextgenscience.org/sites/ngss/files/Appendix%20M%20Connections%20to%20the%20CCSS%20for%20Literacy_0612 13.pdf 15
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Examples of Define, Develop, Optimize The exemplars can be used to show how the engineering design process is used in the real world (see graphic at right; shows two models of the process overlaid). The exemplars could be reworked to include - or students could do additional research to identify - the groups that were involved in each part of the engineering design process, using either “Define-DevelopOptimize” or “Ask-ImaginePlan-Create-Reflect-Improve”. Students would explore questions such as: How did the involved groups work through the engineering process? Did they start with “Ask” or at some other point; how did they move through the steps? At which points did they involve students? What did students learn during the process? What can we learn from others going through the engineering process?
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