The extent to which the challenges of sustainability disrupt society, affect the economy or erode the quality of life and health of communities will largely depend on the public’s willingness to plan for short- and long-term changes and their capacity to adapt. On their own, sustainability challenges are not likely to warrant new systems and infrastructures. Rather, efforts to achieve sustainability will likely entail revising, reorienting or strengthening public policies and practices currently aimed at protecting the public from air pollution, poor water quality, vector-borne diseases, land-use change and extreme weather events. Extension programs are uniquely placed to help consumers remove the barriers to adaptation. Extension Professionals have critical roles to play as educators, leaders, facilitators, contributors and marketers.
The Sustainable Living Handbook was developed by the National Network for Sustainable Living Education (NNSLE), an initiative of the Association of Natural Resource Extension Professionals. The Handbook can be used as a self-study guide, or as a basis for conducting workshops on how to living more sustainably. NNSLE defines Sustainable Living as “a lifestyle that is deeply satisfying, fulfilling, and appealing because it is socially, environmentally, and economically responsible.” Participants will learn how to guide clients through a series of worksheets that identify personal values and goals, barriers to living more sustainably, and new ways of thinking about current and future lifestyle choices. A Personal Action Plan is used to encourage workshop participants to define and follow-through on specific actions that move them towards a more sustainable lifestyle, the triple-win, and provides an excellent tool for follow-up evaluation. Materials for this presentation will include a pdf of the handbook and information about ordering hard copies of the handbook, as well as worksheets and other materials for use in conducting workshops with clients.
Energy is a hot topic across the country, and it’s also a big challenge. Rising energy costs, concerns about the environment, and interest in local economic development are driving interest in energy efficiency and renewable energy. We’re also living in a time when people’s attention spans are shorter than ever before.
The Question: How can Extension services and their partners design programs to meet the demands for education and technical assistance around energy issues, and how can they best communicate these programs to meet their outreach and impact goals?
The Answer: This presentation will provide an overview of clean energy communications efforts undertaken by the Clean Energy Resource Teams, a partnership based at University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships. We’ll then walk through specific case studies from the past decade featuring consumers, farmers, businesses, local governments, and more to explore how various communications strategies can be employed to help advance renewable energy and energy efficiency programming.
Learning Objectives:
What are the emerging sustainability issues for Extension to tackle?
What are the biggest challenges to advancing sustainability in Extension?
The Extension group: National Network for Sustainable Living Education (NNSLE) was formed in 2004 with the goal to “Improve quality of life and reduce environmental degradation by fostering new consumption patterns and sustainable lifestyles through NIFA Extension programs, by building an Extension network to investigate, educate, and model sustainable living practices to individuals, families, communities, institutions, businesses, camps, and schools.” What should groups like NNSLE be doing to better meet your needs?
In 2010, NNSLE conducted a national survey of sustainable practices being implemented by Extension employees, at work and at home, related to: energy, food, and transportation. A fifth section asked about impediments to implementing sustainable practices. Since that time climate change has become a more visible part of our everyday lives, the local foods movement has grown, electric and hybrid vehicles and LEDs are more common, and the use of renewable energy sources, including solar, wind, and geothermal, have grown. How has the conversation about climate change and sustainability changed over the last six years in your organization and state? What should Extension be doing at the state and national level to support and build on these changes?
What resources do you know of (from other states, NNSLE, NIFA, etc.) to assist in communicating/educating your clientele around the principles of sustainability?
Are there regional initiatives we should develop to promote sustainability?
Increased awareness of the social, environmental, economic, and human health impacts of large-scale, concentrated livestock production has encouraged the development and proliferation of more sustainable ways to produce meat and poultry. As consumer demand for these sustainable alternatives grows, Cooperative Extension has a valuable role to play in supporting producers through applied research and education. Much of this work focuses on on-farm production practices. Yet for producers to bring sustainably raised meats to market, they need a value chain that turns their raw materials – livestock – into finished goods that can be sold to customers. Value chains for meat and poultry can be quite complex at any scale. Extension can play a valuable role not only in helping sustainable livestock producers navigate that value chain but in supporting the persistence of critical links in the value chain.
Eight years ago, we created the Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network (NMPAN) to do both in relation to the small- and mid-scale processors who are essential to bringing sustainable meats to market. NMPAN is an information hub for people and organizations – with a national network of 44 Extension professionals in 39 states at its heart – who understand the value of small meat processors to increasing the sustainability of the food system. NMPAN offers credible, science-based information and guidance for small processors and the farmers, marketers, and meat buyers who depend on them. NMPAN is also an eXtension Community of Practice.
NMPAN provides a valuable example of Extension’s ability to bring a holistic, systems perspective to enhancing the sustainability of the food sector. During our presentation, participants will learn how NMPAN was developed, what we do, who we serve, what we have learned, and where we are headed.
Our target audience for this session is other Extension professionals.
Our Learning Objectives are:
What are the emerging food issues for Extension to tackle?
Given that a focus on improving environmental sustainability might conflict with the goal of increasing food access for low income populations; or a focus on retaining small and mid-size farms may also increase food prices; are local foods necessarily the most sustainable choice? How should Extension facilitate the discussion of these choices?
Wendell Berry stated, “Eating is an agricultural act.” What is Extension currently doing, and what does it need to do, to help the public understand this?
If local food production represents less than 10% of what Americans consume, how much attention should it receive in Extension programming?
What are the biggest challenges to advancing food-related programming in Extension?
For the past four years, the only known “Zero Net Energy” county Extension office in the US has served as a demonstration platform for teaching alternative energy systems. 736 participants in workshops, tours and day camps have learned how a 50-year-old building can be retrofitted into net-metered office space. This Cinderella act was accomplished using solar PV and closed loop geothermal HVAC in tandem. The result is not only a ZNE building, but one saddled with an old-tech envelope that proves lighting retrofits and indoor energy conservation can (in north Florida, at least) achieve an energy use index lower than many green-tech, LEED certified buildings.
Check out the publicly-accessible, Web-based energy monitoring feed http://egauge2375.egaug.es/ that graphs Leon County Extension's energy production vs. consumption for any selected time period (purple tabs). This Web tool is a valuable aid for teaching clientele about the function and impact of alternative energy systems. Each time period selected calculates the monetary value of energy produced vs. purchased for that period. Click on the "View" tab and then select "Sleek Kiosk" and you will get a graphic showing a few equivalent uses for the solar energy produced during the time period previously selected, and the CO2 offsets.
Instructional aids developed for use in teaching include fact sheets, indoor kiosk, outdoor signage, and a poster. Some of these will be shared with ESS 2016 workshop participants.
What are the emerging energy issues for Extension to tackle?
Putting climate change aside, what is the highest value of Extension energy programming? Or said another way, what is the most effective way to frame Extension energy programming (as a financial issue, a community development/resiliency issue, a natural resource issue, etc.)?
Is Extension energy programming more effective on its own or as part of a broader sustainability Extension programming effort?
Should Extension energy programming encourage adoption of clean energy, or should it simply enable individuals to make their own decisions (even if it’s not to invest in clean energy)?
Moving beyond general educational efforts (i.e. energy workshops), what are some energy services Extension can provide that would be valued in your communities?
What are the biggest challenges to advancing energy programming in Extension?
This presentation will help its participants to understand how Latinos perceive the environment in which they live and more specifically, how they view surface waters. Participants will 1) be exposed to the cultural and family views of Latinos that should be considered when engaging them in environmental conservation issues and 2) will receive recommendations on language use and message selection for engaging with Latino audiences. Then, participants will be able to apply these considerations and plan ahead to successfully engage Latino audiences in addressing local environmental and water quality issues in their own programming.
Up to a 50% reduction in summer water availability is predicted in Oregon within 50 years (Nolan and Daley, 2006; Oregon Climate Change Research Institute interactive graphic). It will be critical for the viability of farms in our region and the security of our food system to increase knowledge and awareness of methods of crop production that require little or no irrigation. To initiate this project, a Dry Farming Demonstration was established in Corvallis, Oregon in 2015.
Three 10’ x 100’ plots were established at Oak Creek Center for Urban Horticulture (OCCUH) to demonstrate dry farming management practices in several crops including dry beans, tomatoes, potatoes, squash and melon. Varieties and management practices were selected based on interviews with several established growers experienced in dry farming. Absolutely no irrigation was applied to these crops. For more information visit: http://smallfarms.oregonstate.edu/dry-farming-demonstration
More than a hundred farmers and gardeners attended a field day at OCCUH on August 3, 2015 to learn about dry farming and do taste comparisons of dry farmed and irrigated melons and tomatoes. Participants were intrigued to see these traditionally irrigated crops alive and growing given the very hot and dry summer. A follow-up survey with field day participants revealed that 93% of respondents intended to apply what they learned many of which involved experimental plots on their properties next year.
For further outreach and education a Dry Farming Demonstration web page was created on the Oregon Small Farm Website and several articles were written for local and regional publications, including Oregon Small Farm News and the Capital Press.
Future directions of this project involve dry farming demonstrations in other areas throughout the region, engaging growers that want to host trials, hosting field days/farm tours at these sites, building a network, and conducting applied field research on dry farming management practices.
What are the emerging water issues for Extension to tackle?
In a limited resource environment, what are the best ways to increase our reach with water issues in Extension?
Are there regional initiatives we could develop to promote water?
Communities interested in developing a sustainable tourism industry are often overcome with challenges of not knowing where to begin as evidenced by statements such as "Why would anyone come here, we don't have anything!" or "We need hotels and attractions for people to visit us!"
Education is a first step in moving communities forward when planning for tourism sustainably.
MSU Extension’s tourism programming provides that first step for communities across Michigan. Our programs serve as an effective strategy to raise awareness of natural assets frequently overlooked that can be leveraged for tourism, while at the same time conserving them for future generations.
The presentation will briefly discuss strategies employed in the actual program to leverage and conserve assets, alternative sustainable tourism markets communities can explore, and focus on some successes developed since the inception of the program.
Willow Bioenergy Crops: Environmental Benefits and Extension Services for Sustainable Supply ChainsShrub willow bioenergy crops are source of locally produced renewable energy with numerous environmental benefits. Willow is a carbon-neutral fuel with a high energy return on investment, and low pesticide, herbicide and fertilizer requirements. Willow increases habitat and biodiversity of birds, small mammals and soil arthropods, and is an abundant source of early spring flowers for pollinators. Willow can also improve water quality, remediate former industrial sites, and be used in alternative applications such as buffer strips, stream bank stabilization and living snow fences. Advanced conversion pathways (biorefineries) can create multiple value-added products from willow including fuels, chemicals and renewable bio-based products. Willow can be grown on idle or marginal land that is too wet for row crops and create jobs in rural economies. There are currently 1,150 acres of commercial willow crops in New York State, producing about 8,000 tons of harvestable biomass annually, which is being utilized at two biopower facilities in the region owned by ReEnergy Holdings. Studies in Europe have shown that limited knowledge and experience with novel bioenergy crops like willow can be a barrier and setback to industry expansion, and USDA-NIFA has mandated extension programing in each of its seven bioenergy Coordinated Agricultural Projects (CAPs) to help overcome these barriers. SUNY-ESF and NEWBio are proving extension services to growers, end users and other stakeholders to support the stability and expansion of willow bionergy crops in the northeast. This includes economic tools and analyses, crop scouting, soil and GIS analyses, an equipment access program, tracking of feedstock quality throughout the supply chain, field tours and harvesting demonstrations, a revised grower’s manual and other extension publications, and direct contact with stakeholders. These services are critical to the sustainability and expansion of the regional bioenergy industry, and are applicable to other bioenergy crops and regions.
Learning Objectives
This presentation will; (1) inform participants on the environmental and rural development benefits of willow; bionergy crops; (2) summarize the extension services being offered to willow stakeholders in the northeast by ESF and NEWBio that can be applied to other regions and novel bioenergy crops, and; (3) provide commentary on pertinent lessons learned from several years of experience with commercial-scale bioenergy crops.
Interconnected Cross Laminated Timber: a Potential Home-Run in Sustainable Building Construction
The Utah Biomass Resources Group, in partnership with the USU Botanical Center, was recently awarded a Wood Innovations Grant from the USDA Forest Service for the design of the nation’s first public building made from CLT (Cross Laminated Timber.) An engineered wood building system, CLT offers a sustainable alternative to traditional steel and concrete structures. Using state-of-the-art technology CLT joins together small pieces of dimensional lumber (traditionally considered waste wood) to create massive wood walls. These uniquely constructed walls can be more than a foot thick. Traditional CLT construction used glues and metals to construct these massive wood walls, however Utah based Euclid Timber Frames has created a new technology that uses wood joinery instead of glues and metals.
The Wood Innovations Grant will fund the design of the first public CLT building in Utah. This building will be a centerpiece of the Utah Botanical Center with greenhouse features and a teaching kitchen. It will be a USU Extension learning facility with the prime objective of teaching disadvantaged youth farm-to-fork concepts emphasizing education about growing, harvesting, preparing, and eating locally. Just off of I-15, yet surrounded by demonstration gardens and orchards, this CLT building will draw thousands of visitors annually.
This presentation will introduce participants to the ins and outs of this new construction style and describe how Utah Biomass Resources Group plans to demonstrate and raise awareness about CLT. We will use digital, print, web, and video outlets as outreach tools among educate builders, architects, city planners, and citizens. The objective of this project is to demonstrate the potential of CLT to be a sustainable and renewable building alternative to concrete and steel while simultaneously showing that this technology is in fact within the reach of everyday citizens.
The WSU Snohomish County Extension Sustainable Community Stewards are in their 4th successful year of engaging volunteers to "talk trash." Learn techniques to educate volunteers in the classroom and on field trips, and to motivate volunteers to share their knowledge with the public. These techniques will be discussed through the lens of education and waste diversion at local festivals. Our program’s volunteers jump at the opportunity to stand in the hot sun for long shifts to help people sort their waste. Learn why!
What are other land use activities, besides timber management, biofuels, and tourism, that Extension is or should be involved with? (e.g., sustainable agriculture, conservation and preservation, planning and zoning, community planning, scenario planning, land use suitability analyses, restoration, etc). In responding, differentiate between "should be an Extension program" and "existing Extension program."
In a limited resource environment, what are the best ways to increase our reach with land issues in Extension?
Are there regional initiatives we could develop to promote land-use activities?
What are the biggest challenges to advancing land use programming in Extension?
The role for Cooperative Extension educators to address adaptation to and mitigation of climate change impacts is a challenge of optimization. We understand the causes and consequences of a warming world and experience its impacts today in increasingly frequent and more intense weather phenomena. We also know the importance of leading at a speed at which people can follow. Not only must people be aware of and acknowledge a problem in order to act, they must also have the means to take action. As more Extension programming in sustainability and energy issues is initiated and supported, there are more opportunities for Extension educators to incorporate adaptation and mitigation actions into their programs. Extension educators in water, forestry and agriculture have research-based climate tools and resources and adaptation management practices that can be discussed and presented to their clientele as well. Still, the issue of climate change remains political and controversial; many of us tread lightly as county educators because we fear clientele may take umbrage and take their case to university administrators and state legislators. For example, in roundtable discussions conducted by the presenter in 2015, 35 Extension educators at the National Extension Energy Summit and the NACAA Climate and Agriculture Super Session were surveyed: Forty-five percent considered political controversy to be the biggest challenge they face in addressing climate change and climate science in their program area. While Extension educators do address best management practices, which may be appropriate actions for climate change adaptation or mitigation, most do so without emphasizing climate change. This may be our comfort zone, but is it optimal? When we look back fifteen to twenty years from now, will we be satisfied when we ask ourselves “Did I do enough?”
Climate challenges faced by municipalities in the Intermountain West differ greatly from the headline-grabbing hurricanes and storm surges faced by U.S. coastal cities. Often, the Intermountain West’s challenges are slow onset or persistent phenomena, like drought and multi-day storms or heat waves, or indirect effects of climate and weather, like wildfires and post-fire floods. To address unique regional challenges, 15 municipalities have formed the Western Adaptation Alliance (WAA), a knowledge-exchange consortium, led by urban sustainability directors and planners. WAA cities include Fort Collins, Denver, Boulder, Aspen, Salt Lake City, Park City, Las Vegas, Flagstaff, Phoenix, Tucson, Santa Fe, Las Cruces, and El Paso, This project assisted WAA managers in communicating with key constituencies in their communities to broaden support for action on climate adaptation preparedness. For each WAA city, we inventoried major extreme events of five key climate impacts: temperature extremes, floods, drought, fire, and episodes of strong winds. We recorded specific actions taken following those events, developed written and web-based illustrated narratives, fact sheets, infographics, and created a toolkit for the managers’ highest priority impact---extreme heat events. We will describe the work process and products, and we will report on outcomes from an August 2015 workshop and Fall 2015 follow-up, documenting success, obstacles, and opportunities in communicating and disseminating these products.
Learning Objectives
The Healthy Homes Partnership is a public outreach education program that addresses housing deficiencies and risks associated with poor Indoor Air Quality and it’s relation to consumer health. The Healthy Homes Partnership directly assists families through comprehensive guides, tools, and curricula addressing mold and moisture, lead poisoning, safe drinking water, carbon monoxide poisoning, home pesticides and chemicals, and other toxins. The curriculum is based on the Healthy Homes Solutions Toolkit and the NCHH eight principles of Healthy Homes and is applicable for schools, agencies, consumers, and community groups.
Eight participating states developed and are maintaining on-going consumer educator tools and technologies including a monthly newsletter, smartphone app, website, social media, brochures, guides, and webinars.
Climate-related programming eventually intersects with extremes. What do we think of extremes as a framing for climate change?
Integrated approaches: Integrated issues, complex themes, are where much decision-making and preparedness is needed – for example issues are often articulated in terms of the nexus of food, energy, water, land use.
One Health is a concept that recognizes that the health of humans is connected to the health of animals and the environment. CDC uses a One Health approach by working with physicians, ecologists, and veterinarians to monitor and control public health threats. We do this by learning about how diseases spread among people, animals, and the environment.
What do we think about integrated climate programming?
What other integrations are or would be valuable for the next five years?
USDA Regional Climate Hubs. What should be the role of Extension? How can we best support the Hubs? Is there anything special that we can or should do through ESS? In what directions should we be heading with respect to the mission of the Hubs?
USDA’s Climate Hubs Vision is robust and healthy agricultural production and natural resources under increasing climate variability and climate change. The mission of the Climate Hubs is to develop and deliver science-based, region-specific information and technologies, with USDA agencies and partners, to agricultural and natural resource managers that enable climate-informed decision-making, and to provide access to assistance to implement those decisions. This is in alignment with the USDA mission to provide leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, rural development, nutrition, and related issues based on sound public policy, the best available science, and efficient management.
Do you have ideas for regional initiatives we could develop about climate change?
What are the biggest challenges to advancing climate change outreach in Extension?
