Educator Resources

We have complied some lists of useful resources for educators to bring nature into their lessons. 

Learning About Your Foodshed

The term “foodshed,” borrowed from the concept of a watershed, was coined as early as 1929 to describe the flow of food from the area where it is grown into the place where it is consumed. Recently, the term has been revived as a way of looking at and thinking about local, sustainable food systems.“–Wisconsin Foodshed Research Project

The role of food in each person’s life is without question a large one – everybody eats! However, rarely do people, especially children, pay much attention to where their food actually comes from. When asked where their family gets their food, many children reply, “the grocery store.” The idea of a foodshed and the dichotomy between eating globally and eating locally is addressed with our Foodshed Curriculum.

Where is our food coming from, and how is it getting to us?

The majority of the food consumed in the United States “flows” to us from points across the globe. Although the food comes to us from many places, in our consciousness, it comes to us from no place in particular. And, although much of our food is inexpensive, it comes to us with many hidden environmental, social, and human health costs. Some of these costs, such as loss of habitat, pollution, excessive energy and water use, and the loss of small-farm workers’ jobs, can begin to be alleviated by doing such things as eating lower on the food chain, choosing unprocessed, unpackaged and organic foods, and buying locally produced goods.