AVHS Environmental Club: June 2010

There are many opportunities in the summertime to spend your days outdoors with nature, including camping, hiking, swimming at lakes, etc. But you can also find workshops, classes and activities in the area related to the environment and nature by following the newspaper calendars and looking online.

I found a few opportunities that might be interesting to club members. The first is one that I've recommended before: taking advantage of the classes Eric Nicholas, Pleasanton City Naturalist, teaches at the Alviso Adobe Community Park off Foothill Road (see Volunteering at the Alviso Adobe for more information about the park where Eric Nicholas works). You can browse through the classes he's offering here and register for them online here, send in a registration form (located within the activities guide), or visit the Parks and Community Services Department downtown to sign up in person.

My sister at one of Eric Nicholas's classes about Native American tools. She is carving her own design into sandstone. The bowl has crushed berries with olive oil, to be used as paint.

Another opportunity I came across is through Las Positas College Community Education. You may have received their summer course brochure in the mail, but if not you can view it online here. The class that I found particularly interesting is one entitled Eco-Living For Teens. Here is the course description:

Overview of current environmental challenges and sustainability principles as related to modern day living. Learn how to calculate and reduce your personal carbon footprint and examine how regular, day-to-day actions and choices affect the larger community and planet. Tips and resources that will help you make an impact in your own life and community and de-mystify the "great green hype." Students will be asked to calculate their current ecological footprint and bring the results to class. Survey takes less than 10 minutes. Please contact the office for survey address when you have registered for the class.

Thursday, 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm
1 session on August 5, 2010
Tuition: $39.00
Instructor: Turner (not our Mrs. Turner)
Location: Las Positas College

It is a little expensive, but it looks like a neat opportunity to learn more about environmental living.

Hopefully you find these and other opportunities worth-while this summer. If you come across any other interesting opportunites, please email our club so we can forward them along to everyone (avhsenvironmental@yahoo.com).

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We had our last Environmental Club meeting of the 2009-2010 school year on Wednesday, June 2. It was my last Environmental Club meeting at Amador ever (see my mention of it in this recent blog post), and I'm sad that I will no longer be an officer of this wonderful, inspirational club. However, I'm excited for someone else to fill my role as secretary/publicist and for Liana and Patricia to continue to do excellent work for the environment and for Amador's environmental consciousness. I've enjoyed every minute working with the club, and I wish you all the best of luck in your lives as students, environmental activists, friends, and awesome people. I will try to visit you guys before I go to UC Santa Cruz in September, and I will definitely come to any events you have next year. I'll stay on your email list and Facebook page, so my presence will not completely disappear, and I'll update Liana and Patricia on any cool environmental things I'm doing next year, as well as pass along new green tips I learn. Thank you all for helping make my senior year an awesome, fulfilling experience!

Here are some pictures from our last meeting. Patricia had us play a fun game where we drew nature scenes on paper that was on top of our heads. Very funny!