LEEF Spring Mini-Conference

Broward County has a large, diverse group of residents and a limited number of natural areas for people to enjoy. Those that exist are small and not well known by residents. In a span of 2 years, the North Natural Areas Naturalist group has created programing within 10 natural areas, 5 regional parks and 2 libraires to educate the public on the importance of native nature while also promoting wellness, environmental education, and building community.

The WILD program is a grant funded leadership development program, that was designed to provide underserved Duval County teens with a unique employment opportunity. The WILD program operates on 3 main pillars: Conservation/environmental education; Leadership development; and Connecting/reconnecting to nature. Audience will walk away with an understanding of the importance of such youth oriented diversity programs, as well as a deeper understanding of the specifics of running a teen program,
WILD Stewards: 5 current members of the WILD team will share their personal experiences with the program. (wildprogram@jacksonvillezoo.org).

The Center for Biological Diversity has been focused on moving from our take-make-waste economy to one that is more supportive of people and the planet. Attendees to this session will learn about our waste prevention research but also the campaigns we’ve created to support individual and systems changes. Our waste prevention portfolio includes: 1) working to support secondhand/resale/thrift stores in partnership with Poshmark and the Small Business Administration; 2) incubating libraries of things throughout Florida with Shareable, 3) advocating for improved state-level food codes to clearly allow foodservice reuse with Upstream 4) drawing attention to the issue associated with blended fabrics in fast fashion with Collective Fashion Justice and 5) non-material gift giving. Our research includes: National survey results regarding the economy and how the zero waste community can embrace alternatives; National survey results related to alternative gift giving behaviors and secondhand shopping; and an analysis that found that more than half of wool knitwear is blended with plastic contributing to microplastic pollution and worsening the climate crisis.

Come learn how to integrate art and science to inspire learning in your local environment! This presentation will showcase three art activities from Archbold's Ecology Summer Camp that use creativity to connect campers to scientific concepts. Following the showcase, participants will brainstorm ideas for their own site-specific art activities.

4-H In School represents a collaborative initiative between UF/IFAS Extension program areas, aimed at delivering research-based educational content across various subject areas. A primary objective of 4-H In School is to introduce youth to diverse Extension programs including embryology, public speaking, and school gardens. In addition to those, Alachua County’s 4-H In Schools program offers several supplementary activities and presentations that primarily emphasize wildlife and environmental education, such as All About Snakes and Project Learning Tree, thereby broadening students' exposure to a wider array of topics. We invite you to explore what all Florida 4-H In School has to offer!

The most important challenges are often those that won’t be resolved by individuals. Using the Southeastern Environmental Education Alliance’s Landscape Analysis as a starting point, Martha will help us explore the benefits of collaborating with others to achieve common goals. Take home some suggestions for getting started! 

Closing Remarks and Wrap Up
Don't forget to check the Sack Raffle area to see if you are a winner
Thank you for attending and participating--safe travels home!