Environmental and Climate Justice Outreach at Pickerington North HS

Testing the viability of a raised bed

Baseline testing of an ecology

Today I was able to visit with Pickerington North High School (PNHS) with Mr. Philpott’s AP Biology and Environmental Science classes and the Roots Environmental Club. We reviewed the way we can use environmental testing tools to conduct a survey of their school. It was chilly, but the data was hot! I know this is a lame pun.

Ecological Justice in High School

As an extension of Mezzacello Urban farm’s Ohio EPA Ecological and Climate Justice Academy I was invited tp Pickerington North High School to extend the kits that were provided to the Roots environmental club. I was able to speak to three classes and work with the entire Pickerington North Roots Club take baseline readings of the school grounds.

By creating a baseline reading of the sites that PNHS uses to grow food and study ecologies and sustainability we can extend their level of understanding and use of tools. It was cool to watch these kids using the tools I trained them to use and teach others on their use to study the environmental impacts of their built environment.

Where One Ecology Begins and Ends

It was really fun speaking with the AP Biological classes about the sustainable interactions between the atmosphere, the pedosphere, and the hydrosphere. It was surprising how many of the kids were under the impression that the atmosphere was an independent ecology from the soil and water. It’s all related and impacting every other ecology.

At Mezzacello Urban Farm we explore these intimate interactions between the 9 integrated ecologies that make up our urban farm. We explore the atmosphere and the soil, and the water — as well as the flora and fauna, the animals that we integrate, and the products we produce.