Smart by Nature: Schooling for Sustainability

By Michael K. Stone and Center for Ecoliteracy

An inspirational and practical exploration of bringing "eco consciousness" to K-12 education.

Smart by Nature shows how schools and districts across the country are orienting their activities around environmental responsibility and wisdom: in gardens and cafeterias, on campuses, with nature-based curriculums, and in the communities that surround their schools.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0970950047
• ISBN13: 9780970950048
• Release Date: September 2009
• Publisher: Watershed Media
• Length: 216 Pages
• Weight: 0.92 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 8.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

A resource for our times

Eloquently written, with beautiful photos. The faces and voices represented here speak movingly to every caregiver and inspire enormous hope. There is promise in our future and there are tangible ways in which we can partner with our children to pave the way. Michael Stone has captured that promise. Highly recommended.

A truly inspiring book!

It's easy to feel pessimistic about the future of youth when we think about the environmental burdens they face, not to mention the everyday distractions and dramas of growing up. But I'm infinitely more optimistic after reading about what students are accomplishing together in schools and communities across the country, often through their own initiative.

Great for teachers, students and parents

This book contains practical, accessible information and is easy to use. The stories are also very helpful. But what I liked most is the refreshingly good news about schools. After all, if schools like River Crossing in Wisconsin or Barnes Elementary in Vermont can do so much to improve student performance and health, then there is certainly hope for more to do the same.

This book is a must for parents!

A friend recommended Smart by Nature, and I found so much encouragement here I want everyone to read it. I'm a grandmother with 4 grammar school age kids. This book really helped me see exactly what can be done by ordinary parents and people to steer our kids in the right direction--on so many levels of health, happiness and hope for a better future than we hear about in the news. It's about growing things and connecting to nature naturally--not about preaching. I love the success stories. It occurred to me that this book is just like a seed. It's a must for parents.

An essential resource

In Smart by Nature, Michael Stone tells wonderful stories of the unsung schools who get what is important for the future of our planet. As a parent, I applaud this book.