Alcoa program aimed at teaching kids value of conservation | Environment

Students from Dexter Elementary School will be the first class to take part in Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden’s AISLE Programing (Alcoa Institute for Sustainable Living Education).  The program will begin at 9:00 AM Tuesday, March 19 on zoo grounds.

The programming offered to over 600 students from EVSC Title 1 schools now through May is funded by Alcoa and designed to teach students sustainable living by taking every action possible to conserve the planet’s resources. This program blend’s the zoo’s commitment to sustainability and its expertise in delivering experiential education. Sustainable living via experiential learning is to teach every child the value in preserving the Earth’s diverse living systems through our own conservation activities.

Funds from Alcoa have been used to renovate and outfit an education classroom, develop curriculum and provide staff for the first season of the program. Education programs will focus on limiting waste, recycling aluminum, newspapers and plastics; using green cleaning products, utilizing rain gardens; using low mow/now mow grasses; using alternative energy sources; and walking or riding bikes when possible.