Staff at DREC and Imperial County Cooperative Extension are teaming up to deliver "Sustainable You!", a five-day summer camp designed by Dr. Roslynn Brain of Utah State University. Each day of the camp has a theme: Land, Air, Energy, Water, and Food. DREC staff attended a train-the-trainer workshop put on by Dr. Brain earlier this year at Hansen REC in Ventura County, CA. (For more information about Hansen REC's recent camp, click here)
On July 1st, 4-H members, their parents, and DREC and UCCE staff met to brainstorm ideas, discuss fundraising, and pass on the vision for the camp to the 4-H senior (high school) members who will become the camp counselors and directors through guidance from DREC and UCCE staff.
With contributions from all participants, the camp has a tentative launch date of June 15-19 of 2015 with DREC as the host site. Ideas such as trips to local recycling centers, the Salton Sea, geothermal plants, and many others were discussed as a way of incorporating local Valley resources into the camp. The 4-H youth are excited; one high school senior just finished a course on sustainability and is motivated to pass on his knowledge to the camp's target audience of 4th-6th graders. 4-H, CalFresh, and FARM SMART/DREC staff will reconvene August 5th to continue the process and begin training the 4-H members and dividing responsibilities.
Find out more about sustainability efforts HERE.