YouthCaN NYC 2009 Workshop List  
As of 3/24/09

For sets of more than 12 students please register for workshops in the larger spaces as indicated by the **. If you have a large group and can break them up into groups of 12 or less, you can sign up for some of the workshops in smaller spaces.

Session 1

** Save a Living Museum Near You! **
New York Botanical Garden, New York, USA
Explainers from the New York Botanical Garden invite you to learn about the importance of preserving gardens, zoos and other living Museums.
Linder Theater – 1^st floor
Ages – 13-17

** Four Rivers, One World Project **
iEARN USA, New York, USA
How clean is your water? Students who have spent the last year monitoring and testing the water in and around the Hudson River watershed and other rivers in Nepal, India and Bangladesh share their observations and explain how environmental science and international student collaboration can make a difference for their communities and the planet.
Kaufmann Theater - 1st floor
Ages – All

** Chernobyl and its effects today. How you can make a difference. **
Irina Sverzhanovskaya, New York, USA
As a result of not many young adults knowing about the Chernobyl disaster, the people who live in contaminated regions don’t receive the help they need. There are ways to improve the health of the people living in the contaminated regions as well as improving the environment. Learn how you can help when environmental action is needed.
People Center Theater – 2^nd floor
Ages – 13-18

BOB: Understanding the Biodiversity of the Bronx River
MS 45 Bronx, New York, USA
Come explore the Bronx River with us!  We are an environmental club that has been granted the responsibility of maintaining a plot along the Bronx River.  As participants of iEARN’s Four Rivers, One World project, we will share our ongoing work in the protection of the only freshwater river in New York City including the removal of an invasive species of plant, Japanese knotweed.  Experience first hand how we conduct water and soil testing.
Rose Center Classroom 1 – 2^nd floor
Ages – 12-18

“A fish swims into a wall, what does it say? ... Dam!”
Christodora Inc (New Youth Conservationists) New York, USA
Come learn how dams function and how they adversely affect the environment. Using a 3D model, we will depict the negative effects that hydroelectric power has on the environment, and how to fix them.
Rose Center VR room - 2^nd floor
Ages – 14-18 

YouthCaN – Mediterranean, Video Conference
YouthCaN – Lebanon w/ YouthCaN-NYC, New York, USA
Share in a live video conference filled with explorations of life, jam packed with environmental issues that face students in Lebanon! Ask them questions about their studies and share some of your experiences as well.
People Center, Back Classroom – 2^nd floor
Ages – All

Wind and Water
School For Democracy and Leadership, New York, USA
Come and learn about two of nature’s greatest strengths: wind and water. Both resources flow freely through our earth. If collected and directed, they can provide energy for powering homes, businesses, cities and countries. In a two part workshop, you will get the chance to put your hands on the experiments as well as make your own windmill.
Room 319 Classroom – 3^rd floor
Ages – 7-11

Session 2

** Alternative fuels - Our best hope to save the environment **
Academy of Mount Saint Ursula, New York, USA
The search for environmentally friendly alternative fuels is no longer an option but an imperative for survival of the planet. This project presents a critical assessment and evaluation of the economic viability of some alternative fuels.
Linder Theater – 1^st floor
Ages – 12-18

** Community CATALYST Project: Changing Attitudes by Taking Advantage of Linking Youth and Schools Together **
iEARN USA, New York, USA
Students from Pakistan, the US and Uzbekistan have linked together to create animated Public Service Announcements (PSAs) on the topic of natural disaster awareness and preparedness.  Participants will share what they have learned about the role of young citizens during times of crisis. CATALYST students will also premiere the animated video shorts that they have created.
Kaufmann Theater – 1^st floor
Ages – All

** How To Organize A Recycling Program in Your School **
Council on the Env. of New York City/HSES, New York, USA
Members of the Teen Speakers Bureau on Recycling at the High School for Environmental Studies will use a powerpoint presentation discussion to demonstate how to start recycling in their school. Each particapating school will start to plan their project.
People Center Theater – 2^nd floor
Ages –10-18

Paper Making
YouthCaN, NYC, New York, USA
Are you tired of your boring old paper? Do you want paper that makes your day exciting? Well now at our workshop you can creatively learn how to make your own colored paper such as red stars or oreo shaped paper.  While you make your own paper you might get a little messy but its a really fun project for all ages to enjoy. This workshop is great for the environment because it helps to recycle used paper and make our planet more green. We hope to see you there, ready to transform old paper into new colorful paper!
Hall of Human Origins Classroom – 1^st floor
Ages – All

1) Nourishing Earthworms: the effect of earthworms’ diet on soil quality
2) Bottled Water vs. Tap water: What should you drink?
3) Is the drinking water in our school safe?
MS 217 (Green Magnet Sch for Career Expl), New York, USA
1) Why compost? Composting not only reduces the amount of waste disposal but it converts waste into a useful product. As environmental stewards we are addressing the solid waste issue head on by composting, but how can we maximize out results? Does the diet of an earthworm have an effect on soil quality? We investigated the question. Come to our workshop and find out the answer. We will also show you how to start composting in your classroom.
2) Did you know that on average bottled water costs 900 times the amount of tap water and that tap water regulation has more stringent governmental standards than that of bottled water (Flow, 2008)? We tested the water quality of bottled water and tap water and observed their effects on plants. Is tap water safer to drink than bottled water? What is the environmental impact of drinking bottled water? Come to our workshop and find out what you should be drinking!
3) Bringing your own bottle to school helps with the green environmental movement, but is the water you’re drinking safe? Water use patterns at schools can result in water being stagnant and left in contact with plumbing materials for long periods of time. We tested the water quality at our school’s fountains and sinks. Come find out what we learned about our water and how to test yours.
Calder Lab, 2^nd floor
Ages – All

The Effect of Polystyrene on the Environment
Village Academy, Ohio, USA
Join us for a presentation discussing the pros and cons of Styrofoam, our club's experience with the legislative options of banning Styrofoam in Ohio, and data from experiments comparing the effectiveness of Styrofoam to its alternatives. See for yourself how other Styrofoam alternatives match up to Styrofoam with our hands on workshop.
Rose Center Classroom – 2^nd floor
Ages –10-18 

Global’s Going Green: a closer at renewable energy
Brooklyn School for Global Studies, New York, USA
Global Studies presents a closer look at renewable energy. Come and see the technology and ingenuity that exists to reduce the threat of global warming. We have solutions and recommendations for the government that will stimulate the American economy by creating jobs, saving consumers money and protecting our national security.
Rose Center VR room – 2^nd floor
Ages – 11-18 

YouthCaN Egypt – Video Conference
YouthCaN – Egypt w/ YouthCaN-NYC iEARN Egypt
Come share in the exploration of environmental issues that face students in Egypt! Ask them questions about their studies and share some of your experiences.
People Center, Back Classroom – 2^nd floor
Ages – All 

Ethanol and Agave
Jacaranda Education, Oaxaca, Mexico
This project investigates the economic, social and cultural aspects of teh agave plant in southern Mexico and evaluates its potential as an alternative source of large-scale ethanol production.
Room 319 Classroom – 3^rd floor
Ages – 13-17 

Session 3 

** Creating a Sustainable Automobile Economy **
St. Peter’s Preparatory School, New Jersey, USA
Students will present a multidimensional project on current corporate, government and NGO efforts to put in place an automobile and renewable, non-fossil fuel service system that sustains ecological balance and health, the creation of jobs with just wages, and economic development.
Linder Theater – 1^st floor
Ages – 12-17 

** Revolutionizing the 3 Rs Plus! **
The Birch Wathen Lenox School, New York, USA
The move towards a more sustainable society means that each of us will need to change many of our day to day routines and habits.  This year our school has been involved in a community-wide initiative to bring a new vitality into the process of  preserving an ecological balance  by refocusing on the basics .   REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE and RETHINK !
Kaufmann Theater – 1^st floor
Ages – All

 ** Solar Cookout.....Blurd...It’s heat!! **
The Young Women’s Leadership School of Astoria, New York, USA
Around the world and here in the United States, keeping the environment clean and healthy has had a big impact on our society. This presentation is composed of four pojects namely “Solar Cookout and Treat” which focuses on the use of recyclable materials to cook hotdogs and pizza. The “Blup” uses biofuels which can easily be extracted from ordinary food products. Lastly, idntifying which metals conduct heat the fastest is very helpful to conserve time and energy.
People Center Theater – 2^nd floor
Ages – 10-13 

Reusable bags - BYOB
Westhampton Beach MS, New York, USA
Westhampton Beach Student Council and National Junior Honor Society members have decided to make changes in the community to reduce garbage. The first project they worked on was encouraging the community to stop using paper and plastic bags. This presentation will discuss their project and members of the audience will be invited to test their knowledge as they participate in a game.
Hall of Human Origins Lab, 1^st Floor
Ages – 10-15

How Does Snow Making Affect Our Environment?
Windham-Ashland-Jewett School, New York, USA
Do you know how snow is made?  Do you know if it affects our environment including the New York City Watershed?  Is its affect beneficial or detrimental?  Join the Windham-Ashland-Jewett Central School's  Junior Science Club to discover these answers and see for yourself.
Rose Center Classroom 1 – 2^nd floor
Ages – All

“A Tale of two Cities”
Christodora. Inc. (New Youth Conservationists), New York, USA
Come see an interactive diorama in which two cities depict the good and bad of building in the environment. The two contradictory dioramas show the negative effects we have on our environment today and the positive effect we could have tomorrow.
Rose Center VR room – 2^nd floor
Ages – 14-18

1) Harvesting the Drops of Life: a how to workshop
2) Recycling Greywater
MS 217 (Green Magnet Sch for Career Expl), New York, USA
1) Did you know that on average 50-70% of household water is used outdoors or that the average American uses over 100 gallons of water per day (EPA, 2004) How can we improve our water use and management practices? Harvesting rainwater in urban areas can reduce the use of drinking water for landscape irrigation. MS 217 is taking an active part in the environmental movement by harvesting rainwater. Come to our workshop and discover how to create a rainwater harvesting system. In this workshop we will give you a thorough, yet simple design to create your own harvesting system. We will also discuss the benefits of harvesting rainwater, what you can do with it, and the sustainability of this system. Let us show you how harvesting rainwater can have an impact on your community and our environment.
2) What is greywater? Can it be recycled? Greywater is waste water, or more commonly wash water. It comprises almost 50-80% of residential waste water. Currently, the use of drinking water to irrigate is an ecological problem and greywater may be a viable solution to this. We tested greywater collected from our school’s cafeteria and wanted to see its affect on plant growth. Come find out what our results were.
Calder Lab – 2^nd floor
Ages – All

How our needs, lifestyles and consumption affect the environment.
Tartu Nature School, Estonia
Consumption affects the lifestyle of people and that will affect the environment. An environmentally friendly lifestyle demands letting go all habits that damage the environment. Our workshop makes you think how you affect the environment with your choices.
People Center, Back Classroom – 2^nd floor
Ages – 13-15