Templates & Lessons
April 20, 2021
Exploring Environmental Preservation with Parks Project This Earth Day
Pear Deck Team
This Earth Day, we’ve rejoined our friends at Parks Project to create six all-new lessons — specifically designed for elementary, middle school, and high school students — to learn about conservation and celebrate parklands!
To learn more about the important work that Parks Project does every day, we talked with Abbey Robertson, Brand Manager at Parks Project:
Hi, Abbey! Can you tell us about the mission of Parks Project?
Parks Project's mission is to protect and preserve parklands for generations to come by educating, advocating, volunteering, and activating park supporters to get involved in conservation. To date, Parks Project has contributed over $1,300,000 to help fund vital projects in parks, paying it forward so we can leave it better than we found it.
Wow, that’s a big impact! How does youth education play a part in your efforts?
We think that people of all ages should get to benefit from public lands, especially kids! That’s why we support the National Park Foundation’s Every Kid Outdoors Program — the program aims to get all fourth-graders and their families to experience the wonder and joy the outdoors brings. We also support programs like Zion National Park Forever Project’s Junior Ranger program. We provided thousands of badges to help kids better understand Zion and reward them for learning more.
What is the main thing you want young people to know and appreciate about our national parks?
We believe that parks are for everyone. They’re spaces to hike, camp, fish, and spend time with friends and family. There’s no wrong way to visit a park as long as you’re treating the plant and animal life with respect and picking up after yourself.
We love that philosophy! What are two ways that young people can join in your effort?
Commit to learning more about the Earth and how human life affects it, and make choices that take into account how it affects the future of our planet. Spend some time learning about organizations like the National Parks Conservation Association or the National Park Foundation. They’re doing important work every day to protect our public lands for future generations.
How can educators get involved with your organization and the work that you’re doing?
We’re always sharing information and stories on our social media — come hang out with us on Instagram at @parksproject!
If educators want to know how to incorporate more information about the parks into their lessons, what resources do you recommend?
Follow park conservation associations like Yosemite Conservancy, Yellowstone Forever, Joshua Tree National Park Association, and more. Almost every national park has a conservation association supporting it that has tons of great resources on the parks themselves, their history, and how to protect them.
View and download six all-new interactive Pear Deck lessons made in partnership with Parks Project here!
Pear Deck Team
Helping teachers deliver powerful learning moments
Pear Deck
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