The Learning Gardens Laboratory (LGLab) is a project of the Portland International Initiative for Leadership in Ecology, Culture, and Learning (PIIECL) at Portland State University. The LGLab was established in 2005 through a partnership between PSU, the Portland Public Schools (PPS), and the City of Portland; its purpose is to meet the diverse learning needs of children and youth, educators, parents and PSU students by offering demonstration, curriculum development, research, consultancy, and participatory exploration in food- and garden-based teaching and learning.
The LGLab is geared to serve multicultural, low-income outer Southeast Portland neighborhoods, children, and parents/families; our primary PPS partner is Lane Middle School, located across the street from our 10 acres. Through the LGLab project, we have developed a model of creating edible gardens, growing food, preparing and eating meals, composting and recycling, and integrating different subject areas to help improve student achievement. Following permaculture and whole systems principles, the LGLab site is uniquely designed such that each element (soil, water, sunlight, biomass, plants, people, and sustainable technologies) is connected to the others.
This partnership revolves around a Senior Capstone course. Students work in teams to produce several deliverables, which were identified as important by PGE. Students organized an educational event at the Saturday Farmer's Market at the Park Block's where they talk to people about renewable energy. Since they underwent the formal sales training with Green Mountain Energy, a trainer of renewable energy sales people, they also sign people up to renewable energy through PGE. Legally power companies must buy the cheapest energy available which is often coal, an idea to limit the use of coal is to have people sign up to pay more for energy from renewable sources, such as wind energy. Students also work to survey and analyze the data to make formal recommendations to PGE. And finally, this will culminate in a White Paper to be presented to the head of PGE's Renewable Energy Program.
This Capstone class brings together PSU students and Sustainable Northwest, a non-profit organization that promotes environmentally sound economic development in regional communities. In the class, students will document sustainable business practices in the Pacific Northwest using oral history methodologies.
PSU anthropology faculty and graduate students give lectures and walking tours of archaeological sites during the annual Bird Fest celebration at the wildlife refuge.
Using high resolution elevation data obtained via airborne laser instrumentation to map geohazards.
