FELC’s Camp in a Box to provide nature-related activities for kids
Franciscan Earth Literacy Center is creating a new way to keep kids engaged with nature-related activities this summer. Because FELC’s usual lineup of day camps is questionable this year, the staff is putting together a Camp in a Box program.
The boxes are the brainchild of Environmental Educator Samantha Busack.
“It came about when the state first starting shutting everything down,” she said.
Staff members were faced with the idea of not being able to offer camps at all.
Johnston finds her role ‘endlessly interesting’
In its 25th year of operating, the Franciscan Earth Literacy Center has a new director. Mimi Lange Johnston started her new role in early June. “The time has really gone quickly,” she said. “There’s so much to do. There’s so many different aspects to the job, but most of it is fun.” A Tiffin native, Johnston graduated from Calvert High School in 1981, and then studied music at Ashland College.
FELC celebrating 25th anniversary
The Franciscan Earth Literacy Center on the campus of the Sisters of St. Francis is celebrating its 25th anniversary. In 1994, the center opened in one office with the goal of teaching people to have healthy relationships with nature and educating people about environmental sustainability.
Climate Disruption Program
Global Climate Disruption
What Can We Do?
How Do We Know?
Climate change is a very intense topic which finds its way into political, business and social conversations, often with vocal disagreement among participants. This presentation will give background information about the phenomenon and methods which have been used to characterize these changes. The human dimension of the problem will be emphasized. We will then consider solutions to the problem. Participants will be able to share their views using personal response devices and to compare their replies to those of more than 5,000 members of previous audiences.
Dr. Andy Jorgensen
Associate Professor Emeritus of Chemistry
School of Green Chemistry and Engineering
University of Toledo
Senior Fellow, National Council for Science and the Environment
andy.jorgensen@utoledo.edu 419.344.0768
If you missed the program on Global Climate Disruption with Dr. Andy Jorgenson, click on the link below to view the slides from his presentation and another set which has excerpts from a website which provides answers to questions from skeptics.
Link to PowerPoint: “Global Climate Disruption”
Link to PowerPoint: “Answers to Questions from Skeptics”
Niche crop: Founder of Franciscan Earth Literacy Center finding new growth as urban farmer
Balancing her Franciscan beliefs with her love of organic gardening and teaching, Sister Rita Wienken has found a unique niche at Toledo GROWs.
Formerly based in Tiffin at St. Francis, Sister Rita founded the Franciscan Earth Literacy Center in the mid-1990s and served as director until 2011.
Today, as an urban farmer, she is growing food for people in downtown Toledo while she trains the next generation to grow food.
Click the link below to learn more about
Herbs 101 Presentation – April 2016
The program Herbs 101 was presented by Linda Haas, a member of the Herb Study Group at Stratford Ecological Center in Delaware, Ohio who also serves on the Board of Trustees at FELC. Participants learned how to identify, grow, process and cook with common herbs. Following the program, everyone was treated to a herbaceous lunch using the the simple recipes that were provided.
PowerPoint:
Franciscan Earth Literacy Center
St. Francis Campus Community is HAPPY!
The St. Francis Campus really is a HAPPY place to work, live and visit!
Several of our employees, sisters and campus visitors took part in the filming of our “HAPPY” video.
If you liked the first one, then you will love the second one…it even has a brand new happy cast!
We hope that you enjoy watching these videos as much as we enjoyed making them!
“HAPPY” Holidays from our family to yours!
httpvh://youtu.be/3vIdDDr7rM4
The National Catholic Rural Network recently featured Sr. Shirley Shafranek …
In line with their founder, Franciscans are known as the biggest proponents of Catholic ecology, but the Sisters of St. Francis in Tiffin, Ohio, take things to another level. They do this in simple, daily ways—for instance, by composting food, using energy efficient electronics and vehicles, and growing much of the produce they eat in their own gardens. But they also go to great lengths to educate others about the principles of Catholic ecology, its connection to the broader faith, and its critical importance today.
