Economics of Energy and the Environment Camp
For Social Studies and Science Teachers Grades 6-12

August 4-7, 2008
University of Minnesota, St. Paul

Economics Teachers: Bring your favorite science teacher!

This four-day workshop examines the economic issues of energy and the environment and how to create a sustainable future for our communities. The workshop is led by UMD's Professor Curt Anderson, author of the groundbreaking curriculum, Seas, Trees and Economies. The workshop includes classroom instruction and site visits to see first-hand the issues presented in class. Site visits include Xcel's coal-fired energy plant, Pine Bend Oil Refinery, Newport Resource Recovery Facility, and natural environments.

Martha Rush, teacher in Mounds View, attended the camp in summer 2007 and had this to say: “I loved that the class combined lecture with outdoor activities and visits to local industries. It was a perfect balance.” The teachers defined the value of environmental goods, discussed the costs of pollution and what industries need to do to reduce pollution while still being cost effective. “Everything we did in the class tied together, which mirrored the ways in which our state's resources and the economy are interconnected.”

The program begins with lunch on August 4 and ends at 4:30 p.m. on August 7. A continental breakfast and lunch are provided each day. Travel stipends of $300 are available for the first 13 teachers from outside the 7-county metropolitan area who register.

The workshop is free, but a refundable deposit of $50 is required. This program is made possible by funding from Xcel Energy Foundation and Great River Energy.

Seas, Trees, and Economies Curriculum
Seas, Trees and Economies is an intermediate curriculum developed by Curt Anderson, Director, Center for Economic Education, University of Minnesota-Duluth. This curriculum helps students understand the relationship between our natural environment and the economy, as well as describes how the environment and the economy jointly provide us with goods and services that we want. The lessons provide students with tools to recognize trade-offs, to explain how choices are made, and to explain how we can make better choices regarding the use of natural resources and the disposal of wastes that production and consumption create. Each lesson teaches fundamental economic concepts such as scarcity, resources, goods and services, opportunity cost, trade-offs, value, price, and incentives. Most lessons employ simulations and hands-on activities engaging students in the learning process and providing experiences to help them discover why things happen as they do.