Urban Ecology: A Natural Way to Transform Kids, Parks, Cities, and the World

Ken Leinbach

Mar 2018 · Morgan James Publishing

About this ebook

With climate change in the news, an urban core that has reached boiling point, and many children growing up without role models and with limited dreams, where is hope?

There is a quiet experiment in Milwaukee that is turning heads. It starts with the simplicity of getting a city kid exploring their neighborhood park. How is it that so much life, community, and opportunity can grow from this unlikely soil? It's been called a miracle. It's contagious. It's spreading. It's exciting. And it works!

This is the story of a group of ordinary people in a neighborhood who created something extraordinary.

Readers will discover... the power of getting a city kid outside in nature; that kindness does work; how to say no while following the yes; the value of clarity and focus; how to find abundance within their own diverse community by simply and humbly asking for help; ten tried and tested rules for raising money (a lot of it!) while having a ton of fun doing it; a positive, believable, and very real vision for the future of the environment (we've got this!); and... how to join the Urban Ecology movement.

About the author

Ken Leinbach is a nationally recognized science educator and leader in community-based environmental education. He is a certified high school teacher and has over 30 years of experience teaching and developing environmental science programs in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Virginia. He holds a biology degree from Antioch College, a master’s degree in environmental education from Prescott College, and an honorary doctorate of fine arts from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. Ken has had fun facilitating the grassroots effort to create and grow the Urban Ecology Center. The Center’s formula of using environmental education as a tool for inspiring urban revitalization has captured the attention of urban planners and educators across the globe. Ken speaks on a variety of topics, including sustainable design, urban environmental education, planetary conditions of concern, finding abundance, the power of story, leadership, fundraising, green living, the practice of play, and the meaning of life based on the letter P –which he hopes soon to turn into his second book. He lives in the community in which he works and runs an Airbnb location out of his home, called the Hawks Nest, which overlooks the Milwaukee River. Because he chooses not to own a car, Ken can be seen commuting to work by bike, unicycle, or, on occasion, kayak.