The Coral Gables Museum, which celebrates, investigates and explores the civic arts of architecture and urban and environmental design and fosters an appreciation for the history, vision, and cultural landscape of Coral Gables, has received a $200,000 grant from the State of Florida’s Department of Education to expand its Green City program and provide it at no cost to all K-12 students in Miami-Dade County.
“The future of our planet and the cultural, environmental and social vitality of our communities depend on our youth,” said Christine Rupp, director of the Coral Gables Museum. “Thanks to this grant, the expanded Green City Program will now be a free educational program to K-12 students in Miami, giving them the tools to make important decisions about the design and livability of their communities.”
The Green City Program is dedicated to the practice and purpose of teaching future generations about designing communities with the principles of environmental sustainability. It introduces students to impor- tant disciplines such as architecture, landscape architecture, design, urban planning as well as historic and environmental preservation and sustainable development
The program curriculum explores everything from what one can do at home to decrease carbon footprint, to how to design a LEED-certified building or a green city. Students of all ages will learn about environmentally friendly design through presentations and tours.
There also will be experiential learning activities that will teach students about the relationship between the built and natural environment and will further their understanding of worldwide environmental threats and how sustainable design can be a solution to those challenges.
The grant from the State of Florida has enabled the museum to hire several professional experts who will teach classes and lead students on specially designed tours during the year:
Carmen L. Guerrero, licensed architect, associate professor in practice, and academic coordinator of Explorations in Architecture at University of Miami, will serve as the curriculum consultant for the Green City Program.
Kiki Mutis, who has developed environmental education programs for Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center, Citizens for a Better South Florida and Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, will lead native garden design activities for elementary school students.
David Rifkind, professor at Florida International University’s College of Architecture and the Arts, will provide personal tours of his acclaimed green home to middle and high school students.
Jaime Correa, associate professor in practice at the University of Miami, will provide tours of the current exhibit Miami 2100: Envisioning a Resilient Second Century and provide presentations to middle and high school students on designing urban solutions for climate change and sea level rise.
If you want to register your school for the Green City Program, contact Dianely Cabrera or Ashley Montano at 305-603- 8067 or send email to education@coralgablesmuseum.org. For more information about the Coral Gables Museum visit www.coralgablesmuseum.org.
