Recently in MWW Newsletters Category

Each month we offer a challenge to MWW members to get involved doing geography; that is, taking an action that requires a geographic perspective or advocating on behalf of geographic education.

Our March Challenge: Choose 5 of 100 ways to conserve water and tell us how it goes!

Here's your chance: Please comment on this post with your water-saving stories.

What's in a logo? When it comes to the Olympic games: geography.

While the concept of a "logo" is a relatively modern phenomenon spurred by the rise of capitalism and reproducible print, the Olympics have long been infused with geographic symbolism. Take the Olympic flag, for starters: The five interlocking rings are typically taken to represent the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania. Why are the North and South American continents lumped together? That's a political question I hope another geographer out there can answer!

In addition to universal Olympic symbols like the torch and five-ring flag, each of the host cities supporting the modern games has developed icons to mark its unique incarnation of the event. Almost always, the posters, medals, and logos evoke a strong sense of place. The reasons are obvious: Olympics provide a great sense of pride for the host city, and often serve as a "coming out party" on the world stage. Let's take a look at a sampling of Olympic logos from 1896 - 2016 to investigate how geography factors into design.

Disclaimer: I am NOT an art history or graphics expert, so I welcome YOUR input on this topic!

Read the November 2009 Newsletter: Celebrate Geography Awareness Week!

Inside
GeoFeature: GeoMentors Take Action
Geography in the News: Geography + Basketball = Fun!
Blog: Inaugural Geography Awareness Week Blog-a-thon

Read the October 2009 Newsletter: America and the World.

Inside
GeoFeature: Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF
Geography in the News: Brazil Wins Olympic Bid
Blog: Join in the Geography Awareness Week Blog-a-Thon


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In 1950 a group of school kids in Philadelphia used milk cartons to collect $17 for kids on the other side of the world, and Treat-or-Trick for UNICEF was born.

To date UNICEF--the United Nations Children's Fund--has saved more children's lives than any other humanitarian organization, and it is working toward a day when ZERO children die from preventable causes.

The Halloween campaign continues to be an essential fundraising project for UNICEF. Since 1950, participants have collected over $144 million for children in need! This year, join in this beloved holiday tradition.

1. Log on to Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF to order your donation boxes or learn how to create your own.

2. Register your All Hallows Eve holler-fest to receive a free Halloween party planning kit.

3. Trick-or-Treat online to enlist friends and family outside of your neighborhood to contribute to your efforts.

Read the September 2009 Newsletter: Is Your School Ready for the 21st Century?

Inside
GeoFeature: Hispanic Heritage Month
Geography in the News: Growth in Minority School Enrollments
Blog: Travel to Costa Rica with NG Explorer Enric Sala




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Read the August 2009 Newsletter: How Can Geography Prepare Your Family for Disasters?

Inside
Take our new Reader Poll
GeoFeature: 4-H "Alert, Evacuate, and Shelter" Program
Geography in the News: GIS Aids Planners in Katrina Aftermath
Blog: Earth Science in Australia



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Did you know that more than 100,000 wildfires clear 4 million to 5 million acres of land in the U.S. every year? Wildfires, which travel at speeds of up to 14 miles per hour, can be extremely destructive, but they are truly "natural" disasters, necessary in nature's cycle of birth and death.  Fires return nutrients to the soil and also act as disinfectants, removing disease-ridden plant and insects.  Their destruction of the thick tree canopies allows new birth on the forest floor.  

Not all fires occur naturally, however, as a result of forces such as lightening. A majority--4 out of 5--can be attributed to human sources, such as campfires. Human error, coupled with ample amounts of fuel, oxygen, and dry conditions, creates a recipe for catastrophe. Recent years of hotter-than-average temperatures and extended periods of drought, along with some misplaced efforts to curtail critical, small-scale natural blazes, have dramatically increased the incidence of massive, destructive fires.

What can you do to prevent wildfires? Take a cue from everyone's favorite friend of the forest, Smokey the Bear, who celebrates his 65th anniversary this year! Fire prevention starts with knowledge, followed by responsible action.

Be awestruck.

GISetc (Anita & Roger Palmer) and Geological Society of America education (Gary Lewis) decided that taking educators to Australia would be a tremendous way to learn about the physical geography and geology of this far away continent.  So we did!  On July 18, we took off from Los Angeles at 10:00 on Saturday evening, flew for fourteen hours and crossed the International Date Line (180 longitude), and landed in Sydney at 6:30 Monday morning.  After having "lost" Sunday while on the plane, nineteen educators and their family members converged on Sydney, Australia.   

The first thing we all noticed when we left the airport was that it was cold!  All of us were traveling from North America, where typical northern latitude temperatures were very hot, and we needed to switch our thoughts and bodies to the southern latitude winter of Sydney.  At 26 S, which U.S. city would be a best comparison in winter?  (You can check out weatherunderground.com or weather.com to verify your answers.)  

After adding another jacket layer and some gloves, we ventured out and were transferred to our hotel right in the heart of Sydney, near the beautiful downtown Hyde Park.  Hyde Park is a wonderful public space in the heart of the city where residents walk and play.  In Hyde Park, Gary did an introduction to GPS use and geocaching (geocache.com), and the participants proceeded to search for three geocaches in the park.  They learned what a "taperline" in Australia is, which helped them find one of the geocaches.  (Look up "taperline" and "Australia" in Google to find out for yourself!)

Looking down into Hyde Park from 45 stories above Sydney

After the fun of geocaching, our GPS walk continued to Sydney Harbor, which, historically, served as a working port for exporting Australian manufactured goods.  Sydney Harbor has been undergoing a metamorphosis to become an urban center housing fantastic hotels, dwellings, and world-class displays of all Australia has to offer.  The Circular Quays and Sydney Harbor area is a wonderful amalgamation of botanical gardens, ocean aquaria, Australian animal encounters, harbor tours, and the iconic Sydney Opera House on Bennelong Point.

 

Read the July 2009 Newsletter "Become a "Citizen Scientist""

 Inside
Geofeature: Project Burst, "Can Plants Reveal Climate Change?"
Geography in the news: Apollo turns 40
Blog: How to find a Fossa 

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