When teaching, it is important to create content that resonates with the audience and reflects the venue, which may come in many shapes and sizes. Here are two classrooms where Joan recently engaged curious minds:

 

Circular Classroom: On a cool and rainy day in May, Joan shared her environmental advocacy story with seventeen fellows from various Jewish Outdoor, Food, Farming, and Environmental Education (JOFEE) organizations. JOFEE experiences connect people to Judaism, community, and the natural world through hands-on, thoughtful and engaging Jewish content. Joan provided a personal and professional narrative in a primitive outdoor circular shelter, built of branches, leaves, and soil -- on the grounds of the  Pearlstone Center where Joan serves as the Community Sustainability Director.

Rectangular Classroom: At a much larger venue -- the Minneapolis Convention Center -- Plisko Sustainable Solutions, LLC, in partnership with Blue Water Baltimore, and MedStar Harbor Hospital (MSHH) shared the story of stormwater management planning and design at MSHH. The group quizzed the audience on their knowledge related to the Mississippi River's - Twin Cities watershed (location where the conference was held) and told the story of how the team came together to design stormwater management interventions. The team also presented information about the health effects of polluted stormwater -- useful for anyone who swims, boats, fishes or eats seafood. Stormwater pollution is a growing environmental concern and should be minimized.