The Friends Welcome Mexican Professors to Tryon Creek for World Environment Day

World Environment Day (WED) was on Tuesday, June 5, 2013. The UN selected Portland as the host city for this international event and the Friends of Tryon Creek (FOTC) partnered with the City and other local organizations to showcase the environmental education and stewardship programs that have earned Portland its preeminent “green” reputation.

The Friends, PSU Capstone Instructors, and visiting Mexican Professors at Tryon Creek

One such WED event happened on a sunny day at Tryon Creek. The Friends, joined by PSU Capstone instructors, welcomed a group of professors visiting from Mexico.

The Friends have a longstanding partnership with PSU, and Matthew Collins, the Friends' Education Director, teaches eighteen credits a year through the Capstone program. Because of the success of Matthew’s courses as a model for service learning, PSU proposed that the Friends host the Mexican professors as they participate in a week-long course to learn about integrating the community into coursework and the education processes that relate to service activities.

Matthew Collins and FOTC volunteer Terry Gibson, who teaches classes in sustainability at Marylhurst University, co-lead the visiting professors in a park ivy pull, and FOTC and OPRD staff shared Tryon Creek's history.

Pulling ivy at Tryon Creek for World Environment Day service activities

As the Friends and the professors discussed the importance of environmental preservation and community involvement it became clear that although we are from different countries and cultures, we share the same ethic of stewardship and belief that a lifelong connection to nature is essential for a healthy Earth and its inhabitants.  The Friends support this connection to nature through a variety of environmental programs for children, families and adults, as well as volunteer and stewardship opportunities.  

The Friends are honored that these Mexican professors came to Tryon Creek to learn from us and support us. We hope they will take what they learn and share it with their own communities.