4-H Celebrates Healthy Living!
Jefferson Community School (JCS) students are staying healthy by "walking their way to Mount Rainer" -- with pedometers locked on they walk and record each day's progress toward the 158 miles it would take to walk to Mt. Rainer. They walked over to the Port Townsend City Hall and met with Port Townsend Mayor Michelle Sandoval and Jefferson County Commissioner John Austin. And then who walks in, but Dan Burden!Dan Burden is the nation's most recognized authority on walkability, bicycle & pedestrian programs, street corridor & intersection design. He was in Port Townsend with fifty urban planners from around the country, as well as New Zealand and Britain. And Dan wanted to meet and greet the students.
The JCS students had a unique opportunity to join Burden and the city planners in a walk through Port Townsend which Burden called "the most interesting city per square foot than any other city in the nation". Burden encouraged the students to think about getting involved in designing the cities of the future. He talked to them about the opportunities that they have to design the cities of the future, to be sure that they don't loose their creativity, but rather think about how they can use their talents to ensure that future cities provide places for kids to play, places for seniors to walk safely, and cities that are designed to be not only sustainable but good places to work and live.
Note: Jefferson Community School students belong to the JCS Expedition Club, a 4-H club that supports national and international service learning expeditions.