“It's Kind of Fun to Do the Impossible”:
The Story of Milwaukee's Urban Ecology Center

Ken Leinbach
The Urban Ecology Center
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Citation: Leinbach, Ken (2008). "“It's Kind of Fun to Do the Impossible”: The Story of Milwaukee's Urban Ecology Center." Children, Youth and Environments 18 (2): 180-196. Retrieved [date] from http://www.colorado.edu/journals/cye/

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Abstract

The Urban Ecology Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, offers an innovative model for urban environmental education. From its humble beginnings as a neighborhood effort to save a park from crime, it has grown into a one-of-a-kind environmental community center serving tens of thousands of visitors a year. The secret to its success is its replicable Neighborhood Environmental Education Project, which provides neighborhood children and youth with experiences in the natural world. This is coupled with a community program that fosters cross-generational mentor relationships as a means to develop a strong environmental ethic. The Center’s experience holds useful lessons for communities elsewhere.

Keywords: environmental education, community revitalization, urban ecology, sustainability, Milwaukee