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Home > Education > EcoMachine Manual
EcoMachine Manual
"Building an Educational Aquatic Ecosystem"
written
by Marc Companion, Education Coordinator at Ocean Arks.
 For
three years, Marc has helped John Todd teach a course on "Ecological
Design and Living Technologies" in the School of Natural Resources
at the University of Vermont.
For larger educational ecosystems that can also treat waste, ask Ocean
Arks to design one for you.
Educational Ecosystems are biologically diverse ecosystems modeled after
natural systems.
Students can design, build, and care for their small-scale "living
laboratory", and conduct science-based inquiries into how natural systems
work and how our communities affect nature.
You can purchase a pre-fabricated Classroom Aquatic
Ecosystem, or build your own using our comprehensive manual:
This 80 page manual includes:
- technical information on tank selection and connection fittings,
- an explanation of how an air-lift pump works,
- information on how to seed your system with life,
- important biology and ecology information to help you understand
how your system works,
- a seminal article by John Todd and Beth Josephson on "The Design
of Living Technologies for Waste Treatment,"
- sample lesson plans on such topics like food chains, wetlands, the
water cycle, open & closed systems, and wastewater issues pertaining
to community growth and development,
- ideas on advanced curriculum content, including:
- Gaia and the Human Body: What are the similarities between the earth
and our own bodies? Both regulate their own temperature, maintain specific
oxygen levels (in blood or atmosphere), and are composed of a network of
interdependent cells/organisms which work together to maintain system stability.
Branch systems are communication pathways within each system (body: arteries,
capillaries, veins. Earth: streams, rivers, and ocean currents). Help students
make the connections by combining natural science with their own bodies.
 Restoration ecology and the Outdoor Classroom: learn how to increase
bio-diversity on campus as part of your curriculum.- A Roadmap for A Sustainable Future: Integrate biology and
science learning with futurist skills for responsible living and
stewardship.
- Space Colonies: How can we reliably support life
on places far from the earth's protective biosphere? What technologies
are up to the task? Our approach is to help students explore how the
earth supports its inhabitants and how natural systems embody fantastic
strategies for a sustainable future on earth, beginning in our neighborhoods
and schools.
- The Ecological School: How can you and
your students create a school that treats its own waste, produces its
own energy, and grows its own food? Start by recycling cafeteria waste
into organic food with school-wide compost systems, student gardens,
vermiculture, and aquaculture systems integrated into your curriculum
for hands-on learning. Explore wetlands as water purifiers and solar
architecture as a design strategy for our communities.
 Nature and Sense of Place: How does nature work? What are the
architectures, designs, processes and relationships of complex natural
systems, and what intelligence is embodied in nature after a billion
years of evolution? How do we and our communities relate to the world
around us? What other living things share our neighborhoods and watersheds,
and what can we learn from them? Students explore a wide range of interdisciplinary
topics ranging from basic science like food webs and photosynthesis,
to introductions to systems thinking, chaos theory, and fractals.
Building An Educational Aquatic Ecosystem:
US$ 40.00 plus
shipping ($3 within the US, $5 to Canada,
$8 to Europe). For delivery to other destinations, please ask for
postage rates.
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