Environmental Education

The interpretation of natural, historic and cultural resources along a greenway serves to educate young and old alike. Natural areas act as living museums and laboratories for people to discover, explore and appreciate the wonders of nature and science.

Lessons on local geography, geology and ecology as well as local human history can be learned through the preservation and interpretation of natural areas. This is accomplished through the development of interpretive displays, wayside exhibits, outdoor classrooms and the involvement of local schools.

--On the Swift Creek Recycled Greenway in Cary, NC, the use of recycled waste by-products in the construction of the greenway facility is the featured element of the trail.

--The Boulder Greenway System in Boulder, CO, contains "outdoor classrooms" which help children learn about surrounding natural systems by providing places where the underwater portion of streams can be viewed from above ground.