Sharon Gamson Danks
NationalityAmerican
EducationPrinceton, BA 1993[1]
Alma materBerkeley MA, 2000
OccupationCity planner
Years active16+
Known forAsphalt to Ecosystems[2][3]
AwardsASLA 2012[4][5]
Ashoka Fellow (2017)[6][7]
Websitewww.greenschoolyards.org

Sharon Gamson Danks is an American environmental planner and landscape designer known for her advocacy of environmentally friendly schoolyards.[2][8][9][10][11] In 2013, she founded the nonprofit Green Schoolyards America to promote ecologically healthy city schoolyards.[12][13] She designed outdoor playgrounds with blooming gardens, shaded ponds and nature trails.[14][15] Her book Asphalt to Ecosystems: Design Ideas for Schoolyard Transformation describes ways to transform the "traditional school ground’s slab of asphalt into edible gardens"[3][1][16][17] and it received an American Society of Landscape Architects award in 2012.[4][5]

In May 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Danks, along with Green Schoolyards America and several other organizations, founded the National COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative to help American K-12 schools move into fresh air spaces to reduce virus transmission.[13][18][19] She helped create an online resource called the National Outdoor Learning Library to help educators plan their outdoor learning efforts.[20] The online library features templates for constructing outdoor classroom spaces and lesson plans.[21]

She is based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Publications

  • Asphalt to Ecosystems: Design Ideas for Schoolyard Transformation, New Village Press (November 1, 2010)

References

  1. 1 2 Nov. 17, 2010, Princeton Alumni Weekly, Asphalt to Ecosystems: Design Ideas for Schoolyard Transformation By Sharon Danks ’93, Accessed June 16, 2014
  2. 1 2 October 13, 2010, Amanda Marrazzo, Chicago Tribune, Nature's classroom: Eco-friendly schoolyards a space for teaching everything from poetry to nutrition, Accessed June 16, 2014, "...schoolyards are perfect settings for composting, learning about insects...."
  3. 1 2 February 27, 2011, Clearing Magazine, Asphalt to Ecosystems: Design Ideas for Schoolyard Transformation, Accessed June 16, 2014, "..transforming the traditional school ground’s slab of asphalt into edible gardens,..."
  4. 1 2 Nicholas Pevzner, Aug 28, 2012, Scenario Journal, Landscape Urbanism Wins ASLA Communications Honor Award, Accessed June 16, 2014, "..ASLA’s awards... Sharon Danks’s wonderful book Asphalt to Ecosystems..."
  5. 1 2 American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), 2012, 2012 Professional ASLA Awards, Accessed June 16, 2014, "..Sharon Gamson Danks, ASLA..."
  6. ↑ Rachel, Fauber. "Fourteen People Inspiring a Brighter Future". Ashoka United States. Ashoka. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  7. ↑ Contributor, Ashoka (November 1, 2017). "Transforming Schoolyards, Our Most Abundant Public Spaces". Forbes. Retrieved 11 August 2021. {{cite news}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  8. ↑ Anita Merina, National Educational Association, Dreaming of School Gardens? Forget the polar vortex, ice, sleet, and snow. It’s time to talk about seeds, soil, science, and school gardens., Accessed June 16, 2014, "..says Sharon Danks, author of Asphalt to Ecosystems..."
  9. ↑ Elizabeth Manning, October 2011, Alaska Fish & Wildlife News, Schoolyard Habitats Inspire Outdoor Learning, Accessed June 16, 2014, "...Sharon Danks’ book about schoolyard habitat projects are so awe-inspiring.."
  10. ↑ Sarah Elton, Nov. 21 2013, The Globe and Mail, A look at five schools that are taking learning back to nature , Accessed June 16, 2014, "..says Sharon Danks..."
  11. ↑ 9 March 2011, School Garden Weekly, Asphalt to Ecosystems: Design Ideas for Schoolyard Transformation, Accessed June 16, 2014, "..Danks takes readers on a tour of successful green schoolyards..."
  12. ↑ Day, Adrienne (October 15, 2020). "COVID, climate, and equitable spaces: Why outdoor learning is more essential than ever". No. Fix Solutions Lab. Grist. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  13. 1 2 Henderson, Gareth (September 8, 2020). "Back to School: In-person, outside". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  14. ↑ Soumya Karlamangla, Staff Writer, February 24, 2011, Daily Californian, Green Playgrounds Spring Up Around Bay Area, Accessed June 16, 2014, "...Sharon Danks, a Berkeley-area environmental planner..."
  15. ↑ Stevanne Auerbach, PhD, September 26, 2011, Berkeley Daily Planet, [Green Schoolyards: Creating A Greener Generation http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2011-09-27/article/38471?headline=Green-Schoolyards-Creating-A-Greener-Generation---By-Stevanne-Auerbach-PhD], Accessed June 16, 2014, "...As conference director Sharon Danks writes .."
  16. ↑ EE Week, EE Week Suggested Reading for Educators: Sharon Danks Archived 2014-05-27 at the Wayback Machine, Accessed June 16, 2014, "...A resource for educators interested in designing and building natural schoolyard environments.."
  17. ↑ Elizabeth Cooper, January 30, 2011, Vermont Today via the Rutland Herald, Learning outside of the box Archived 2015-02-11 at the Wayback Machine, Accessed June 16, 2014, "..Sharon Danks, author of “Asphalt to Ecosystems.” ..."
  18. ↑ Tate, Emily (October 5, 2020). "What If Schools Viewed Outdoor Learning as 'Plan A'?". EdSurge. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  19. ↑ Nierenberg, Amelia (October 27, 2020). "Classrooms Without Walls, and Hopefully Covid". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  20. ↑ Newberry, Laura (June 28, 2021). "8 to 3: Outdoor classrooms are rare despite COVID-19. That could soon change". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  21. ↑ Buchwald, Elisabeth (September 15, 2020). "Tents fit for a wedding reception and artfully constructed wooden bandstands: Welcome to outdoor classrooms during a pandemic — and now for the bad news". Market Watch. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
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