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Written by Lindsay Crowder   
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Tuesday, 16 September 2008

Environmental Education in K-12 Schools

If you spend any time around children or teenagers—as an educator, a parent, a nanny, a sibling or even as a friend—you probably understand the impact that education can have on young people. If you have any interest in environmental issues, at the individual, federal, or global level, you probably understand the impact that everyday people can have on its preservation. This mentality is where environmental education is born. As someone who spends many hours during the week with elementary students, I am touched to see their environmental awareness through recycling, walking or biking instead of driving to and from school, picking up litter, their knowledge of endangered species, or through their conversations about global warming and environmental issues in the current election. Interestingly, most of this information has been taught or practiced at school. Is this new trend in education a product of living in the very eco-forward Bay Area? Or is environmental education filtering its way into curriculum throughout the country?

After investigating what is happening in the K-12 world nation-wide, I realized that environmental programs are being incorporated in more places than just the Bay Area. An article in the New York Times notes that, “Today, 31 states require schools to incorporate environmental concepts into virtually every subject in all grade levels.” That was 10 years ago-I’m guessing the number has reached 50 states by now. When recently in Michigan, my mother, who has been an educator there for over 30 years, informed me that she is currently working to make outdoor education/environmental education connections to all of their K-7 science standards. Even more, Michigan’s Department of Environmental Quality offers resources for curriculum support in the areas of land use, ecosystems & biodiversity, water quality, air quality, and energy resources. Further exploration steered me toward discovering that the National Environmental Education Foundation is “launching the National High School Challenge to provide teachers with an opportunity to secure as much as $5,000 to $10,000 in funding to bring innovative environmental themes into students’ coursework and incorporate more environmental education into teaching overall.” States including Washington, Wisconsin, Maine, and New York have created schools dedicated specifically to environmental education-like H.S. 400 High School for Environmental Studies in Manhattan that combines a traditional academic program with unusual internships designed to make students aware of the environment. An awareness, education, and empowerment to protect the Earth has transcended for our youth to more than just picking up trash one day a year on Earth Day.

As the demand for environmental preservation continues to rise, the demand to teach it will also rise. Our youth has the opportunity to make a difference, and you do too! Below are some of my favorite resources for learning more about environmental education and how to implement it:

http://www.kidsforsavingearth.org/index_high.html“The mission of KSE is to educate, inspire, and empower children to protect the Earth's environment. KSE Worldwide provides action-oriented educational materials to kids, families, groups, classrooms and schools.”

http://www.neefusa.org/programs/index.htm“Working with a network of health professionals, weathercasters, land managers and teachers, we create and leverage public-private partnerships to promote daily actions for helping people live well while protecting and enjoying nature.”

http://eelink.net/pages/Classroom+Resources-Directories“EE-Link is: 5400 links organized in 300 categories, 11,000+ visitors per day. Browse or Search for resources for professional development, climate change, global warming, lesson plans, endangered species, national and international events, and more.”

http://www.greenteacher.com/“Green Teacher is a magazine that helps youth educators enhance environmental and global education inside and outside of schools. Fifty pages of ideas and activities, four times a year.”

http://www.epa.gov/enviroed/“EPA's Environmental Education Division (EED), Office of Children's Health Protection and Environmental Education (OCHPEE), leads and coordinates EPA programs to provide national leadership in promoting environmental literacy, in accordance with the National Environmental Education Act of 1990 (NEEA). It ensures that environmental education, based on sound science and effective education practices, is used as a tool to promote and protect human health and the environment and to encourage student academic achievement.”

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=k12_schools.bus_schoolsk12 ENERGY STAR for K-12 School Districts-provides resources, products and information for schools.

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