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EE 2008 Headquarters Grants
Environmental Education Grants Awarded by EPA Headquarters in 2008.
Alabama
The Martin Foundation
$121,500
Angela Martin, 110 Pawnee Drive, Anniston, AL 36206
Community Unity for a Healthy Life
This project educates teachers, students, parents, community leaders, and the public about threats to human health from environmental pollution due to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), lead, and mercury by addressing concerns about these environmental toxins, which contaminate the city of Anniston and Calhoun County, Alabama. Through a community education approach that includes weekly workshops, seminars, and health fairs, members of the community are educated about threats to human health from the toxins and learn how to minimize human exposure to preserve good health. In addition, several resources, including a Web site, a monthly e-newsletter, and an informational brochure, will inform community members about various ways that humans may be exposed to contaminants. By increasing awareness and knowledge, this project enables community members to develop skills to make informed decisions and take responsible actions for their health care. Partners on this project include Family Links, Inc., the Department of Environmental Health Sciences and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Albany, and Jacksonville State University.
California
California Integrated Waste Management Board
$103,100
Christy Humpert, 1001 I Street, P.O. Box 4025, Sacramento, CA 95812
Incorporating the EEI Curriculum into California Classrooms
The California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) is responsible for implementing the Education and the Environment Initiative (EEI), a program developed under a California law that was enacted in 2003. It requires development and dissemination of a kindergarten through grade 12 environment-based education program for all students in the state's public schools. The EEI curriculum focuses on the relationship between humans and the environment and addresses various environmental issues, including sustainability, water, air, and pollution prevention. Under this project, CIWMB is developing and implementing a strategy for incorporating the EEI curriculum into California school districts to produce more environmentally literate students. In addition, they are developing a professional development plan for training educators in use of the EEI curriculum. Teachers attend workshops to learn about EEI and participate in focus group meetings. This project serves as a model for bringing environment-based education into public schools nationwide, institutionalizes environment-based education, and helps to develop more environmentally literate students. Partners in this project include the California Environmental Protection Agency, the California Department of Education, the State Education and Environmental Roundtable, and the National Geographic Society.
Colorado
Earth Force, Inc.
$90,068
Vince Meldrum, 2120 W. 33rd Avenue, Denver, CO 80211
Preparing Pre-Service Educators to Use Environmental Action Strategies
Earth Force, a national environmental education organization, trains teachers around the country on a unique approach that blends inquiry-based science education with community engagement. Activities are focused on increasing the number of pre-service educators who are trained to integrate environmental action strategies into their classrooms and improving the quality of environmental educators. Earth Force is training staff at each participating university in environmental action strategies, partnering with universities to develop a model that integrates those strategies into their work with pre-service educators, and helping to pilot the integration model with pre-service educators at the universities. The integration model will be presented at the 2008 National American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) Conference and National Service Learning Conference. Integration of the environmental action plan into pre-service environmental education programs helps position colleges and universities for National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) accreditation. By adopting the environmental action approach in the classroom, teachers facilitate real-world stewardship projects, which enhances student understanding of environmental science projects. It further empowers students to identify and address environmental issues in their communities. Partners in this project include Western Kentucky University, Murray State University, and the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point.
Kansas
Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education
$80,500
Laura Downey-Skochdopole, 2610 Claflin, Manhattan, KS 66502-2743
Capacity Building at the Regional Level
This project, developed by the Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education (KACEE), increases education capacity by enhancing state-level initiatives that legitimize and professionalize delivery of quality, science-based education in the four-state region of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. KACEE works with EE leaders to assess current capacity-building structures and works collaboratively with a stakeholder team consisting of formal and non-formal environmental educators to create action plans to increase state EE capacity. Program management teams work with stakeholders through workshops, meetings, and a 2-day stakeholder retreat. By drawing on expertise at the regional level, each state develops and implements action plans that advance EE, including EE master plans, EE certification programs, materials and resource review, and an ongoing assessment of environmental literacy at the state level. Through these actions, the project increases state capacity to deliver quality EE and therefore improves the environmental literacy of the region's citizens. Partners on this project include the Iowa Conservation and Education Council (ICEC), the Missouri Environmental Education Association (MEEA), and the Nebraska Alliance for Conservation and Environmental Education (NACEE).
Louisiana
Teaching Responsible Earth Education (T.R.E.E.)
$114,483
Sue Brown, 1504 Magazine St., New Orleans, LA 70130
Earthkeepers
Earthkeepers is part of a series of innovative programs developed for New Orleans-area school children by Teaching Responsible Earth Education (T.R.E.E.) to improve student academic outcomes and prepare students to serve as future social, civic, and environmental leaders. Earthkeepers offers both real-world exploratory learning experiences in the outdoors and hands-on activities in the classroom to teach the core life science concepts of energy flow, cycles, interrelationship, and change. Students in grade 4 are engaged in 12 interactive, problem-solving activities over 3 school days at the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve. In addition, students complete a series of stewardship activities at home and in the classroom to educate their families and other students and to apply their knowledge to their own lives. The program teaches students that they have the ability to alter the quality of the environment and their own lives. This knowledge is imparted by immersing students in the natural world to convey essential life science concepts and engaging students in hands-on activities that reveal interdependence of humans and nature. The integration of this program into the fourth-grade curriculum advances state and local education reform goals, increases environmental stewardship and literacy, and improves sustainability for environmental education programs. Partners on this project include New Orleans charter schools, the Jean Lafitte National Historic Park and Preserve, and the College of Education at the University of Arizona.
Maine
Gulf of Maine Institute
$106,433
John Terry, 487 Clarks Mills Road, Dayton, ME 04005
Gulf of Maine Institute Teacher Training Initiative
The Gulf of Maine Institute's (GOMI) mission is to inspire young people, in partnership with adults, to lead stewardship efforts in the Gulf of Maine and its watershed. As part of the Teacher Training Initiative, GOMI is developing a model teacher training program that prepares social science and environmental educators to incorporate hands-on, experiential initiatives into the curriculum. Participating teachers attend 2-week-long summer workshops that serve as core training in environmental science, team building, and civic engagement. In addition, participants develop a teacher's kit designed to effectively introduce teachers to "place-based" experiential education. Participating teachers develop community-based initiative teams at their schools and form a cadre of trainers to disseminate these tools and resources at their schools. Dissemination of this model is further aided with presentations at several regional annual teacher conferences, as well as with workshops and Web site development. The initiative enables students to become more competent in science and environmental stewardship by helping to foster teams of educators who change the ways science and social science are taught and learned. The primary partner on this project is Tufts University.
Maryland
Garrett County Board of Education
$64,888
Barbara Baker, 40 South 2nd Street, Oakland, MD 21550
Explorers - Environmental Education and Stewardship Development Program
The pilot Explorers-Environmental Education and Stewardship Development Program is implemented by Garrett County Schools to excite students about environmental education and provide teachers with the necessary skills to integrate environmental education into the regular classroom instruction. The program consists of an after-school science club that focuses on the local watershed and uses it as an organizing principle to integrate disciplines while providing a meaningful context of learning. The program involves various school sites that teach about schoolyard ecosystems as well as the people and communities of the watershed. During the program, fourth-grade students meet on a regular basis after school and for a 4-day summer workshop. In addition, there are three field trips, including a trip to the Canaan Valley Institute research watershed. Teachers receive additional professional development workshops for content and curriculum design. Through this program, students address topics on the sustainability of natural resources, including watershed concepts, human impacts, sustainable communities, and civic action. The goal is to produce high-performing, environmentally literate students and to create schools that model best environmental practices. Partners on this project include the Maryland State Department of Education's Environmental Education Program (MEEP), Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the University of Maryland's Center for Environmental Science Appalachian Laboratory, the Youghiogheny River Watershed Association, and the Hickory Environmental Education Center.
New York
National Audubon Society, Inc.
$120,000
Judy Braus, 700 Broadway, New York, NY 10003
Climate Change "Train the Trainers" Workshop and Pilot
Under this project, the National Audubon Society helps community and educational leaders across the country acquire the knowledge, skills, and resources to educate people about climate change issues and assists in developing the skills to make decisions about reducing their carbon footprints. Audubon uses a "train-the-trainers" online conferencing workshop for individuals selected from various Audubon centers and their partner community-based organizations to enhance their knowledge about climate change and develop scientifically accurate and educationally sound programming to engage the target audiences. In the workshop, the leaders learn how to design new programs as well as components about climate change that can be embedded into courses that their organizations already offer. Workshop participants are provided with materials that can be used for local outreach and programming. After the workshop, Audubon will pilot the development, implementation, and evaluation of climate change programming, with the objective of reaching new audiences and capturing best practices for dissemination among Audubon's entire network of centers and partners. Results of this project include education leaders who are better trained and equipped to educate people across the country about what they can do to affect climate change, citizens who are more aware of how their actions affect climate change, and a model for climate change that can easily be replicated in other regions. The key partner in this project is the National Wildlife Federation, along with a variety of community-based organizations.
Texas
A Nurtured World, Inc.
$90,935
Elizabeth Roothaan, 6404 Wilbur Drive, Austin, TX 78757
Consumer Environmental Education in Texas, Arizona, and Oklahoma
Combining both technical and inquiry learning elements into curriculum is at the heart of A Nurtured World's model to effectively drive change in environmental behavior. A Nurtured World has developed an innovative inquiry-based curriculum that helps individuals understand and make informed decisions about their personal environmental impacts and ties the environmental impacts to issues important to the individual. Under this project, the curriculum is being expanded and adapted to include materials appropriate for middle school students and to correlate with math, science, and English state standards. Middle school teachers and students learn how to make informed decisions about their behavior and reduce their environmental impact, and high-quality curriculum is provided to participating teachers to help them meet curriculum standards and enhance critical thinking. Two train-the-trainer teacher workshops are being conducted in each state to prepare teachers to effectively deliver all or parts of the curriculum to their students using a combination of classroom and field activities. During the workshops, participants report measurable outcomes from the project, including reductions in environmental impacts and cost savings. These actions help enhance teachers' skills in delivering technical content and leading inquiry-based discussions related to personal environmental responsibility. Key partners include the Texas Education Agency, Keep Pearland Beautiful, De Soto School District, Yavapai County Education Service Agency, and the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality.
Washington
Washington State University
$85,347
Lynda Paznokas, PO Box 642114 School and Community Collaboration Center College of Education, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164
Sustainability and Environmental Education for Pre-Service (SEEP)
The Sustainability and Environmental Education for Pre-Service (SEEP) project is a coordinated statewide effort that incorporates training on environmental and sustainability education into teacher preparations to ensure that these concepts and skills are effectively taught in Washington classrooms. The program is managed by Washington State University's (WSU) College of Education's School and Community Collaboration Center, on behalf of Teacher of Teacher of Science (TOTOS), a group of science methods professors from Washington's colleges and universities. Under this program, WSU trains pre-service teachers through several different teacher preparation programs to incorporate and deliver high-quality environmental and sustainability education into the classroom. The training includes: (1) a workshop with governmental agencies and informal science education institutions to discuss human and material environmental resources; (2) a workshop to discuss implementation strategies for evidence-based teacher preparation of environmental and sustainability issues; (3) a regional conference with the Northwest Chapter of the Association of Science Teacher Education; (4) development of collaborative publications that describe SEEP's models; and (5) environmental equipment support for TOTOS through WSU's Equipment Loan Program. Ultimately, the SEEP project leads to incorporation of more significant environmental and sustainability education into nearly all pre-service teacher preparation programs throughout the state, thus preparing future teachers to effectively teach these concepts and skills in Washington classrooms. Partners in this project include Washington's office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, Woodland Park Zoo, Association for Science Teacher Education, Environmental Education Association of Washington, Pacific Education Institute, Facing the Future, and several WSU units.
Wisconsin
Northland College
$124,845
Clare Hintz, 1411 Ellis Ave., Ashland, WI 54806
Regional Collaborative for Sustainability Education
As sustainability becomes a widely embraced concept, more and more local communities and households are attempting to engage in sustainable initiatives. The Regional Collaborative for Sustainability Education uses education as the catalyst for community-based initiatives that engage all aspects of sustainability to maximize the knowledge, interest, and engagement of community members. Teams of educators, administrators, community leaders, and students make up innovative partnerships that engage people and communities in positive change. Northland College is creating and piloting a Transformative Learning Model for Sustainability that exemplifies innovative, place-based approaches to learning, promotes long-term community stewardship, and encourages regional approaches to sustainability education. In addition, Northland College facilitates dialogue on best practices in sustainability education by developing a leadership team and launching a regional Web portal for sustainability education. Regional communities nationwide participate in national conferences to be trained on the Transformative Learning Model for Sustainability. Dissemination of this model results in increased sharing of regional formal and non-formal educator's best sustainability teaching and learning practices, increased environmental knowledge and public awareness, and increased exchange of local, regional, and national expertise. Key partners in this project are Shelburne Farms, the Cooperative Educational Service Agency, Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center, the Alliance for Sustainability, and the Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College.
The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System
$122,668
Cheryl Bauer-Armstrong, 21 N. Park St., Suite 6401, Madison, WI 53715-1218
RESTORE: Children and Nature
The University of Wisconsin (UW)-Madison Arboretum's Earth Partnership for Schools (EPS) program uses ecological restoration of school grounds as a means of reforming educational practices in science, math, social studies, language, and the arts. As part of the program, students study site history, measure physical and observe aesthetic features, analyze soil, and learn the biology of native ecosystems through an inquiry-based learning and a hands-on collaborative setting. The RESTORE: Children and Nature initiative is designed to reconnect children and nature by expanding EPS to a broader nationwide audience, leading to improved teaching skills, enhanced student learning, and citizen involvement in restoring local environments. As part of this initiative, pilot partnerships are established with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and regional partners to nationally expand the unique EPS model. During the project, environmental education and conservation organizations are recruited as Earth Partnership Facilitating Centers. Teams from the centers, consisting of non-formal educators, kindergarten through grade 12 teachers, and citizen volunteers, attend a 2-week RESTORE Institute at the UW-Madison Arboretum to be trained in offering EPS programs to teams from local and regional schools and communities. In addition, FWS resource personnel attend 2-day trainings in their states and collaborate in regional institutes and the subsequent schoolyard habitat projects. This project addresses several key issues, including biodiversity, ecological restoration, pollution prevention, and ecological literacy. Key partners in this initiative include the FWS Schoolyard Habitat Program, National Conservation Training Center, Oklahoma Partners for Fish and Wildlife, Great Plains Nature Center and Dyck Arboretum of the Plains, Prairie Wetlands Learning Center, Upper Mississippi River National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, La Crosse District, and regional EPS Facilitating Centers in Wisconsin, Kansas, and Minnesota.
