EE Publications
All of the resources listed are available free of charge. Unless otherwise noted, the resources can be ordered on line from EPA's National Service Center for Environmental Publications (NSCEP) at http://www.epa.gov/nscep/ or by telephone at 1-800-490-9198. Several resources also can be viewed or downloaded online.
You will need Adobe Reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more.
EE Guidelines
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Early Childhood Environmental Education Programs: Guidelines for Excellence (EPA 171-B-10-004) (Overview of the document)
Guidelines to help environmental educators who work with young children, especially ages 3 to 6, develop quality programs. Produced by NAAEE.
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EE Materials: Guidelines for Excellence (EPA 171-B-04-003)
Guidelines for developing and evaluating EE materials. Produced by NAAEE.
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Materiales de Educacion Ambiental: Pautas para la Excelencia (Spanish) (171-B-07-001)
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EE Materials: Guidelines for Excellence — The Workbook (EPA 171-B-00-001)
A self-guided workbook that teaches individuals how to effectively use the materials guidelines. Produced by NAAEE.
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Excellence in EE — Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12) (EPA 171-B10-001)
Guidelines for learner performance and achievements in K-4th, 5-8th, and 9-12th grades and for using EE as a means for meeting standards set by the traditional disciplines. Produced by NAAEE.
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Excellence in EE: Guidelines for Learning (K-12); Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool (EPA 171-B-10-002)
Summarizes the learner guidelines and provides a self-assessment checklist for determining the degree to which curricula and programs meet these guidelines. Produced by NAAEE.
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Guidelines for the Preparation and Professional Development of Environmental Educators (EPA 171-B-10-003) (Overview of the document)
Guidelines for what educators need to know to effectively teach EE. Produced by NAAEE.
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Leading the Way to Environmental Literacy and Quality: National Guidelines for EE
Article discusses how the guidelines ensure that materials, programs, and practitioners are of the highest possible quality. Produced by EETAP. -
Nonformal EE Programs: Guidelines for Excellence (EPA 171-B-04-001) (Overview of the document)
Guidelines for developing and administering quality EE programs that take place outside the classroom in nonformal settings, for example, state and national parks and forests, zoos, museums, and nature centers. Produced by NAAEE.
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Programas De Educacion Ambiental No Formal: Pautas Para La Excelencia (Spanish) (171-B-05-001)
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Evaluating the Content of Web Sites: Guidelines for Educators
Guidelines to help educators evaluate the quality and usefulness of Web sites for educational purposes. -
Evaluating the Structure of Web Sites: Guidelines for Educators
Guidelines to help educators communicate to web designers the needs of their users to improve the educational effectiveness of the site. Available in PDF [113KB].
EE Resources
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Still Developing the Toolbox: Making EE Relevant for Culturally Diverse Groups
Article discusses how the EE field is working to become more inclusive and offer programs that are more relevant to culturally diverse groups. Produced by EETAP. -
Distance Education: A User Friendly Learning Option
Article discusses the benefits of on-line learning and provides information about two relatively new on-line courses on the "Fundamentals of EE" and "Applied EE Program Evaluation." Produced by EETAP. -
EE Collection: A Review of Resources for Educators
Identifies and evaluates environmental education materials using EE Materials: Guidelines for Excellence. Produced by NAAEE.
Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3
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Explore, Think, Serve, Wonder, and Achieve: Teaching with the Future in Mind (EE Poster) (EPA 171-H-02-001)
Produced by the Environmental Education and Training Partnership, the colorful poster illustrates how environmental education promotes student achievement in all subjects by building on their natural curiosity and motivation to learn. Includes ideas and resources for bringing environmental education into the classroom.
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National Environmental Literacy Assessment Project: Year 1, National Baseline Study of Middle Grade Students.
Produced under a research grant funded by EPA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and administered by NAAEE, this research report provides instrumentation to measure environmental literacy and baseline environmental literacy data for 6th and 8th graders across the United States. -
What's Fair Got To Do With It: Diversity Cases From Environmental Educators
Produced by WestEd, in collaboration with the Environmental Education and Training Partnership and the North American Association for Environmental Education, provides a collection of case studies that offer real-world examples of how cultural differences can affect the implementation of environmental education programs.
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Purchase additional copies from NAAEE
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Education Projects in the Office of Water: A How-to Guide for Developing Environmental Education Projects (EPA 800-B-99-001)
[PDF, 6.5 MB, 47 pages, about PDF]
Provides a roadmap for developing quality EE projects and outlines EPA's procedural guidelines for producing a product or supporting related projects already in existence. In addition, it lists other resources that provide further detail and insight into the process of developing effective EE pieces.
EE and Education Reform
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Reaching Teachers: Integrating EE into Teacher Education Programs at Colleges and Universities
Describes a variety of ways in which environmental educators are weaving EE into the fabric of preservice education. Produced by EETAP. -
Standard Practice: Aligning EE Resources to National and State Curriculum Standards
Describes how environmental education providers are ensuring that their materials conform to and support educational standards that are the central focus of most teachers in American schools. Produced by EETAP. -
Education and the Environment: Partners for Change
Article discusses how EE can bring about systemic changes in education by using interdisciplinary, hands-on, and project-based learning to replace traditional instruction. Produced by EETAP. -
EE Certification: Making Best Practice Standard Practice
Article discusses the advancements and challenges in state and national EE certification efforts. Produced by EETAP. -
Setting High Standards: EE Builds a Home in Teacher Education Accreditation
Article discusses efforts to develop EE standards for accrediting college and university teacher education programs. Produced by EETAP. -
EEducator: Advancing Education Reform (EPA 171-B-99-001)
Detailed description of EEducator: Advancing Education Reform
Produced by the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE), a collection of articles that examine how EE can be used to advance student learning (topics include instruction, professional development, assessment, and standards).
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EE: Moving into the Education Mainstream
Produced by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, the publication explores how environmental education can be linked to current movements in education to improve student achievement. -
Advancing Education Through Environmental Literacy (EPA 171-K-04-900)
Produced by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, the publication examines how education and the environment can be linked to advance student learning. Includes descriptions of school programs and research documenting how test scores have improved by using the environment to teach in subject areas such as social studies, science, reading and math.
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Meeting Standards Naturally (EPA 171-K-04-900)
Produced by the Environmental Education and Training Partnership, the CD-ROM examines how teaching about the environment can be used to achieve national and state education standards for core disciplines. It provides 43 sample K-12 curriculum activities that demonstrate how environmental lessons can support specific grade level education standards and promote environmental literacy.
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EE Knowledge, Status, and History
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Reflective Practitioners: Environmental Educators Share Their Professional Development Needs for the Next Five Years
Discusses the results of the Environmental Education Professional Development Needs and Priorities Study
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Environmental Education Professional Development Needs and Priorities Study (2009)
U.S. EPA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service funded a study through the Environmental Education and Training Partnership (EETAP) to examine the current environmental education professional development needs and priorities of education professionals working in both formal and non-formal education settings in the U.S. -
Issues Associated with Nonformal Environmental Education Certification (2009)
The Environmental Education Association of Oregon conducted a study through EETAP to assess the extent to which nonformal environmental educators, their employers, and college/university trainers value certification and to gather information about how to best implement certification programs. -
The Roots of EE: How the Past Supports the Future
Article reviews the many and varied events that have shaped environmental education and given the field its diverse, resilient, and inclusive nature. Produced by EETAP. -
EE Program Profiles
Profiles highlight as array of EE programs such as an interdisciplinary elementary curriculum that emphasizes project-based learning outdoors, a high school wetlands restoration project, and statewide initiatives in CA and WI. Produced by EETAP. -
Setting the Standard, Measuring Results, Celebrating Successes: A Report to Congress on the Status of Environmental Education in the U.S. (EPA 240-R-05-001)
Produced by the National Environmental Education Advisory Council, the report discusses the standards established, the results measured, and the successes achieved since passage of the National Environmental Education Act of 1990.
View online [PDF, 2.2 MB, 55 pages, about PDF]
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Executive Summary: Advancing Environmental Education at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: An Analysis of Program Characteristics, Workforce, Needs, and Obstacles, February 2005
Produced under a National Network for Environmental Management Studies (NNEMS) Fellowship, this report describes the results of an analysis conducted at EPA's Headquarters offices to inventory the current environmental education programs and provide recommendations for how EE can be advanced at EPA.
Executive Summary [PDF, 84 KB, 5 pages, about PDF]
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EE At A Glance (EPA 171-B-98-004)
Produced by the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) and NAAEE, the brochure provides an introduction to EE with information on status, resources, and success stories.
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Purchase additional copies by contacting NACD by telephone at
1-800-825-5547, extension 32 -
National Report Cards on Environmental Attitudes, Knowledge and Behavior
Produced by the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) and Roper Starch Worldwide, a series of ten reports which examine what Americans know about the environment and how that knowledge relates to their attitudes and daily actions. -
Environmental Literacy in the U.S.
Detailed description of Environmental Literacy in the U.S.
A review of existing research that seeks to determine the level of environmental literacy nationwide. Produced by Southern Illinois University and NAAEE.
Purchase a copy from NAAEE
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Elementary School Teacher's Beliefs About Teaching Environmental Education
Detailed description of Elementary School Teacher's Beliefs About Teaching Environmental Education
Produced by the Academy for Educational Development, a quantitative study of elementary school teachers trained in environmental education that explores how they have overcome barriers to teaching EE in their classrooms.
Purchase a copy from NAAEE