White House Summit on Environmental Education - April 16, 2012
Meeting Materials & Notes
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- EE Summit Agenda (PDF) (1pg, 887 KB)
- PEYA and PEYA Awards Program (PDF) (16pp, 3.1MB)
- Breakout Notes for Blue (PDF) ( 3pp, 84KB )
- Breakout Notes for Green (PDF) (2pp, 50KB)
- Breakout Notes for Yellow (PDF) (2pp, 52KB)
The responses listed in the breakout session notes were transcribed directly from the sticky notes and flip charts used during the summit.
Panel Discussions
Panel 1: 21st Century Environmentalism - Shaping the Emerging Vision for Environmental Education Moderated by Dr. Marsha McNutt, Director of the USGS, panelists Pat Pineda (Toyota), Judy Braus (North American Association for Environmental Education), Andrew Rotherham (Time), Brigid Howe (Girl Scouts), and Charles Saylan (Ocean Conservation Society) & Dan Blumstein (UCLA),the co-authors of The Failure of Environmental Education, discussed 21st century environmentalism, particularly emerging issues and how environmental education can be responsive to changes in the future.
Each panelist first explained their journey into environmental education and then discussed the overall educational system, including the demands that standards place on teacher and student time, and how environmental education best fits into a formal K-12 classroom. Panelists also chatted about how the EE community can reach diverse populations, including bringing the environment to urban youth, making the environment relevant and engaging to today’s “plugged-in” generation, and what evaluation tools are needed for EE to convert awareness into action.
Panel 2: Innovators in Environmental Education Moderated by Dr. Ann Bartuska, Deputy Under Secretary for Research, Education & Economics at the USDA, discussed innovation in environmental education. NASCAR's Mike Lynch described NASCAR Green's biggest challenges in environmental education and how NASCAR has worked to make environmental issues relevant to their fans by focusing on the environmental issues people care about.
Author Akiima Price described her work with urban communities and the successes she has experienced with community environmental education and connecting the environment to the urban community. Samsung's David Steel discussed the role of the private sector in environmental education and was joined by Disney Parks and Resorts' Jackie Ogden, who also described the unique partnerships Disney has pursued to further environmental education. Diane Wood of NEEF elaborated on the concept of EE partnerships, discussing how her organization facilitates private/public partnerships and leverages those partnerships in support of environmental education.
Panel 3: Federal Government as a Convener and Catalyst - Supporting and Connecting Environmental Education Partners, Activities and Goals Moderated by Deputy Administrator Bob Perciasepe (EPA), panelists Jonathan Jarvis (National Park Service), Michael Feder (OSTP), John McGrath (Department of Education), Dr. Michelle Fox (Department of Energy), and Dr. Ericka Reid (NIEHS) discussed the role of the federal government in environmental education, particularly in supporting and connecting potential partners, activities and goals.
Panelists discussed using non-governmental expertise as a catalyst to bring in new ideas and leveraging partnerships between the federal government and non-governmental organizations. Further, panelists also discussed interagency collaboration and opportunities to achieve environmental education outcomes, such as the Department of Education's Green Ribbon Schools program. Panelists also discussed the relationship between environmental education and public health and the steps the federal government can take to improve coordination and communication of these two topics.
Panelists highlighted the importance of including the topic of workforce development, the concept that your job can be a part of environmental stewardship, into environmental education. Finally, panelists discussed integrating and linking environmental education into current initiatives, such as STEM, to improve environmental literacy. In closing, panelists suggested improving interagency coordination to integrate environmental education into existing programs and initiatives
The White House Summit on Environmental Education brought together stakeholders both old and new to discuss an emerging vision for environmental education in the 21st century. Panelists and participants addressed the challenges of environmental education in an increasingly technology-driven world and the role of environmental education in adapting to these changes. Federal government panelists discussed the role of the federal government in environmental education, particularly in supporting and connecting potential partners, activities and goals. Summit participants proposed bold new steps for all organizations to ensure that environmental education fosters lifelong environmental stewardship from "K through Grey."
The Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellows
During the breakout sessions, each summit participant was asked to address the following question: What one bold new step would you recommend for all organizations to ensure that environmental education fosters lifelong environmental stewardship from K-Grey?
The Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellows presented three steps that they would recommend to ensure that environmental education fosters lifelong environmental stewardship. Their top three steps involved:
- Cultivating community involvement and connections
- Enhancing the use of data technology and social media
- Addressing current challenges and possible solutions
Read more of the Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellows' response (PDF) (1pp, 9KB)
