April 12-18 Proclaimed
National Environmental Education Week in North Carolina
Governor Beverly Eaves Perdue has proclaimed April 13-19 as Environmental Education Week in North Carolina. North Carolina joins 11 other states and 16 U.S. cities in this declaration. More states and cities are expected to join in the coming weeks. View the Governor's Proclamation.
Since 2004, the National Environmental Education Foundation, a private, congressionally authorized non-profit organization dedicated to the strategic advancement of environmental literacy and education, has coordinated the implementation of National EE Week. The event is sponsored by Walmart with Canon as a contributing sponsor. Working in partnership with various federal agencies as well as local, state and national organizations, EE Week engages the participation of thousands of educators and millions of students while initiating thousands of hours of environmental learning each year. It is the largest organized environmental education event in the United States.
The N.C. Office of Environmental Education is promoting EE Week and Earth Day programs and events statewide in April using its Web site, www.eenorthcarolina.org. On the Web site, individuals can use an online calendar to see the state’s environmental education activities. Visitors can search for any Environmental Education Center in the state, and teachers can search for environmental education resources to use in the classroom tailored to different ages and subjects.
Lisa Tolley, director of the N.C. Office of Environmental Education, hopes their Web site will help get children and adults outside this spring and introduce them to the benefits of environmental education activities.
“Research shows that spending time outdoors is critical for developing an appreciation for the environment and a stewardship ethic. Our lifestyles sometimes make it hard to get outdoors. We hope our office can help people access a wide variety of outdoor experiences – from activities they can do in their own backyard to educational programs and facilities they can visit across the state.”
For a list of environmental education activities in April, visit the N.C. Office of Environmental Education Calendar.
 The Office of EE invites Environmental Education Centers, parks, government agencies, schools and non-profit organizations to post their EE Week and Earth Day events on the Environmental Education Calendar. The Office will then promote all of these events on their Web site, through press releases and on the NC-EE listserv. If your agency or organization is not listed as an organization on the Web site, you can sign up at this link.
Register today for National Environmental Education Week
April 12-18, 2009 and Be Water Wise!
Register as an EE Week Partner!
National Environmental Education Week (EE Week) is the nation's largest organized environmental education event. Held each April, EE Week promotes understanding and protection of the natural world by actively engaging K-12th grade students and educators of all subjects in an inspired week of environmental learning and service before Earth Day. Join the thousands of schools, nature centers, zoos, museums, and aquariums nationwide who have made a commitment to engage students in environmental learning through participation in EE Week!
This year's EE Week theme is Be Water Wise! Registered partners will have access to a wide variety of FREE environmental education resources, including:
* Standards-based environmental education lessons and activities, including water conservation, watershed, and water quality curricula,
* Access to EE Week's school water audit tool in which students "find the leaks" in water usage at school,
* Opportunities for online communication and knowledge-sharing with educators from across the country, including participation in the EE Week Photo Blog contest,
* Monthly electronic newsletters highlighting the latest EE curricula, professional development, and funding opportunities,
* Certificates of participation for themselves and their students, and
* A coupon for $10 off your purchase at Acorn Naturalists, offering over 8,000 science and nature resources for the trail and classroom.
You can join a national network of educators dedicated to increasing environmental literacy, promote environmental learning, and gain national exposure for your school or organization by registering today at www.EEWeek.org.
Federal Funding for Environmental Education Included in Appropriations Bill
(From North American Association for Environmental Education Reports)
Congress passed an “Omnibus Appropriations” Bill last week for the second half of FY 2009 that largely continued the level-funding of environmental education programs for the rest of the year. But there were a couple of surprises totaling about $15 million in new funds for the field. There's a detailed breakdown by department and an analysis posted on the Web site of the Campaign for Environmental Literacy www.fundEE.org.
The NAAEE is already working on the FY 2010 Federal budget, specifically increased funding for programs under the National Environmental Education Act like the EPA Office of Environmental Education and its critical grant program, and the National Environmental Education Foundation. NAAEE is also working on the important first year funding for the new University Sustainability Program.
In other NAAEE News...
40th NAAEE National Conference to be held in North Carolina!
The North American Association for Environmental Education has announced that its 2011 conference will be held at the Raleigh Convention Center. North Carolina's active environmental education community and infrastructure, including the Environmental Educators of North Carolina, the N.C. Office of Environmental Education and the N.C. Association of Environmental Education Centers, were certainly factors in attracting this major conference. Of course, it is still in its early planning stages, but information about this and the 2009 and 2010 conferences are available on the NAAEE Web site.
The following two articles are from the last edition of News Tips, but we have reprinted them since we have many new subscribers, and thought all subscribers might still find them pertinent.
No Child Left Inside Act Update
On September 18, 2008, the U.S. House passed the No Child Left Inside Act. This bill passed with bipartisan support, by a vote of 293 to 109. (To see how your representative voted, go to the No Child Left Inside Coaltion Web site.) The North Carolina environmental education community can take pride in the fact that many North Carolina agencies and organizations, such as the N.C. Office of Environmental Education and the Environmental Educators of North Carolina, as well as individual North Carolinians, worked hard to get the word out to the public and members of Congress about this important legislation.
Passage by the House was a positive step; however, since the bill passed at the close of the 110th Congress, no action was taken on H.R. 3036 or its Senate companion bill, S. 1981. Now that the 111th Congress has convened, both bills must be reintroduced in the House and Senate, go through their respective committee hearings and then (if they pass in committee) to a floor vote.
The fact that H.R. 3036 passed with a sound majority and had bi-partisan support will definitely increase the chances of passage for NCLI in the 111th Congress, but the No Child Left Inside Coaltion is urging supporters to contact their representatives and senators and ask for their continued support of the bills. More information is available at the No Child Left Inside Coalition Web site.
What would this bill do for North Carolina?
The NCLI Act has two main provisions. One is to fund the development of State Environmental Literacy Plans. According to the bill, a state's Department of Public Instruction must have this in place before funds for environmental education can be given to the state. However, NCLI funding could be used to develop the plan. The N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the N.C. Department of Public Instruction have already formed a partnership to develop an environmental literacy plan which will involve key stakeholders, including the Environmental Educators of North Carolina.
The plan would also have provisions to measure the environmental literacy of students. In addition, NCLI would set up two competitive grant funds--one to support professional development of teachers and educators, and one to build "national capacity" for environmental education. The capacity building grant would directly address programs "that strengthen environmental education as an integral part of the elementary school and secondary school curriculum." As currently written, a wide variety of government agencies, institutes of higher learning, and non-profit and for-profit entities could be eligible for the grants.
For more about No Child Left Inside and its relationship to the National Environmental Education Act, read this piece from the North American Association for Environmental Education: Why We Need Both
N.C. Environmental Education Certification Program Update!
Revised Program Launched January 1st, 2009
In the fall edition of EE Newstips, the N.C. Office of Environmental Education announced changes to the N.C. Environmental Education Certification Program. This is the first time significant changes have been made to the program since its inception in 1996. Details about the new program can be found on the Certification page at www.eenorthcarolina.org.
Another exciting development is that effective January 21st, enrollment became completely web-based. This allows enrollees to track their certification progress online.
The changes will strengthen the program in several areas, including the addition of teaching methods and foundations of environmental education. It will also better align with North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) guidelines. In addition, the program now has a continuing education requirement which will allow educators, both formal and non-formal, to further advance their professional development.
How do the revisions affect people that are already certified?
People certified under the previous version of the program are still considered North Carolina Certified Environmental Educators. However, to remain on “active” status Certified Environmental Educators will be required to document 50 hours of Continuing Education within 5 years of the new program launch date (from January 1, 2009 until January 1, 2014).
EE News Clips!
An environmental education news round up from around the state.
 Environmental Education Center News
Stories about the EE Centers listed on www.eenorthcarolina.org!
Parent News
Updated list of articles related to children and caregivers.
EE School News
Stories about public and private elementary and secondary schools and education policy.
College News
Same as above, but from higher education.
Research and Resources on EE, Learning, and Behavior
Articles, reports and peer-reviewed literature on the benefits of environmental education
Informed Consumer News!
The Office of Environmental Education also maintains the "Eco-Smart Consumer" Blog and an Informed Consumer Section that has several lists of updated news articles that cover many topic areas, including farming, food, green building, rivers, outdoor recreation, energy, lawn and garden care and more. These article posts are part of our consumer education and healthy community intiatives. Check them out!
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