Model Environmental Education Schools

What is an EE School?

We invite you to include your school in our directory if your school has programming or features that support environmental education. Does your school have outdoor classroom features such as a school garden, a nature trail, or composting bins? Does your school have a recycling program, an energy or water conservation plan, or a green building design? Do you take field trips to environmental education centers, have an environmental club or host special events such as Earth Day or Walk to School Day? If you answered yes to any of these questions or have another story to tell about how your school shows a commitment to environmental education, then please add your school to our EE School Directory. Below is more information about our EE Schools and other state and national recognition programs for schools.

We also have an online list of nature play and learning places in North Carolina.

EE Schools, Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs

If your school has programming or features that support environmental education or education for sustainability, and meets the following criteria, please add your school to our EE School Directory:

  1. Includes any grade levels from Pre K – 12
  2. Agrees to serve as a model for other schools by responding to inquiries, scheduling tours or observations of EE programs and/or facilities as possible, sharing resources as possible etc.
  3. Presents fair and accurate information
  4. Uses constructive techniques to empower learners to draw and act on their own conclusions
  5. Provides educational resources that contain concepts, language, and activities that are developmentally appropriate for the intended audience

UTOTES, School Workshops, and Educator Resources from the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences

Using The Outdoors to Teach Experiential Science is an exciting elementary teacher education project that demonstrates techniques for using school grounds as educational resources for hands-on learning. Check out the Museum's Workshops at your School for this and other opportunities to help you in becoming an EE School. The Museum also has a set of educator workshops and experiences, including online, within North Carolina, at Yellowstone, and even international trips! 

Forest Smart Schools Program from Catawba College Center for the Environment 

The Catawba College Center for the Environment offers exciting opportunities in environmental learning and research for schools, teachers, and students through the ForestSmart Schools Program. The ForestSmart Schools Program is open to all K-12 teachers and nonformal environmental educators.

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