EECapacity Overview State Consortium Expectations Group Projects Q&A

EPA’s National Environmental Education Training Program- Office of Environmental Education EECapacity Principal Investigator: Marianne Krasny- Cornell University Civic Ecology Lab - 5 year grant- many components

What is the practice of Environmental Education in an increasingly diverse & urban society?

Professional Youth and Community Development /EE (“non-traditional- emerging”) loose networks community based-grassroots Youth development, community wellness, social justice- don’t necessarily see themselves as EE Variety of settings-urban areas EECapacity (platform) bring together EE and youth/community development -EE professionals New Networks and Communities of Practice emerge among EE and youth/community development-EE Innovations in Environmental Education Practices define new face environmental education in a diverse & urban society Professional EE Community (“traditional-established”) Strong networks (NAAEE) National tools and training (e.g., Project Wild; Guidelines for Excellence) Teaching in traditional settings Both teaching about the environment in some capacity

State Consortia Year 1: Colorado, California, Maryland Consortium Organizations: 1.Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education (co-leader) 2.Environmental Learning for Kids (co-leader) 3.cityWILD 4.CLACE (Latin American Center for Arts, Science and Education) 5.Cottonwood Institute 6.Denver Indian Center 7.Denver Institute for Urban Studies 8.Denver Parks &Recreation 9.Denver Urban Gardens 10.Denver Zoo 11.Earth Force 12.Environment for the Americas 13.GreenLeaf 14.Greenway Foundation-South Platte River Environmental Education (SPREE) 15.The GrowHaus 16.Mile High Youth Corps 17.Mo Betta Green Marketplace 18.National Park Service 19.Project Learning Tree 20.Thorne Nature Experience 21.Woodbine Ecology Center 22.Wildlands Restoration Volunteers

Goals of State Consortium: A network building the capacity of environmental education through trainings & tools. Expand relationships and collaborations among organizations and communities- not duplicating efforts. Identify/develop environmental education ideas, practices and resources that can be shared widely. Long Term Goals of State Consoritum: Develop the overall capacity & pathways for environmental education practices, professionals,leaders (esp. youth) to be more relevant, diverse and inclusive. More environmentally literate population through reaching more audiences in their local communities, connecting to quality of life, and empowering them to become informed decision makers about the environment.

Participating in the State Consortium: Commit to participating in at least 24 hours of trainings and networking opportunities b/w June & December Dissemination of the information/practices that you learn & reporting. Can tap into what you are already doing. In-kind time- attending trainings, correspondence, prep, travel, dissemination Group Project Collaborations Consistent participation as much as possible- can have multiple organization representatives Just the beginning! Have Fun!

1.Educational Techniques & Pedagogy-In particular: How do you self-identify your role within the environmental education (EE) community and how can we create a broader definition and understanding of EE that is inclusive of diverse settings and communities.- identifying resources, assets, allies in communities How to incorporate National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education Guidelines into your curriculum and programming, and contribute your input on the development of new Urban and Community Environmental Education Guidelines. Connecting environmental education to community wellness and quality of life issues. Identifying your organization’s connection to EPA priorities and tapping into the EPA’s resources. Assessment & Evaluation 2.Diversity & Inclusiveness- In particular: How to effectively communicate with and engage broader audiences to make your programming relevant to diverse audiences. How to increase organizational diversity and inclusiveness How to create equitable and lasting organizational and community partnerships. 3. Pathways/Pipeline for Youth: Identifying and collaborating on developing educational curriculum, resources, leadership opportunities and career pathways for underrepresented populations to be involved in the environmental field. (i.e. youth engaged) 4. Sustainability & implementation of EECapacity Consoritum work & collaboration

Dissemination Partners Develop and implement plans for enhancing environmental education among their professional networks nationally. Association of Zoos and Aquariums Celebrate Urban Birds NAAEE State Affiliate Network NOAA US Fish and Wildlife Minority Higher Ed Academic Institutions Mexican environmental educators American Community Gardening Association National Council of Churches

Social innovation theory Educational innovations emerge when people holding different views have opportunities to exchange ideas, experience, and other resources