project on environmental education

Project WET is dedicated to solving critical environmental challenges by teaching the world about water. We do this by providing hands-on, science-based water education resources to formal and non-formal educators around the world. These resources encourage responsible environmental stewardship and promote meaningful action to address environmental challenges, climate change, social justice, and sustainability. 

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We believe that creating a water literate society will allow our communities to value precious resources and make informed decisions. Our conceptual framework of Water Literacy Principles is the foundational element of our water education curriculum and serves as the basis to creating a water literate society. Learn more about how our methodology creates materials that are hands-on, interactive and encourage critical thinking on water and science topics.

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Top 10 Benefits of Environmental Education

Whether we bring nature into the classroom, take students outside to learn, or find impromptu teachable moments on a nature walk with our families, EE has many benefits for youth, educators, schools, and communities.

As a long time supporter of environmental education and as an Adjunct Professor of EE at University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point, it is my passion to inspire future educators in this field. Over the years, I have asked each of my classes to share the reasons they teach EE, what it means to them, and how it can benefit learners of all ages. Here are our top ten benefits of EE. 

Imagination and enthusiasm are heightened

Learning transcends the classroom, critical and creative thinking skills are enhanced, tolerance and understanding are supported , state and national learning standards are met for multiple subjects, biophobia and nature deficit disorder decline, healthy lifestyles are encouraged, communities are strengthened, responsible action is taken to better the environment, students and teachers are empowered, want more resources.

• Sign up for The Branch: Project Learning Tree’s newsletter for lesson plans and educator tips, professional development, and grant opportunities. 
• Read more about Why Environmental Education is Important
• Attend a Project Learning Tree environmental education workshop in your state , or  complete an online course  and receive 96 hands-on lesson plans and fun activities that meet academic standards. 
• Top Ten Tips for Teaching Outside – Early Childhood , Elementary , and High School

16 comments on “ Top 10 Benefits of Environmental Education ”

Hi, There is over a decade of research outlining the cognitive and behavioral benefits of exposure to nature. I am interested in research that looks at the effects of nature scenes inside the classroom. In healthcare it has been documented that viewing nature scenes lowers anxiety, blood pressure, and helps with pain management. Has research been conducted to explore the use and benefits of nature scenes in the classroom? I would appreciate any light or direction you can point me in. Thank You, Ernie

Hello Ernie, I’m not aware of research on this topic, but you might wish to explore the Children & Nature Network’s comprehensive database of research and studies, http://www.childrenandnature.org/research/ .

I know this is a little late but here is some research that has been done about the classroom benefits of taking students with ADHD outdoors as well as how nature helps improve attention. Here are links to the articles and their sources.

http://www.businessinsider.com/scientific-benefits-of-nature-outdoors-2016-4/#6-improved-concentration-6 https://ecoelsa.wordpress.com/2018/01/18/10-surprising-physical-and-mental-health-benefits-of-going-outdoors/ http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1087054708323000 http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0013916591231001 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0272494495900160

I agree with you because many people in the world do not investigate about environmental issues; so, they are unconscious about the damage they are causing to their own environtment

Environmental education provides the following: 1. It enhance the thought of peoples’ experiences 2. It enlighten people to understand their environment 3. It provides room for better living 4. It serves as an engine room in creating awareness 5. It provide aesthetic beauty

excellent.what about reasons of (EE)environmental education being a life long process???

I like what you mentioned about how environmental education encourages research, investigation, and wondering why certain things happen. I’ve heard that the majority of environmental issues arise from a lack of education. I’ll have to make sure my children are aware of the environment around them so that we can create a better world!

Excellent write up! Need of the hour is environmental awareness through environmental education

It also helps in identifying relation between environment and health. It helps to adopt measures to be safe from environment induced diseases.

1.Solve various environment challenges 2.Plays crucial role in town planning. 3.Provide knowledge related to envi.issues 4.Provide various directives for environment

My wife and I have been considering options to help our daughter become active and healthy. We didn’t realize what a great tool environmental education was in encouraging young people to go outside and enjoy nature. What a benefit that would be for our daughter!

Hello Susan,

Glad that your provided info is beneficial related to Environment Education. I’m also an environmentalist who has spearheaded the planting of over a half a million trees in Baltimore City. We are experiencing the Power of Green Goodness. Our mission is to stimulate social and environmental change through education on environmental and sustainability issues. we are providing youth and young adult entrepreneurship development program, based on the fundamentals of gardening, agriculture and ecology.

Teaching students about how their decisions impact the environment seems like a really appropriate learning activity that will help them in the long run as well. Showing students exactly what it is that will happen to an area if certain things aren’t doing would be an enlightening experience for them and help them reduce their carbon footprint and help them increase recycling and other kinds of thrifty actions. If we start students out when they are young in doing these things then they would be much more likely to keep doing them and that could help us preserve the planet much better than we have been doing up to this point.

Hello, we are based out of AZ and have been looking to see how feasible it is to add an ECO Learning Environment at the local Public schools. We are looking to work with others about how to go about this. I’m addressing both Attrition/Retention with community engagement as the primary goal.

Hello I am also working on this topic as well! I am an environmental educator based out of the Midwest. At a previous job I worked part time at a STEM school helping get their students outdoors for all classes and train teachers to teach outdoors. Project Learning Tree is a great program with a lot of activities that can help your teachers take students outdoors but if you are looking for more check out Project Wild, Project Wet, Beetles, the EPA, and the National Wildlife Federation’s activities for students. I am just getting started with my own stuff but feel free to look me up as well!

http://www.projectwild.org/ https://www.projectwet.org/ http://beetlesproject.org/ https://www.epa.gov/students https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Educator-Tools/Lesson-Plans-and-Webinars https://ecoelsa.wordpress.com/

I love how you said that environmental education is a great way to do hands-on learning that is interactive and helps to increase creativity. This seems like a great school idea for kids who can’t focus really well in a normal classroom. That way they can be out doing something and enjoying themselves while learning as well!

Comments are closed.

12 Nature Walk Activities for Earth Day (or Any Day!)

Incorporate art, science, geography, and math into your next nature walk to add an educational component to your outdoor exploration. Each nature walk offers something different for children to explore. Here are some activities to make a nature walk this #EarthDay2020 an engaging and enriching learning experience for children of all ages.

Environmental Education Resources

Every month we carefully select new educational apps, videos, interactive websites, books, careers information, and teacher-generated materials that support PLT lessons.

STEM: Get Outside

Use your senses to investigate nearby environments. These enrichments for a new PLT activity, Get Outside!, model the practices of a real scientist by collecting and analyzing data and applying comparison and reflection skills to interpret research findings.

Environmental Experiences for Early Childhood – Activity 1, The Shape of Things

Children search for the shapes and colors that define both our natural and built environments.

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Taking It to the Class: Green Projects for the Classroom

Try these great lesson ideas for environmentally conscious teachers (and their lucky students).

An annual celebration of Earth Day should not be the only time during the school year when you devote significant classroom time to exploring issues of environmental awareness and stewardship. Whether you teach biology, history, or language arts, the Web is a rich and ever-growing resource, with curriculum ideas for integrating environmental issues into lesson plans. But where to begin? That will be your decision, but we'll help you get started.

We've compiled a cross section of lessons, with ideas for every grade level. Some can be completed within a single class period and others require more time, but all are sure to get your students -- and you -- thinking about what can be done to preserve our increasingly fragile planet.

Elementary School

The life history of "stuff".

By tracing the origins of everyday products -- the bikes they ride to school or their favorite sneakers -- students develop an understanding of the impact that the production, sale, and disposal of commonly used goods have on the environment.

Though no single lesson is likely to change students' consumption patterns completely, this one is sure to get them thinking about alternatives, like wearing shoes until they're outgrown or worn out, or donating still-usable items so they don't end up in a landfill prematurely.

Topics: Consumption, Waste Production Teaching Level: Grades 2-3 Source: Education for Sustainable Development

Credit: Veer

From Farm to Table

Students (and adults, too) know surprisingly little about the origin of the food they eat every day. In this lesson, students compile lists of frequently eaten foods and then take a trip to the local supermarket to research their origin by analyzing food displays or speaking with the grocer.

What are the consequences of eating grapes from Chile or corn from Mexico? Are there economic or health advantages to eating locally grown fruits and vegetables? Should grocers provide origin information for the produce they sell? These are just a few of the issues students can explore in this lesson. There's also ample opportunity to extend the lesson through action, by visiting a local farmers' market and talking with growers or starting their own vegetable garden at school.

Topic: Food Sources Teaching Level: Grades 4-6 Source: California School Garden Network

In this thirty-minute lesson for very young students, a simple bowl of goldfish crackers helps make concrete the concept of scarcity of resources. In the first part of the lesson, the bowl is passed around the room and students are allowed to take as many crackers as they'd like. In the second, each student receives an equal number of crackers.

The two scenarios serve as an excellent entrée into a discussion of uneven distribution of resources, as students discuss how it felt to get more (or fewer) fish than their classmates. The next step is to expand the discussion to resources in students' homes or in their community that everyone must share.

Topic: Scarcity of Resources Grade Level: P-2 Source: Population Connection

Trip Tally: Discovering Environmental Solutions

What impact does car transportation have on the local environment? That's the key question this lesson aims to ask and answer as students conduct a simple air pollution experiment and analyze the findings in the context of their own weekly trip tally, which documents their comings and goings about town by car, foot, bike, and public transportation.

Students analyze their own travel data, as well as that of the whole class, and then explore strategies for reducing air pollution by choosing to ride their bike rather than drive, or by taking fewer trips.

Topic: Air Pollution Teaching Level: Grades 3-6 Source: Northeast Sustainable Energy Association

Elementary and Middle School

Environmental explorers.

This lesson calls upon observation and analysis skills as students explore and then discuss the changes that have been made to the natural environment. Students observe and document natural and human features in their locale (during a walk around the neighborhood or a trip downtown, for example), and evaluate the impact of changes made by humans, such as the leveling of an area for a subdivision or the damming of a local stream or river.

As a culminating activity, students discuss local environmental and planning issues and then write letters to the local newspapers expressing their views and encouraging specific action.

Focus: Environmental Awareness Teaching Level: Grades 3-8 Source: National Geographic Society

Credit: iStock

The Trash We Pass

A day's worth of classroom garbage becomes the basis for this lesson, which explores the amount of waste students (and their schools, families, and community) produce each day, and the impact of all this trash on the environment. Faced with the dirty truth about how much trash they accumulate, students are asked to brainstorm how to reduce their waste production (by using less, recycling more, and so on) and then to put their newfound knowledge to further use by taking action in their community.

The lesson includes ideas for extending their work beyond the classroom, pursuing activities such as researching local recycling options and advocating with city officials for improvements, or starting a compost pile at school or at home.

Topics: Consumption, Waste Production Teaching Level: Grades 4-7 Source: Redefining Progress

We Are What We Drink

The writings of a Peace Corps volunteer from the Togolese Republic in Africa provide a developing-world context for the exploration of water consumption, water pollution, and the health of individuals and communities. Students explore their own water consumption (the amount of water used in everyday activities; the types of water -- filtered, bottled, and so on) they drink -- and compare this data with the experiences of residents in the Togolese Republic, where clean water is scarce and cholera is endemic.

Topics: Water Quality, Public Health Teaching Level: Grades 3-8 Source: Peace Corps, Coverdell World Wise Schools

Middle and High School

Fishing for the future.

Through a simulation, students model several consecutive seasons of a fishery and explore how such variables as advances in technology, population growth, and attention to sustainable fishing practices impact fish catch and fisheries management. Over multiple "seasons," students confront the economic and environmental impact of overfishing. As the fish population is depleted in one area, for example, they must seek out sources elsewhere or explore more sustainable practices.

This engaging lesson includes thought-provoking writing and discussion prompts, and opportunities for students to extend what they've learned to their own community by exploring the status of commonly owned resources in their town or state.

Topic: Sustainability Teaching Level: Grades 6-12 Source: Facing the Future: People and the Planet

How Big Is Your Footprint?

Using Web tools, students calculate their ecological footprints (the amount of natural resources they consume in a given year) and then, as a group, determine the footprint of the entire class. After creating graphs and finding the mean, the median, the mode, and the standard deviation for the class, students explore a range of discussion questions about reducing their footprint, their responsibility to subsequent generations, the impact of their consumption, and more.

Armed with this new knowledge and awareness, students are prompted to consider the size of their family's footprint, or that of the entire school. What steps might they each take to decrease their footprint? By taking the test again six months later, students will be able to assess the impact of their choices.

Topic: Consumption, Pollution Teaching Level: Grades 8-12 Source: Alliance to Save Energy

High School

Building on the concept of a watershed, students use a field trip to a local body of water (a stream at a local park, for example) to conduct a detailed assessment of the water and surrounding land and then document their findings by mapping and profiling the water and the neighboring area.

This hands-on science lesson teaches students how to take standardized measurements of water characteristics, integrates writing activities as students describe the characteristics of the local watershed, and provides an excellent introduction to issues of water quality. There's also information about using data from, and sharing data with, the worldwide science and education program Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE).

Topic: Water Quality Teaching Level: Grades 9-12 Source: Center for Environmental Education Online

Whose Resource Is It?

Environmental justice is the focus of this lesson, which integrates world history, geography, and government topics into a case study and a role-playing exercise. Students explore the impact of a plan to locate a new industry in a low-income neighborhood, then take on the roles of community members, business executives, and city officials as they advocate for and against building a power plant in a low-income minority neighborhood. Together, they assess the economic, environmental, and social consequences of their decisions.

Through these activities and supplemental readings, students gain a deeper understanding of the ways socioeconomic status impacts the number and types of businesses in a neighborhood -- and the impact these businesses have on residents' health and well-being.

Focus: Environmental Justice Teaching Level: Grades 9-12 Source: Education for a Sustainable Development

Roberta Furger is a contributing writer for Edutopia .

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School-Based Environmental Service Learning

Find ways to engage students in environmental service learning projects in the classroom or on school grounds.

Biology, Earth Science, Astronomy, English Language Arts, Geography, Human Geography, Physical Geography, Social Studies, Civics

Photograph by Jon T. Schneeberger/National Geographic Creative

How can students connect with the natural environment while in school, in both practical and engaging ways? Find ways students can make difference and learn valuable skills through service learning projects.

Promote Natural Disaster Preparation

Find out what forces of nature could potentially strike your community. Discuss how to prepare for natural disasters and how families could respond to the natural disasters they may face in their community. Create and distribute tip sheets for family and community members’ emergency preparedness. Find helpful resources at Ready.gov .

Calculate Daily Water Use at School

Use this online tool to help start a school-wide campaign encouraging everyone to use less water. Get the word out with persuasive writing via posters or skits. Challenge your fellow students to a video public service announcement (PSA) contest. With drought conditions affecting many states, helping to save water in your community will be a step in the right direction.

Raise Ocean Awareness

Watch videos from An Imbalance in the Ocean to examine ways that human actions can throw a marine ecosystem out of balance and lead to species decline. Discuss the threats as well as actions people can take, considering the stakeholders who stand to gain or lose from the success or failures of these actions. Present the data and findings to local stakeholders in a forum or through local news media. Find teacher resources at Earth Echo, an organization founded by the family of legendary explorer Jacques Cousteau and dedicated to inspiring youth to solve environmental challenges that impact waterways: http://earthecho.org .

Investigate Local Environmental Issues

Investigate the effects of human activities in the local community. Create a scrapbook or slideshow of local environmental issues using newspaper and magazine articles, brochures, and other resources. Identify both the direct and the indirect impacts of human actions, including stories of local environmental stewardship projects or other human actions that have helped or had a negative effect on the local area. Present “Hero Awards” to local citizens and fellow students who are environmental stewards.

Grow a School Garden MakerSpace

MakerSpaces, or areas in schools dedicated to innovative, creative pursuits, can help kids become independent thinkers. See School Makerspaces: Growing Farmers, Gardeners, and Cooks to see how seeds and food have sparked creativity, excitement, and wonder. Students might have a small pantry in addition to their school garden and a kitchen. Parent and community groups might enthusiastically supply other needed supplies. Kids can go from reading a recipe to inventively cooking with whatever is on hand, especially if food service providers and science teachers team together.

Innovating around food, of course, doesn’t have to include cooking. In a non-food-focused Makerspace with wood, nails, and glue, students can design and create gardening tools, container beds, or a solar food dehydrator to store summer’s bounty. For schools with a tech budget, 3-D printers allow students to dream and generate parts for gardens and tools that will help them take care of their space. Try Renovated Learning for more ideas.

Create Recycled Art

Create a work of art made of recycled objects. Using your school or classroom’s recycling bin, collect cans, jars, and other recyclables. Add discarded wood, paper, and twine, and let students create sculptures, mobiles, jewelry, or other work. Write a short narrative of what you used and how you recycled the material. Give artwork away as a gifts to family members or to residents of a nursing home in your community.

Start a School-side Recycling Effort

Work with the school principal and food service workers to get bins for recycling in the lunchroom. Ask the school to buy recycled paper and to recycle printer cartridges. Clean up litter around the school and recycle it! Collect and store plastics, glass, cardboard, and cans until you can have it picked up or taken to a recycling center. Use any money earned to keep the recycling effort going, or donate to an environmental cause. Promote the use of reusable water bottles to reduce harmful plastics in the trash as well as the use of fossil fuels. Create video public service announcements (PSAs) to share lessons learned through this project with other schools and community partners.

Raise Money or Collect Food to Help Those in Need

Start a book or coat, fundraising, or canned goods drive to help people affected by natural disasters such as flooding, hurricanes, or wildfires. Schools may also be relocated or otherwise disrupted by disasters. Collect school supplies and write notes of encouragement for the impacted students.

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October 19, 2023

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Science and Teaching for Field Instructors

Resources for Outdoor Science Programs

Student-centered  ♦   nature-centered.

For a slightly longer introduction to BEETLES, watch the 7-minute  video .

BEETLES: Infusing outdoor science programs with research-based approaches and tools to improve science teaching and learning.

Our professional learning resources are designed for program leaders to use with field instructors. They provide experiences and rationale about outdoor science instruction designed to inspire instructors to improve their teaching. Our student activities inspire students’ wonder and curiosity about the natural world, support their innate tendencies for exploration and guide them to make explanations based on evidence.

All BEETLES resources embody our five research-based design principles.

People learn outdoor science best when they:, engage directly with nature, experience instruction based on how people learn, think like a scientist, participate in culturally relevant learning environments, learn through discussions.

“I see no more than you, but I have trained myself to notice what I see.” Sherlock Holmes, as written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

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Greening STEM Projects

Hands-on environmental investigations that make STEM relevant and connected to young people's lives. 

making STEM learning local

NEEF’s Greening STEM projects engage youth in hands-on STEM activities tackling real-world challenges. Through partnerships with community groups, land management agencies, and funders, NEEF equips educators with the necessary resources for meaningful learning experiences for all young people.

of schools served by Greening STEM grants receive Title I funds

Successful Greening STEM Projects

Greening STEM projects provide authentic learning experiences that deepen learning while reinforcing a sense of belonging and pride in the local environment.

Students from Central High School in Grand Junction, Colorado, discovered the rugged beauty in their backyard while collecting scientific data and learning about the impact of invasive species. NEEF partnered with the Bureau of Land Management and the Colorado Canyon Association to give these students an unforgettable experience.

Students from Benjamin Franklin Middle School (BFMS) in Teaneck, New Jersey, learned about the local watershed through hands-on water quality monitoring and biomonitoring studies in a nearby river. NEEF partnered with Teaneck Creek Conservancy, Samsung, and BFMS to help students make important connections between the health of the river and the community.

GREENING STEM PROJECTS AROUND THE COUNTRY

Greening STEM projects bring STEM learning about the environment to life on public lands of all sizes, from creeks and canyons to prairies and mountains. NEEF helps guide collaboration between community partners to develop and implement educational experiences that promote environmental stewardship for young people from diverse backgrounds.

To learn more about NEEF’s Greening STEM projects throughout the country, visit our interactive StoryMap below.

See Our StoryMap

Greening STEM Project Gives Students Hands-On Outdoor Experience

Seventh grade students from Bettendorf Middle School in the Quad Cities are spending two weeks restoring and learning about this valuable ecosystem as part of a Greening STEM project supported by the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) and Arconic Foundation. 

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Students Become Teachers: Why Every School Needs Environmental Education

Imagine a school where environmental literacy is woven into every subject, from Math to Music to Social Studies. A school where nature isn’t reserved for an elective Environmental Science course, but rather is a core component of every learning experience. If a teacher’s role is to prepare students for the real world, shouldn’t we be working toward solving real-world issues like the climate crisis together? Normalizing this dream school was my goal when, three years ago, I took on a unique new position, Director of Environmental Education for the Garrison Union Free School District (GUFS), a PK–8 district in New York’s Hudson Valley. It was the first of its kind: a full-time public school teaching position dedicated to integrating environmental education into the standards of every subject, for every student, from Pre–K to eighth grade. With each passing year, the necessity of replicating this role worldwide has become increasingly evident. I did not have a clear sense of what all of this hard work was moving towards until I saw that moment—that spark that all educators hope for, at this year’s PK–12 Youth Climate Summit (the second ever in history!)

8th grader explains the UN SDGs through the lens of his passion project: minimizing point source pollution in the Hudson Valley through a petition he organized and sent to local legislators. Photo courtesy of Garrison Union Free School District

6th-grader tells her climate story in a "Sustainability through Film" workshop at the daytime event, run by award-winning TV Documentary Producer Maya Lilly and Director of Photography Liam Lee of the "Rolling with the Years" project. Photo credit: Erin Wik Photography.

5th-grader educates the public on residential heat loss and gives away free outlet insulators she fundraised for at the evening event of the Summit. Photo Credit: Erin Wik Photography.

The Summit brought together over 1,000 people from 12 surrounding school districts and the community in the name of sustainability, including public figures like NY State Senator Pete Harckham and Assemblywoman Dana Levenberg. Attendees connected with themselves, with each other, and with nature through hands-on workshops led by visiting experts in the field and students alike. Guest experts represented a wide range of careers in which sustainability plays a vital role: from fashion, architecture, and film, to animal husbandry with live birds of prey and reptiles, engineering through biomimicry, environmental justice, electric vehicles, and more.

The stars of the Summit were the students themselves. Thirty-three Garrison students from grades 5 through 8 spearheaded civic action projects through research, fundraising, community events, and outreach, all of which inspired more widespread community engagement. Topics ranged from pollution to consumerism to energy and everything in between. A 7th grader launched a GoFundMe campaign to purchase bird window dots, raising awareness about bird collisions and providing free dots for homes and businesses. Two 8th graders showcased their self-built living moss air filtration system, educating attendees about air pollution and solutions. A 5th grader championed soft plastic recycling in the district and used the summit platform to educate the public on its importance and local recycling options. A 6th grader created a composting program at our school district, then brought it to her own neighborhood. Further amplifying student voices, eleven 5th–8th grade students delivered the Keynote Speech , translating global issues into local action through the lens of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s).

Allison Emig (Garrison Union Free School District Principal, left), NY State Senator Pete Harckham (middle), and Rachel Arbor (Director of Environmental Education, right) pose at the evening event of the Youth Climate Summit. Photo courtesy of Garrison Union Free School District

Although it was a one-day event, the Summit was the culmination of months-long projects undertaken by every PK–8 class at GUFS. These projects seamlessly integrated environmental literacy into core subjects like Math, Social Studies, and Language Arts. From Pre–K students collecting data on pollinators and building birdhouses to 2nd graders measuring carbon sequestration in the school forest, these projects seamlessly weave environmental concepts into core curriculum subjects like Math and Social Studies. Upper grades delve deeper, with 4th graders researching the impact of climate change on mammals and 7th graders engineering solutions to real-world problems, biomimicry (engineering inspired by nature), and the UN's SDGs. By tackling environmental challenges across disciplines, GUFS students are empowered to become informed advocates and problem-solvers, demonstrating the profound impact of environmental education on student mindsets and actions.

This April, the U.S. Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona, named the Garrison Union Free School District a Green Ribbon honoree for its environmental program. This lifetime award is thrilling and an honor—and is an example of what it looks like to have environmental education interwoven into the fabric of all grade levels and content areas. It’s the highlight of my career to see my students and the program I’ve built come this far and I’m eager to support other districts in doing the same.

Kindergartener presents his biomimicry solution to his peers at an engineering workshop during the daytime event of the Summit. Photo courtesy of Garrison Union Free School District

4th-graders compare and contrast redwood trees with local maples, oaks, and pines in an arboreal place-based learning workshop at the daytime event of the Summit. Photo courtesy of Garrison Union Free School District

8th grader describes the art piece she made to illuminate human threats to Sturgeon, an endangered local species, from the trash she collected at a community clean-up event. Photo courtesy of Garrison Union Free School District

8th grader at the evening event showcases the self-sustaining moss air filtration system he engineered from upcycled materials to NY State Senator Pete Harckham. Photo courtesy of Garrison Union Free School District

Bridging the gap between Mainstream and Environmental Education requires integrating Environmental concepts, literacy, and connection into standards-based curriculum. These interdisciplinary connections should be rooted in everything students learn: through science, students can explore core scientific principles, laws, and theories through hands-on investigations and interactions with the natural world. By examining the relationship between humans and the environment, students can delve into the impact on trade, politics, and economies, and even take civic action on behalf of the planet in Social Studies. Utilizing Statistics and other Mathematical concepts, students can analyze population trends, understand human-wildlife interactions, and assess threats to endangered species. Through nature journaling, engaging with environmental literature, and researching and communicating environmental issues, students can connect with nature on a personal level and develop effective communication skills to advocate for the environment in a Language Arts classroom. These examples represent minor ways in which a perspective shift can illuminate the interconnectedness of our world–and of our learning experiences. Empowering students to become climate activists is an essential piece of solving the climate crisis puzzle.

PK–12 students and teachers from 12 surrounding school districts gather to watch the 5th–8th grade student Keynote Speech. Photo courtesy of Garrison Union Free School District

My position shouldn't be unique—it should be the norm. I hope it’s the first of many public school positions whose mission is to integrate environmental literacy into standards-based curricula. The success of the Summit, the student-led initiatives, and our recent Green Ribbon Schools designation is a testament to the transformative power of environmental education. The Summit proved that students can graduate not just environmentally literate, but as environmental action heroes. Imagine a world where every school district has a program like ours; a world where students across the country tackle real-world problems with the same passion and expertise I witnessed at the Summit. That's the future I'm fighting for.

Check out the PK-12 Youth Climate Summit's website!

About the writer.

• K-12 Educator
• EE Professional
• Policymaker
• Culture and Art
• Civic Engagement
• Environmental Quality
• Sustainability

Science | Environment | Health

Towards a Renewed Pedagogy for Science Education

• © 2012
• Albert Zeyer 0 ,
• Regula Kyburz-Graber 1

Insitute of Education, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

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• Describes the mutual benefit of three critical and inter-linked areas of education - science, environment, health
• Provides a state of the art account of a renewed pedagogy of science
• Today's grand challenges of health and environment are addressed from various perspectives of informed citizenry

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Table of contents (11 chapters)

Front matter, introduction.

Albert Zeyer, Regula Kyburz-Graber

Erratum to: The Concept of Health Literacy

• Peter J. Schulz

Challenges of Health and Environment Education to Science Education

Preparing citizens for a complex world: the grand challenge of teaching socio-scientific issues in science education.

• Peter J. Fensham

Socio-scientific Views on Environment and Health as Challenges to Science Education

• Regula Kyburz-Graber

Scientific Literacy in Environmental and Health Education

• Rodger W. Bybee

The Concept of Health Literacy

Responding to challenges of health and environmental education, science, environment and health education: towards a reconceptualisation of their mutual interdependences.

• Justin Dillon

Creating Spaces for Rethinking School Science: Perspectives from Subjective and Social–Relational Ways of Knowing

General and environmental health as the context for science education.

• Alla Keselman, Savreen Hundal, Catherine Arnott Smith

A Win-Win Situation for Health and Science Education: Seeing Through the Lens of a New Framework Model of Health Literacy

• Albert Zeyer

Revising Science Teaching: Responding to Challenges of Health and Environmental Education

Back matter.

• environmental education
• health education
• health literacy
• informed citizenship
• science education
• scientific literacy
• socio-scientific issues

About this book

Health and the environment are important learning areas in science education and their significance is growing.  Not only do they have high social relevance, but they are also close to students’ interests and needs. They provide many opportunities to unlock science with questions that are personally relevant to boys and girls and that inspire them to engage in science. This book contains a selection of papers from prominent professionals in science, health and environmental education, who reflect on science education, each from their specific point of view. The core idea is to present well-founded perspectives on how science education may benefit from challenges stemming from both health and environmental education. Specific reasons are discussed as to why these two areas are particularly legitimized to challenge science education, and their potential impact on a revision of science education is evaluated. A new pedagogy for science¦environment¦health that yields interesting and relevant science education for students and teachers, and addresses the grand challenges of this century: what an attractive and rewarding project! The book will motivate teachers, teacher educators and science education researchers to take part in this on-going project.

Editors and Affiliations

Bibliographic information.

Book Title : Science | Environment | Health

Book Subtitle : Towards a Renewed Pedagogy for Science Education

Editors : Albert Zeyer, Regula Kyburz-Graber

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3949-1

Publisher : Springer Dordrecht

eBook Packages : Humanities, Social Sciences and Law , Education (R0)

Copyright Information : Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2012

Hardcover ISBN : 978-90-481-3948-4 Published: 25 May 2012

Softcover ISBN : 978-94-007-9379-8 Published: 12 June 2014

eBook ISBN : 978-90-481-3949-1 Published: 24 May 2012

Edition Number : 1

Number of Pages : VI, 197

Number of Illustrations : 15 b/w illustrations

Topics : Science Education , Medical Education

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Global Education Monitoring Report

Education and climate change

The Global Education Monitoring Report is introducing a new series to advance dialogue on the interrelationship of education with the other Sustainable Development Goals. The first paper in the series focuses on climate change and is in partnership with the Monitoring and Evaluating Climate Communication and Education (MECCE) Project.  

Education has a somewhat underappreciated contribution to developing professional capacities for the transition to a green economy. Formal, non-formal and informal learning are also commonly believed to be playing a critical role in motivating actions on climate change mitigation and adaptation. Yet a positive association between education attainment and unsustainable consumption levels, as well as inconclusiveness of much research on the direct impact of education on climate change has contributed to education receiving low priority in climate change agendas.

This paper argues that climate change education needs to adapt to fulfil its potential. The education paradigm cannot rely solely on knowledge transfer but needs to focus on social and emotional, and action-oriented learning.

The paper proposes a framework for a new global indicator on greening education. It was developed in response to a decision by the SDG 4 High-level Steering Committee in December 2022 to have a benchmark indicator developed on areas prioritized at the Transforming Education Summit, including on greening education. Based on analysis of ‘green’ curriculum content across grades 3, 6, and 9, the 76 countries assessed scored an average of 50% on the maximum possible level of environment and sustainability content, but only averaged 21% of the maximum score on climate change content and just 12% on biodiversity content. Critically, less green content was found in social science than in science syllabi, and in grade 3 than in grade 6 or 9 subject syllabi.

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Monitoring SDG4: Education for sustainable development

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Chair of Ecological Systems Design

Master project.

The Master project is part of the environmental engineering masters degree, typically spanning the duration of a semester. This project work provides the opportunity to specialise in subject-specific topics in applied form or to undertake research-orientated investigations.

Currently offered topics

Available Master project topics are listed below with short descriptions and the supervisor. Please contact the supervisor(s) for more information. We also encourage students to develop their own ideas for a project work and consult them with either Prof. Hellweg, Prof. Pfister or other potential supervisors. Additionally, you can find the current research areas of the chair on the Research section ; don't hesitate to directly contact the relevant person for further inquiries. E-mail addresses can be found on the People page .

• Bacchetta, Nirando: Elemental Composition of Plastic Packaging and its possible Impacts on Recycling
• Padron Flasher, Kristi: Chemical makeup of recycled material depending on origin and processing
• Laios, Thalia: Mechanized Removal of Asphalt from Road Demolition Waste
• Taparelli, Raffaele: Density sorting in a fluidized bed
• Bleiker, Saskia: Ökobilanz unterschiedlicher Ufertypen: Kann naturnaher Flussbau klimaneutral sein?
• Kasiththamby , Rajisun : GeoPlastX
• Stricker, Josch: Improved long part separator Q+
• Achermann, Fabian: Evaluation of Calcium Hydroxide Evolution in Municipal Solid Waste Incinerator Bottom Ash from Incinerator to Landfill
• Dang, Minh: Evaluation of Calcium Hydroxide Evolution in Municipal Solid Waste Incinerator Bottom Ash from Incinerator to Landfill
• Lorenz, Sandro: Life Cycle Assessment of Carbon Capture and Utilization in Iceland
• Muehlmann, Andreas : Life Cycle Assessment of Carbon Capture and Utilization in Iceland
• Marhendra, Bara A.: Citizen Science Framework for Monitoring Open Burning Impact in Low- and Middle-Income Country
• Huang, X.: Predicting biological activity of plastic additives, monomers and processing aids using in-silico molecular docking prediction
• Sager, A. / Seitz, D.: Behaviour of Asbestos Fibres in MSWI Plants
• Sai, E.: Dynamic Material Flow Analysis of elevators in residential buildings in Switzerland
• Valentine, L.-L.: Carbon & Water footprint of citrus fruit grown on an organic grove in Spain, distributed directly to end-consumers in Switzerland
• Zenger, B.: Prognosemodell zum Verlauf des Füllstandes von Wertstoffsammelcontainer
• Baumann, D. und Nauser, I.: Evaluation of measures to obtain energy self sufficiency using renewable energy for a farm operating a dry digestion biogas plant with combined heat and power plant
• Chen, X. und Xie, T.: Life Cycle Assessment of Dips
• Eggenschwiler, K. und Rigo, E.: Reduktion des Plastikeintrags in die Grungut- und Lebensmittelverwertung - ein Vergleich zwischen der Schweiz und Europa
• Hafner, D. und Wehrli, C.: Aluminium and Silver in Switzerland - Their potential for urban mining and circular economy
• Li, Y.: Options for reducing air pollution in Chinese chemical sector
• Puthiyidom , A.: Environmental impacts of lithium mining: Comparison of mines by location-specific impacts
• Zhu, Q.: Are there healthy, climate-friendly and enjoyable diets?
• Aniwa, X., Reduction of global coal power plants mercury emissions and gaseous mercury concentrations
• Herrmann/Fuchs: Innovative Separator for Long Fraction of Bulk Solids
• Luck, M., Modelling of material and energy flows in the modern dry flue gas treatment of a MSW incineration plant
• Droz-Georget, H., Reduction of Regional and Temporal Particulate Matter Health Impacts in China
• Hadjikyriakou, P., Studying the application of multi-regional input output tables in climate risk analysis
• Hensley, J., Reduction of regional particulate matter health impacts in China
• Hirschi, A., Reducing particulate matter impacts from coal power plants in China using economic policies
• Iten, L., Agricultural Land-Use Intensity and Its Influence on Biodiversity
• Küchler, D., LCA eines Gebäudeenergiesystems auf Basis von Wasserstoff in einer Schweizer Alpenhütte
• Lei, M., Reduction of Regional Particulate Matter Impacts from Coal Power Plant in China from Coal Supply Chain Optimization
• Waser, E., Influence of recycling rate target on secondary resource quality and associated recycling processes
• Binkert, A., Accurately crediting heat recovery from MSWI plants in LCAs - Analysis of the seasonal variation of energy carriers used in Zurich’s district heating network
• Bittlingmeyer, Y., Vergleichende Ökobilanz des LEACHPHOS- Phosphorrecyclings aus Klärschlammasche
• Çinar, G., Scenario analysis for okara valorization (tofurei engel)
• Elbert, F., Biowaste Conversion Model for Four Biological Treatment Technologies
• Huisman, T., Elements towards a methodology for social impact assessment
• Meier, D., Nachhaltigkeit von Tischlein deck dich
• Page, P., Sustainable investments, current framework and environmental assessment methods
• Schär, G., Schwermetalle in schweizerischem Grüngut
• Wiprächtiger, M., Vergleich unterschiedlicher Szenarien der dezentralen und zentralen Vergärung von Rindergüllefraktionen
• Aykol, D., In situ Methanisierung in Biogasanlagen durch Direktdosierung von H2
• Christen, T., Biogasanlage Alp Bösbächi Kanton GL
• Haas, A., A Python Tool for S-LCA
• Hippenmeyer, N., Kosten - Nutzen - Effizienz von RecyclingsystemenIsenschmid, A., Biogas Oberblegi GL
• Kristinsson, B., Scenario analysis of Þingvellir national park in Iceland
• Mehr, J. & Roth, S., Development of a Tool Refining the Regional Resolution in Life Cycle Inventory
• Michelsen, C., Recyclability of Rare and Critical Metals in Electrical and Electronic Waste
• Mosch, S., Marktstudie für den Einsatz organischer Dünger im Gartenbau
• Pezzati, L., BIOGAS PRODUCTION IN TANZANIA – THE MIVUMONI PLANT
• Rajagopalan, A., ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF SELECTED BIOPLASTICS IN SWITZERLAND
• Roth, D., Energetisches Potential zentral anfallender Industrieabfälle der Branche Textil, Leder, und Bekleidung in der Schweiz
• Saputelli, L., Modelling Neodymium stocks and flows based on service lifetime and storage time of private laptops and desktop computers within Switzerland
• Schegg, B. & Winkler, J., Grundlagenversuche zum selektiven Aufschluss von Metallen in KVA-Schlacke
• Schlatter, F., CARBON EMISSIONS FROM HYDROPOWER
• Zermin, F., CO2 footprint of diets in different European states and the environmental impact of Swiss canteen consumption in comparison to Swiss home consumption
• Boucher, J., Assessing Waste Streams of Building Demollition and Renovation in the City of Zurich
• Burri, R., & Knecht, K., HLK-Optionen beim Umbau eines EFHs am Beispiel "Im Bungert"
• Frischknecht, S., & Grahm, L., Animal production systems: Development and application of a method to quantify environmental impacts
• Graf, V., Defining Longitudinal Zone-Level Species Discharge Relationships for Streams in the U.S.A.
• Keller, B., Ünique
• Lanners, S., Environemental Impacts of selected Menus in ETH Zurich Canteen
• Lustenberger, P., Crop Blue Water Consumption in the Heihe River Basin, Northwest China
• Nüssli, R., Technological development of the recycling processes of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment ( WEEE ) since 2005
• Pohl, T. & Zürcher, O., Entwicklung eines Detektionsverfahrens für Beryllium - Kupferlegierungen
• Seshasai, S., Modeling biomethane production from anaerobic co-digestion of multiple substrates under operational conditions
• Ackermann, C., Nanoparticle Emissions during a BBQ Event with a Charcoal Grill
• Deshpande, P., Assessment of Pollutant Emissions and Occupational Exposure in the Informal E-Waste Recycling and Disposal Facilities
• Flück, A., Ökobilanz eines Polypropylen Bechers vom Mehrwegsystem Cupcycle
• Krasnobaev, A., Furniture and flooring solutions in Switzerland: Environmental impact assessment of the status quo and the future development
• Chen, Y., Methodology for analysis cyclic siloxanes in personal care products sold in Switzerland
• Mueller, B., Nanoparticle Measurements and Modelling at Texaid
• Gorski, S., Temperature Modeling of the Broye Catchment
• Haupt, M., Dynamic modelling of a municipal solid waste incineration plant for waste streams and nanoparticles
• Hirzel, R., Life cycle assessment of deep geological repositories for radioactive waste storage in Sweden
• Brändli, F., Scaling of Telecommunication
• Caduff, U., Regionalized assessment of the land use impact of agriculture in Kenya
• Della Chiesa, M., Processing Spinach, Milk and Babyfood
• Fernandes, M., Bottom-Up Methodology Validated Against the Energy Monitoring Tool for a Multi-Product/Multi-Purpose Chemical Batch Plant
• Goldberg, E., A Critical Review of the Emergy-Exergy Debate
• López de Obeso, L., Assessing the Carbon Footprint of a Brewery and Proposing Scenarios for Emissions Reduction Possibilities
• Mutzner, L., Modeling of pesticide residues in maracuja fruits from Colombia
• Theodorika, C., Ecological risk assessment of the water effluent of a ferronickel production plant in Europe
• Dikonimou, I., Nanosilver toxicity on the aquatic environment
• Fahrni, A., SPA of Biofuels from Algae (supervised by Empa)
• Gerber, B., Life Cycle Assessment of digestion plants
• Hangartner, D., Model for heating demand in greenhouses
• Meyer, M., CO2-balance of various lifestyles
• Pauli, M., LCA-Analysis of transportation routes for wine imports
• Reifler, N., Dynamic fate modeling of pesticides in banana plantations
• von Gunten, D., Waste management and recycling strategies for Sershul (China)
• Zimmermann, H., Case Study of a Regionalized Assessment of Irrigation Energy Demand and Albedo for the LCI of Wheat in the US
• Itten, R., Uncertainty Analysis of a Model for the Computation of Crop Water Requirement
• Ulrich, L., Oekobilanz der Nahrungsmittelzubereitung
• Verones, F, Freshwater use in industrial production – Determining amounts and quality for environmental impact assessment
• Ferraro, F. Oekobilanz einer Biogasanlage für die Gemeinde Ballwil LU
• Keller, D., Input- und technologieabhängiges Modell für die Bewertung von Sondermüllverbrennung
• Nydecker, C., Oekobilanz Wein
• Wyss, F., Oekobilanz der Orangensaftproduktion
• Salzmann, C: Stoffflussanalyse des Siedlungsabfalls in Europa, 2007BA12
• Saner, D: Assessment and Communication of Environmental Impacts of Laundry Detergents - Life Cycle Assessment of an Extruded Compact Powder Detergent and a Liquid Detergent
• Caduff-Kinkel, M: "Quick and Sound" LCA methods applied to Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) from the packaging industry

The Download group-internal guidelines (PDF, 209 KB) vertical_align_bottom at the Chair of Ecological Systems Design are only complementary to the guidelines of the study program. Students following the Environmental Engineering study program should also refer to the new guidance document for BSc and MSc theses and projects in Environmental Engineering .

All students are required to follow the guidelines Download citation etiquette (PDF, 67 KB) vertical_align_bottom .

Disclaimer (from the Download group-internal guidelines (PDF, 209 KB) vertical_align_bottom ) Students should insert the following disclaimer in the final version of the theses (1st page after front page): “The following document contains the uncorrected version of a student thesis submitted for the degree of Master of Science in Environmental Engineering. The views expressed in this document do not necessarily represent the position or the views of either the academic supervisors or the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich)."

Green School Project Will Create Environmental Awareness Among Students, Says Minister

M inister of State for Environment, Dr. Iziaq Kunle Salako, has said the Green School Project will promote environmental awareness among students and communities.

He stated this at the inauguration of the National implementation committee for the Green School Project with a mandate of scaling up the implementation of the project in the country.

The minister, who was represented by the Director Department of Climate Change, Dr. Iniobong Abiola-Awe of Federal Ministry of Environment, said government's interest and commitment to the project aligned with the activities of the Presidential Climate Change Action Initiative.

He said that the need for climate action has never been more urgent than now that Nigeria stands at the forefront of both vulnerability and innovation, with rising temperature, erratic weather patterns and dwindling natural resources.

He noted the uniqueness of the project in the integration of climate education as part of the project activities thereby helping students understand and address the impacts of climate crisis, empowering them with knowledge, skills, value and attitudes needed to act as agents of change in their communities. He charged members of the committee to see their nomination from their MDAs as a call to duty for sustainable and resilient climate actions in Nigeria.

In his presentation at the inaugural meeting of the committee, the National Project Coordinator of the Project, Mr. Unyime Robinson gave an overview of project to include providing practical solutions in the fight against climate change, putting climate education and actions at the heart of school's sustainability plan. It involves a combination of environmental protection and conservation, agricultural land management, community -led adaptive livelihood and sports activities.

Robinson stated that the project started in Nigeria in 2020 and Akwa Ibom was selected as a pilot state, adding 35 schools have participated in the Project with recorded milestones on sustainable practices, eco-friendly infrastructures within schools' environment, gardens and renewable energy installations.

Members of the committee are drawn from relevant MDAs with responsibility of overseeing and coordinating the scaling up of the Project.

The committee is to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy and framework and monitor the progress and ensure timely project implementation.

They are also to promote environmental education and sustainable practices within the school curriculum and ensure effective use of resources and funds mobilisation.

The Green School Project is implemented in Nigeria by African Center for Environment, Agriculture and Rural Development with support from Sports For Future e.V and co-ordinated by Zenaga Foundation.

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2024 mahoney life sciences prize awarded to lynne mclandsborough.

Lynne McLandsborough of the College of Natural Sciences's Department of Food Science has won the 2024 Mahoney Life Sciences Prize for her research that offers a solution to a sticky sanitation and food safety dilemma hounding the peanut butter and chocolate industries.

“I was really surprised and excited,” McLandsborough says of winning the prize. “I think our research is innovative and there’s a need in the industry. It was a fun project.” 

She is already in talks with Mars, the world’s largest chocolate manufacturer, and J.M. Smucker, the owner of Jif peanut butter, to test her novel “dry” sanitation method in peanut butter and chocolate pilot plant facilities, and she has filed a patent application on the innovation.

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Environmental Education (EE) Grants

The 2023 Environmental Education grant competition closed on November 8, 2023.

Under the Environmental Education Grants Program, EPA seeks grant applications from eligible applicants to support environmental education projects that promote environmental awareness and stewardship and help provide people with the skills to take responsible actions to protect the environment. This grant program provides financial support for projects that design, demonstrate, and/or disseminate environmental education practices, methods, or techniques. Since 1992, EPA has distributed between $2 and $3.5 million in grant funding per year, supporting more than 3,920 grants.

We encourage you to  subscribe to the EE Grants Listserv  and review our  answers to frequent questions  to stay up-to-date on all EPA Environmental Education information, including announcements related to future grant competitions.

You can find the most recent Request for Applications (RFA) on our Environmental Education (EE) Grant Solicitation Notice page.

How to Apply

Application forms.

• Helpful Resources
• Webinar / Teleconference Information
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Determine Eligibility.

• local education agency
• state education or environmental agency
• college or university
• non-profit organization as described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code
• noncommercial educational broadcasting entity
• Tribal education agency (which includes schools and community colleges controlled by an Indian Tribe, band, or nation and which are recognized as eligible for special programs and services provided by the United States to Indians because of their status as Indians and which are not administered by the Bureau of Indian Education.)
• Applicant organizations must be located in the United States or territories and the majority of the educational activities must take place in the United States; or in the United States and Canada or Mexico; or in the U.S. Territories.

Complete the Application and Budget Forms, according to the directions in Section IV of the NOFO.

Submit the Applications Materials.

• Applications must be submitted electronically through www.grants.gov , by following the instructions in Section IV of the NOFA.

You are required to submit standard government forms as part of your application. Please refer to the latest solicitation notice for specific requirements.

Helpful Resources for Applying

• Learn how to apply for a grant through www.grants.gov with a video tutorial series.
• Learn how to Develop a Budget with a video tutorial series .
• Find general resources on how to apply for an EPA grant and training on grants management .
• Application Checklist of Required Elements of an Application (docx) (41 KB)
• Work Plan Template (docx) (42.4 KB)
• Logic Model (docx) (39.8 KB)
• Detailed Budget Table (docx) (39.8 KB)
• Timeline (docx) (45.8 KB)
• Community Description (docx) (89.4 KB)
• Review the Frequently Asked Questions about the EE Grant Program

Webinar and Teleconference Information

The EPA Office of Grants and Debarment offers periodic webinars on general issues relating to grant applications and management.

The Office of Environmental Education hosted a webinar where EE Grants Program staff provided a general overview of the 2023 Environmental Education Local Grants Notice of Funding Opportunities, discussed how to write a competitive application, and addressed commonly asked questions.

2023 Informational Webinar Details

• A recording of the October 12, 2023 webinar can be found below.
• FY23 EE Grant webinar recording EPA Environmental Education Grants Webinar, October 12, 2023 – Helpful Links (pdf) (130.7 KB)

Archived PowerPoint Presentations and Transcripts

• FY21 EE Grant PowerPoint and transcript (pdf) (2.5 MB)

EPA Contacts for EE Grants

If you have questions regarding an open EE grants solicitation, please send them to [email protected] or read the Frequently Asked Questions for the current RFA. For other any questions regarding the environmental education grants program, please contact your regional coordinator.

CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT

Olivia Lopez U.S. EPA, Region 1 5 Post Office Square, Suite 100 Mail Code: ORA 1-4 Boston, MA 02109-3912 [email protected]

NJ, NY, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands

Chiamaka Alozie  U.S. EPA, Region 2 290 Broadway 26th Floor New York, NY 10007-1866 [email protected]  

DE, DC, MD, PA, VA, WV

Stephanie Branche U.S. EPA, Region 3 1650 Arch Street Mail Code: 3OCTEA Philadelphia, PA 19103-2029 [email protected]

AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN

Melba Table U.S. EPA, Region 4 61 Forsyth Street SW Mail Code: 9T25 Atlanta, GA 30303 Region4ee @epa.gov

IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI

Megan Gavin U.S. EPA, Region 5 77 West Jackson Boulevard Mail Code: RM-19J Chicago, IL 60604 [email protected]

AR, LA, NM, OK, TX

Alexandra Olson U.S. EPA, Region 6 1201 Elm Street, Suite 500 Dallas, TX 75270 [email protected]

IA, KS, MO, NE

Brandy Reed U.S. EPA, Region 7 11201 Renner Blvd. Mail Code: ORA/OIA Lenexa, KS 66219 [email protected]

CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, WY

Wendy Dew U.S. EPA, Region 8 1595 Wynkoop Street Mail Code: 80C Denver, CO 80202-1129 [email protected]

AZ, CA, HI, NV, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Marshall Islands, Republic of Palau

Eileen Shanahan U.S. EPA, Region 9 75 Hawthorne Street Mail Code: OPA-1 San Francisco, CA 94105 [email protected]

AK, ID, OR, WA

Sally Hanft U.S. EPA, Region 10 1200 Sixth Avenue, Suite 900 Mail Code: RAD 12-D12 Seattle, WA 98101 [email protected]

Headquarters - Washington, DC

Michael Band U.S. EPA, Headquarters 1200 Pennsylvania Ave, NW Mail Code: 1704A Washington, DC 20460 [email protected]

EE Grants Awarded Since 1992

Grantees are located in all 50 states and various U.S. territories. Each grant addresses one or more environmental issue, and an educational priority such as teacher training, educational advancement, or career development. More than 3,800 grants have been awarded nationwide since 1992.

Explore EE Grant Projects

View a searchable list of all environmental education grants to explore details about the types of projects supported by the EE grants program. The list can be filtered by year, state, and EPA Region and the data can be downloaded. You can also conduct a keyword search to find grants, such as those related to environmental topics, types of audiences, and educational methods.

National Environmental Education Statistics

View charts and data that depict national statistics for all EE Grants awarded since 1992. The charts illustrate the number of EE grants and amount of funds awarded competitively through the EE grants program, including:

EE Grants Listserv

Sign up to receive updates about the environmental education grant program.

EE Grant Calculator

EE grants are required to have a non-federal match of 25% of the total cost of the project. Additionally, 25% of EPA funding must be used for subawards, with each subaward having a value of $5,000 or less. Use this simple calculator to figure out your requirements.

Enter Your Request

Your results, alert alert questions.

• Review the Frequent Questions about the EE Grant Program.
• Read about previous grants.
• For specific questions regarding the EE Grants Program, email  [email protected] . 
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Education Rankings by Country 2024

There is a correlation between a country's educational system quality and its economic status, with developed nations offering higher quality education.

The U.S., despite ranking high in educational system surveys, falls behind in math and science scores compared to many other countries.

Educational system adequacy varies globally, with some countries struggling due to internal conflicts, economic challenges, or underfunded programs.

While education levels vary from country to country, there is a clear correlation between the quality of a country's educational system and its general economic status and overall well-being. In general, developing nations tend to offer their citizens a higher quality of education than the least developed nations do, and fully developed nations offer the best quality of education of all. Education is clearly a vital contributor to any country's overall health.

According to the Global Partnership for Education , education is considered to be a human right and plays a crucial role in human, social, and economic development . Education promotes gender equality, fosters peace, and increases a person's chances of having more and better life and career opportunities.

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." — Nelson Mandela

The annual Best Countries Report , conducted by US News and World Report, BAV Group, and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania , reserves an entire section for education. The report surveys thousands of people across 78 countries, then ranks those countries based upon the survey's responses. The education portion of the survey compiles scores from three equally-weighted attributes: a well-developed public education system, would consider attending university there, and provides top-quality education. As of 2023, the top ten countries based on education rankings are:

Countries with the Best Educational Systems - 2021 Best Countries Report*

Ironically, despite the United States having the best-surveyed education system on the globe, U.S students consistently score lower in math and science than students from many other countries. According to a Business Insider report in 2018, the U.S. ranked 38th in math scores and 24th in science. Discussions about why the United States' education rankings have fallen by international standards over the past three decades frequently point out that government spending on education has failed to keep up with inflation.

It's also worthwhile to note that while the Best Countries study is certainly respectable, other studies use different methodologies or emphasize different criteria, which often leads to different results. For example, the Global Citizens for Human Rights' annual study measures ten levels of education from early childhood enrollment rates to adult literacy. Its final 2020 rankings look a bit different:

Education Rates of Children Around the World

Most findings and ranking regarding education worldwide involve adult literacy rates and levels of education completed. However, some studies look at current students and their abilities in different subjects.

One of the most-reviewed studies regarding education around the world involved 470,000 fifteen-year-old students. Each student was administered tests in math, science, and reading similar to the SAT or ACT exams (standardized tests used for college admissions in the U.S.) These exam scores were later compiled to determine each country's average score for each of the three subjects. Based on this study, China received the highest scores , followed by Korea, Finland , Hong Kong , Singapore , Canada , New Zealand , Japan , Australia and the Netherlands .

On the down side, there are many nations whose educational systems are considered inadequate. This could be due to internal conflict, economic problems, or underfunded programs. The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization's Education for All Global Monitoring Report ranks the following countries as having the world's worst educational systems:

Countries with the Lowest Adult Literacy Rates

• Education rankings are sourced from both the annual UN News Best Countries report and the nonprofit organization World Top 20

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Which country ranks first in education?

Which country ranks last in education, frequently asked questions.

• Best Countries for Education - 2023 - US News
• Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above) - World Bank
• World Best Education Systems - Global Citizens for Human Rights
• UNESCO - Global Education Monitoring Reports
• World’s 10 Worst Countries for Education - Global Citizen
• International Education Database - World Top 20