With climate change at the forefront of everyone’s minds, it’s important to educate students on the impact our society has on the natural environment. This week, we are discussing the importance of environmental education and how green schools can act as a catalyst for a more sustainable future where we can address the effects of climate change and take those learnings outside of the classroom.
The benefits of teaching environmental education are numerous, but the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) highlights these as an example:
- Improves academic achievement
- Encourages environmental stewardship
- Deepens personal development and wellbeing
- Strengthens communities
From transitioning to a green campus to integrating environmental education into the curriculum, we are excited to share a few ways that teachers and K-12 school administrators can work with Green Guardians to integrate environmental education into the K-12 school system and support students’ learning both in and beyond the classroom.
Read more about environmental education and how green schools can help students better understand their impact on the world around them: Read Article Here
Relevant Links
American Rescue Plan: Five Guiding Principles | UndauntedK12
“Five Guiding Principles: How Districts Can Use COVID Relief Funds to Advance Healthy, Green Schools” provides useful, actionable information for school districts as they consider how to use these relief funds to meet local needs. The brief identifies examples of school facility improvements as well as curriculum and training that both align with allowed uses and provide long-term benefits.
Calculate your Carbon Footprint with Global Footprint Network
Humans use as many ecological resources as if we lived on 1.6 Earths. The Ecological Footprint is the only metric that compares the resource demand of individuals, governments, and businesses against Earth’s capacity for biological regeneration. Calculate your Carbon Footprint today!
Every observation can contribute to biodiversity science, from the rarest butterfly to the most common backyard weed. iNaturalist shares your findings with scientific data repositories like the Global Biodiversity Information Facility to help scientists find and use your data. All you have to do is observe.
Their mission is to unlock the power of the education sector to be a force toward climate action, solutions, and environmental justice to help prepare children and youth to advance a more sustainable, resilient, and equitable society.
National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) | Benefits of Environmental Education
Environmental education (EE) is often lauded by educators as an ideal way to integrate academic disciplines, stimulate the academic and social growth of young people, and promote conservation of the natural environment.
Based on learning from the BedZED eco-village, Bioregional created the One Planet Living sustainability framework – comprising ten simple principles and detailed goals and guidance – and developed it together with WWF.
Project Learning Tree | Research into the Benefits of Environmental Education
A growing base of research is documenting the impacts of environmental education.
SMCOE Environmental Literacy and Sustainability Initiative
Explore Andra’s site for the San Mateo County Office of Education. You’ll find a seemingly endless number of useful resources and information on the work SMCOE is doing. These paid fellowships build teacher and administrative capacity for driving sustainable and climate-resilient transformative change in their classroom and school communities.
Sustainable and Climate Resilient Schools Educator Fellowships
These paid fellowships build teacher and administrative capacity for driving sustainable and climate-resilient transformative change in their classroom and school communities.
News and Events
Our Parks and Conservation Future: A Conversation with Doug McConnell
Jul 27, 2021 Sempervirens Fund
In this webinar series, we invite experts and thinkers to join us to explore our magnificent redwood forests, what makes redwoods so special, why they thrive here and nowhere else in the world, and what they mean to us in our lives.
League for Green Leaders
Jul. 29, 2021 Springbay Studio
This online climate-action competition for children aims to motivate and quantify behavior change towards a sustainable lifestyle by inviting children to play to learn, play together and play for our future.
2021 Virtual Summer Institute for Educators
Aug 02–06, 2021 Community Works Institute
Join Community Works Institute’s (CWI) acclaimed Virtual Summer Institute, powerful learning, and design lab for K-16 and community-based educators.
How to build a better, fairer, greener, safer world for children
Jul. 15, 2021 Financial Times
Voters and scientists must ensure politicians prioritize long-term measures to save our Earthly home…
What’s in wildfire smoke? A toxicologist explains the health risks and which masks can help
Jul. 15, 2021 The Conversation
Fire and health officials began issuing warnings about wildfire smoke several weeks earlier than normal this year. With almost the entire U.S. West in drought, signs already pointed to a long, dangerous fire season ahead.
CA Approves $6M to Climate Change and Environmental Justice Curriculum
Jul. 16, 2021 Ten Strands
Senator Ben Allen’s proposal passes, providing funds to create new open education resource (OER) curriculum units for K–12 students.
Climate change goals and oil production are clashing in the U.S.
Jul. 19, 2021 National Geographic
If we’re to avoid extreme warming, all drilling for oil needs to stop now, experts say, but U.S. fossil fuel production is continuing.
5 things you need to know about the new global framework to manage nature
Jul. 21, 2021 World Economic Forum
The Secretariat of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity has released the first draft of its new Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. It outlines action plans to protect, restore and sustainably manage nature and transform society’s relationship with the natural world.
Ask the Expert: How Can Teachers Address Climate Change in the Classroom?
Jul. 22, 2021 NC State University News
Addressing the topic of climate change in the classroom involves more than just teaching about science and data, says K.C. Busch, Ph.D., an assistant professor of science education in the NC State College of Education.
Betting big on bioacoustics: Q&A with philanthropist Lisa Yang
Jul. 22, 2021 Mongabay
Last month, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology announced the receipt of a $24 million donation to catalyze the field of conservation bioacoustics, which uses sound data to understand and monitor species, habitats, ecological processes, and environmental health.