Trends in Environmental Education

The Environmental Grantmakers Association (EGA) recently instituted a research fellowship program whereby every year it contracts with a scholar to undertake research designed to inform the environmental philanthropic community on a variety of issues. This year, EGA is contracting with Switzer Fellow Nicole Ardoin to address a growing need for more information on trends in environmental education. The basis for Nicole’s research is that some environmental funders have reported they have seen reductions in the amount of funding going to traditional schools-based environmental education programs. They have hypothesized that what is happening is less a disinterest in funding traditional environmental education projects, but more likely funders are being presented with a greater diversity of types of projects under the environmental education umbrella. The field of environmental education may be changing to include more alternative strategies for engaging school-aged youth in the environmental movement, including social and environmental justice issues, or community recycling programs. EGA is contracting with Nicole to research this trend to inform EGA’s member funders and to broaden the environmental community’s knowledge of what constitutes environmental education today.