Environmental Education

Now that the effects of global climate change are showing themselves more clearly, a new group of people are arguing that the environmental movement needs to reclaim its spiritual roots in order to succeed. One of those voices belongs to Steve Blackmer, an Episcopal priest and founder of a spiritual community based in Canterbury, New Hampshire. It’s called Kairos Earth and it ties together spirituality, caring for the environment, and spending time in nature. Read more

The Natural Start Alliance, founded in 2013 in response to demand from a growing number of nature preschool providers, now counts 92 schools that deliberately put nature at the heart of their programs, and where children spend a significant portion of each day outside, according to director Christy Merrick. That’s up from 20 schools in 2008, when Patti Bailie, a professor at the University of Maine at Farmington, counted them as part of her doctoral research. Read more

According to Science Education Specialist Chris Bowser, eels are the perfect way to get young people interested in their local environment. Bowser, who works for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Estuary Program and Reserve, in partnership with Cornell’s Water Resource Institute, coordinates the Citizen Science Hudson River Eel Project which trains students and other community member volunteers to monitor New York’s local eel populations.

More than 1,000 environmental educators from around the world are in San Diego for the 44th annual North American Association for Environmental Education conference. Nicole Ardoin, a board director for the North American Association for Environmental Education, said everyone can be an environmental educator — not just classroom teachers. Read more

If outdoor learning were a religion, Erika Zavaleta would be among its foremost acolytes. An online ecology course, she realized, could attract students who would never consider taking a class requiring live field trips. By bringing field biology to a broader range of people, Zavaleta hopes the course will help broaden racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity in ecology and environmental studies. “I’m interested in making more ways for people to have an entry point to get interested in conservation, an internship at a reserve, or taking a class with a field component.”

This project launched at the end of September with a live story-based performance during the two-hour train ride to Sacramento, and discussion sessions on the return trip to Oakland. These stories will be made available as podcasts that can be accessed via smart phone app or computer by travelers and others interested in the past, present, and future of California and regional history. Read more

Fellow Judith Rubin wrote this article in 2003, but it still holds today. Feel free to use the "Writing a Gift Letter" sidebar at the bottom of the article to encourage your own relatives and friends to rethink their giving habits.

As we enter the holiday season, Fellow Alicia Daniel offers a checklist for Earth-friendly toy buying.