Welcome to the December 2020 edition of GEEP News—our final edition of the year! In this edition, we hear from colleagues from Canada to New Zealand to the Bahamas about the many ways that environmental education is working to address environmental and social issues. While 2020 has been a year full of challenges and change, it has also been a year of hope—and that hope comes from each of you who are working to create a better future. Your stories are what makes the GEEP what it is—a learning network for environmental educators from around the world.
As we reflect on this year, we invite you to consider sharing your stories. How have you adapted your work during the COVID-19 pandemic? What challenges did you face? What did you learn? Click here to submit your stories.
We wish each of you a very happy new year, and look forward to continuing to learn from each of you in 2021.
News
Announcing the Launch of MECCE: A Global Effort to Advance Climate Literacy and Action
The Sustainability and Policy Network (SEPN) is pleased to announce the official launch of the Monitoring and Evaluation of Climate Change Education (MECCE) Project. MECCE’s goal is to advance climate literacy and action through improving the quality and quantity of climate change education, training, and public awareness globally. Learn more here.
UNESCO Study Highlights Climate Change Education Achievements and Gaps
Earlier this year, UNESCO released a new analysis of country submissions on climate change education, training, and public awareness. Countries are expected to submit national reports to the UNFCCC about the actions they have taken to address climate change and the commitments they plan for the future. Analyzing these submissions, UNESCO provides a timely status report on the implementation of climate change education around the world, highlighting achievements and remaining gaps. Learn more about the study and download the report here.
The Virtual Youth Changemakers Convention
Over the first weekend in October, four Young Reporters for the Environment attended the Virtual Youth Changemakers Convention. It was a productive weekend filled with thought-provoking sessions covering topics such as social justice, campaigning, and youth empowerment. The convention invited young people to showcase their work to inspire and encourage participants from all around the globe, while celebrating the premiere of David Attenborough: A life on our planet.
Read more about the event at Youth for Our Planet, and read articles written by the Young Reporters about the event on Exposure.
Building Networks
New GEEP Country Profiles: Benin, Cyprus, and Greece
Did you know that the GEEP country profile collection highlights national-level environmental education policy, organizations, and programs around the globe? Our most recent additions, Benin, Cyprus, and Greece, showcase a range of initiatives, from 52 prefecture-level centers for environmental education in Greece, to a number of national NGOs leading environmental education efforts in Benin.
Don't see your country in the collection? Or see a current profile that needs updating? Contact us here!
Environmental Education at the Bahamas National Trust
The Bahamas National Trust is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that manages all of the Bahamas' 32 national parks. Established in 1959 in response to conservationists' concerns that resources on two of the country's islands were being exploited, the organization leads a range of park management and environmental education programs. Learn more about the Bahamas National Trust's program and the parks they protect in this eePRO blog.
Earth Day Network Climate Literacy Sign-on
EARTHDAY.ORG wants to extend an invitation for your organization to join over 300 global organizations in a sign-on letter which calls on the UNFCCC to take bold action on climate and environmental literacy during COP26 in Glasgow. The goal is for governments worldwide to promote climate and environmental education in their K-12 schools that will be combined with teaching strong civic engagement skills. EARTHDAY.ORG believes that building a green economy, green consumer movements, and most importantly an educated and engaged citizenry is the key to fighting climate change and protecting the Earth, its ecosystems, and our most vulnerable communities.
To achieve this, EARTHDAY.ORG is building a network of organizations to sign a letter addressed to Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa and Signatories to the Paris Agreement Under the UNFCCC. The campaign hopes to include partners and supporters across sectors. Global signatories already include organizations like Education International, Earth Uprising International, Project Everyone/World’s Largest Lesson, NAAEE, and YOUNGO.
Call for Proposals: Natural Start Alliance's 2021 Nature-Based Early Learning Virtual Conference
The Natural Start Alliance is now accepting proposals for the 2021 Nature-Based Early Learning Virtual Conference! Natural Start's 2020 virtual conference was its largest ever, welcoming over 1,000 participants from 16 countries, and we hope to see the conference continue to grow and represent more global perspectives in early childhood environmental education. In line with the 2021 conference theme, Thrive, Natural Start is especially seeking proposals that explore the role of nature and education in promoting healing, addressing injustice, and helping children, families, communities, and the planet thrive. Click here for complete details and to submit a proposal.
Sustainability Research & Innovation Congress 2021 (SRI2021)
SRI2021 (June 12–15, 2021) will unite global sustainability leaders, experts, industry, and innovators to inspire action and promote sustainable transformation. For the first time, the Congress will be a hybrid event with a diverse and innovative online program alongside onsite participation. In addition to the more than 100 sessions available throughout the day and night, the SRI2021 Online Package includes exclusive events and services starting as soon as February 2021.
The Congress is accepting applications for their fifth Congress Pillar, Resilience, recognizing the unique challenges of 2020. For more information and to submit a proposal, see Call for SRI2021 Session Proposals. Proposals in English are due December 15, 2020, and proposals in Mandarin, Japanese, French, and Spanish are due January 1, 2021.
EarthX Inspire Through Eco-Art Contest
EarthX's Inspire Through Eco-Art Contest is taking online submissions through January 25, 2021. The goal of the competition is to give young people an artistic avenue in which to build awareness about environmental issues important to them and, in the process, inspire others to take action. Cash prizes are awarded in four divisions and all accepted submissions will be exhibited in EarthX's online gallery. This year's theme is No Time to Waste.
Sustainable Seas Trust and partners developed a comic strip that aims to helps children understand why they should follow safety protocols in the face of the COVID pandemic. The comic follows the story of two twin sisters, Elli and Ella, both 16 years old, who are trying to educate their families and friends about COVID-19 health and safety protocols, and to provide credible news to others. Click here to learn more and view or download the comics.
Whole School Approaches to Climate Change Education
Climate change education poses unique challenges and opportunities in formal education. The Sustainability and Education Policy Network (SEPN), recently released the publication, Responding to Climate Change: A Primer for K-12 Education to provide decision makers with a research-based analysis of the most effective climate change education strategies. Their whole school approach addresses the school-wide systems that can each play a role in creating a more holistic approach to climate change education—from cross-curricular integration to community partnerships to governance and more. Read more on eePRO here.
Resilience: Story of the American Red Wolf
After decades of hunting and persecution, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its partners made the decision to capture the last remaining wild American red wolves in the 1970s and bring them into captivity. These final 14 wolves would become the founders of a captive breeding effort in hopes to one day re-release the American red wolf back into the wild. In 1987, eight red wolves were finally reintroduced into the wild of North Carolina, making it the first species to ever be successfully reintroduced after being declared extinct in the wild. Despite this positive reintroduction, today these animals face the same persecutions they did years ago. Alex Goetz, EE 30 Under 30 alum and co-founder of Running Wild Media, and his film partner Justin Grubb, tell the story of the American red wolf in this new 24-minute documentary. View the documentary here.
Teacher Resources: Using Virtual Reality to Connect Students to the Marine Environment
BLAKE's NZ-VR school outreach program connects thousands of young New Zealanders with the marine environment. Through virtual reality (VR) technology, NZ-VR allows students to experience the rich biodiversity that exists below the surface of the ocean, as well as the damage that has been done to the ecosystem. BLAKE has a number of virtual resources available for educators, including virtual reality videos that can be viewed on any device (including your laptop or phone) and presentations, learning outcomes, and worksheets on variety of topics. Learn more about NZ-VR and explore their educator resources here.
New Zealand's Our atmosphere and climate 2020: Report and Educational Resources
A recent report from the New Zealand Government pulls together the latest information on the state of the country’s climate and how it is changing. The report, Our atmosphere and climate 2020, includes an overview of New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions and activities that drive them, how temperature and rainfall are changing, and how those changes affect both the environment and our wellbeing, including impacts on te ao Māori (the worldview of New Zealand’s indigenous people). The report also provides information on how emissions and the climate in New Zealand may change in the future. Accompanying the report are a suite of educational resources developed by the Science Learning Hub, including activities, web pages, and videos for teaching climate change and the nature of science.
Learning Package: Energy Literacy for Elementary School
Check out the Gaia Project's elementary school Energy Engineers learning package, which includes videos, activities, quizzes, and more to help your students learn about today's energy landscape while imagining what tomorrow could look like. For example, this video follows the story of Gaia Town, where Ben and Geoff learn about different energy sources in their community and make some difficult decisions to create a sustainable town for all. View the Gaia Project's elementary school learning packages here (also available in French).
What We're Reading (and Listening To!)
Almanac of Ireland: Enchanted by Nature
In this podcast episode, The Almanac of Ireland speaks with environmental philosopher Matthijs Schouten about how to reconnect ourselves to the natural world. Matthjis discusses the importance of our education system in reknitting this connection, highlighting the example of the experiential NatureWise program in the Netherlands.
Connecting Multi-Age Students for Environmental Justice
With classes being held online, students in an environmental justice course at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) recently embarked on a virtual collaboration with students from a nearby high school and middle school to learn from and with each other about environmental issue. Through guest speakers and student-created public service announcement posters, their goal was to empower change among the students and highlight the importance of multi-age collaborative action. Read more about the project in Alejandro and Mandie's blog on eePRO.
Stories for Change: The Indian Storytelling Techniques
Storytelling has different forms and mediums across the globe, but every story has a common purpose no matter the country or community. Stories are used to teach lessons and morals, and to entertain people. Across India’s diverse cultures, you will see them each follow their own style of storytelling. In this blog, Archana Panicker from the Centre for Environmental Education (CEE) in India shares some of the country's popular traditional storytelling techniques that they use in CEE's environmental education programs. Read Archana's blog on eePRO.
EELS in the Bronx River: A Virtual Internship Shaping Students for a Green Future
Through a new innovative grant program called the Green Relief and Recovery Fund, 32 high school students became the Bronx River Alliance’s first cohort of EELS Interns (Environmental Enrichment and Leadership for Students). The 4-week program consisted of at-home virtual classrooms and in-person park stewardship designed to expose the students to the ecological wonders of the Bronx, perhaps for some, for the very first time. Read more on the eePRO blog.
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Join the eePRO Global Group! eePRO is an online platform to provide environmental education professionals and students from around the world with opportunities to network, discuss important issues, and access high-quality professional development resources. By being part of eePRO, you can post resources, events, jobs, join groups, and share your profile with the community. Join eePRO now.
The Sustainability and Policy Network (SEPN) is pleased to announce the official launch of the Monitoring and Evaluation of Climate Change Education (MECCE) Project. MECCE’s goal is to advance climate literacy and action through improving the quality and quantity of climate change education, training, and public awareness globally. 
Earlier this year, UNESCO released a new analysis of country submissions on climate change education, training, and public awareness. Countries are expected to submit national reports to the UNFCCC about the actions they have taken to address climate change and the commitments they plan for the future. Analyzing these submissions, UNESCO provides a timely status report on the implementation of climate change education around the world, highlighting achievements and remaining gaps. 
Over the first weekend in October, four 
Did you know that the 
The Bahamas National Trust is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that manages all of the Bahamas' 32 national parks. Established in 1959 in response to conservationists' concerns that resources on two of the country's islands were being exploited, the organization leads a range of park management and environmental education programs. 
EARTHDAY.ORG wants to extend an invitation for your organization to join over 300 global organizations in a 
SRI2021 (June 12
EarthX's 
Sustainable Seas Trust and partners developed a comic strip that aims to helps children understand why they should follow safety protocols in the face of the COVID pandemic. The comic follows the story of two twin sisters, Elli and Ella, both 16 years old, who are trying to educate their families and friends about COVID-19 health and safety protocols, and to provide credible news to others. 
Climate change education poses unique challenges and opportunities in formal education. 
BLAKE's NZ-VR school outreach program connects thousands of young New Zealanders with the marine environment. Through virtual reality (VR) technology, NZ-VR allows students to experience the rich biodiversity that exists below the surface of the ocean, as well as the damage that has been done to the ecosystem. BLAKE has a number of virtual resources available for educators, including virtual reality videos that can be viewed on any device (including your laptop or phone) and presentations, learning outcomes, and worksheets on variety of topics. 
A recent report from the New Zealand Government pulls together the latest information on the state of the country’s climate and how it is changing. The report, 
Check out the Gaia Project's elementary school Energy Engineers learning package, which includes videos, activities, quizzes, and more to help your students learn about today's energy landscape while imagining what tomorrow could look like. For example, 
With classes being held online, students in an environmental justice course at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) recently embarked on a virtual collaboration with students from a nearby high school and middle school to learn from and with each other about environmental issue. Through guest speakers and student-created public service announcement posters, their goal was to empower change among the students and highlight the importance of multi-age collaborative action. 
Storytelling has different forms and mediums across the globe, but every story has a common purpose no matter the country or community. Stories are used to teach lessons and morals, and to entertain people. Across India’s diverse cultures, you will see them each follow their own style of storytelling. In this blog, Archana Panicker from the Centre for Environmental Education (CEE) in India shares some of the country's popular traditional storytelling techniques that they use in CEE's environmental education programs. 
Through a new innovative grant program called the Green Relief and Recovery Fund, 32 high school students became the Bronx River Alliance’s first cohort of EELS Interns (Environmental Enrichment and Leadership for Students). The 4-week program consisted of at-home virtual classrooms and in-person park stewardship designed to expose the students to the ecological wonders of the Bronx, perhaps for some, for the very first time. 
Share your news, programs, or resources to feature in this digest! Email: 