Minnesota EE  How environmental education  works in Minnesota

Capacity building for EE in Minnesota:
An Overview

The goal for environmental education (EE) in Minnesota and throughout the United States is to develop an environmentally literate citizenry.

Environmental literacy is possessing knowledge about the environment and issues related to it; being capable of, and inclined to, further self- directed environmental learning and/or action. (North American Association for Environmental Education)

The state of Minnesota has defined goals for its citizens in regards to environmental literacy. They are contained in State Goals for Environmental Education (Minn. Stat. §115A.073). Pupils and citizens should be able to apply informed decision-making processes to maintain a sustainable lifestyle. In order to do so, citizens should:

1. understand ecological systems
2. understand the cause and effect relationship between human attitudes and behavior and the environment
3. be able to evaluate alternative responses to environmental issues before deciding on alternative courses of action
4. understand the effects of multiple uses of the environment
   
   

The Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance’s (OEA) strategy to achieve this goal of environmental literacy is to focus our work on "capacity building" for environmental education—developing effective organizations and individual leaders in order to achieve comprehensive EE programs at the state, regional and local level. Through comprehensive efforts Minnesotans are better able to learn about and make decisions concerning their environment. There are four areas of concentration to the OEA's EE capacity-building efforts:

• Providing, leveraging and developing resources for educators.
• Fostering coordination and partnerships.
• Furthering communication among EE providers.
• Delivering skill-building opportunities.
  
  

Providing resources to educators

Providing resources and access to resources is vital to delivering fair, current, and accurate environmental education. The OEA offers extensive resources through a variety of venues.

OEA's Clearinghouse is a wealth of hands-on resources. From videos to fact sheets to curricula to CD-ROMs, the Clearinghouse and its staff offer incredible amounts of information and guidance. Many resources may be accessed through the Education Clearinghouse 1-800-877-6300 or 651-215-0232.

SEEK: Sharing Environmental Education Knowledge: http://mnseek.net. SEEK is Minnesota's online, interactive directory of EE resources. At present, SEEK has 160 partners (environmental and education organizations and agencies) that post their resources, from activity guides to job opportunities, on this well-traveled web site. It is a site that is emulated by many states throughout the United States. SEEK is a gathering place for environmental educators.

A GreenPrint for Minnesota: State Plan for Environmental Education offers guidance to individuals, organizations, and agencies that deliver or support environmental education in Minnesota. The GreenPrint is designed to foster and expand partnerships to produce and provide EE programs and materials to Minnesota citizens. The 2001 revised GreenPrint reflects the input of over 900 stakeholders. Implementation of the GreenPrint will provide Minnesotans with the knowledge and skills to become active and engaged citizens to help keep our communities healthy and vital.

Environmental Literacy Scope and Sequence is a series of EE concepts that support an understanding of our environment through a systems framework. The framework is built upon a set of sequenced benchmarks that define the scope of environmental knowledge students need to be environmentally literate. Highlighting the interrelations of the natural and social systems, the scope and sequence is a great tool for formal and non-formal educators. It is the first of its kind in the U.S.

Grants are another tool the OEA uses to support EE. Many projects, programs, and resources would not have been developed without grant assistance. From waste minimization programs on college campuses to environmental literacy research, these grants have made a difference. Here are number of EE products from past OEA grants.

• The Minnesota Report Card on Environmental Literacy documents the results of the first statewide survey concerning environmental literacy of adults in Minnesota. A random sample of 1,000 Minnesota adults was surveyed in 2001 for knowledge about, attitudes toward, and behaviors related to the environment.
• Natural Wonders: A Guide to Early Childhood for Environmental Educators. This is a tool to aid environmental educators in designing developmentally appropriate programs and activities for early childhood.
• ESL resources. Environmental education is for people of all cultures. The OEA has funded the development of these free resources using environmental issues as their integrating concept. These workbooks are intended for students in English as a second language (ESL) and limited English proficiency (LEP) classes.
  
  

Fostering coordination and partnerships

Offering coordination and serving as a catalyst for EE providers is the second component of capacity building. The OEA furthers this through a variety of programs.

The Minnesota Environmental Education Advisory Board (EEAB) is composed of 11 citizen members and 9 agency representatives. This board, which originated the GreenPrint and SEEK, is housed at the OEA and serves to advise the director and EEAB participants. It is a great vehicle to foster coordinated EE partnerships throughout Minnesota.

SEEK Partners include 160 organization, agencies, institutions, and individuals who provide EE to Minnesotans. See the list of partners on the SEEK web site.

Grantees and people involved in EE grant projects. See OEA's list of awarded grants.

Environment as an Integrating Context for Learning (EIC). In partnership with the Department of Children, Families and Learning and the national State Education and Environment Roundtable (SEER), the OEA works with Minnesota schools to implement an educational approach that combines best practices with the local environment while simultaneously addressing content standards from multiple disciplines. EIC uses the school's natural and socio-cultural settings to engage students in schoolwork that they perceive as relevant to their daily lives, thus increasing their motivation for learning and academic achievement.

Furthering communication among EE providers

With all the organizations, agencies, and individuals working to educate Minnesotans on environmental issues, communication channels and opportunities are imperative to successful EE. OEA's focus on communicating information to others is apparent in many of its activities.

The SEEK Bulletin is a bi-monthly email newsletter offering new and time-worthy environmental education items pulled from the SEEK website. Sign up to receive the SEEK Bulletin: www.seek.state.mn.us/email.cfm.

The Environmental Education Workshops and Brown Bags are promoted through email notices. If you would like to receive these notices, email OEA's Jerome Davis <jerome.davis@moea.state.mn.us> and ask to be placed on the EE Events member list. Please include your name, title, organization,d ivision/department, mailing address (valid street address or PO Box), city, state, zip, county, and phone number.

The Minnesota Environmental Education Advisory Board gives agencies and citizens, along with the public, a chance to communicate on issues at hand within their organizations and at the state level.

Personal communication is considered key in learning what is needed by and what is available to Minnesotans. One-on-one assistance with others working in the environmental field is an important element in delivering effective, relevant environmental education.

Developing education skills

The ability to effectively educate others on environmental issue takes more than technical environmental knowledge. It requires education skills and the ability to communicate. The OEA offers a variety of skill-building programs.

EE Capacity-building Workshops are given monthly by the OEA because of the expressed need of our customers. Over 800 people representing state, local, and federal government, nonprofits, business, consultants, and educators have participated in these workshops, with many return participants. These workshops provide fundamental educational skills for those individuals that are trained as scientists, technical specialists, and researchers, as well as up-to-date education tools for the trained educators seeking assistance in honing their skills in order to better educate their audiences.

Regional EE workshops. The regional OEA environmental education staff in greater Minnesota provides regional EE workshops, developed in partnership with other local organizations, according to the needs of the particular audiences. Having access to these opportunities, without the time and costs associated with traveling to the Twin Cities, is highly valued by EE professionals in Greater Minnesota.

One-on-one skill-building assistance is offered as the situation warrants. The OEA environmental education team is very knowledgeable in the field of environmental education and open to sharing their expertise.

For information on national EE Capacity Building, visit the National Environmental Education Advancement Project (NEEAP).