The 2023 NAAEE virtual conference brought together educators, experts, and advocates from various sectors to explore ways to address environmental and social issues. The conference, themed around collaboration and creativity, showcased the dedication of our ee360+ partners working towards a more sustainable and equitable future.

Missed the live event? It’s not too late to learn from their expertise and insights. You can still register to view their sessions at conference.naaee.org.  View hundreds of conference and research symposium recordings through March 2024! If you’re already registered, look for these sessions below in the PheedLoop platform.
 
Registered and ready? Let’s explore. Start by visiting the exhibit booths of our ee360+ partners, University of Wisconsin Stevens-Point (UWSP)—inspiring sustainable action through learning—and Project WILD—check out their Wildlife Across the Curriculum. 

The following is a list of sessions presented by our ee360+ Partners. Search the conference sessions menu in PheedLoop to view the recordings: 

Leading for Change: NAAEE Community Engagement Guidelines
This interactive session led by Antioch University of New England (AUNE), North Carolina State University (NCSU), National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education (NPEE), and Lake Superior National Estuarine introduces NAAEE’s Community Engagement: Guidelines for Excellence and offers facilitation ideas and guidance to design learning opportunities in your community. Join us if you actively elevate Justice40 in your community and/or if your lived experiences reflect the U.S. environmental movement’s historical marginalization of varied identities, cultures, and communities. 

Deepening Environmental Literacy Through Books: Smokey Bear Reading Challenge
Smokey Bear turns 80 in 2024. Join us to learn how the US Forest Service (USFS) engages individuals of all ages in celebrating Smokey's birthday while building Environmental Literacy. You'll learn how the Smokey Bear challenge is designed how your organization can get involved.

EPA Environmental Education Funding Opportunity Information Session
The solicitation period for EPA's Environmental Education Grant Program is now open! Earth Force provides information to learn about this year's Notice of Funding Opportunity, available resources, tips for applying, and questions about the competition.

Diversifying the Conservation and Environmental Career Sector
The environmental field faces challenges in recruiting the next generation of diverse employees. This session will highlight resources available from US Forest Service Conservation Education and introduces youth of all backgrounds to opportunities in the environmental sector. Come learn how to use these free resources in your programs.

Planning for Diverse Learning Needs
This interactive session guided by Project WILD  will help you think of things to consider when planning for an audience with diverse learning needs during an outdoor or environmental education activity. We will look at a sampling of activities with the intent to make them more inclusive and discuss how to include these types of activities into lesson planning in various subjects.

Becoming More Inclusive with Indigenous Inclusion in EE: Best Practice Learned from the Projects
Projects Learning Tree (PLT), WET and WILD have been working toward being more inclusive of indigenous perspectives, knowledge, and participation with the encouragement of ee360+ through NAAEE and EPA. We will explore lessons learned, best practices learned, and resources available to help environmental educators be more inclusive of indigenous education in their programs.

Education Community Town Hall
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Education keeps people informed and engaged in our planet’s dynamic environment from the surface of the sun to the depths of the ocean floor. We are updating the NOAA Education Strategic Plan and want to hear from you how we can best support environmental educators!

Centering Environmental Justice and Co-Creating Just Education
Come learn alongside Antioch University New England (AUNE),  EE-relevant and Justice 40-aligned organizations, leaders, and educators co-creating community partnerships. How might we leverage the strengths of environmental justice (EJ) and EE for a more just, equitable, healthy future for all? Together, we’ll highlight EJ-EE efforts that align with the federal Justice 40 Initiative, model effective educational practice, and center the lived experiences of learners.

Community Action Projects for the Environment: Youth and Civic Engagement
Kids are concerned about their environment and are making a difference in their community. Join the University of Florida (UFL) in this session to learn how you can use CAPE (Community Action Projects for the Environment) to engage youth in civic action for the environment. You’ll take home resources to implement this curriculum with your community.

Exceptional Learning: A Model for Designing High-Quality Learning Experiences
Want to design high-quality learning experiences? In this session, Project Learning Tree (PLT) will offer a model that will support you in designing engaging and effective instruction for youth and adults, from understanding your learners to selecting methodologies and resources that will allow you to meet specific instructional goals.

Environmental Action Civics: A Roadmap for Success 
Earth Force’s Environmental Action Civics: A Roadmap for Success will provide formal and informal educators with the tools to incorporate experiential civics into conservation education. Participants will learn to employ tools like youth–adult partnerships, youth voice, and root cause analysis to engage diverse groups of young people in systemic change efforts. 

Every Kid Outdoors: Building Stewardship Through Access and Education
Did you know that every fourth grader in the United States is entitled to free access to 400 federal public lands for a full year? Learn more about the US Forest Service (USFS) program called Every Kid Outdoors, why it matters, and how you can use it as an educational opportunity for young people in your community.

Diversifying the Conservation and Environmental Career Sector, Developing Strategies to Address Climate Emotions and Build Self-Efficacy in Young People
As the climate crisis continues to escalate, research shows that a climate change-related disaster can be traumatic with impacts on mental health, particularly for young people. Join the US Forest Service, National Environmental Education Foundation, and Climate Mental Health Network to discuss strategies for how to address emotions in climate education strategies. 

Park for Every Classroom: Developing Student Agency in Climate Resilience 
How is the National Park Service (NPS) working with local schools and community organizations to co-create relevant and effective education in response to the climate crisis? Parks have extraordinary potential for engaging students in stewardship. Learn how a Park for Every Classroom helps communities create teacher professional development for equity-centered climate change education.

Youth as Partners Towards Equitable Communities
Join Earth Force to look at Environmental Action Civics as a tool to increase youth engagement in community resilience efforts. We will share some examples of the work, then open the space up to discussion on best practices and what’s realistic and possible in your work.

The Ripple Effects of Evaluation: Making Space for Unintended Dialogue
The University of Florida (UFL) employed Ripple Effects Mapping and appreciative inquiry methods to collect qualitative story-points to assess two coalitions’ impacts in the areas of food systems and social determinants of health. As frameworks were explored during the coding process, tensions between inductive, deductive, and equitable evaluation grew. Can we reconcile these differences?

Stay tuned for information about our 2024 annual conference in Pittsburgh by subscribing to eeNEWS. 

ee360+ is an ambitious multi-year initiative that supports a diverse cadre of environmental education leaders to increase environmental literacy for everyone, everywhere. NAAEE leads the initiative through a cooperative agreement with U.S. EPA and partner organizations. Learn more about ee360+ by visiting https://naaee.org/programs/ee360.