PLT GreenSchools! Plays on the National Stage at NAAEE Conference
The PLT GreenSchools! program was a hot topic at the 40th annual conference of the North American Alliance for Environmental Education (NAAEE) in Raleigh, NC, earlier this month. PLT’s Jaclyn Stallard, Kyle Cooper, Kathy McGlauflin, Al Stenstrup and I joined more than 1,000 teachers, administrators, government agencies and nonprofit organizations involved in K-12 environmental education programs across the U.S.
NAAEE is the largest and one of the oldest organizations devoted to environmental education, and the halls were buzzing with ideas and trends that we’re eager to incorporate into our PLT GreenSchools! work.
PLT and the GreenSchools! program were well represented throughout the conference. We hosted two different exhibit booths (one showcasing the Project Learning Tree program and curriculum materials, and one to celebrate the International Year of Forests by showcasing AFF’s “forest boxes” from five states).
Program director Al Stenstrup and I presented an introductory workshop on GreenSchools! Other PLT staff assisted in hosting four additional conference sessions. And all of us used the opportunity to learn as much as we could about new developments in environmental education by participating in numerous conference panels and discussions.
We learned how schools are using film, e-learning tools and other technology in new ways to tell the stories of environmental education work. I was able to attend sessions devoted to environmental justice, increasing diversity in environmental education programs, and incorporating these programs in schools with large minority populations. This is one of my personal interests, and something we’re working hard to achieve in the GreenSchools! program.
Social media continues to be a hot topic at these meetings, and some of us attended a popular session hosted by the Environmental Protection Agency on new ways to use social media tools to engage a wider audience in environmental education.
The NAAEE conference reinforced the fact that the PLT GreenSchools! program is valuable, relevant and needed. We’re all looking forward to putting some of the thought-provoking and idea-generating presentations we attended into action in the months ahead.
To learn more about the PLT GreenSchools! program, visit www.greenschools.org.
Photo of PLT's early childhood curriculum workshop at NAAEE, credit Jackie Stallard.
