Making a CASE for Environmental Literacy
By the CASE Environmental Literacy Committee
The CASE Environmental Literacy Committee sponsored a workshop Connect and Engage with your Environmental Education Community at the CASE conference held in Palm Springs in October. A diverse group of educators covering a geographic range from Montana to San Diego shared resources that included a wide range of content ranging from free energy lessons to learning about the California Condor. Through small group discussions, passionate and committed participants shared resources, organizations and networks that support environmental literacy, which were all entered into a padlet. You can access and contribute to the padlet.
To move this conversation forward, the CASE Environmental Literacy Committee is building on this workshop and planning regional field trips throughout the state. These meetups will allow folks to continue to learn from one another, while being inspired by our state’s natural resources that require our attention and care. Additionally, we are committed to collaborating with like-minded organizations with shared goals. For example, we recently partnered with the Association for Outdoor Environmental Educators (AEOE) at a regional meetup held at Living Coast Discovery Center in San Diego. Thirty educators spent an afternoon exploring a coastal wetland, learning nature journaling skills, and making new friends and connections.
The committee is always welcoming new members. We are a diverse group, representing formal and non-formal educators, new and experienced, urban and rural, ranging from the redwood forests to the diamond deserts.
Our goals are to:
- Engage with CASE membership and provide support for increasing environmental literacy in the classroom
- Provide professional development and networking opportunities for educators across the state
- Identify and share resources for educators to support outdoor experiences for teaching and learning
We support each other to grow professionally and connect personally. If you have an interest in environmental education please don’t hesitate to connect with us. You can sign up to join us by emailing Michele Holcomb at michele@cascience.org.