EPA Awards $11 Million Cooperative Agreement for National Environmental Education Training Program

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) intends to award approximately $11 million to the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) for a five-year cooperative agreement to develop and manage the National Environmental Education Training Program.

“Teachers can help students of all ages understand the importance of being good stewards of their environment, educating them about how  to care for the air, water, and land,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “The organization selected today will provide support and training to professionals across the United States, giving them the tools to provide insight and instruction about our country’s most important environmental issues.”

The purpose of the program is to develop and deliver environmental education training and long-term support to professionals across the country. The NAAEE training program will conduct the following actions:

• Help train environmental educators;
• Increase distribution of quality materials;
• Improve non-formal education programs;
• Enhance coordination among environmental education organizations to help reduce duplication and costs;
• Increase the number of environmental educators; and
• Increase public knowledge of the environment.

EPA anticipates providing funding for these projects once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied.

In 1991, EPA established the Office of Environmental Education to implement programs mandated by the National Environmental Education Act, including the National Environmental Education and Training Program. Since 1992, the program has trained educators by building infrastructure through leadership clinics, supporting the development of state certification programs, developing guidelines for excellence in environmental education, and using technology to expand access to resources for formal and nonformal environmental educators, among other initiatives.