2021 Year in Review: Cultivating Collective Impact

Welcome to Part 2 of our 2021 Year in Review, in which we highlight how our work last year helped cultivate collective impact in Kentucky and beyond.

FAYETTE COUNTY EE NEEDS ASSESSMENT Lexington Fayette Urban County Government provides significant funding and support for environmental education programs. KAEE was contracted to provide a review of current research on EE best practices, identify successful programs across the United States as potential models, and assess existing efforts. The report served to share those results and make recommendations for funding priorities in the future, with an emphasis on how LFUCG and its partners could most effectively increase the environmental literacy levels of Lexington residents.

LFUCG CONTRACT

We received a contract from LFUCG to oversee the coordination and administration of environmental education efforts in Lexington. This project will focus on advancing environmental education efforts for K-12 public and private schools within Lexington-Fayette County. ​ Specifically, KAEE will assist LFUCG to:

• Train city staff and contract educators in the curriculum, field trips, lessons, and programs

• Develop curriculum for K-12 classrooms and non-formal environmental education programming to provide for community partners that serve youth outside of school hours

• Lead Teachers’ Environmental Academy(s) each summer and develop ongoing engagement for alumni of the program

• Manage scheduling of educators to lead classroom-based lessons

• Reimburse schools for buses and substitutes related to field trips

• Connect students to green careers

SOUTHEAST REGIONAL LANDSCAPE ANALYSIS

Funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Pisces Foundation, this project included a comprehensive study of the environmental education already happening on the ground in eight southeastern states, helping the states involved identify gaps and barriers to access that prevent successful implementation in some areas. We have collected data from 646 participating organizations for the Southeast Regional Landscape Analysis and are are now working on data analysis and a communications plan for this project. The final report will provide recommendations and next steps for increasing environmental literacy efforts in the southeast based on an inventory of model programs and initiatives happening nationwide.

DON'T WASTE IT!

We began training educators throughout the southeast in Don't Waste It!, a new educator guide to waste management. Don’t Waste It! has been expanded through the southeast with the help of a $100,000 environmental education grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency received by KAEE and the Environmental Educators of North Carolina (EENC). SEEA recently released new state-specific versions of the guide for Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Florida.

MEMBERS, PARTNERS, AND COMMUNITY

This year, KAEE launched a third Thursday bi-monthly webinar series as a new membership perk. Featuring a wide variety of presenters and topics, the aim of this series is to educate, inspire, and help connect KAEE members and friends with available and relevant environmental education resources and ideas. We also welcomed two new members to our Board of Directors in 2021: John Pollpeter and Erin Sliney.

SEE THE FULL REPORT

To see the full 2021 Annual Report, click here.

LEARN HOW HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT LAUREN CERESA IS EDUCATING HER COMMUNITY ABOUT POLLUTION

Like many students her age, school junior Lauren Ceresa cares about the environment and feels concerned by the news she hears about climate change. After learning how pollution plays a significant role in climate change, she decided to take action. “I’m currently working on my Girl Scout Gold Award, which is the highest achievement and award a Girl Scout can win, similar to the Eagle Scout Award in Boy Scouts,” Lauren says. “As part of my project, I created a website to educate people about the causes and effects of pollution, as well as changes individuals can make in their own lives to limit the amount of pollution in the air.”

Each page of the website has a short quiz where users can test their knowledge and earn a digital postcard as a prize. Lauren also created a survey for users to take after viewing part or all of the website so she can measure the impact of her project. “My hope for this project is that I will be able to inspire people to be aware of the pollution they are responsible for in their lives,” she says. “I hope that everyone who explores my website will incorporate one or two of my suggestions into their daily routines that will help reduce the amount of pollution produced every day.”

One surprising fact Lauren learned while putting her project together is how much pollution is emitted through the production of food. “In my research, I found that each component in an average American meal has traveled about 1,500 miles, often on a large delivery or transportation vehicle that produces a lot of carbon as it travels,” she says. “The agricultural industry is also responsible for tons of pollution due to greenhouse gasses, such as methane and ammonia, in animal waste and farming equipment.” ​She learned that by eating more plant-based foods, consumers could decrease deaths related to agricultural air quality by between 68 and 83 percent. “For me, these statistics highlighted the importance of decreasing the amount of meat in my diet and looking for opportunities to purchase locally grown food.” To view the website and test your own pollution knowledge, click here.

CALL FOR PROPOSALS IS OPEN FOR KAEE'S 46TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE

You're invited to submit a session proposal for our 46th Annual Conference! This year, we'll be live and in person at Jenny Wiley State Resort Park. The reunion of a lifetime --our network together again for the first time since 2018! Join us and be part of the dynamic and engaging lineup by submitting your session proposal today.

​The call for proposals closes April 24.

Please note this is a competitive proposal process. Not all proposals will be accepted. We are looking for interactive, engaging, and relevant sessions.