Broadening Perspectives in EE
Our mission is to cultivate environmental literacy and engagement among diverse community leaders. With the vision that Oregon communities are compassionately working together to create equitable connections to and expressions of the local and global environments.
We are striving to:
- work together with communities and individuals to provide spaces where all can gather to build relationships, improve practices, and share ideas around environmental education.
- develop an annual conference and other programs that will provide opportunities for making connections to each other and to place.
- identify and connect with statewide partners to enhance perspectives around environmental education and to begin discussions around implementing diverse and inclusive programming.
Our primary functions are to:
- Collaborate with state level partners to ensure the inclusion of environmental education in related initiatives;
- Educate and assist EEAO affiliates in educating decision makers about the importance and relevance of environmental education;
- Serve as a liaison for environmental education between all systems levels from local to international;
- Establish and enhance collaborative environmental education networks throughout Oregon, the Pacific Northwest, the United States and internationally; and
- Support our members through professional development opportunities.
Our values are guiding us in the way we work:
- JUSTICE: We acknowledge environmental education is a segment of environmental justice and supports solutions that affirm the diverse strengths and needs of communities of color, low-income, and other marginalizations, ultimately strengthening our state as a whole.
- DIVERSITY: We accept that there are many ways to practice and define environmental education, and we celebrate the various experiences of individuals and communities.
- COLLABORATION: We welcome and engage in conversation with many voices and amplify the voices of marginalized communities to strengthen the environmental education community.
- COMMUNITY: We continually work on building relationships and establishing trust to provide opportunities for transformation individually, as an organization, and across the environmental education community.
Our Strategic Plan Is Guiding Us Forward
Every three to five years we participate in a visioning and strategic planning process to help guide us in furthering environmental education.
Over the past two years, EEAO board of directors has embarked on a journey to deepen our understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion, how they connect and intersect each other, and what that means in our organization. Our strategic plan reflects this process and a goal of being intentional in interweaving diversity, equity, and inclusion in everything that we do. We realize this is a starting point and that we have a lot of continued learning, and work to do.
We hope over the next three years this guides us in making progress in working together to provide spaces for communities and individuals to build relationships, improve practices, and share ideas around environmental education. Oregon is such a diverse state ecologically and socially.
We believe connections with each other and to place is needed. Environmental education can be one tool to drive connections and we realize there are many different ways to practice environmental education. We want to find ways that helps us connect with one another and to place and broaden our perspectives in environmental education.
EEAO is an affiliate of NAAEE. Our strategic plan ties to the national affiliate strategic plan and aligns with the larger national environmental education goals. Learn about NAAEE.
Join Us In Furthering Environmental Education Across the State
Become A Member
We realize there are many different ways to practice environmental education. Our goal is to find ways that help us connect with one another and to place and broaden our perspectives in environmental education.
We cannot do this without your support. As a member you will be a partner in helping us provide spaces where we can compassionately work together to create equitable connection to and expressions of the local and global environments.
In addition you will have access to a variety of benefits including a digital subscription to Green Teacher Magazine, special EEAO event pricing, and access to pro-deals on outdoor gear.
If you join as an Organizational Member you receive up to 4 individual members for employees allowing access to all the benefits of an Individual Membership in addition to other great benefits.
Your membership enables us to:
- connect you with resources including classroom curricula, field trip & classroom programs, teaching aids and more.
- plan and coordinate professional development opportunities for you.
- create opportunities for you to network with others in the field.
- reach out to community leaders and decision-makers about the value and positive impacts of environmental education. We regularly meet with Oregon's Congressional delegation in Washington, D.C. and educate them about the importance of environmental education.