Environmental Ed Week Ramps Up

A Special Guest Post from Waste Management’s Wes Muir

Many of you readers know that Earth Day is coming April 22, but did you know that National Environmental Education Week is coming up the week before – April 15-21?

National Environmental Education Week aims to inspire teachers, students and parents to incorporate environmental learning into every-day education.

The Week’s theme for 2012 is “Greening STEM: The Environment as Inspiration for 21st Century Learning.” ‘STEM’ stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, four areas of focus nationally recognized as the keys to developing today’s students into the inventors and pioneers of the future. EE Week will add a green twist to these core areas of education by adding environmental tips, projects, action items and experiments to the STEM curriculum.

Read About Green Achievers: DOE Awards Students Who Save Energy

We’re incredibly excited about EE Week at Waste Management, as the week highlights the importance of living sustainably and passing on green lessons to our peers and the next generation. Because of the importance of environmental education to Waste Management, we wanted to share the following tools with readers in preparation for the national observance.

So what will this week-long celebration of environmental education look like for students, teachers and parents? Ideally, students will learn about environmental issues within the context of their regular classes and every-day life.

For example, combine a science lesson with a lesson on environmental conservation. Teach students about the scientific process through a field study of water pollution in a local waterway. Encourage discussion about the potential causes for water pollution, including dumping and pesticide runoff.

In addition to the “green lifestyle” how-to guides available on Earth 911, the EE Week website offers many age-appropriate resources and projects in a toolkits section. Use these toolkits to help plan educational and sustainable activities for school-age children during EE Week – and all year round.

Celebrate Future Eco-Heroes: Colorado Kids Push for Zero-Waste Schools

In addition, Waste Management has collaborated with Discovery Education to develop resources and project ideas for school-age children on our Think Green website. These resources provide an interactive opportunity for children to learn more about living sustainably and protecting their environment.

Educating today’s youth about the importance of sustainability is the best way to improve the way we treat our environment now and for years to come. With the help of environmental education, children will develop good, sustainable lifestyle habits early. These young environmental advocates will, in turn, launch a chain of positive behavior for generations to come. Waste Management encourages everyone to participate in this year’s National Environmental Education Week to help make a green future a reality.

You’ll Also Love: Recycling Boosted by Pure Imagination