Why have dominant-culture informal-science institutions not made significant advances in fostering diversity, equity and inclusion in the field of environmental education? Is it because we lack understanding of inclusive approaches? Do we understand good practices but lack cultural competence to put them in place? Do we lack the funds, resources, and/or commitment to get the job done? Or is something else entirely going on? We know that strong, equitable and lasting collaborations are key to successful implementation of environmental education projects in diverse communities. But, partnerships are complicated and difficult to navigate—especially between large informal science education institutions and community-based organizations.

Understandings of power and privilege, transparency, commitment, and success vary depending on your perspective. Through humor, the arts, and storytelling this workshop will explore challenges and practical tools identified by community researchers for developing and maintaining equitable environmental education initiatives in communities historically excluded from the sciences. We’ll share community perspectives, questions, and answers focused on: 1) trust and transparency, 2) power and privilege, 3) commitment and collaboration, and 4) realities and relevance. We’ll share first-hand experiences that highlight stark differences in perspectives and illustrate how the best intentions can break down quickly.

Workshop participants will receive a step-by-step workbook, with original community art, to creating more equitable partnerships for the successful implementation of environmental education projects. Participants will explore their own understanding of the issues and themes to gain a better understanding of the differences in approaches, values, and perspectives. By exploring our own questions and understandings of the problems and actively listening to community experiences, we will uncover barriers and opportunities for achieving real impact in the implementation of environmental education projects in underserved communities. This workshop is informed by community-based participatory research led by fifteen community leaders representing underserved communities throughout the United States. This work evolved from our NSF AISL grant: Examining Contextual Factors Influencing the Implementation of Projects Designed to Improve Cultural Diversity in Informal STEM Programs. The research we share originates from questions asked by community researchers to more than 30 other community organizations. It represents the community perspective

This session is premised on the notion that environmental ethics is a process requiring ongoing attention, and that such deliberations can be a more central concern for the everyday practice of environmental educators. However, many educators are daunted by the philosophical and pedagogical challenges of enabling such exploratory, open-ended learning processes, or integrating them with school or higher education curricula.

Together we will engage in pedagogical dialogue and activities focusing on ethical aspects of humans’ relations with each other and our environments. Such educational processes could enable deliberations on values and ethics and how these may foster creative explorations of more environmentally and socially responsible forms of development, environmental justice, and social-ecological change. Through the development of greater pedagogical capacity for leading activities and dialogue that (re)consider the makeup and positioning of environmental ethics, we hope to cultivate an idea that the doing of ethics is an everyday exercise that can be conducted by all kinds of people. This stands in opposition to a more common notion that ethics is the business of a philosophical elite, or is otherwise inaccessible to most people. A significant part of any such discussion begins with naming and analyzing the often tacit socio-cultural assumptions that inform how various groups of people live together on the earth.

Using contemporary examples from newspapers, advertisements, and curriculum guides, participants will be encouraged to identify deeply embedded assumptions within these cultural artifacts regarding how we value, represent and act in relation to each other and the natural world. During the workshop, each activity focuses on critical thinking, reflexivity and explorations of alternative ways of thinking and being. This is related to the workshop’s focus on "re-imagining possibilities." Here participants will develop some practical ideas about redesigning their language of instruction, pedagogical orientations, and perspectives on curricula.

The workshop will draw on new activities that have been drafted and are being tested for inclusion in the second edition of the UNEP activity book now titled Environmental Education, Ethics and Action: A Sourcebook for Educators, intended for use in teacher education and other educational settings.

Participants will travel west of Spokane to Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge to explore this unique ecosystem. Turnbull NWR encompasses approximately 18,217 acres of the Channeled Scablands. The ecosystem that predominates the Refuge is unique within the National Wildlife Refuge System and has characteristics that distinguish it from natural reserves worldwide. The powerful forces of volcanism, glaciation and the largest floods in geological history have combined to forge a distinct environment. Refuge ecosystems represent an ecological transition between the dry, sagebrush dotted grasslands of the Columbia Basin and the timbered Selkirk and Bitterroot Mountain Ranges that rise up to the east.

The 3,000+ acres of wetlands on Turnbull NWR represent some of the last quality breeding habitat available in eastern Washington for waterfowl, which have experienced tremendous population declines across North America due to loss and degradation of breeding, migration, and wintering habitat. Refuge staff will lead this trip exploring habitats and looking for birds, mammals and aquatic macroinvertebrates. Come learn about how refuges are able to educate the surrounding community about these unique ecosystems and how partnerships with local universities and non-profits are utilized.

This visit will include a hike through the refuge, along with a hands-on aquatic macroinvertebrate investigation. 

Notes:

Wear shoes and layered clothing appropriate for hiking.

Bring binoculars and sunscreen.

The Friends of the Refuge operate a gift shop at the refuge.

Bus transportation from the convention center will be provided. 

The Pacific Northwest is a treasure trove of natural beauty and native history, and you can enjoy the best of both in Washington’s two largest State Parks: Mount Spokane and Riverside.

After a drive through the rolling fields of Peone Prairie into Mt. Spokane Park, Cris Currie, will guide the group on an interpretive hike along the beautiful trails of Washington’s largest park. Cris has been the president of the Friends of Mt. Spokane State Park for over 20 years and has written two books about Mt. Spokane. During the walk you'll learn about the park’s rich cultural and natural history, and hear about local issues facing the park. After enjoying lunch with a spectacular view, the group will descend off the mountain into the valley to visit the Spokane House Interpretive Center, nestled between The Little Spokane River Natural Area and Riverside State Park. The center tells the history of the early fur trade in the area and its effects on the Native American population.

Notes:

Lunch and bus transportation from the convention center will be provided.

Sections of the trail may be rocky and uneven; wear closed-toe hiking shoes and layered clothing, including a rain jacket.

Bring sun protection, water, and snacks for the trail. Backpack and camera suggested.

There is a gift shop at Spokane House and guide Cris Currie's Spokane history books will be available for purchase.

Explore Riverside State Park, Washington’s second-largest state park from two perpectives. During the first half of the trip, guides from a local rafting company, Wiley E. Waters, will lead participants down some of the most iconic sections of the beautiful Spokane River, starting just downstream from the grand Spokane Falls and ending at the entrance to Riverside Park. On the river Spokane’s own Riverkeeper, Jerry White, will engage participants in conversation about his work with various organizations around the Spokane River. Participates will be provided with boats, safety equipment, and instruction.

A short drive into the park will bring us to the Bowl and Pitcher area, named after the river’s dramatic rock formations, for lunch. After lunch the group will take a hike guided by a Jack Nisbet along another section of the river, crossing the one Park’s icons, the Suspension bridge. Jack Nisbet is a Spokane-based teacher/naturalist/ author of several books that explore the human and natural history of the Intermountain West.

Notes:

Lunch and bus transportation from the convention center will be provided.

Wear suitable closed-toe shoes that can get wet while rafting.

A wet bag will be provided on the river for cameras, water bottles, and other personal items, noting that these items could still get wet.

Bring a complete change of clothes for the afternoon hike; these can be left on the bus in the morning.

Wear closed-toe hiking shoes as sections of the trail are rocky.

Tip guides at your discretion.

When science is taught primarily as information delivery (even “fun” information delivery), or as a recipe of steps (“the scientific method”), it can kill curiosity. But when outdoor science is taught as discovering mysteries, and attempting to explain them, it ignites wonder and curiosity about interacting with nature!

The scientific enterprise is about wonder and curiosity, tackling mysteries, and coming up with evidence-based explanations for them. Providing students with inquiry routines, encouraging them to engage in science practices, like making observations, asking questions and making evidence-based explanations to attempt to answer questions, gives life-long tools to increase curiosity and ensure that they will never be bored in nature. Engaging in these practices, developing this mind-set cultivates students’ relationships with nature, and ultimately helps to create a more scientifically literate society.

This session is for program leaders to guide instructors to teach students how to make explanations from evidence and to evaluate the quality of evidence. The session also focuses on the importance of using language of science, especially for underprivileged populations. These important science practices promote long term academic success and social justice.

We will discuss connections with Next Generation Science Standards, model a routine that introduces students to how to become curious about and attempt to explain mysteries in nature, introduce participants to the value of coaching students in the language of science, how language of science reflects the approach of science, as well as how instruction related to language of science relates to issues of equity and inclusivity. Participants explore three criteria for evaluating the strength of evidence (quantity, size of assumption, and quality of source) by sorting cards and engaging in discussion.

This session models one of seven for program leaders to use for professional learning with staff. All are active experiences that encourage instructors to look at different specific aspects of research-based science pedagogy and inspire shifts in instructors’ thinking about their own teaching and learning. These sessions are part of the BEETLES professional learning system. All our resources are available free online.

NASA-sponsored GLOBE program and the National Wildlife Federation’s Eco-Schools USA have formed a partnership to provide training and support to K-12 teachers in their efforts to bring meaningful, real-world experiential learning opportunities to their students. While The GLOBE Program provides the rigorous citizen science, helping to develop student understanding of the Earth System and global environment, Eco-Schools USA provides students the framework and tools to continue data collection and analysis, create action plans, and make positive, student-led school- and community-wide environmental change.

While this partnership provides students numerous opportunities to develop their understanding and hone their skills related to the Cross-Cutting Concepts and the Science Engineering Practices, this workshop will focus on the following Disciplinary Core Ideas, Human Impact on Earth Systems, Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning and Resilience and Biodiversity and Humans.

Participants will hone their skills in providing students with interdisciplinary, place-based and phenomenon-based learning experiences by conducting GLOBE protocols as a part of the Eco-Schools USA watershed audit. These investigations will deepen educator's understanding about the important role watersheds play in supporting healthy ecosystems. In addition to the science investigation, we will explore a watershed’s historical and cultural significance within a community, tying into and connecting back to why the science is important.

Without solutions, climate change information is overwhelming. In order to avoid instilling the sense of crisis that leaves people feeling overwhelmed and helpless, you must describe what can be done about climate change in all of your climate messaging. By presenting practical solutions as the norm and reinforcing that action is happening all around us, you can foster hope, agency, efficacy, and issue engagement. 

The National Network for Ocean and Climate Change Interpretation (NNOCCI) mission is to change the world through better communication techniques around climate change. We know that 64% of the country is currently concerned about climate change, but they lack confidence that anything can or will be done about it. Despite the majority concern, climate change conversation is stifled because people don’t believe they hold the majority view, they don’t feel confident explaining climate change, and they don’t have faith that talking about it will make a difference. Our research shows that through better framing of why it matters, what’s going on and what we can do about it—our visitors leave more hopeful and prepared to act on behalf of climate that those who do not visit institutions with NNOCCI trained interpreters. Furthermore, we know that our tools empower people to break the spiral of silence that is hindering effective climate action. 

The workshop will include hands-on activities and a dynamic presentation of recommendations using Strategic Framing, a research-based approach to communications that is grounded in understanding what’s already in people’s minds about climate change, knowing where the gaps in understanding are, and using tested tools to productively fill those gaps. The result is an empirically driven communications process that makes research understandable, interesting, and usable to help people solve problems.
 
Participants will learn the most effective solutions to share and how to craft an impactful solutions story. By the end of the workshop, participants will try out strategically framed approaches to discussing community-level climate change solutions.

In 2012, Youth Outside developed the Outdoor Educators Institute (OEI). OEI works to ensure that young adults from communities that are traditionally underrepresented in the environmental movement had the training, the confidence, and the opportunities to find employment in the environmental education field. Since its inception OEI has evolved its’ methods, messaging, and partnerships to best remain relevant to the lived experiences of the young adults participating. In 2017 Youth Outside had an external evaluation conducted, to ensure we were meeting our promised outcomes, both to our participants and stakeholders. In this session we will explore the findings from the evaluation, including the successes and opportunities for growth. Additionally, we will discuss our practices for working toward equity, inclusion, and cultural relevancy for those participating in the program, as well as for those looking to employee them upon completion. Lastly, we will be sharing tools that are utilized during OEI as well as after the program with hiring partners.

Youth Outside will walk session participants through the structure of OEI, and clearly explain how the model reflects the needs, values, and realities of those participating in OEI. We will lead an activity that is used to inform and empower those participating in OEI to be able to speak out and up when confronted with challenging conversations once they step into the environmental education field. Lastly, we will share a tool to help organizations think through what it means to run an equitable and inclusive workforce development program, or to hire folks from communities and identities traditionally underrepresented in the environmental education field.

Brady Walkingshaw is the CEO of the Seattle-based Grist media, the leading national environmental media organization. Brady is a former Washington State Legislator, and served two terms representing central Seattle, championing housing, mental health, environmental, and criminal justice reforms. In 2016, Brady ran for U.S. Congress endorsed by dozens of local leaders, the Seattle Times, and described as "gutsy and effective" by local columnist Dan Savage. Before joining the Legislature, Brady spent five years at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation working on food and agriculture in developing countries.

Before returning home to the Northwest, Brady lived and worked in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, on a Fulbright and founded a small non-profit, Proyecto Villa Nueva, focused on youth leadership development in urban slums. The organization celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2017, and was recognized by the Organization of American States for its contribution to violence prevention. Brady is a graduate of Princeton University, where he later served on the University's Board of Trustees. Brady serves on the boards of United Way of King County, the Washington Progress Alliance, the Trust for Public Land, and the Latino Victory Project. He lives in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood with his husband, Micah, a marine biologist.

Panel Moderator: David Orr

David Orr is Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies & Politics, Emeritus at Oberlin College. He also served as “Counselor to the President” of Oberlin College for ten years. Orr is the author of eight books, including Dangerous Years: Climate Change and the Long Emergency (Yale, 2016) and Down to the Wire: Confronting Climate Collapse (Oxford, 2009) and coeditor of three others. He has authored over 220 articles, reviews, book chapters, and professional publications.

In the past twenty-five years, David has served as a board member or adviser to ten foundations and on the boards of many organizations including the Rocky Mountain Institute, Bioneers, and the Aldo Leopold Foundation. He is currently a Trustee of the Alliance for Sustainable Colorado, Children & Nature Network, and the WorldWatch Institute. He has been awarded nine honorary degrees and a dozen other awards including a Lyndhurst Prize, a National Achievement Award from the National Wildlife Federation, leadership awards from the U.S. Green Building Council (2014) and from Second Nature (2012), and lifetime achievement awards from Green Energy Ohio and the North American Association for Environmental Education.

David has lectured at hundreds of colleges and universities throughout the United States, Europe, Latin America, and Asia. He headed the effort to design, fund, and build the Adam Joseph Lewis Center, which was named by an AIA panel in 2010 as “the most important green building of the past thirty years,” as “one of thirty milestone buildings of the twentieth century” by the US Department of Energy, and as one of “52 gamechanging buildings of the past 170 years” by the editors of Building Design+Construction in January 2016. He was also instrumental in the design and funding of the Peter B. Lewis Gateway Center, and is the founder of the Oberlin Project and of the journal Solutions. His current work is on the state of American democracy (www. stateofamericandemocracy.org).

Panelists

Timothy Egan is an op-ed columnist for the New York Times, writing an opinion piece once a week—with a Western perspective. Prior to that, Egan worked as a national correspondent for the Times, roaming the West. As a Times correspondent, he shares a Pulitzer Prize with a team of reporters for their series, “How Race is Lived in America.”

He is the author of eight books. His most recent book, The Immortal Irishman, was a New York Times bestseller. His book on Edward Curtis, Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher—The Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis, was awarded the Carnegie Award for best nonfiction. His account of the Dust Bowl, The Worst Hard Time, won the 2006 National Book Award, considered one of the nation’s highest literary honors, and he was featured prominently in the 2012 Ken Burns film on the Dust Bowl.

Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg is the director of the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University. CIRCLE is a nonpartisan national research institute that focuses on youth civic learning and engagement. Kei manages CIRCLE’s expansive portfolio of research initiatives, tools for educators and policymakers, and reports that influence policy and practice in civic learning. With a background in positive youth development and interest in diverse and marginalized youth, she sees research as a powerful tool to address inequity by affecting policies and practice.

Janet Tran is the Director of Learning and Leadership for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Foundation, where she designed and launched Leadership and the American Presidency, an experiential leadership program for university students through the lens of the American Presidency. She also established the inaugural Reagan Institute Summit on Education, an initiative dedicated to elevating the national conversation on education.

In her prior role as the Foundation’s Associate Director of Education, Janet helped to create the Foundation’s national portfolio of nonpartisan civic learning programs and opportunities. Janet began her career as a social studies teacher in inner city high schools within the Los Angeles Unified School District in California. She is currently a doctoral candidate in learning technologies at Pepperdine University.

Chat with exhibitors, review the Poster Presentations, find out what your state Affiliate is up to, bid on a prize auction item, and more—all during the Exhibit Fair luncheon. 

In addition to the exhibits, during the Poster Session from 1:15 pm to 2:15 pm, presenters will be staffing their Posters, eager to interact and discuss their work. Many of NAAEE's state Affiliates will be available to welcome you and share information about the many services they offer on the state and provincial levels. 

The Exhibit Fair luncheon is included with full conference or Thursday conference registration. Guest tickets are available for purchase. 

Participants in the Spokane Suds Stroll will enjoy a short walk through downtown Spokane, with stops at three well-known watering holes. You'll enjoy your choice of beer, wine, and cocktails (one drink per location), along with some of their classic appetizers. The venues include O'Doherty's Irish Grille, Durkin's Liquor Bar, and The Onion. 

Notes: 

The registration fee includes one drink ticket per venue, appetizers, tax, and tip. 

Any additional food and beverages may be purchased individually. 

This is a walking event; the group will move together to each venue. 

The trip ends near the Convention Center and both the Davenport and Doubletree hotels. 

Information on the speaker and topic for the Friday Keynote to come. Please stay tuned!

Dust off your flapper duds and grab your party gear. Enter the Roaring ‘20s and ‘30s on Friday, October 12, when you swing into Spokane’s beautiful art deco Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox. Originally built in 1931 and restored in 2007, this incredible venue is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Spokane Register, and the Washington Heritage Register.

The evening’s entertainment will include a live performance by The Good Company, an electro-swing band based in Washington, along with our fun-filled live auction, which features special treasures in all price ranges, including a fabulous trip to the Galapagos Islands donated by Lindblad Expeditions. Be there to slip in your final bid and snatch up a great variety of books, arts and crafts, jewelry, clothing, pottery, and more as the silent auction concludes.

The conference culminates with our annual awards ceremony and luncheon.

Awards will be presented for outstanding Affiliate organization, contributions to research, and service to environmental education by individuals and organizations at the local, regional, and global levels. We will also recognize the K–12 Educator of the Year and the recipient of the Rosa Parks and Grace Lee Boggs Outstanding Service award. And, finally, exemplary achievements in the field of EE will be honored through the Board Chair Award and NAAEE's highest honor, the Walter E. Jeske Award. 

Following the awards presentation, we will close the conference with a panel of inspirational young leaders at the forefront of environmental change. The talented and dedicated speakers will be selected from NAAEE's "30 under 30" program. Watch for more details.  

The conference culminates with our annual awards luncheon along with a panel of inspirational young leaders, selected from the 2018 EE 30 Under 30, at the forefront of environmental change.

The beautiful Spokane River runs through the heart of downtown. This kayak tour will take you along its shores to experience the city from a new perspective. Only a short drive out of downtown Spokane, we will launch below upriver dam on single sit-on-top kayaks and meander back into the city. River guides will provide instruction and interpretation during the 3.5 mile float, which takes you through two small rapids. This trip will take you past towering cottonwood and willow trees, and under four of the many Spokane bridges.

The trip fee includes kayak rental and shuttle transportation, provided by Spokane Parks and Recreation. 

The group will meet at the front entrance to the Davenport Grand Hotel. 

Notes: 

Wear suitable water shoes or sandals (no flip flops).

Bring a bag to carry water, snacks, and extra layers.

A hat, sunglasses, and sun protection are highly recommended.

A waterproof bag for personal items such as cell phones, cameras, and keys will be provided, but note that items could still get wet.

Spokane Parks & Recreation will provide instruction, guides, kayaks, and personal float devices. Tip guides at your discretion.

What could be better than experiencing Washington’s largest state park on horseback? Riding is the ideal way to savor your time on the quiet trails here in Spokane. True West Trail Rides and their trail horses will guide you for a leisurely two-hour trip along the west side of the Spokane River, an area full of beautiful native plants and animals, and views of the surrounding area. The paths are a mix of open steppe habitat and Ponderosa Pine forest ecosystems, commonly found in the greater Spokane area and reminiscent of what the landscape must have looked like hundreds of years ago. Knowledgeable guides will provide horses, instruction, and gear necessary to make this a day to remember.

Notes:

Transportation from the convention center will be provided.

Wear long pants, riding boots or closed-toe shoes, and layered clothing including a rain jacket.

Water, snacks, hat, sunglasses, sun protection, and camera are suggested.

Guides will provide instruction, gear, and riding helmets. (Participants over 18 may waive the helmet requirement.)

For the welfare of the horses, there is a strict weight limit of 250 pounds per rider. Expectant mothers are discouraged.

Tip guides at your discretion.