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SACRAMENTO – State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today announced 11 grantees will share $214,000 in Environmental Education grants. For a list of grantees, please visit Funding Results: Environmental Education.

"In this era of video games and e-mail, many children have lost touch with concept of playing outside and enjoying the great outdoors," said O'Connell. "Learning about the environment, especially in the midst of the debate over global warming, will help children develop a respect for their surroundings, encourage outdoor activity, and shape lifelong attitudes and behavior about the natural world. This can pique their curiosity and spur the joy of learning that will help them succeed academically."

The Environmental Education grant is authorized by California Education Code Section 8707 that is designed to encourage the development of educational programs for teachers and students about protecting scarce natural resources and safeguarding the quality of the environment. The money will be used over a three-year period to hire a coordinator in each of the 11 California Regional Environmental Education Community Network regions. The role of the coordinator will be to increase communication among people and groups interested in supporting all aspects of environmental education, and help create environmental educational opportunities for K–12 teachers and students.

Eligible applicants included institutions of higher education, local educational agencies, nonprofit organizations, other organizations or agencies. Of the 11 applicants, all were awarded grants. The awardees were scored based on their project need and outcomes, scope of work and timeline, personnel, community involvement, and the quality of their plans.

For more information about the Environmental Education grants, please visit Past Funding Profile (ID 1015): Environmental Education.