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January 2012 Minutes

California Environmental Education Interagency Network Meeting
January 19, 2012, 9:30-11:30 a.m.
California Department of Education
1430 N Street, Sacramento,  CA 94814

Note Taker:  Anne Kohut Frankel

Kay Antunez, Cal Fire
Bryan Ehlers, Cal/EPA
Delanie Farnham, ARB
Annie Kohut Frankel, Coastal Commission
Susan Knadle, OEHHA
Donna Pozzi, Parks
Michelle Robinson, DWR
Jessica Sawko, CSTA
Kathleen Seabourne, CDE
Carol Singleton, DFG
Anne Stephens, CDE
Bobbie Winn, DFG
Ed Wong, ARB

Guests:

Jessica Sawko, California Science Teachers Association
Brian Brown, Water Education Foundation, Project WET
Mara Pisano and Maria Artagaveytia, Uruguay Project Learning Tree

Minutes

October 2011 and November 2011 minutes were approved with minor corrections.  Anne will send the October minutes to Jason Morris from NatureBridge

Ed Wong will be taking over meeting host duties from Natalie Lee, who is no longer with EEI. Ed emphasized the need for Cal/EPA BDOs to be more involved in CEEIN.

Guest Speaker

Kathleen Seabourne, CDE’s Green Ribbon Schools Awards Program:

• 2011/2012 is pilot year for this US ED program.
• Comprehensive approach to greening schools
• Incorporates environmental health impacts with learning activities
• Schools submit an application, due 2/17/12. CDE then does a site inspection.
• CDE can submit up to four nominees to US ED, due 3/22/12. If more than one nominee, one must be from a school with more than 40 percent economically disadvantaged students. If four nominees, one must be a private school.
• U.S. ED may award approximately 50 green ribbon schools, announced in April 2012.
• Awards based on three pillars: 1) Environmental Impact and Energy Efficiency; 2) Healthy School Environments; 3) Environmental and Sustainable Education. Integrating these pillars results in a more holistic approach.
• A webinar took place on January 20, 2012, which will be posted on the website.
• There is no monetary award associated with this program. The schools will serve as models and will encourage a feeling of ownership and empowerment in the students and community.
• CREEC coordinators are targeting schools. CDE has notified all superintendents about the program.

Education and the Environment Update

Bryan Ehlers:

• Continuing to work with eight targeted counties and 20 early adopting districts.
• Just held a teacher orientation at Cal Academy in San Francisco.
• Planning a SMUD-hosted orientation, as well as workshops in San Diego and Riverside Counties, and at upcoming conferences.
• An online professional development tool is expected by the end of February.
• A goal is to have a place for online teacher communication.
• Christy Porter Humpert will be taking on Mindy’s duties and Becky Williams will be the direct supervisor to the remaining 10 OEE staff.
• $700,000 was raised by the end of 2011.
• 2,000 teachers and 30,000 students have been impacted.
• A grant from Bechtel will fund interviews with a wide range of stakeholders (including teachers, administrators, informal providers, foundations, and potential corporate funders) regarding the focus of a future EEI Curriculum evaluation.
• A firm has been hired to conduct a phone survey to elicit feedback from teachers who have already used the curriculum.
• A private funder has retained the services of Nicole Ardoin at Stanford to do a review of the EEI Curriculum and identify opportunities to optimize its benefit within the field of environmental education.

Donna: Suggest looking into a free online place for “secure sharing” amongst teachers.

Anne: EEI units were recently posted on California Learning Resource Network .

Administration Committee

Kay Antunez, chair

• Members are encouraged to join one or two committees.
• Bryan is attempting to move the MOU forward. A draft is complete. It just needs to get on meeting calendars.

Communications Committee

Michelle Robinson, chair

• CEEIN brochure printing is ongoing. Let Michelle know if you need more.

California Science Teachers Association:

• CEEIN intends to hold a workshop strand at the 2012 CSTA conference, October 19-21 in San Jose.
• January 31 is the deadline for submitting a short course. March 6 is the deadline for submitting a workshop.
• Ed emphasized the importance of a good room for our strand.
• Helen Quinn will be the opening keynote speaker, on the new framework and standards. Jonathon Osborn will be a focus speaker.
• Anne brought up the possibility of having an EE presence in the Classroom Science newsletter. Submissions for announcements in the newsletter should be sent to Jessica Sawko.

Leadership, Legislation, Diversity Committee

Anne Stephens, chair

Anne: On December 30 the Central Valley Flood Management Planning Program document was released. An EEI/Project WET/ Delta Studies program is written into the plan as an education outreach and communications element. This is a great CEEIN collaboration.

Michelle:  There is funding for summer Delta Studies Institutes in 2012 and 2013. The Funding allows for an additional day in this year’s institute.

Anne: There is a meeting next week with Tom Torlakson about the Environmental Literacy Blueprint. There is a possibility of an outside funding source.

The PISA international science assessment will begin including environmental literacy questions in the 2015 assessment. A study found that 15-year-olds still get most of their environmental information from school. Further evidence that EE is important to include in schools. See North American Association for Environmental Education for more information.

What’s New in Your World?

Annie:

• California Coastal Commission attended the Whale Watching and Intertidal Life Festival at Cabrillo National Monument and highly recommends it.
• The deadline for the Coastal Art & Poetry Contest is January 31. The 2011 winning pieces just began their final exhibit at the Channel Islands National Park Visitor Center in Ventura.
• Upcoming teacher workshops are being held at the BAEER Fair on January 21, at Cabrillo National Monument on January 23, at Agua Hedionda Lagoon on January 24, and at Lindsay Wildlife Museum on February 2.

Michelle:

• DWR is producing materials resources kits for the EEI water units, which will be housed by the CREEC coordinators. CREEC will be promoting the kits to teachers who have already taken a workshop.

Brian Brown:

• Project WET just did a training for the Afterschool Network.
• Looking forward to the Forestry Institute and Delta Studies workshops.

Ed:

• ARB will have a booth at the SMUD youth festival.
• Climate Generations Program is happening now. Looking for 12 schools to participate.
• Clean Technology Partnership Academy Guidelines have been approved. They will be adding a 9^th grade program to result in a four-year program.

Donna:

• Public meetings are being held throughout the state about private entities helping to operate state parks.

Anne:

• California Institute for Biodiversity will be applying for NSF funding for a new phase of their climate education program and may be contacting CEEIN members about it.
• Baldwin Hills Greenhouse Program recently produced a pamphlet called “Kill Your Lawn” .

Susan:

• Susan announced she will be retiring in May and would like to continue to participate as a volunteer.

Kay:

• Kay will be retiring this year. Meetings are happening to make sure PLT continues in California. The PLT network is hosting many workshops, and participating in meetings, and conferences.

Action Items:

• Anne will update us on the efforts to ensure the CEEIN URL is working properly. DONE
• Anne will send October 2011 minutes to Jason Morris from NatureBridge.
• All: Give Bryan Ehlers input on EEI interview questions for teachers.
• Ed will send an update about CSTA short courses.
• Ed will send a link to the Clean Technology Academies information.
• All: Sign up to lead or take notes at meetings in 2012.