Access to Resources
DEQ’s environmental education program serves the public as an environmental education information clearinghouse of resources, events and facilities through its website, online calendar, and email lists. In 2024, it provided educators with access to professional development workshops, field experiences, webinars, conferences, curriculum, and online programming statewide with the website attracting more than 1 million views. The office’s calendar of events averages 700 events each year that include professional development for educators and public programs. The program also continued to leverage social media to keep program participants informed and to share environmental education and science information and related opportunities with the public and program partners. In 2024, Facebook followers reached 4,200, Instagram 1,163, and X/Twitter 8,608. The office also manages the popular NC-EE email listserv, which allows members to post workshops, events and other information. Current membership is 2,300 with more than 400 messages posted since January 2024.
Outreach
The program hosted 36 livestreamed talks with top researchers and educators in partnership with the NC Museum of Natural Sciences. These talks are broadcast on YouTube and shared with schools, universities and colleges, state agencies and the public and have reached more than 6,700 viewers this year.
K-12 Environmental Literacy Plan
On Earth Day, April 22, state and local leaders gathered at Lincoln Heights Environmental Connections Magnet Elementary School to celebrate Earth Day and release the state’s new K-12 Environmental Literacy Plan. This 2024 revision of the original 2010 Environmental Literacy Plan was a collaboration between DEQ’s environmental education program, the Department of Public Instruction and the nonprofit Environmental Educators of North Carolina, which serves as the state’s professional association for environmental education. The Plan provides schools and nonformal educators guidance for increasing environmental literacy and preparing students for environmental and STEM careers. Lincoln Heights has incorporated an environmental connections magnet theme since the 2017-18 school year, when the original Environmental Literacy Plan was used to develop the program.
Twenty-one educators completed the NC Environmental Educator Certification, which is also managed by the DEQ environmental education program. New enrollments totaled 106 individuals. The certification provides a professional development credential for both non-formal educators and classroom teachers that requires a commitment of 200 hours of professional development, teaching, and community leadership.
Supporting K-12 Teachers through Nonformal Partnerships
In a unique partnership with the NC Department of Public Instruction, the environmental education program collaborated with the NC DPI Science Section to cohost a gathering of more than 112 educators to build connections between formal and nonformal educators to advance science education in the state. The collaboration has brought hundreds of educators together encouraging partnerships between nonformal science education facilities, program providers and classroom teachers, schools and school districts.
Career Development
The office hosted 200 middle school students from Moore Square Magnet Middle School as part of the NC Business Committee for Education’s Students@Work℠ program which introduces middle school students to businesses and careers in STEM. Throughout the year, the program also coordinated career development and learning opportunities for high school students, including regular meetings with the Governor’s Page Program and providing activities for the Lady Cardinal Program.