Maria's Environmental Educators Fundraising

"In the end we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand and we will understand only what we are taught."  Baba Divum1968

As a Certified Environmental Educator, Education and Program Director at A Time for Science Nature Center and a state board member of the Environmental Educators of NC, it is truly a goal of mine to get kids outside and loving our natural environment.  Imagine a world where children do not climb trees, build clubhouses, watch shooting stars, go fishing, or exploring in the woods.  Or worse yet, imagine a childhood without backyard camping trips, searching for crawdads, or playing in the creek.  Today's youth are one of the first generations to grow up almost entirely indoors, spending up to 27% of their time indoors and only 1% outdoors.  This detachment from the natural world decreases our care and concern for the environment, understanding how natural systems work, and even where our food comes from.  Today's youth will inherit a world with increasing environmental concerns.  How can we expect them to address the environmental issues of tomorrow, if they are not connected to our natural world today?

We are asking you go give to Environmental Educators of North Carolina (EENC) to support our environmental education work so we c

an create a world where our children are surrounded by environmental education.  Help us to give today's children those same experiences, and help us to grow and educate better stewards of the environment.  If you have a past experience that helped shape your love for and commitment to protecting our planet, please pay it forward by supporting EENC's mission and work.

EENC works to build connections, provide professional development, and promote excellence in environmental education.  In 2017, EENC has:

• Led the second statewide Environmental Education Summit with other environmental-focused organizations in North Carolina.
• Provided over $3000 in scholarships to educators to attend environmental education professional development events.
• Trained 54 educators across the state in the North American Association for Environmental Education's Guidelines for Excellence, and added 11 new Guidelines Trainer Bureau members to the state.
• Learned how to forward our mission and network with other states by being selected of one of 10 states to participate in the North American Association for Environmental Education's ee360 Leadership Team.
• Awarded 8 awards for leadership and innovation in the field of environmental education during our annual Awards Banquet.
• Participated in the Southeastern EE Alliance's conference and leadership meeting.
• Hosted a statewide conference for over 150 environmental educators.
• Supported environmental education programs across the state by sponsoring the NC Department of Public Instruction's Nonformal Educators annual meeting and the NC Soil and Water Conservation District's annual education banquet.

"We need to worry not only about the world we leave for our children, but the children we leave for our world."  Ta'Kaiya Blaney, 14 years old, 2015 NAAEE Keynote Speaker

For more information visit www.eenc.org