1st International Environmental Youth Symposium 2015 to be held in Atlanta, Ga.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 29, 2015

 

1^st International Environmental Youth Symposium 2015 to be held in Atlanta, Ga.

 

Contact Information: Dawn Harris Young, (404) 562-8421 (Direct), (404) 562-8400 (Main), harris-young.dawn@epa.gov
 
ATLANTA – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its Global Partners will host the first International Youth Environmental Symposium at the Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Center in Atlanta, Ga. on October 2, 2015. The theme for the symposium is "One World, One Environment".
 
The event aims to connect students and scholars from across disciplines and cultures to form lasting networks of research and governance. Together with current stakeholders from universities, government and the industry, participants will discuss the environmental challenges of today to find the solutions of tomorrow.
 
 

Who:                EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy

 

What:                1^st International Environmental Youth Symposium 2015

 

When:               October 2, 2015

 

Where:              Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Center
61 Forsyth St. SW
Atlanta, Ga. 30303-8960

 

 
The goal of the conference is to provide opportunities for students, faculty members, administrators and other environmental and sustainability stakeholders, to develop partnerships, network, and collaborate on sustainable environmental practices.  The Symposium will also help to facilitate further dialogue among campus representatives who are committed to experiencing that environmental sustainable principles are woven into their campus community fabric.
 
The Symposium will host environmentally related speakers from the around the global (Germany, France, Brazil, and Ghana), academia, industry, and the EPA. The Symposium is open to academic deans and college and university faculty, students, government, and industry.
Please see symposium agenda for a complete list of experts and presentations: http://www2.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-09/documents/international_environmental_youth_symposium_final_agenda_9_27_2015_final.pdf
***Interested media should e-mail an RSVP to harris-young.dawn@epa.gov or call 404-562-8421. Please include your name, media affiliation and contact information.
 
Connect with EPA Region 4 on Facebook: www.facebook.com/eparegion4

And on Twitter: @USEPASoutheast, #‎EcoYouth2015
 

 

Environmental education grows future leaders in sustainability

May 7th, 2015 by Loose Leaf Team

Erin Sandlin, Policy Intern

 

Schools across the nation are “going green” by implementing carbon footprint reducing techniques such as incorporating solar power and instituting recycling and composting efforts. But do these actions really contribute to the greening of a school? What constitutes sustainable development?

Dr. Jean Kelso Sandlin, a professor at California Lutheran University and my mother, communicates in her paper, “Why ‘Greening’ the Campus has not Included the Classroom: The Challenges of Pedagogical Initiatives for Sustainability in Higher Education,” that educational institutions have an obligation to bring this sustainable development into the classroom, where it can play a role in producing the next generation of environmental stewards.

A campus sustainability tour at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

As a politics student at the Catholic University of America (CUA) in Washington, D.C., I am told we are the next generation of leaders and policymakers; however, like most universities, we do not have a requirement to learn about the environment that we use — and abuse — every day. Only until I declared a minor in sustainability was I exposed to sustainability education. The two classes that were the most influential were both architecture courses. I learned passive building strategies for energy conservation, such as planting trees to protect building facades from harsh winds or providing shade to reduce air conditioning costs.

CUA is one of 10 universities in the world to offer LEEDlab, a course where architecture students — and one adventurous politics student! — are taught to meet current market needs in their profession while employing multiple synergistic effects of sustainability within the university. This year, our class worked to LEED certify our university campus. As the university with the largest campus grounds in Washington, D.C., we are fortunate to have an incredible tree canopy. Throughout the duration of the course, we learned the benefits of our trees on campus, facilitated educational initiatives to promote greater awareness of the advantages of trees, and planned future tree plantings with organizations such as local urban forestry nonprofit, Casey Trees.

American Forests continues to provide and support educational programs to students about the importance of our nation’s city trees. With our help, schools and communities are involved in beneficial tree-planting programs and educational opportunities. Our Community ReLeaf program aims to bring attention to the value of urban forests in cities such as Detroit, Atlanta, and right here in Washington, D.C. We know that environmental and sustainable education will create a generation that considers the environment when making future decisions.

It is in our best interest to provide students with the resources to improve environmental literacy through hands-on education. It is not enough to “green” a school by implementing top-down policies that do not involve student participation. Incorporating environmental education in the classroom is a critical part of sustainable development, and with student integration comes the success of the student and the institution. Sustainability should not be reserved for specialized programs and majors; it should be integrated within an educational institution’s foundation, which begins in the classroom.

To help make outdoor education a priority, urge your Congressional representatives to support the Healthy Kids Outdoors Act, which aims to enhance the physical, emotional and mental health of children across the United States.

http://www.americanforests.org/blog/environmental-education-future-leaders-sustainability/