Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education

The EE Advisory Council is a twice-yearly assembly of the state’s EE leaders. As a member of the Alliance, you are invited to be part of the EE Advisory Council, and lend your knowledge, experience and leadership to this visionary group. If you are interested in shaping environmental education or finding out where we’re going in Colorado, you should be at this meeting.

On the Agenda:
With pending adoption of a state environmental education plan and three schools recently recognized by the US Department of Education with a Green Ribbon Award, there is tremendous momentum supporting environmental education and environmental education providers. However, at the same time, schools and districts are facing unprecedented budget cuts and over $40 million dollars supporting environmental education was cut from the federal budget. In light of these barriers, how can we provide the tools, resources, programs, and expertise necessary to ensure Coloradans have access to environmental education? Join us to help set the direction for the implementation of the state’s environmental education plan. Explore and provide feedback on CAEE’s new online tools to advance environmental literacy and provide meaningful feedback on what tools and resources are still needed.

Included below are the resources we used at the meeting. We would love your feedback!

Use the Survey Monkey Link Below to Fill out your Advisory Council Commitment Form.

Check Out the Following Links to see other examples of Online Networks and Toolkits from other sectors that might help you think about how we should structure our online network and tools for EE:
Denver Foundation Inclusiveness Project http://www.nonprofitinclusiveness.org/how-get-started
Colorado Department of Education Standards Implementation Toolkit: http://www.cde.state.co.us/sitoolkit/

An article summarizing Zero Waste with tips and ideas for schools, nature centers, museums and other facilities.

A recycling resource page with an emphasis on recycling steel and the benefits it has for saving energy and conserving natural resources.

This website features lessons learned from Environmental Success Stories.

Though richly diverse, these stories share a common plotline: Each combines the right environmental technology with the social organization to put it into practice. A single catalytic change tips a declining system in a new direction. After a strategic jump-start, nature takes over, using its inborn powers to mend itself. There’s a bonus: Because cities, neighborhoods and nations are intimately intertwined with their natural support systems, EcoTipping Points help to solve social problems as well.

There are a variety of downloadable LESSON PLANS, short videos, and other educational materials for students of all ages. Use this material to inspire your students to create positive change in their own communities!

Lesson Plan for 5th grade

Lesson plan for 1st graders

Location: Aspen Center for Environmental Studies, Aspen, CO
$150 + Optional 1 Graduate Credi $55
The first skill in learning geology is making good observations of rocks... Are you a good observer? Join an experienced geologist Mike Zawaski to test your observation skills this summer! Would you be able to tell that Colorado has been covered by oceans multiple times, that we had a volcanic eruption only 4000 years ago, or that we were once located at a collision point of two of Earth's plates?

Come to ACES and learn how to determine past environments that existed when different Colorado rocks formed and why those rocks are now the tops of mountains. In addition to spending lots of time looking at rocks from all over Colorado in the classroom, half of the course will be spent investigating local rocks to apply our new knowledge to learn the geologic history of the area.

Location: Friends of Dinosaur Ridge, Morrison, CO
$120 + Optional 1.5 TE Graduate Credits $80.
The first skill in learning geology is making good observations of rocks. The stories behind the rocks are revealed when you apply a few important geologic principles. Learn about the past environments that existed when different Colorado rocks were forming and why those rocks are now the tops of mountains. You will be provided with lesson plans, including samples (4 sets of 10 rocks) for your entire class to participate in the "Living Colorado's Geologic History" lesson, which connects students with rocks, the stories they tell about past environments in Colorado, and how those rocks are used in our everyday lives. Additional topics that will be woven into the curriculum include plate tectonics, the rock cycle, evolution, and glaciers.

Location: Western State College Summer Teacher Institute, Gunnison, CO
$135 (Includes tuition and 1 Graduate Credits).
Learn the basic concepts necessary to explain the weather and climate through a series of simple, yet very effective demonstrations and models. Participants gain experience with these models by explaining them to other participants during the workshop. Participants are provided with lesson plans and additional resources necessary to bring weather related topics to students of all grades.