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| Environmental Education Exchange | |
|---|---|
| Name | Environmental Education Exchange |
| Type | Nonprofit |
| Founded | 1970s |
| Location | United States |
| Area served | International |
| Focus | Environmental education, conservation, outdoor learning |
Environmental Education Exchange
The Environmental Education Exchange is a nonprofit organization focused on promoting environmental education through networking, resources, and professional development for educators, interpreters, and conservationists. It connects practitioners across settings including national parks, museums, zoos, aquariums, and botanical gardens, supporting pedagogy informed by the United Nations Environment Programme, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and regional agencies. The Exchange has fostered collaborations with institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution, National Park Service, Audubon Society, World Wildlife Fund, and numerous universities to expand experiential learning and stewardship.
The organization emerged amid the rise of the modern environmental movement in the 1970s, contemporaneous with landmark events like the first Earth Day and legislation such as the National Environmental Policy Act. Early leaders included practitioners from the American Association of Museums community, educators affiliated with the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, and interpreters working in the Yellowstone National Park region. Over decades the Exchange adapted to shifts prompted by global agreements such as the Rio Earth Summit and the adoption of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, aligning practitioner networks with trends in informal education promoted by entities like the Carnegie Foundation and the National Science Foundation.
The Exchange administers programs that support environmental interpretation, curriculum design, and outdoor learning. Typical services include professional listings similar to directories maintained by the Association of Nature Center Administrators and program development assistance resembling offerings from the National Audubon Society education division. It offers consulting for site-based initiatives at locations like Boulder County, Everglades National Park, and San Diego Zoo conservation projects, and provides job boards inspired by models used by the Society for Conservation Biology and the Ecological Society of America.
The organization produces newsletters, directories, and toolkits that mirror resource types published by the Journal of Environmental Education, BioScience, and interpretive handbooks used in Yellowstone and Yosemite National Park. Materials emphasize best practices drawn from research by scholars at institutions such as University of California, Berkeley, Colorado State University, University of Minnesota, and Johns Hopkins University. It curates bibliographies referencing works from authors connected to the National Wildlife Federation, the Institute of Outdoor Learning, and reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for practitioner use.
The Exchange organizes conferences, workshops, and webinars that parallel gatherings like the annual meetings of the North American Association for Environmental Education and symposia hosted by the American Geographical Society. Sessions have been held in venues associated with the Field Museum, New York Botanical Garden, and Monterey Bay Aquarium, and have featured trainers with affiliations to Cornell University, University of British Columbia, and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Continuing education models draw on frameworks used by the National Park Service training centers and the Smithsonian Institution’s Office of Professional Development.
The Exchange collaborates with a wide array of partners including nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, and public agencies. Notable partners include the National Audubon Society, World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy, and university programs at University of Wisconsin–Madison and Michigan State University. It has participated in joint initiatives with government-linked bodies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and international networks like the Global Partnership for Education to expand reach and integrate cross-sector expertise from entities like the United Nations Development Programme and the World Bank environmental teams.
The organization’s impact is reflected in strengthened professional networks, enhanced interpretive programs at sites like Glacier National Park and Rocky Mountain National Park, and the dissemination of best practices adopted by institutions including Brooklyn Botanic Garden and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. Recognition has come through awards and acknowledgments from peers such as the North American Association for Environmental Education, citations in reports by the United Nations Environment Programme, and collaborations honored by regional bodies like the Association of State Wetland Managers and the National Council for Science and the Environment.
Category:Environmental education organizations Category:Non-profit organizations based in the United States