312066016823127 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 Dioum (Senegal) - -� - - - --- ----------------- - Environmental Education in Massachusetts A Resource Guide Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs William F. Weld, Governor Argeo Paul Cellucci, Lt. Governor Trudy Coxe, Secretary Leo Pierre Roy, Undersecretary Prepared by the Secretaries' Advisory Group on Environmental Education Fall 1995 3 Resource Guide Subcommittee Neil Clark, Massachusetts Water Resources Authority Jim Lafley, Metropolitan District Commission Meg Colclough, Executive Office of Environmental Affairs Karl Honkonen, Department of Environmental Management Jerry Hanna, Massachusetts Electric Company Design Fred Saraiva, Department of Environmental Management Editor Meg Colclough, Executive Office of Environmental Affairs Printing underwrittenby Polaroid Corporation Polaroid Printed by Inner City, Inc. Boston, MA 02118 Cover photos Students studying the Neponset River. Photos by Nina Danforth, Neponset River Watershed Association This information is available in other formats upon request. C..I•• Printed on recycled paper. 4 - - - - - Contents - - -- -- .,,.. 7 Letter from the Secretary 8 Introduction 10 Executive Office of Environmental Affairs (EOEA) 12 Department of Environmental Management (DEM) 14 Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) 15 Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Environmental Law Enforcement (DFWELE) 17 Department of Food and Agriculture 18 Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) 20 Massachusetts Water Resources Authority 21 Local Resources 22 Massachusetts Utility Educators Association 24 Residential Environmental Education Centers 26 Other Resources 45 Spanish Resources 46 Recycling Resources 48 Other Resource Guides 50 Environmental Education Organizations 52 Resource Chart 5 From the Secretary ! ___ � __ I Dear Environmental Education Advocate: The Executive Office of Environmental Affairs is proud to present the third edition of our popular resource guide, Environ­ mental Education in Massachusetts. Thanks to a partnership with Polaroid Corporation and their subsidiary printing company, Inner City, Inc., we are once again able to offer this revised and expanded guide free of charge. .. Many of the barriers that inhibit environmental protection can be overcome through an informed citizenry. Educators are a key element in the effort to improve the understanding of our ecosystems and to promote environmentally conscious lifestyles. Thanks to the foresight and dedication of the members of the Secretaries' Advisory Group on Environmental Education (SAGEE), we are making progress towards our mutual goal of environmental literacy. This new comprehensive guide has been expanded to include more varied resources across the Common­ wealth. SAGEE has also developed a set of Environmental Literacy Benchmarks for grades K-12 to assist teachers in setting their environmental goals with an interdisciplinary focus and to provide them with an assessment tool. The current education reform effort in Massachusetts has presented the best opportunity in years to make environmental education an integral part of the curriculum. Environmental education content and methods are being more and more recognized as an ideal vehicle for implementing reforms. We are collaborating with the Massachusetts Department of Education in implementing SAGEE' s Environmental Literacy Benchmarks as a companion document to the new curriculum frameworks. There is still a lot of work to be done to make environmental literacy a reality. The Weld/Cellucci Administration, through the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, is committed to working with educators to get the job done. We have produced this guide as part of that continued effort. We hope that it will help foster the many environmental efforts that have already been initiated by our Massachusetts education community. Cordially, Trudy Coxe Secretaryof Environmental Affairs 7 -- ! Introduction -- -- - This is the 3rd edition of Environmental Education in Massachu­ setts. Originally issued in 1989, this booklet was compiled in response to the growing interest in the many excellent environ­ mental education programs available through public and private organizations across the Commonwealth at little or no cost. In response to the many inquiries received by the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs and the environmental agencies, the Secretaries' Advisory Group on Environmental Education (SAGEE) has once again surveyed the state and compiled a listing of programs for educators. This 1995 edition will also be available on-line. The electronic version will be updated continually and will serve as the basis for future printings. Environmental Education is certainly not new. Since the earliest times, humans have been concerned with knowing more about their environment, and how it affects them. The early part of the history of this nation is a story of exploration, of working with the soil and discovering the geography and the natural resources of a previously uncharted land. From the industrial revolution of the mid-1800s to the turn of the century, and on to the dustbowl days of the 1920s, the story is one of exploitation of those resources and the realization that misuse and overuse could jeopardize the heritage which supported the greatness of this nation. As forests and wildlife declined, a conservation movement began, initiated by woodsmen and sportsmen who first recognized the losses and formed conservation groups, under the leadership of President Theodore Roosevelt. From this new awareness of the need to protect our natural resources came the necessity of governmental protection and the development and growth of the nature study movement. Increasingly, people became aware of the Earth as an entity of complex, interacting parts, and recognized human ability to enhance or damage this system. This brought a sense of responsi­ bility and of a mission of stewardship. The importance of Earth and its systems became dramatically visible in 1969, through the first photographs taken from space of our fragile island home. During the 1970s, there was a surge of concern for the environment and a recognition of the importance of the role of educators in natural resource protection. This new environmentalism was evidenced through local and regional education initiatives, the growth of "outdoor education", and during the 1980s, the development of such national programs as Project Learning Tree and Project WILD. Massachusetts has long been a leader in environmental education. A statewide education plan, one of the nation's earliest, was drafted in 1972 to bring environmental issues into school curricula. 8 - I Introduction _ ----� ___ ) In 1990, a group of more than forty educators from the public and private sectors formed the Secretary's Advisory Group on Environmental Education (SAGEE). This group was designated to advise the Secretary of Environmental Affairs. In 1994 the group changed its name to the Secretaries' Advisory Group serving in an advisory capacity to both the Secretary of Environmental Affairs and Secretary of Education. The members of SA GEE pool their expertise to advise both secretariats in achieving their mutual environmental literacy goals. In 1995 SAGEE completed a set of Environmental Literacy Benchmarks for grades K-12, which have been submitted to the Department of Education as they develop curriculum frameworks under the new Education Reform Bill. SAGEE's focus is to support the Secretaries in assisting teachers and schools to increase their students' environmental awareness and to help students understand their role in protecting the environment. The compilation of available environmental programs is only one of many steps toward promoting a goal of environmental literacy. SAGEE supports teachers in their role of preparing students to take responsibility for shaping the commu­ nities and the environment in which they will live and raise their own families. Members of SAGEE volunteer their time and talents as part of their investment in the future of the global community and the Commonwealth. Ellie Horwitz and Charles E. Roth, Co-chairs Secretaries' Advisory Group on Environmental Education 9 Executive Office of Environmental Affairs The Executive Office of Environmental Affairs (EOEA) is the state's cabinet-level agency that coordinates all environ­ mental programs in the Commonwealth. The executive office coordinates environmental experts who are available to talk to classes on issues such as trash disposal, recycling, water conservation, watersheds, acid rain, pollution, open space preservation, Boston Harbor cleanup, farmland protection, and many others. EOEA also has an "Earth Days" event calendar. Contact: Executive Office of Environ­ mental Affairs, 100 Cambridge St., Boston, MA 02202, (617) 727-9800, ext. 218, e-mail: [email protected] WWW: (http:/ /www.magnet.state.ma.us/envir /) Coastal Zone The Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management Office (MCZM) is Management Office responsible for protecting and managing Massachusetts coastal resources. MCZM brings together a staff of technical specialists in marine sciences, policy, and public outreach, along with regional coordinators who serve as liaisons to communities and local organizations. MCZM also coordinates COASTSWEEP, the statewide beach cleanup that is held each September. In addition, MCZM produces a