Lessons Learned: Youth Environmental Education Programs and Community Sustainability (2013)

Undergraduate: Alexandra Snedeker

Faculty Advisor: Judith Blau
Department: Environmental Science

---

For years, the Rogers-Eubanks Community has been plagued by limited access to healthy food and clean water, illegal dumping, a lack of basic public amenities and utilities, and nearby Orange County waste management facilities. The Rogers-Eubanks Neighborhood Association (RENA) provides valuable services to residents and their families including political advocacy, social and educational programs, and community events. Teaching environmental concepts in this setting is especially essential to promote active citizenship, environmental justice, and human health in the community. The goals of this project were to provide students age 7-13 with the knowledge and skills necessary to responsibly and effectively address environmental issues in their communities, to foster a mindset of sustainability and environmental justice throughout the Rogers-Eubanks community and beyond, and to create the physical products of an environmental education curriculum along with a set of recommendations for environmental educators wishing to implement these programs that can be employed in the community for years to come. This presentation will focus on these recommendations and how they can be successfully applied to a variety of subjects, settings, and audiences.