Environmental Education Act

Environmental Education Act

Enacted on November 16th, 1990

This act mandates that the Environmental Protection Agency must make environmental education a priority by using and implementing various activities administered by Environmental Education Division.

What else is important to know about the Environmental Education Act ?

• It brought together taxes, government expertise on environmental education, private resources, and entrepreneurial skills to come up with the best ideas to educate the public about environmental education.

• NEETF established:

• National Public Lands Day which is an annual hands on opportunity that allows volunteers to learn about natural resource issues and help with recreational improvements (parks, wildlife sanctuaries etc.)

• Made of 11 members from various locations around the country

• The Water Source Program which seeks to educate water providers and consumers on long-term watershed management

• EPA must establish and operate an Environmental Education and Training Program

• 95% of American adults support environmental education

• What are the goals of the council?
• Describe state of U.S. environmental education
• Update Congress on EPA's progress in enforcing and implementing act
• Recommending ways to improve environmental education on the national, state, and local levels.

• EPA has the ability to award grants that support environmental education programs

• Created "President's Environmental Youth Awards" that recognizes K-12 students for outstanding local environmental awareness projects

• Must establish National Environmental Education Advisory Council

What is the Environmental Education Act?

• This act was officially made a law on November 16th, 1990 by President George H.W. Bush, who was a Republican.

• The goal of this act is to incorporate environmental education into the classroom.

• Environmental Education is taught to increase the public's awareness of and knowledge about environmental issues.

What does the law limit?

• For the past 10 years only $5.6 million is allotted to environmental education
• The highest percentage of environmental educational grants must be for amounts less than $5,000 or less.
• Grants of $25,000 or more must be awarded by EPA Main Office

• The EPA can only fund 12% of the projects they receive information on due to their limited funding.

• For the Environmental Protection Agency to create and arrange education initiatives at the federal level as well as to provide national leadership for the public and private sectors.
• To educate the public effectively about environmental problems in hopes of attracting some into the field of environmental sciences.

Why was the act passed in 1990?

How does this impact teachers and students today?

• People became concerned with the idea of “global warming”, which is the gradual warming of the Earth and melting of the polar ice caps.

• It gave more funding to environmental education programs such as FFA

• Encouraged by national level to be incorporated into curricula.

• They also become concerned with the idea of mass pollution of the Earth, and began encouraging recycling.

• Created new job fields for students to study and major in.