We can learn valuable ideas from urban environmental education programs around the world. Their educational approaches, settings, history, partnerships, and audiences are often inspirational. Recently, I have traveled to seven continents, and found many great examples of urban environmental education programs from which we can learn something useful. I want to share just a few of them; feel free to explore their websites for more information. Photo credit: Alex Russ.

Muda Maré, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

This is an extension project of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in cooperation with local community-based organizations. University students along with NGOs organize urban agriculture, science, and environmental education programs for students in favelas, which are the poorest neighborhoods in the city.

Camley Street Natural Park, London, UK

Created on a former coal yard site in one of the busiest parts of London, this nature reserve provides room for wildlife, restored ecosystems, creative environmental design, and visiting families. Children and adults learn from educators, and engage in environmental volunteering by maintaining the park’s trails and ecosystems.

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, Cape Town, South Africa

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, sometimes called “the most beautiful park in Africa,” is located in the rapidly growing city of Cape Town and one of the planet’s biodiversity hotspots. Gold Fields Environmental Education Centre at Kirstenbosch provides rich educational programs for local audiences on biodiversity, global warming, biomes, and conservation in urban areas.

Toulcův dvůr, Prague, Czech Republic

Toulcův dvůr is an environmental education center run by several NGOs in the capital of the Czech Republic. Its eight-hectare area near residential neighborhoods combines historical rustic-looking buildings used for educational activities for children and families, farm facilities with dozens of livestock animals, and various ecosystems including orchards, meadows, wetlands and forests.

Bang Pu Nature Education Centre, Bangkok, Thailand

Located in the suburbs of Bangkok, Bang Pu Nature Education Centre features an urban nature reserve on the shores of the Gulf of Thailand with vast coastal intertidal mudflats and mangrove forests. School groups visit the Centre to observe wildlife and learn about the environment; corporate groups come here for a volunteer day to fulfill their companies’ social responsibility.

Pop Up  Patch, Melbourne, Australia

This is an unusual green space: a former car park transformed into a community garden in Melbourne’s central business district, with raised beds rented to individuals and local restaurants. The garden is open for public visits; it educates urban residents about organic food, showcases contemporary urban greening, and encourages people to spend more time outdoors.

Do you know other interesting examples of urban EE programs? Please share links or short descriptions of any other urban EE programs on this discussion board: https://naaee.org/eepro/groups/ee-urban-settings/discussions/examples-ur...