2014 NAAEE Outstanding Affiliate Organization Award Recipient

Did you grow up catching fireflies, playing in the creek, or building a fort in your yard?

Most children in today’s world won’t, which means that when they grow up, they may not have a vested interest in protecting our natural resources and natural spaces. Environmental educators across North Carolina are working to change that. 

The Environmental Educators of North Carolina (EENC) grew from the desire of environmental educators across North Carolina to meet and share their experiences, aspirations, and tools. Since its inception in 1990, EENC has grown into something much greater. Our organization is a network of outstanding individuals and organizations working together to accomplish our core mission: to build connections, provide professional development, and promote excellence in environmental education

EENC wants to change our world by:

Providing professional development and networking. We support the many types of educators who teach concepts we all need to understand: how natural systems work, what we must do to interact responsibly with our environment, and how we can protect natural resources for future generations.

Diversifying the field of EE. We want everyone regardless of race, creed, age, sexual/gender identity, income, physical and mental ability, etc. to feel welcome in EE. We want our membership to reflect our state’s population and prepare our members to provide inclusive learning experiences.

Bringing together like-minded organizations to increase capacity. EENC collaborates with other NAAEE affiliates, state offices and agencies, non-profits, and businesses, bringing these groups together for shared events and initiatives.

Promoting excellence in environmental education. EENC offers training on the NAAEE Guidelines for Excellence, the national standards for high-quality environment education. We celebrate the success in the field in our annual awards program. We provide mini-grants for professional development, teaching materials, and workshop expenses