Our E3 Story
From 2006 through 2008, E3 Washington convened action-oriented summits to create a dynamic system of education for sustainable communities.
Participants were asked, “How can E3 Washington embody our common aspirations for the future, and result in recommendations that are politically and institutionally powerful?”
The E3 process itself – guided by the principles of respect for diversity and inclusion – embraced a systems approach as people reached across their differences to work together, to build trust, and to define the educational path to a healthy, prosperous future for all.
E3 Washington began with diverse representatives from 12 sectors of society where environmental and sustainability learning is already taking place:
- Early childhood education
- K-12 and teacher education
- Higher education
- Tribal education
- Media and communications
- Environmental, nature, and outdoor learning centers
- Environmental justice and public health
- Zoos, museums, and aquariums
- Youth and families
- Local Governments and utilities
- Business, community, and adult education
- Agricultural education
These representatives assessed current learning opportunities: what works, what doesn’t, and how to improve. Then E3 brought together leaders from education, business, tribal, civic, military, faith-based, environmental, and other groups in 18 regions of the state:
They created a vision of a sustainable future for Washington, and set educational goals and strategies to achieve that vision. And finally, four statewide roundtables comprised of tribes, state agencies, businesses, and youth added their perspectives.
This map is the executive summary of the online E3 Comprehensive Plan: Education for Sustainable Communities. www.e3washington.org