Educators for Environment, Equity, and Economy

E3 Washington is the Washington State affiliate of the North American Association of Environmental Educators (NAAEE) and a member of their Leadership 360 team. As an affiliate, E3 serves Washington state as a professional association for environment and sustainability educators offering legislative advocacy, best practice and professional development opportunities, networking, and other supportive roles to increase the capacity and effectiveness of all environment and sustainability education (ESE) organizations in the state.

Environment

Supporting Science, Climate and Environmental Literacy

Washington State is in a unique position to produce a climate and sustainability literate workforce and citizenry. We have the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), Environmental and Sustainability Education standards, a CTE Sustainable Design course, Washington Sustainable Schools Protocol, an environmental sustainability pre-service teacher requirement, exemplar school-based programs and a myriad of informal science learning centers and programs - all that stand out nationally.

What we lack is a system to support and scale these opportunities for all students, from all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds across the state to fully participate in the Green Economy as innovators, consumers, citizens, and workers.

Equity

Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

When we look across societies we can see that people are disproportionately impacted by environmental risk factors such as but not limited to climate change, air pollution, and water pollution. We stand with communities of color and tribal people and work diligently to lessen these impacts and seek to use environment and sustainability education as a science discipline that is free and open to anyone.

As an organization, we are committing ourselves personally to move across the Continuum for Becoming an Anti-racist Organization. We invite other organizations to take an honest look at their practices, language and use of powers in order to embrace anti-racist ways of being.

We also acknowledge that we are part of the problem of systemic racism and have an organizational statement and resource list for anyone seeking further information.

Economy

Since all economic activity and community well being is linked at it’s root to natural resources, the economy is an important piece of environment and sustainability education. We work toward solutions like green energy, job creation in the environment sector, and green chemistry by providing access to resources about these topics to educators.

E3 Washington Purpose:

E3 Washington works to convene, catalyze, and communicate equitable environmental and sustainability education across Washington State.

E3 Washington Vision:
Every young person in Washington State has environmental and sustainability education experiences that are responsive to community and youth assets, needs, and aspirations.

If you want to talk about partnering or joining E3 Washington, contact us at info@e3washington.org

CATALYZE

Advocate for high-quality environment and sustainability education with Washington Office of Public Instruction, Governor’s Office, local, state and national entities.

●      Advocate for Environment and Sustainability Education funding in WA, such as the $10M 2019-2020 legislative budget for climate and science literacy professional development.

●      Highlight Environmental and Sustainability Education research, resources and program opportunities.

●      Support a strong and effective professional community of Environmental and Sustainability educators.

CONVENE

Facilitate a series of gatherings for Environmental and Sustainability educators

●      Host regional networking and professional development events across the state and regular workshops to share environmental education resources and experiences.

●      Bring an equity lens to Environmental and Sustainability Education programs by partnering with community based, and social justice organizations.

●      Support the network of existing Environmental and Sustainability Educators and bring new people into the work.

COMMUNICATE

Share Environmental and Sustainability Education resources and provide avenues for virtual communication and networking

●      Support the redesigned E3 Washington website.

●      Create an online map of ESE resources across the state.

●      Connect Washington educators to NAAEE (North American Association of Environmental Education) and EEPro resources.

Environmental and Sustainability Educational Impacts:
Academic Achievement
Relevant Learning
Outdoor Education
Project & Place Based Learning
Student Voice
Interdisciplinary Studies
Problem Solving
Social Emotional Learning
Environmental Stewardship
Culture  
Arts
Career Preparation