Coaxis International, ASP

Lee Pera and Ethan McMahonOffice of Environmental InformationJuly 21, 2010

U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyEducator Resources

12AgendaAbout EPAHow EPA Can Help EducatorsOther EPA ResourcesReport on the Environment (ROE)Educators Guide to the ROE Highlights Document 23About EPAFounded in 1970 Mission: Protect human health and the environment

410 EPA Regional Offices

5What EPA DoesDevelop and enforce regulationsProvide grantsStudy environmental issuesSponsor partnershipsTeach people about the environmentPublish information6Key Issues EPA AddressesAirClimateWater Wastes and pollutionGreen livingHuman health Ecosystems

7EPA Resources for Educators

GrantsTrainingTeaching toolsSchool health programsEE Clearinghouse EE Regional Coordinators

http://www.epa.gov/teachers

http://www.epa.gov/education/pdf/2009_EEHighlights.pdfLee to change8EPA Student ResourcesElementary: www.epa.gov/kids/clubMiddle school: www.epa.gov/studentsHigh school: www.epa.gov/highschool

9Sample Campaign: Climate Change for Action (Region 4)Goal: Educate students about climate change and reducing their carbon footprintOn Earth Day, EPA volunteers visited 24 middle and high schools; participated in conferencesReached 11,000 peoplehttp://www.epa.gov/climateforaction

10Sample Teaching Tools: Air and Waste

Quest for Less Curriculum (K-8)http://www.epa.gov/wastes/education/quest/quest.htmYour Environment, Your Choice (high school)http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/education/teens/index.htmAir Quality Index Toolkit (K-8)http://www.airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=resources.aqi_toolkit

11Sample Educator Training: Watershed AcademyProvides broad introduction to watershed management field50 self-paced training modulesMonthly webcast seminarsTraining courses

www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/wacademy

12Healthy School EnvironmentsPrograms and resources for school administratorsAddress environmental issues in schools Indoor airEnergy conservationRecycling/wasteReducing chemicalsClean school busesSun protectionhttp://www.epa.gov/schools/

13Entry points to EPA DataMyEnvironment Envirofacts

Datafinder Science Inventory14MyEnvironment

Provides information on environmental conditions in a specific locale: address, zip code, city, county, etc.

www.epa.gov/myenvironment15MyEnvironmentRefine searching by:Industry (such as manufacturing)Media (land, air, or water)PollutantGeographic location

16Envirofacts

Searches across multiple EPA databases for information on:

AirWaterLandWasteToxicsRadiationFacilityCompliancewww.epa.gov/enviro

17Data Finder

A single place to find EPAs data sourcesData sources are where you can download datasetsEncourages people to suggest additional data sourceshttp://www.epa.gov/data/18Data Finder: Home Page

Forum for participationSearch barEnvironmentaltopics19Science Inventory

Searchable database of EPA scientific research activities and technical productshttp://cfpub.epa.gov/si/

20Report on the Environment

Developed by EPAs Office of Research and Development and the Office of Environmental InformationFirst published in 2003Latest report 2008Quarterly website updatesDisplays environmental indicatorsIllustrates conditions and trends in:Environment (air, water, land)Human HealthEcosystems

www.epa.gov/roe21Environmental IndicatorsActual measurements of environmental conditionTracked over time Provide insight into the state of the environment or human healthCan be developed and used locally, regionally, and nationally22EPAs Report on the Environment: Highlights of National TrendsHD for shortBroken down into 25 topicsOne page per topic

www.epa.gov/roehd/pdf/roe_hd_layout_508.pdf23HD Sample Topic Page: Coastal Waters

ContextKey pointsGraphic24Feedback on HD from EducatorsA lot of information to deal with all at once and hard to navigate contentInformation useful to introduce subjects, but hard to relate to local environment Suggested a guide for educators

25Educational Use of IndicatorsTeach about current trends in the environment and human healthDemonstrate important scientific research principlesTeach interpretation of environmental datasetsEngage students in critical thinking and in collecting environmental data locally and through citizen science networks

From: 2099 Environmental Education Highlights, EPA,www.epa.gov/education/pdf/2009_EEHighlights.pdf

26We Want Your Feedback

On the Educators GuideRelevance to your classesEase of useContentFormatLength27Proposed Outline for one Segment of Educators Guide: Coastal WatersWhy Teach About Coastal Waters?Using Environmental Indicators to Teach About Coastal WatersDiscussion QuestionsResearch ActivitiesCommunity ActivitiesFeatured ResourcesEPA Resources28Development ScheduleSummer 2010:Get feedback from educators to help draft Educators GuideFall 2010:Revise guide and release

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Contacts: Pera.Lee@epa.gov202-566-2332McMahon.Ethan@epa.gov202-566-0359

Pg #Regional Environmental Education Coordinators:http://www.epa.gov/enviroed/contacts1.html

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