Campaign for Environmental Literacy

Department of Education Announces FY10 Sustainability in Higher Ed Grants

The Department of Education last week announced their Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education's Comprehensive Program grants for FY10. One of the priorities for this grant program was the University Sustainability Program, authorized by the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008. Four grants totaling $3.12 million were made:

1. Association of American Colleges and Universities (DC) Title: Mobilizing Disciplinary Societies on Behalf of Our Students...and Our Planet. Award: $869,937

2. Michigan State University (MI) Title: Competency-based Assessment of Liberal Learning Goals through Institutional Experiential Education for Global Sustainability. rd: $628,416

3. Purdue University Calumet (IN) Title: Mixed Reality Simulators for Wind Energy Education. Award: $749,853

4. University of Iowa (Iowa) Title: Campus Sustainability Living-Learning Community. Award: $873,318

Congratulations to these winners!

$3 million is far from the $50 million in funding which we continue to seek for this important program, but it is nonetheless a strong first step in these times when new programs are generally not being funded at all.

Funding Now Available for University Sustainability Projects

Great news! After five years of work on the Higher Education Sustainability Act (now the University Sustainability Program at the Department of Education), we finally can announce that funds are available.

 

Last week, the Department of Education released the FY 2010 RFP for the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education's (FIPSE) $28 million Comprehensive Program competition. As Congress specified (thanks largely to the hard work of many of you), the University Sustainability Program is one of eight "Invitational Priorities" for the RFP. The Department is estimating they'll make 37 awards averaging $738,000 each. Here's the RFP link (http://www2.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/announcements/2010-2/061410d.html). Proposals are due by July 29.

 

Please spread the word far and wide. The more proposals submitted for sustainability projects, the higher the percentage of the $28 million that may go toward this purpose. We also need sustainability proposals to dominate the FY2010 application pool in order to clearly demonstrate to Congress that there is both a strong need and a high demand for these funds.

 

SUCCESS: The House of Representatives PASSES the $145 million Ocean, Coastal, and Watershed Education Act

The House passed the Ocean, Coastal, and Watershed Education Act (HR 3644) on Friday, March 19, by a vote of 244 to 170, with bipartisan support (9 Republicans) and one minor amendment.

HR 3644 authorizes and expands two existing National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration education grant programs: the national Environmental Literacy Grants (ELG) program and the regional Bay-Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) program. It authorizes $145 million over 5 years, and allows NOAA to expand the program to new regions, with  priority given to new programs for the Great Lakes region, Alaska, Mid-Atlantic region, and U.S. Territories.

 

Congratulations to all of you who helped CEL over the past year move this bill forward - this is a major win for environmental, ocean, coastal, and climate change education! I want to particularly acknowledge the National Wildlife Federation for their staunch support and unflagging efforts on this bill over the past year - Patrick Fitzgerald and his NWF colleagues have truly been invaluable in the effort to get the bill this far.

 

Now to the Senate! Stay tuned.

 

Jim

 

 

Surprises for Environmental and Sustainability Education in the President's Budget

The President's FY2011 was released a few days ago, with several surprises for environmental and sustainability education. These unexpected new programs at NSF, DOE and ED are very positive signals from the Administration about their interest in our work. But before anyone starts drafting proposals, remember that Congress has the final word on the budget and won't likely pass the final budget before the fall. Congress is also usually very resistant to abolishing or consolidating programs. So the burden will be on us, the stakeholders, to make our voices heard by Congress about the importance of these Administration proposals. Stay tuned for how you can help.

Department of Education:

" Effective Teaching and Learning for A Well-Rounded Education" would receive $265 million, an increase of $38.9 million, or 17 percent, over last year. This new program would consolidate and expand eight existing programs (Excellence in Economic Education, Teaching American History, Arts in Education, Foreign Language Assistance, Academics for American History and Civics, Close Up Fellowships, and two civic education programs). It would provide support for States and high-need school districts to develop and expand innovative practices, including interdisciplinary programs, that improve teaching and learning in the subjects important to a complete curriculum, including the arts, foreign languages, civics and government, history, geography, environmental literacy, economic and financial literacy, and other subjects.

Department of Energy:

The RE-ENERGYSE (Regaining our Energy Science and Engineering Edge) program is  a comprehensive federal education initiative focused on educating for the clean energy sector at universities, community and technical colleges, and K-12 schools. RE-ENERGYSE will be coordinated by DOE and NSF, beginning with an initial investment of $74 million in clean energy-related education. This includes a new $50 million program within DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, a $5 million program in DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy, and a $19 million program within NSF.

RE-ENERGYSE will develop leading edge undergraduate and graduate programs; help between 3,000 and 6,000 highly educated scientists, engineers, and other professionals enter the clean energy field by 2016; and approximately 7,000 to 13,000 professionals by 2021. By 2016, efforts will result in the development of approximately 75 community college and other training programs to equip thousands of technically skilled workers for clean energy jobs. In addition, RE-ENERGYSE would fund 88 one-year scholarships and 30 three-year fellowships to students enrolled in nuclear energy-related fields at U.S. universities and two-year colleges in FY 2011.

National Science Foundation:

RE-ENERGYSE: NSF will invest roughly $19.0 million in RE-ENERGYSE through five existing research and education programs that help develop the future STEM workforce. These programs provide fellowships, traineeships, and research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as build collaboration between academia and industry. NSF will contribute at least 5 percent of its support for the following programs towards specific, energy-related awards: Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF); Graduate STEM Fellows in K–12 Education (GK–12); Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT); Support for community colleges through Advanced Technological Education (ATE); and Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) sites. NSF and DOE also have a continuing partnership in public awareness and outreach activities that support the goals of RE-ENERGYSE.

Science, Engineering, and Education for Sustainability (SEES) is a major new NSF-wide initiative funded at $765.5 million (a 16% increase over last year) by pulling funds from across different NSF directorates. It intends to integrate NSF’s work in climate and energy science and engineering to generate the discoveries and tools needed to “inform societal actions that lead to environmental and economic sustainability. SEES addresses recommendations from the August 2009 report from the National Science Board, Building A Sustainable Energy Future, which emphasized systems approaches to research programs, education and workforce development, public awareness and outreach, and the importance of partnerships with other agencies, states, universities, industry, and international organizations.

Climate Change Education ($10 million) is designed to develop the next generation of skilled, educated, and climate-savvy Americans. It catalyzes activity at the national level in four strands of STEM education: preparation of a climate science professional workforce; public understanding and engagement; resources for learning; and local and national STEM education policy. NSF received the same amount in both FY09 and FY10 for this program.

 

Existing Programs:

NOAA: The Environmental Literacy Grants program was recommended at $5,148,000, much as the Administration recommended last year. All B-WET programs were zeroed out as usual.

EPA: $6.4 million was included for the Environmental Education program, down from $9 million last year (the first year in perhaps a decade that the Administration recommended funding for this program).

ED: No funding was recommended for the new University Sustainability Program (a priority funding area for the Fund For Improvement of Postsecondary Education this year).

 

 

 

 

Interior Department to Invest $70 million in Environmental Education in FY2010

The Department of the Interior's 21ST Century Youth Conservation Corps Initiative is the big winner in FY2010 environmental education appropriations, getting a $50 million increase from Congress. Not all the increase is going to environmental education per se and a good deal of the funds unfortunately will be spent in house and by state agencies rather than as granted to the environmental education field, but it's still a huge increase over FY2009. As a result, Interior is now the federal agency with the largest environmental education budget, exceeding NOAA's $24 million. Here are the details:

   

Initiative (dollars in millions)     2009   2010   Change ($)

1. Educating Young Hunters and Anglers 0    30.0   +30.0

2. Youth and Careers in Nature   20.0   40.0   +20.0

Totals   20.0   70.0   +50.0

1. Educating Young Hunters and Anglers ($30 million):

   

$28.0 million for a new discretionary Federal Aid in Wildlife grants program to help States establish new creative programs to educate and energize young hunters and anglers, with special emphasis on rapidly growing under-represented groups.

$1.0 million for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to forge public-private partnerships with corporations who participate in the commerce of recreational goods and services to help get the Nation’s youth excited again about going outdoors, hunting, and fishing.

$1.0 million for National Conservation Training Center to coordinate the hunters and anglers program and provide workshops and training on new methods to increase interest and participation among young people in hunting, fishing, and wildlife management.

2. Youth and Careers in Nature ($40 million)

Summary (dollars in millions)

Bureau    2009    2010 Increase ($)

BLM      2.6       7.6     5.0

USGS   2.3       4.3     2.0

FWS      4.7     12.7     8.0

NPS     10.4     15.4     5.0

Bureau of Land Management: $7.6 million to support and expand programs for children and families at BLM visitor and interpretative centers that introduce young people to the natural and cultural resources; recreational programs that engage children in outdoor experiences; outdoor educational programs developed in partnership with local schools; and special programs for underserved youth that strengthen youth engagement in nature. Many programs operate with the support of partnerships. BLM will also work through youth corps partnerships to offer high school and college age youth internships that introduce students to natural resource management and provide real-world conservation related experiences and skills, such as restoring and rehabilitating natural, cultural, and recreational resources on public lands. Participants will learn while serving, and can earn stipends as well as college credits. For those interested in pursuing careers with natural resource management agencies, the Student Career Experience Program provides the gateway into Federal service. This program introduces

students to the BLM work experience. Many students in SCEP have the opportunity to assist with on the ground conservation activities and work in various fields such as botany, rangeland management, and wildlife biology performing tasks such as inventorying, monitoring, and trail maintenance.

US Geological Survey: $4.3 million increase to support and expand education, training, workshop opportunities, and in-depth coursework and internships for high school and college students. The youth programs are carried out in cooperation with well established university-based programs designed to introduce under-represented youth to earth science as an education and career option. USGS programs bring groups of junior high and high school students together during the summer to travel to locations throughout the U.S. (frequently on public lands) to explore science topics such as climate change, natural hazards, energy, oceans, ecosystems, biodiversity, and natural resource use and conservation.

Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS): $12.7 million for 21st Century Youth Conservation Corps initiative coordination, capacity building, and development of a career awareness curriculum through the National Conservation Training Center. In concert with NCTC activities, FWS will expand youth education programs conducted in the national wildlife refuge and fish hatchery systems, and introduce new youth programs under the Urban Conservation Treaty for Migratory Birds. $4.2 million of this $8 million increase will enable NCTC to hold workshops to bring the best practices to bureau professionals to engage the 21st Century Youth Conservation Corps. The initiative will employ new media and social networking tools for effective communication with today’s young people. $2.0 million of the increase will enable the National Wildlife Refuge System to build upon existing programs to offer public service opportunities, support science-based education and outdoor learning laboratories, and engage young Americans in wildlife-dependent recreation such as hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, and photography. These programs will be managed through mentoring and partnerships with friends organizations, volunteers, educational institutions, and local conservation organizations

National Park Service (NPS): $15.4 million to support and expand the NPS Youth Internship program, which introduces high school and college-aged youth to career opportunities through internships related to occupations in natural and cultural resource management. These students will be involved in intellectually challenging assignments that allow them to work side-by-side with park staff on projects in resource protection, research, and the visitor experience at NPS sites. Internships will be offered through cooperative agreements with the Student Conservation Association, Youth Conservation Corps, and Public Land Corps. Parks will utilize the 17 NPS National Research Learning Centers, which give young people opportunities to collaborate with researchers, gain access to research data, and understand science based management decisions. Parks will be encouraged to recruit candidates for this program through partnerships with non-profit institutions serving minority and economically disadvantaged youth. At present, there are over 25 youth programs operating throughout the national park system.

Gains for Environmental and Sustainability Education in Federal FY10 Appropriations

Congress finally wrapped up the FY2010 appropriations bills yesterday, and the environmental/sustainability education community did fairly well (see chart below). All programs funded in FY2009 were restored and at least level funded for FY2010. Funding for two programs was significantly increased: NOAA's Environmental Literacy Grants program received nearly a 50% increase; and the newly authorized University Sustainability Program (USP) was partially funded as well: Congress made USP one of six "invitational priorities" eligible for $29 million in FY2010 Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) competitive funding.

This is great news for those who worked hard to restore and increase these funds - thank you for all your help! Special kudos to the National Wildlife Federation, Second Nature, AACC and EDN in particular for all their efforts on behalf of these programs This was a terrific collective effort, and in addition to the FY2010 success, it gives us good momentum going into FY2011 - when we'll really need it! 

Best wishes,

Jim

 

James L. Elder, Director
The Campaign for Environmental Literacy

List of Agencies/Programs	FY2009	FY2010	FY2010
(numbers in millions)		proposed	Final
Corporation for National and Community Service
1. Energy Conservation Corps	-	$45	-
Department of Agriculture
2. Access to Local Foods and School Gardens Program	0	$10	$0
3. Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education	$19	$25	$19
Department of Education
4. University Sustainability Program	(NAP)	$50	$28*
5. Healthy High Performance (k-12) Schools Program	0	$25	$0
Department of Energy
6. School Energy Sustainability Grants	(NAP)	$250	$0
7. School Energy Efficiency Loans	(NAP)	$500	$0
Environmental Protection Agency
8. Environmental Education Program	$9	$14	$9
National Science Foundation
9. Global Climate Change Education Initiative	$10	$15	$10
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
10. Education Initiatives/Environmental Literacy Grants	$10	$14	$14
11. Bay Watershed Education and Training Programs	$10	$15	$10
12. Climate Change Education Grant Program	-	$10	$0
NAP – Newly Authorized Program
* The final FY2010 USP funds are explained below

 

New Environmental Literacy Study Ranks U.S. Students Below Most Other Countries

How environmentally literate are students in this country? While a number of prior studies have answered pieces of this question, the sad truth has been that we really don't know the answer.

Now some help is available. A truly groundbreaking study was released last month, called “Green at Fifteen?, How 15-year-olds perform in environmental science and geoscience in PISA 2006", which comes closer to answering this question than anything I've seen before.

It's a bit ironic that this study wasn't done by any U.S. agency or NGO; it was done by the international Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. Green at 15? offers the "first comprehensive and internationally comparative database of students' knowledge about the environment and environment-related issues, including information on the sources of students' awareness of environmental science, their attitudes towards the environment and how these attitudes interrelate with their performance in environmental science."

There is a great deal of useful information in this study to consider as we design new programs and policies. Equally important is our ability to cite the report as an important environmental literacy benchmark when we educate policy-makers and decision-makers about the growing environmental literacy gap.

The bottom line? The average U.S. student scores only just above basic proficiency - not news to most of us, but solid confirmation for what our experience has been telling us.

From a policy perspective, the big take-home is that the USA ranks 34th out of the 57 countries surveyed in both environmental science and geoscience, and is consistently below the OCED averages in almost all categories. True, we beat out Uruguay and Thailand. But we fell below Estonia, Croatia, and the Slovak and Czech Republics as well as Canada, Japan, Australia, Russia, and the UK.

The study opens with the statement that "the challenge for education is not only to produce more and better trained environmental scientists, but also to support informed and motivated citizens who are capable of understanding, interpreting and acting upon sophisticated scientific theory and evidence." Yes, it only looked at environmental science, rather than the more comprehensive fields of environmental and sustainability education which also include the social sciences. But at least it looked at the ability of students to put their knowledge to use. Surprisingly, it did not include climate change as one of the key "environmental issues" that it directly assessed. One other take-home message worth nothing: "students with more disadvantaged socio-economic status are no less likely to be committed to tackling environmental issues."

This is a terrific first step. What we need next is to get the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP, sometimes called "The Nation's Report Card") administered by the Department of Education to include environmental education in their schedule of subjects routinely assessed. Then we'll have a much better idea where our students stand in terms of environmental literacy.

I haven't had the chance to dig fully into the report with the attention it deserves, so I particularly welcome comments from those who find the time to review it in detail.  

Jim

FY09 Appropriations Bill has a few Surprises for Environmental Education

March 11 - Congress passed an “Omnibus Appropriations” Bill yesterday for the second half of FY 2009 that largely continued the level-funding of environmental education programs for the rest of the year. But there were a couple of surprises totaling about $15 million in new funds for the field:

 

A. NOAA:

1. Competitive Educational Grants - $8.5 million, of which $7.5 million is for a new ocean education grant program for non-profit aquariums accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The good news is that this is an increase of $3.5 million over last year. The bad news is that NOAA has historically been given latitude to grant these funds to a broader audience than just aquaria. 

   
2. BWET Regional Programs - $7.2 million for the Chesapeake Bay,New England,Pacific Northwest, and Gulf of Mexico programs, as well as $2.5 million for the California B-WET program (same as FY08).

B. EPA Environmental Education Program: $9.0 million (same of FY08)

 

C. NSF: $10 million for a new Climate Change Education program, to be developed in consultation with the National Academies (no further explanation).

 

D. NASA: $10 million for Global Climate Change Education. This is up slightly from the $8.5 million in FY08 (the program’s first year).

 

The Interior Department also received an unspecified increase in funds to “expand opportunities for youth education including internships to instill environmental awareness”. Unfortunately, neither the newly authorized University Sustainability Program or the new Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Grants and Loans program for k-12, higher education, and municipalities were funded in this budget. We will continue to press for funding these programs in the FY2010 budget which is currently being developed.

 

Jim Elder

 

Feb 20 Update on CEL’s Green Schools, Green Job Training, and Green Education Stimulus Bill Proposal

The following is the outcome of our Green Schools, Green Job Training, and Green Education proposal as relfected in the new stimulus bill signed by President Obama earlier this week:

 

1. Green Education: No requested funding included. However, the bill does include $2 billion for the National Science Foundation to “expand employment opportunities in fundamental science and engineering to meet environmental challenges and to improve global economic competitiveness.” NSF will decide how these funds will be spent.

2. Green Job training: $500 million for a program of competitive grants for “worker training and placement projects that prepare workers for careers in energy efficiency and renewable energy as described in the Green Jobs Act of 2007”. This is a huge win, and congratulations to Green for All and Apollo Alliance for all the great work they did to help make this happen!

3. Green School Buildings: Despite the fact that both the House and Senate stimulus bills included billions for greening school buildings, these funds were eliminated in the final bill. However, $9.76 billion of the Stabilization Fund for States is allocated for “public safety and other government services, which may (underline added) include assistance for…modernization, renovation, or repair of public school facilities and institutions of higher education facilities, including modernization, renovation, and repairs that are consistent with a recognized green building rating system”. (See Title XIV-State Fiscal Stabilization Fund for details). So Governors may use some of their share of this $10 billion for green school buildings if they so choose – but the pressure to spend all these funds for other authorized purposes will be fierce.

Thank you all for your assistance and support with our effort to help move funds into these critical areas. We will continue to work hard to get education and specified green building funds into both the FY10 budget and a second stimulus bill if there is one.

Jim Elder

Six Programs for Energy Upgrades in K-16 School Buildings Are Included in the New House Stimulus Bill

Great News! THE AMERICAN RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT OF 2009 (the newest stimulus bill) has been introduced in the House and is being marked up now. It includes six programs at the Departments of Energy and Education specifically for energy upgrades in k-12 and higher education buildings totaling at least $7.0 billion in grants and $.5 billion in loans (shared with k-12 and municipalities), similar to what we recommended.

 

The Senate is expected to release their stimulus bill on Monday, and passage could occur as soon as next week. These programs are required to spend their funds within 90 days, so be prepared for a very quick RFP process once the bill passes.

 

Unfortunately, the House did not accept our proposal to fund the new University Sustainability Program at the Department of Education or other existing “green education” programs. But we are pressing the Senate to include these funds.

 

Details of the House programs are below:

 

Grants and Loans to Institutional Entities for Energy Sustainability and Efficiency (Department of Energy)

 

This funding provides $1 billion (at least $500 million must go to higher education) for grants to “institutional entities” (institutions of higher education; public school districts; local governments; and municipal utilities) to identify, design, and implement sustainable energy infrastructure projects and grants for energy efficiency innovative technologies projects on grounds and facilities of institutions. This funding includes four programs:

 

1. Technical Assistance Grants: DOE will implement a program of technical assistance to assist in identifying, evaluating, designing, and implementing sustainable energy infrastructure projects in energy sustainability. The DOE may also make grants up to $250,000 to fund a portion of the cost of feasibility studies, analysis and implementation of strategies, and detailed engineering of sustainable energy infrastructure.

 

2. GRANTS FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENT: Grants of 60% of the total cost up to $1 million each will be made to institutions (not less than 1 grant to an institution of higher education in each State) to carry out projects to improve energy efficiency on the institution’s grounds and facilities. The institution must also agree to implement a public awareness campaign concerning the project in the institution’s host community. Funding criteria include: energy efficiency improvement; reduction in greenhouse gas and other air emissions and pollutants; increased use of renewable energy sources or thermal energy sources; reduction in fossil fuel use; active student participation; and the need for funding assistance.

 

3. GRANTS FOR INNOVATION IN ENERGY SUSTAINABILITY: Grants of 75% of the total cost up to $500,000 each will be made to institutions to engage in innovative energy sustainability projects (not less than 2 grants to institutions of higher education in each State). An innovation project must involve an innovative technology that is not yet commercially available; or an available technology in an innovative application that maximizes energy efficiency and sustainability; have the greatest potential for testing or demonstrating new technologies or processes; and (for higher education) ensure active student participation throughout the project.

 

At least half of the higher education funding for #3 and #4 above must go to institutions with an endowment of less than $100,000,000, and of that amount, at least half must go to institutions with an endowment of less than $50,000,000. DOE also may impose a cost-sharing requirement.

 

4. LOAN FUNDS: $500 million is provided for loans to institutional entities for identifying, designing and implementing sustainable energy infrastructure projects and grants for energy efficiency innovative technologies projects on grounds and facilities of institutions. Funding criteria include: improvement in energy efficiency; reduction in greenhouse gas and other air emissions and pollutants; increased use of renewable electric energy sources or renewable thermal energy sources; reduction of fossil fuel use; and need for funding assistance, including consideration of the size of endowment or other financial resources.

 

SCHOOL MODERNIZATION, RENOVATION, AND REPAIR (Department of Education)

 

5. K-12: This program provides $14 billion for school modernization, renovation, and repair, to be allocated to States based on their FY 2008 allocation under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Act. State educational agencies will distribute these funds to school districts for health and safety repairs, access for disabled students, educational technology infrastructure upgrades, and energy efficiency projects. A school shall use not less than 25% of the funds for modernization, renovation, or repairs that are certified, verified, or consistent with LEED, Energy Star; the CHPS Criteria; Green Globes; or an equivalent program standards.

 

6. HIGHER EDUCATION: This program provides $6 billion for institutions of higher education for modernization, renovation, and repair projects. The funds will be distributed to States in proportion to the State’s share of full-time equivalent undergraduate students. Funding will then be allocated by States to institutions based on the demonstrated need of each institution for facility modernization, renovation, and repair, with priority given to institutions that serve high numbers of minority students, institutions impacted by a major disaster; and institutions proposing to improve energy efficiency. Again, a school shall use not less than 25% of the funds for modernization, renovation, or repairs that are certified, verified, or consistent with LEED, Energy Star; the CHPS Criteria; Green Globes; or an equivalent program standards.