Environmental Education (EE) Publications
All of these resources are free. You can order most of them online from EPA's National Service Center for Environmental Publications (NSCEP) or by phone at 1-800-490-9198.
EE Guidelines
- Early Childhood Environmental Education Programs: Guidelines for Excellence Exit
Guidelines to help environmental educators who work with young children, especially ages 3 to 6, develop quality programs. Produced by the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE).
Order from EPA NSCEP - EE Materials: Guidelines for Excellence Exit
Guidelines for developing and evaluating EE materials. Produced by NAAEE.
Download from EPA NSCEP - Materiales de Educacion Ambiental: Pautas para la Excelencia (Spanish) (171-B-07-001)
Order from EPA NSCEP - EE Materials: Guidelines for Excellence — The Workbook Exit
A self-guided workbook that teaches individuals how to effectively use the materials guidelines. Produced by NAAEE.
Download from EPA NSCEP - Excellence in EE — Guidelines for Learning (K-12) Exit
Guidelines for learner performance and achievements in K-4th, 5-8th, and 9-12th grades and for using EE as a means for meeting standards set by the traditional disciplines. Produced by NAAEE.
Order from EPA NSCEP - Excellence in EE: Guidelines for Learning (K-12); Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool
Summarizes the learner guidelines and provides a self-assessment checklist for determining the degree to which curricula and programs meet these guidelines. Produced by NAAEE.
Order from EPA NSCEP - Guidelines for the Preparation and Professional Development of Environmental Educators Exit
Guidelines for what educators need to know to effectively teach EE. Produced by NAAEE.
Order from EPA NSCEP - Leading the Way to Environmental Literacy and Quality: National Guidelines for EE Exit
Article discusses how the guidelines ensure that materials, programs, and practitioners are of the highest possible quality. Produced by the Environmental Education and Training Partnership (EETAP). - Nonformal EE Programs: Guidelines for Excellence (EPA 171-B-04-001) (Overview of the document) Exit
Guidelines for developing and administering quality EE programs that take place outside the classroom in nonformal settings, for example, state and national parks and forests, zoos, museums, and nature centers. Produced by NAAEE.
Order from EPA NSCEP - Programas De Educacion Ambiental No Formal: Pautas Para La Excelencia (Spanish) (171-B-05-001)
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EE Resources
- Still Developing the Toolbox: Making EE Relevant for Culturally Diverse Groups Exit
Article discusses how the EE field is working to become more inclusive and offer programs that are more relevant to culturally diverse groups. Produced by EETAP. - Distance Education: A User Friendly Learning Option Exit
Article discusses the benefits of on-line learning and provides information about two relatively new on-line courses on the "Fundamentals of EE" and "Applied EE Program Evaluation." Produced by EETAP. - National Environmental Literacy Assessment Project: Year 1, National Baseline Study of Middle Grade Students.
Produced under a research grant funded by EPA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and administered by NAAEE, this research report provides instrumentation to measure environmental literacy and baseline environmental literacy data for 6th and 8th graders across the United States. - What's Fair Got To Do With It: Diversity Cases From Environmental Educators Exit
Produced by WestEd, in collaboration with the Environmental Education and Training Partnership and the North American Association for Environmental Education, provides a collection of case studies that offer real-world examples of how cultural differences can affect the implementation of environmental education programs. - Education Projects in the Office of Water: A How-to Guide for Developing Environmental Education Projects (EPA 800-B-99-001)
Provides a roadmap for developing quality EE projects and outlines EPA's procedural guidelines for producing a product or supporting related projects already in existence. In addition, it lists other resources that provide further detail and insight into the process of developing effective EE pieces.
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EE and Education Reform
- Reaching Teachers: Integrating EE into Teacher Education Programs at Colleges and Universities Exit
Describes a variety of ways in which environmental educators are weaving EE into the fabric of preservice education. Produced by EETAP. - Standard Practice: Aligning EE Resources to National and State Curriculum Standards Exit
Describes how environmental education providers are ensuring that their materials conform to and support educational standards that are the central focus of most teachers in American schools. Produced by EETAP. - Education and the Environment: Partners for Change Exit
Article discusses how EE can bring about systemic changes in education by using interdisciplinary, hands-on, and project-based learning to replace traditional instruction. Produced by EETAP. - EE Certification: Making Best Practice Standard Practice Exit
Article discusses the advancements and challenges in state and national EE certification efforts. Produced by EETAP. - Setting High Standards: EE Builds a Home in Teacher Education Accreditation
Article discusses efforts to develop EE standards for accrediting college and university teacher education programs. Produced by EETAP. - EE: Moving into the Education Mainstream Exit
Produced by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, the publication explores how environmental education can be linked to current movements in education to improve student achievement. - Advancing Education Through Environmental Literacy (EPA 171-K-04-900) Exit
Produced by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, the publication examines how education and the environment can be linked to advance student learning. Includes descriptions of school programs and research documenting how test scores have improved by using the environment to teach in subject areas such as social studies, science, reading and math.
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EE Knowledge, Status, and History
- Reflective Practitioners: Environmental Educators Share Their Professional Development Needs for the Next Five Years Exit
Discusses the results of the Environmental Education Professional Development Needs and Priorities Study. - Environmental Education Professional Development Needs and Priorities Study Exit(2009)
U.S. EPA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service funded a study through the Environmental Education and Training Partnership (EETAP) to examine the current environmental education professional development needs and priorities of education professionals working in both formal and non-formal education settings in the U.S. - Issues Associated with Nonformal Environmental Education Certification Exit(2009)
The Environmental Education Association of Oregon conducted a study through EETAP to assess the extent to which nonformal environmental educators, their employers, and college/university trainers value certification and to gather information about how to best implement certification programs. - The Roots of EE: How the Past Supports the Future Exit
Article reviews the many and varied events that have shaped environmental education and given the field its diverse, resilient, and inclusive nature. Produced by EETAP. - Setting the Standard, Measuring Results, Celebrating Successes: A Report to Congress on the Status of Environmental Education in the U.S. (EPA 240-R-05-001)
Produced by the National Environmental Education Advisory Council, the report discusses the standards established, the results measured, and the successes achieved since passage of the National Environmental Education Act of 1990.
View online [PDF, 2.2 MB, 55 pages, about PDF]
Order from EPA NSCEP - Executive Summary: Advancing Environmental Education at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: An Analysis of Program Characteristics, Workforce, Needs, and Obstacles, February 2005
Produced under a National Network for Environmental Management Studies (NNEMS) Fellowship, this report describes the results of an analysis conducted at EPA's Headquarters offices to inventory the current environmental education programs and provide recommendations for how EE can be advanced at EPA.
Executive Summary [PDF, 84 KB, 5 pages, about PDF] - EE At A Glance (EPA 171-B-98-004)
Produced by the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) and NAAEE, the brochure provides an introduction to EE with information on status, resources, and success stories.
Order from EPA NSCEP
Purchase additional copies by contacting NACD by telephone at
1-800-825-5547, extension 32