Cynthia has her M.S. in Conservation Biology from Antioch University New England, and has worked in the environmental and experiential education fields for over a decade. She works as an independent naturalist through her business, Withywindle Nature Programs. Her outdoor passions include hiking, tracking, birding and paddling.

The vision of environmental literacy in New England is about to get a major boost. With a $150,000 grant from the U.S. EPA, the New England Environmental Education Alliance (NEEEA) is soliciting proposals from non-profits, schools, and local or state agencies for sub-grants of up to $5,000. These grants will support projects that strengthen environmental education through capacity building on a state-wide level or that advance educational achievement by implementing the goals of state Environmental Literacy Plans. Acknowledging the importance of an environmentally literate citizenry, the EPA states, “environmental challenges require a population that is diverse, informed, and environmentally literate, willing and able to translate their knowledge and skills into decisions and actions that protect the environment in their communities.”

NEEEA, in close partnership with MEES and the other five professional environmental education associations that comprise NEEEA, will award at least 19 grants of up to $5,000 (three in each state) to projects that implement regional priorities such as:

• Implementing one or more objectives of a state’s Environmental Literacy Plan

• Designing, implementing, and linking environmental education programs and leadership across a state or states to promote long-term sustainability of the programs

• Developing replicable and sustainable professional development programs for teachers and trainers

In Massachusetts, examples of strategic EE objectives that can be realized within the scope of this sub-grant program include:

- Designing and conducting environmental literacy professional development programs for teachers
and non-formal educators.

- Creating and implementing a research tool that measures environmental literacy among students in
our state.

- Incorporating environmental education into the school day through innovative collaborations.

- Implementing a program to align school buildings, grounds, and gardens with curriculum.

With a total project budget of $232,000 (with matching funds) for the region, this sub-grant

program dramatically increases MEES's capacity, enabling diverse organizations to support environmental literacy efforts, while fostering a more cohesive and collaborative EE community within Massachusetts.

Download the Request-for-Proposals and application package at www.neeea.org. Proposal

deadline is August 31, 2012.