2017 Conference

Thank you to all who attended the 2017 MEES Conference!

Looking to the Past to Inform our Future – Browse the Brochure

March 8, 2017 | College of the Holy Cross, Worcester

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Conference Presentations

Below are the presentations sent to MEES by some of the workshop presenters.

A2: Mapping the Past, Seeing the Future

A4: Soaking up the Rain at K-12 Schools: Making Connections with Teachers, Students and the Community on Green Infrastructure

B2: Protecting the Outer Space Environment

B6: Engaging Classroom Teachers through the New Science, Technology/Engineering Framework

C4: What Social Scientists Know – Research-based Practices for Promoting Conservation Behavior

MEES Announces the Participation of Massachusetts State Leadership

MEES is excited to announce that the Secretary of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Matthew Beaton and the Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation will both be giving remarks as part of a joint keynote presentation! Secretary Matthew A. Beaton oversees the Commonwealth’s six environmental, natural resource and energy regulatory agencies: the Departments of Environmental Protection, Public Utilities, Energy Resources, Conservation & Recreation, Agricultural Resources and Fish & Game. He also serves as Chairman of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, the Energy Facilities Siting Board, and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center.

Massachusetts was the first state in the nation to combine energy and environmental agencies under one Cabinet secretary with the shared mission of bringing clean energy technology to market, curbing greenhouse gas emissions and cutting energy costs. Secretary Beaton is building on Massachusetts’ nation-leading clean energy and environment accomplishments.

Commissioner Leo P. Roy heads the Department of Conservation and Recreation, whose mission is to protect, promote and enhance our common wealth of natural, cultural and recreational resources for the well-being of all. DCR focuses on improving outdoor recreational opportunities and natural resource conservation, restoring and improving DCR’s facilities, expanding public involvement in carrying out DCR’s mission, and establishing first-rate management systems and practices. The health and happiness of people across Massachusetts depend on the accessibility and quality of our green infrastructure – our natural resources, recreational facilities, and great historic landscapes.  The DCR continues to improve the vital connection between people and the environment.

MEES Announces the Theme of the Annual Conference

As MEES celebrates its 40th anniversary, we look back at how the field of Environmental Education (EE) has transformed over the past century. In the first half of the century, EE was based on the premise that land must be conserved and wildlife protected. Then, in 1970, the field had a political coming out on the first Earth Day. In the 80s, a wave of progressive nature-based teachers and the environmental justice movement brought the field into classrooms and urban centers and in the 90s the focus shifted to waste, energy, and green communities. Like science, environmental education itself continues to evolve. In the early 2000s through today and into tomorrow, the EE community has been educating not only our students but ourselves, on climate change, sea level rise, green technologies, sustainable food systems, and renewable energy – professional arenas far afield from our nature-centered roots.

The 2017 MEES Conference will look to the past to help us shape the future of EE in Massachusetts.

  • With the increase in technology, is there still value in teaching basic naturalist skills?
  • Are we or should we be expanding the definition of an environmental educator?
  • How do we engage more traditional classroom teachers to use the environment in teaching core subjects?
  • How can we paint an accurate portrait of the people in the EE community in Massachusetts, and highlight the diversity in the field and the work already being accomplished?
  • Can the EE field grow and attract new practitioners with current wages and time commitments?

All these questions and more will be discussed in (and out of!) the conference workshops. BROWSE THE BROCHURE

In 2017 MEES hopes to both look back at our roots and look forward to where our outer branches are reaching and stretching.

 

40th Anniversary Gala Information
The gala will be a ticketed event with good food, good drink, and good fun! Find Out More

 

Exhibitor Information

We hope you’re looking forward to meeting and visiting with our Exhibitors!
MEES has reached the capacity of the space for Exhibitor tables. Exhibitor registration is closed.

Here is just a sampling of the wonderful exhibitors that will be at the 2017 Conference!

 MassAudubon

CLARE WALKER LESLIE, AUTHOR, NATURALIST, EDUCATOR: www.clarewalkerleslie.com

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