Implementation strategy
· Develop a regional educational consortium that is represented by the citizens, industries and government officials in the nine county area and will create a new generation of informed and empowered citizens who are effective in sensitively managing our regional natural environment. The consortium is mandated to oversee the implementation of the following strategies:
2) Develop environmental education curriculum for K-12 schools and environmental education opportunities for the general public and decision-makers.
- 3) Maintain consortium representation in local decision-making processes.
Why should we commit to this strategy?
Education is very often considered to be the means by which social change is enacted. By enlightening the children and adults of our society to the benefits for and means by which they can protect our natural environment, we create a more responsive and integrated society that lives in closer connection to the world. By creating a quality comprehensive environmental curriculum that serves the entire region, we will bring educational opportunities to a broad spectrum of adults, children and elected officials who would not be reached otherwise.
What action steps do we need to take to implement the strategy?
K-12 Education: Air and water quality will become part of the curriculum developed for K-12 grade school programs. This program should be modeled after the Adopt-a-Watershed program, which is active in many Knox County schools.
Community/General/Adult Education: The community education component will focus on action-oriented projects by striving to create education opportunities through hands-on community projects and targeted programs for professionals that may be used for certification, licensing and permitting of activities with potential to affect air and water quality. Part of the community education efforts could be focused on exposing people to the myriad of lifestyle and planning options that affect the air and water quality in the area. Other efforts could include parks and recreation, greenways, growth management and education.
Elected Officials: The Non-point source Education for Municipal Officials (NEMO) model should be implemented to help educate community decision-makers on the key issues regarding air and water quality.
Who can lead the implementation effort?
K-12 educators and administrations will need to be supportive of the new curriculum. There will need to be regional agreement and support for full integration of the curriculum in the schools. For adult and elected official education, there will need to be a program developed that requires employees of certain government branches and corporations to receive environmental education.
We will need key people to make implementation of environmental education curriculum mandatory in all nine-county school areas.
What will it cost to implement the action steps and the strategy?
- a) Cost of curriculum developers.
- b) Cost of teacher trainings.
- c) Cost of materials.
- d) Cost of setting up adult education and elected official programs (hiring teachers).
What should Nine Counties. One Vision. do next?
Form a Task Force.