Environmental and Ecological Education Examples

Some ideas include:

• Grants for educators who wish to take part in a symposium, workshop, or class that will help train them on a specific environmental education based program that will have direct impact on what is taught. Example: A teacher who takes part in a Dunes Learning Center or National Park Service workshop that they in turn will use in the classroom.
• Use towards the purchase classroom materials or equipment that will be used specifically for environmental or ecological based curriculum. Example: Purchase of a hydrologic cycle model, enviroscapes (www.enviroscapes.com), groundwater flow models, handheld GPS units / software, & magnification equipment for field work.
• Use towards establishing an outdoor lab or classroom. Example: Classroom project to establish a prairie plot, butterfly garden, tree planting, stream cleanup, or rain garden project. The idea being to establish a project that creates a legacy for future education efforts.
• Use towards field trips to an environmental or ecologically significant location that has an education component that is demonstrable. Example: Field trip to the Indiana Dunes State Park to attend a program led by a naturalist.

Indiana DNR Coastal Program

• The Indiana DNR Coastal Program has a small grant program that supports environmental education. They provide a 50/50 match, so Tower Grant recipients could double the amount received for their environmental program. More information is available at www.in.gov/dnr/lakemich/grants/index.html.

For more information please contact:

Daniel Plath
plathdv@hughes.net