Professor's Project Provides Environmental Education to Children and Families in Watauga County

Laura England

Laura England teaches environmental science courses at Appalachian State University. She was already involved with mentoring and outreach to teachers and students in her community, so working with undergraduate students to establish a new student organization for environment education was a logical fit for her environmental education certification project.

Laura led a group of ASU students in founding a new organization, the Sustainability andEnvironmental Education Club. “As an instructor and academic advisor, every semester I had a number of students from various majors tell me that they were interested in environmental education.” The club’s membership now includes more than 100 university students from twelve different departments within the university, including students majoring in education, recreation management, sustainable development, appropriate technology, environmental science, biology, geology, geography, anthropology and more.

The club reaches children throughout Watauga County and has partnered with a variety of community-based organizations such as Kiwanis Kids, The Children’s Playhouse (the local children’s museum) and the Valle Crucis Extended Learning Center to engage youth in the community and increase environmental awareness. Last year alone the club reached two thousand local children and families.

Some of the ASU club members

In addition to giving students hands-on environmental education experience, club members are involved with community-based projects such as installing a learning garden at a local preschool. Members engaged the students with lessons throughout the process of planning, building and caring for the garden. Laura also helped the student leaders secure a small grant to expand the learning garden initiative.

When asked what certification experience stands out for Laura, she said, “I was fortunate to earn many of my hours for outdoor experiences through the museum’s Yellowstone institute. It was such a once in a lifetime trip and learning opportunity that renewed my passion for environmental education.” The trip to Yellowstone National Park is one of the Educators of Excellence Institutes offered to outstanding educators by the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences.

Laura said that participating in the certification program had led to changes in her approach to teaching. “Much of my teaching has been, by necessity, lecture-based and in the classroom. But just this summer I taught a new watershed protection course that was all outdoors and hands-on. I hope to do more of this kind of teaching in the future.”

“I am even more committed to education and outreach on environmental issues than before. I feel buoyed by the growing network of educators who share this commitment, and feel more optimistic that we are collectively making a difference.”

To read more about Laura, visit the website here.