Educator Spotlight: Sarah Coffey

 

Sarah Coffey, an air quality educator for the Triad Air Awareness Program in Forsyth County, recently completed the NC Environmental Education Certification. Sarah is responsible for providing education and outreach with people of all ages about air pollution issues in our state, but her focus is working with middle and high school age students. In her personal time, she likes to dance and is a certified Zumba instructor. She also enjoys hiking, spending time with her husband, family and friends, and being a dog parent to two adorable pit bulls.

Sarah says her favorite part of the certification program was the incredible people she met through the program and the beautiful places she visited. “I never would have seen as much of our state and become as familiar with all the environmental education sites if it weren't for the certification program. The networking I've done while attending environmental education programs has led to both new friendships and professional relationships including collaborations on new programs! It’s been an invaluable experience.”

Sarah says that an experience that stood out for her was the Ground-Level Ozone workshop in the Smoky Mountains, which strongly influenced her community partnership project. "I also enjoyed the online workshops offered through the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and all the programs at Kathleen Clay Edwards Library. A big shout out to Librarian Melanie Buckingham for all the environmental education programming that the library offers to educators, and for hosting Triad Air Awareness for several of our programs."

For her community partnership project, Sarah partnered with the Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden staff to create an ozone garden in Kernersville. The garden is part of a partnership between the Ciener Botanical Garden and Triad Air Awareness. “I proposed the idea, developed interpretive signage, and made the species selection. In addition to the implementation of the ozone garden, I hosted an event at the Garden called "Ozone Gardening 101." During the program, participants learned about ground-level ozone, the effects of ozone exposure on people and plants, air quality monitoring and the use of ozone gardens as an awareness tool. They learned how to identify ozone damage, and how we can reduce ozone/air pollution in our communities. They also got hands on experience doing data collection at the ozone garden, which I will continue recording and evaluating overtime.”

Sarah says the ozone garden and related programming give people the opportunity to reflect on ways that they can reduce the activities that contribute to ozone pollution in their communities. “It also helps connect them to the natural world since many of the ozone sensitive species like tulip poplar and black cherry are very common, and they could observe these plants on a quick walk outside or in their own backyard. In addition, the Ciener Botanical Garden is a North Carolina Environmental Education Center and a place where many students visit on field trips and other community members visit for adult programming. The Ozone Gardening 101 Program was eligible for Criteria II, III, and renewal credits, and there were a few attendees who were working towards their environmental education certification who found this program very useful.” Sarah’s work and her project were recently highlighted by a local media outlet, the High Point Enterprise, in an article Kernersville woman shares passion for air quality.

Sarah says participating in the program changed her approach to teaching. “I think the biggest change in my approach has been focusing on teaching others knowledge and skills to come to their own conclusions about an environmental issue rather than telling them what to think. I am sure almost everyone in the program feels the same passion that I do for protecting our environment. It can be hard not to wear the advocate hat at the same time I am wearing my educator hat, but the program has taught me how much more effective it is to provide a quality learning experience for participants to develop their own perspectives.”

She also says the program changed the way she views environmental issues. “I am a trained scientist who had limited experience in the field of environmental education or education, generally, before this position. I am so grateful for the ongoing training that I received through the certification program as I learned the ropes in my role as an air quality educator. I learned to appreciate the role of education even more especially when educating students. Changing attitudes through quality participatory learning is probably the most long-lasting, impactful tool for protecting our environment. Understanding nature not only motivates people to want to save it, but they are also more likely to realize how a deeper connection to nature makes their lives more fulfilling as well. I think I underestimated the power of education before this program.”