NC Project WET Coordinator Daniel Honored During DEQ Earth Day Volunteer Event

Today, employees from the NC Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources participated in a stream clean-up at Walnut Creek Wetlands Park in recognition of Earth Day. DEQ Secretary Reid Wilson was there to thank DEQ employees for their public service and to recognize one of their colleagues, Lauren Daniel, for her contributions to water education in North Carolina. "It's great to celebrate Earth Day week with our fantastic DEQ staff who are working to help build a stronger, healthier North Carolina for all. I'm proud of their dedication and service to our state," said Wilson.

Lauren coordinates water education programs for DEQ’s Division of Water Resources which includes the national Project WET (Water Education for Today) curriculum and the NC Stream Watch program which encourages citizens to learn about and care for our state’s streams. Lauren has been instrumental in developing new programs including the NC Water Education Pen Pal Program, NC Climate Education Network, NC Creek Week Network, and monthly Water Education Virtual Coffee Talks.

Lauren recently completed the NC Environmental Education Certification, a nationally recognized program that requires 200 hours of professional development including workshops, outdoor experiences, teaching and a community partnership project.

Secretary Wilson presented Lauren with her NC Environmental Education Certificate. "Congratulations to Lauren Daniel on earning her North Carolina Environmental Education Certificate. This is a well-deserved honor, and I'm grateful for her work to support and mentor teachers and students across the state."

Lauren says she enjoys meeting people working in North Carolina’s environmental education field. “As an educator, I am fortunate to work with some amazing people. While working toward my certification, I also learned about the incredible environmental education programs North Carolina has to offer. As a state coordinator for Project WET, I get to work with other state water education leaders. I've learned that NC offers a gold standard nationally for programming from the centers and parks across our state to the network of environmental educators involved in connecting students of all ages to our natural resources.”

Lauren says the certification program changed her approach to teaching. “Before I participated in this certification program, I thought that using the environment as an educational tool was like a creative, one-off way to teach our state's grade level standards. Now, I believe that using the environmental as an educational tool is the best way to teach because it connects people with tangible, relevant experiences to build an understanding of the natural world.”

Lauren was also recently named 2025 Project WET Coordinator of the Year by National Project WET. Lauren is the President of the National Project WET national Advisory Council and chairs one of the four Project WET Teams for Facilitator Engagement Support.

“My role as the Council President on their Advisory Council allows me to provide input from a state perspective directly to the headquarters of Project WET. It also allows me to work alongside other states to learn about their environmental education programs, share ideas for supporting environmental education networks, and prioritize ideas for how water education can support educators inside and outside the classroom.”

As a member of the Facilitator Engagement Team Lauren works with other state leaders to identify the needs of facilitators, determine barriers to programming, and to lead a team to develop solutions to meet these ever-changing needs.

In her personal time, Lauren likes to drive boats and explore the NC coastline as well as rivers. She enjoys painting, building forts with her son, exploring all 17 river basins in our state, and meeting new people and hearing their stories.

The Environmental Education Certification is administered by DEQ’s Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs. For more information about DEQ’s water education programs, visit the Division of Water Resources website. For more information about the NC Environmental Education Certification visit the Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs website.