Educator Spotlight - Claire Greene

Claire Greene, a state park naturalist and environmental educator at Hanging Rock State Park, recently completed the North Carolina Environmental Education Certification.

Claire said the certification program helped advance her career.

"I have worked at Hanging Rock State Park for the past two years. In 2025, I accepted a position for a new section of the park scheduled to open in 2027. The certification is an important step in my professional development and will allow me to continue applying my environmental education experience in my new role. It will also support my long-term career goals, including my aspiration to become a park ranger."

Claire said her favorite part of the certification process was networking with educators.

"I had the opportunity to connect with educators from across the state, build professional relationships with instructors and fellow environmental educators, and expand my knowledge of educational materials and teaching strategies. These experiences have provided me with valuable resources that I can apply to strengthen interpretive and environmental education programming within North Carolina State Parks."

When asked about an experience that stood out to her, Claire said the hands-on learning experiences were the most valuable.

"I especially enjoyed having the instructors conduct workshops as though we were the students, allowing us to experience the activities from a participant's perspective," she said. "Physically taking part in a workshop helped me process and understand the material more effectively than simply being told how the workshop should be conducted. Experiencing the activities firsthand also provided a better understanding of how participants may engage with the material, making the workshops more immersive, meaningful, and effective."

For her community partnership project, Claire worked with a local Girl Scout group to create a native pollinator garden that incorporated a Monarch Waystation. She said the garden provides monarch butterflies with important habitat, food sources, and host plants.

"As native plants are increasingly replaced by ornamental plants that may not provide the food and habitat local wildlife depends on, creating spaces with native vegetation can help restore ecological balance within the surrounding environment. This garden not only supports pollinators but also provides food, shelter, and habitat for birds, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles."

Claire said the garden has also become an important environmental education tool.

"Visitors can explore the garden while learning about the importance of native plants, pollinators, monarch butterflies, and healthy ecosystems. It also provides an opportunity to show visitors they can make a difference by incorporating native plants and pollinator-friendly habitats into their own yards and communities."

Claire said the program changed her approach to teaching.

"When I first began working in environmental education, I was an adult college student with a strong passion for land preservation and habitat conservation. I was so passionate about these subjects that I sometimes came on a little stronger than necessary, trying to provide program participants with as much information as possible. I wanted them to understand everything I found important, but I learned that more information does not always lead to a better learning experience. The certification provided me with tools and teaching strategies that helped me channel that passion into programs that are more focused, hands-on, engaging, and approachable."

Claire said she has found that environmental educators do more than simply provide information.

"Our role is to help learners navigate the process of discovering and understanding a topic in a way that allows them to make their own meaningful connections. The workshops and experiences throughout this certification helped me learn how to identify the most important concepts and present them in a way that is easier for participants to understand and remember. This has helped me become a more intentional educator and has given me greater confidence in creating meaningful educational experiences that encourage curiosity, connection, and a deeper appreciation for the natural world."

Claire said the program also opened her eyes to a new way of viewing environmental issues.

"I have developed a deeper awareness, respect, and appreciation for every creature and living thing and for the important role each plays within an ecosystem. Through this certification and the experiences that came with it, I have gained an incredible amount of knowledge that I can carry with me throughout my career."

She also said the certification strengthened her as an environmental educator and inspired her to set new goals for her career and personal growth.

"I feel more prepared, more confident, and even more passionate about continuing to learn, educate others, and protect the natural resources and places that I care so deeply about. Most importantly, this certification has reminded me that environmental education is not simply about teaching others; it is also about continuing to learn, grow, and see the natural world with curiosity and appreciation."