Environmental Education
DEP Environmental Education Initiatives
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's (DEP's) mission is to protect Pennsylvania's air, land and water from pollution and to provide for the health and safety of its citizens through a cleaner environment. DEP has long recognized the important role that education plays in bringing its mission to reality and supports environmental education in diverse ways.
Since 1984, DEP has financially supported and worked with the Office of Environment and Ecology (OEE) in the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The OEE is responsible for the fourth academic goal of a quality education, which states, "Each student shall understand the environment and the student's ecological relationship with it in order to recognize the importance of the quality of life in a healthy and balanced environment." A planned course in Environment and Ecology is required at the primary and intermediate levels for every student, while middle and high school levels must address Environment and Ecology in a planned course at least once during each level. The planned course may be integrated into other subject areas. Through its financial support of OEE, DEP helps underwrite formal environmental education efforts in Pa. schools.
DEP maintains an extensive website and has information specifically for teachers on this site. From this location you will be able to access lesson plans and sources of environmental curricula, current air quality data updated hourly for student use, go with a DEP inspector on an environmental inspection and much more. The department also coordinates the Pennsylvania Environmental Education Grants Program, established by the Pennsylvania Environmental Education Act of 1993. School districts, charter and private schools, colleges and universities, intermediate units, environmental education centers, nonprofit conservation and education organizations and businesses along with county conservation districts may apply for funding to develop new or expand current environmental education programming. This program is a reimbursement program with a 20 percent matching funds component, with certain exceptions. To date, the department has awarded over $6 million through this grants program. The money for this program comes from 5 percent of the pollution fines and penalties collected by the department. For more information about this grants program, write or phone DEP at the address and/or phone number referenced at the end of this article.
DEP, along with DCNR, maintains a small resource center on the first floor of its central offices in the Rachel Carson State Office Building at 400 Market Street in downtown Harrisburg. The staff in this resource center is happy to assist teachers with specific environmental education resource needs. You may contact them by writing to Pennsylvania DEP/DCNR, Environmental Education and Information Center, P. O. Box 2063, Harrisburg, PA 17105-2063, or call them at 717-772-1828 or email ra-eplearningcenter@pa.gov
The Department of Environmental Protection is pleased to support environmental education efforts in Pennsylvania through these various avenues. We welcome comments on our efforts at the above address and phone number.
