This project provides funding to the new haven ecology project, INC. (nhep) to implement its project to design, demonstrate, and disseminate environmental education practices, methods, and techniques,…

This $140,971 federal Project Grant award, funded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Environmental Education Grants Program (CFDA 66.951), will support the New Haven Ecology Project, Inc. (doing business as Common Grounds) to implement an environmental education initiative in New Haven, Connecticut and throughout New England.

The key products and services to be delivered include: developing a 4-year environmental justice (EJ) curriculum at Common Ground High School, engaging over 225 students as EJ problem-solvers, hosting over 10 conferences/workshops on teaching EJ in public high schools, creating an online resource guide on teaching EJ, and building the capacity of educators and community-based organizations to integrate EJ into their environmental education programs. The project aims to increase environmental literacy, promote environmental stewardship, and address environmental justice issues in urban communities through these educational initiatives.

This project provides funding to the new haven ecology project, INC. (nhep) to implement its project to design, demonstrate, and disseminate environmental education practices, methods, and techniques, that will serve to increase environmental literacy and encourage behavior that will benefit the environment in the city of new haven, connecticut (CT). The grantee will do this by collaborating with environmental justice (EJ) organizations and public high schools in new haven and throughout new england to develop a multi-year program focused on EJ leadership training and environmental education opportunities to 225 students at common ground high school (cghs). The project will grow opportunities for youth in new haven and throughout new england to become EJ problem-solvers by utilizing leadership projects focused on clean air, clean water, and land revitalization topics. The grantee will also build the teaching capacity of educators to instruct students on EJ through professional development and networking opportunities, such as workshops, online resources, etc. Activities:this project will increase public awareness and knowledge about environmental issues in new haven, connecticut (CT) and throughout new england. The project will provide high school students and educators at common ground high school (cghs), public schools in CT, public high schools throughout new england, community-based organizations (cbos) in CT and new england, and environmental justice (EJ) organizations in CT and new england with the skills necessary to make informed decisions that facilitate responsible environmental actions. Activities to be performed during this project include refining and expanding the cghs curriculum to align with united states environmental protection agency (EPA) priorities and EJ, selecting and training a cohort of cghs students to be EJ-problem solvers, and engaging cbos, EJ organizations, and public high schools throughout new england in opportunities to integrate EJ into their curriculum and approach to environmental education. Subrecipient:partner community nonprofits, environmental justice (EJ) organizations and public high schools will be identified to assist in the project by acting as mentors and partners in student projects to assist them in growing as EJ problem-solvers, act as CO-planners and CO-teachers in the common ground high school (cghs) EJ curriculum, participate in training and consultation opportunities to increase their capacity to implement EJ in their curriculum, and assist new haven ecology project, INC. (nhepi) to create an online resource guide on teaching EJ in public high schools and assist with dissemination opportunities. Outcomes:IT is anticipated that this project will result in the following deliverables: a 2-day workshop focused on teaching environmental justice (EJ) in public high schools in new england, over 10 conferences, workshops, blog posts/newsletter articles, media opportunities hosted/published, over 10 model community projects developed by common ground high school (cghs) students, development of a 4-year EJ curriculum at cghs, over 225 students engaged as EJ-problem solvers, and publication of an online resource guide on teaching EJ in public high schools. Expected outcomes of the project include 1) increased commitment and capacity for teaching EJ by educators, 2) increased capacity for high school students to act as EJ problem-solvers, 3) increased contributions to environmental stewardship and EJ by high school students and educators, and 4) increased interest in environmental careers and commitment to future environmental stewardship actions by high school students. The intended beneficiaries include students and educators at cghs, community members in new haven, environmental leaders and community-based organizations in new haven and throughout connecticut, and EJ organizations and students and educators at public high schools throughout new england.