Information Sources for Environmental Education. ERIC Digest.

In this information age of instant access to libraries, databases, information centers, organizations, government agencies, and self-appointed experts worldwide, where do you turn for accurate, reliable, and up-to-date information about environmental education? There are many competing voices hoping to influence the practices and policies of teachers, schools, parents, and administrators, so it seems important to have confidence in one's sources of information. Listed here are some of the key information sources used by parents, researchers, and other professionals. There are many more local, regional, national, and international resources not listed here, but these are reliable starting points in your quest for information.

INFORMATION CENTERS

One of 16 clearinghouses in the ERIC system, ERIC/CSMEE gathers a wide range of materials, from conference papers and research reports to instructional materials and tradebooks.

http://www.ericse.org

Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for Mathematics and Science Education

ENC is a national repository for mathematics and science instructional materials. It is part of a nationwide network comprising the Eisenhower Regional Consortia, ENC Demonstration Sites, and ENC Access Centers.

http://www.enc.org/fr_index.htm

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

The mission of the U.S. EPA is to protect human health and to safeguard the natural environment.

http://www.epa.gov

U.S. Department of Agriculture

The mission of the USDA is to enhance the quality of life for the American people by supporting production of agriculture.

http://www.usda.gov

National Environmental Information Resources Center

Through the NEIRC, users can quickly access information on a multitude of environmental matters.

http://www.gwu.edu/~greenu/

Bureau of Land Management

BLM's Environmental Education Home-page provides links to teacher resources for a wide variety of environmental topics.

http://www.blm.gov/education/index.html

NOAA

NOAA's mission is to describe and predict changes in the Earth'senvironment, and to conserve and manage wisely the Nation's coastaland marine resources.

http://www.noaa.gov/

ORGANIZATIONS

EnviroLink is a non-profit, grassroots online community that unites hundreds of organizations and volunteers around the world.

http://envirolink.org

Global Rivers Environmental Education Network

GREEN is an innovative, action-oriented group that seeks to improve education through a global network that promotes watershed sustainability.

http://www.igc.apc.org/green/green.html

National Audubon Society

The Society strives to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds and wildlife for the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological diversity.

http://www.audubon.org/

Natural Resources Defense Council

NRDC uses law, science, and the support of its membership nationwide to protect the planet's wildlife and wild places.

http://www.nrdc.org

Environmental Defense Fund

EDF is an American organization dedicated to protecting the environmental rights of all people, including future generations.

http://www.edf.org/

Nature Conservancy

The organization preserves habitats and species by buying the lands and waters they need to survive.

http://www.tnc.org/

Environmental Education Training and Partnership

EETAP is a consortium of organizations designed to increase the number of education professionals trained in EE.

http://www.eetap.org/

North American Association for Environmental Education

NAAEE is a network of professionals and students working in the field of environmental education in over 55 countries worldwide.

http://naaee.org/

National Consortium for Environmental Education and Training

NCEET works to support, enhance, and extend effective environmental education in grades K-12. It holds training workshops, evaluates teaching and training materials and promotes networking.

http://nceet.snre.umich.edu/nceet.html

National Environmental Education Advancement Project

A national organization which aids state and local environmental education leaders in promoting their environmental education efforts.

http://www.uwsp.edu/acad/cnr/affil/neeap/neeap.htm

Environmental Council of the States

ECOS is the national, non-profit, non-partisan association of state and territorial environmental commissioners.

http://www.sso.org/ecos/

Sierra Club

Founded in 1892 by John Muir, the Sierra Club is devoted to the study and protection of the Earth's scenic and ecological resources.

http://www.sierraclub.org/

Ecological Society of America

A non-partisan, nonprofit organization of scientists founded to stimulate sound ecological research; clarify and communicate the science of ecology; and promote the responsible application of ecological knowledge to public issues.

http://www.sdsc.edu/~ESA/esa.htm

JOURNALS

A refereed journal published once a year that provides a professional forum for researchers, scholars, practitioners, and post-secondary students.

Environmental Education Research

An international refereed journal which publishes papers and reports on all aspects of environmental education.

http:/www.carfax.co.uk/eer-htm

International Journal of Environmental Education and Information

An international journal devoted to studies of the environment, in the broadest sense.

http://www.salford.ac.uk/env-res/eei/eei.html

The Journal of Environmental Education

A research journal that features case studies of relevant projects, evaluation of new research, and discussion of public policy and philosophy.

http://www.heldref.org/jee.html

WORLD WIDE WEB RESOURCES

A resource for students, teachers and professionals such as media specialists, inservice providers, nature center staff and curriculum planners for K-12 schools.

http://www.nceet.snre.umich.edu/

Research in Environmental Education 1971-1990

This website contains abstracts of journal articles and dissertations relating to environmental education. http://tlc.edu.uleth.ca/ciccte/naceer.pgs/pubpro.pgs/Abstracts/abstr actmain.html

National Library for the Environment

The National Library for the Environment is an online database of reports, databases, educational resources, daily environmental and Congressional news, conference information, career listings and counseling.

http://www.cnie.org

Directory of Higher Education Environmental Programs

The Directory of Higher Education Environmental Programs is an on-line directory of degree-granting environmental programs at colleges and universities.

http://www.conbio.rice.edu/cnie/dheep/

Sharing Environmental Education Knowledge

SEEK is Minnesota's interactive directory of environmental education resources.

http://www.seek.state.mn.us/

ECOMALL

ECOMALL is a website containing environmental information,services, products, and materials.

http://www.ecomall.com/

PUBLICATIONS

A NEETF/Roper survey which looks at the opinions and knowledge about the environment as well as self reported environmental behaviors.

Bardwell, L Ed.). (1994). "Environmental Problem Solving: Theory, Practice and Possibilities in Environmental Education." Troy, OH: NAAEE.

A collection of readings which presents and compares the four most prominent models of issue investigation in environmental education.

Engleson, D.C., & Yockers, D.H. (1994) "A guide to curriculum planning in environmental education." Madison Wisconsin: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

A guide to provide assistance and support to school districts in developing comprehensive environmental education programs.

Hungerford, H. et al. (Eds.). (1998). "Essential Readings in Environmental Education." Champaign, IL: Stipes Publishing L.L.C.

A collection of 29 readings of both seminal and modern studies, articles, opinion papers and philosophical papers on environmental education.

Roth, C. (1992). "Environmental Literacy: Its roots, evolution and direction in the 1990's." Columbus, OH: ERIC Clearinghouse for Science, Mathematics and Environmental Education.

An ERIC publication which operationally defines and explains what it means to be an environmentally literate person.

Ruskey, A., & Wilke, R. (1994). "Promoting environmental education: An action handbook for strengthening EE in your state and community." National Environmental Education Advocacy Project: University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Foundation Press, Inc.

A how-to book on organizing, starting, and promoting environmental education within state or local school systems for educators, parents, and advocates.

UNESCO. (1978). "Final Report, Intergovernmental Conference on Environmental Education." Organized by UNESCO in cooperation with UNEP, Tbilisi, USSR, 14-26 October 1977. Connect. Paris, France: UNESCO/UNEP.

One of the seminal documents in the field of Environmental Education in which the goals, objectives, and characteristics of environmental education are defined.

Volk, Trudi, L. and McBeth, Bill. (1997). "Environmental Literacy in the United States: What should be...what is....getting from here to there." USEPA EPA-NT902897-01-0.

A US EPA white paper publication which defines, explores, and assesses environmental literacy in the US.

Wilke, Richard. Ed. (1993). "Environmental education teacher resource handbook: A practical guide for K-12 environmental education." Millwood, NY: Kraus International Publications.