Environmental education programs instill an environmental ethic in children and adults. Heritage Program. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has designed a program to strengthen school children's sense of personal stewardship of America's cultural heritage. In 1992 BLM launched the program with an educational video, featuring the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Two articles on the program appeared in Science and Children, a professional magazine for science teachers, and BLM took part in seven partnership projects to publicize the program. Goal 4. Encourage and support grassroots efforts. Because innovative grassroots projects can be particularly responsive to local needs, federal agencies support environmental education efforts at the local level. In 1992 OEE awarded $2.4 million in grants to schools, states, and nonprofit organizations to support environmental education projects around the country. Individual grants were as high as $250,000, but the majority were $5,000 or less. Some projects focus on specific issues such as water, air, and solid waste management, while others emphasize general environmental education either locally or globally. Educational approaches range from community cleanup to computer games. EPA selects projects for their innovation and applicability in other communities, soliciting grant applications in the fall of each year by means of notices in the Federal Register. Goal 5. Promote careers in the environmental field. As the public becomes more aware of global environmental problems, federal agencies are increasing called on to support environmental research. The nation needs environmental scientists, engineers, and other professionals capable of developing preventive solutions to environmental problems. EPA promotes environmental careers and encourages participation of minority students in environmental degree programs through a number of programs, such as the following: Internships and Fellowship. EPA administers programs that place college interns and in-service teachers in federal agencies active in environmental education. Internships encourage college students to pursue careers in environmental science, and fellowships encourage teachers to take their environmental experience back into the classrooms, thereby educating students about the environment and promoting the pursuit of environmental careers. NOAA administers the Dean John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship that annually supports up to 25 graduate students in the Sea Grant College Program Network for one year of educational experience in Washington, D.C. Federal agencies or Congressional staffs host the fellows, who work on assignments related to the marine environment. President's Environmental Youth Awards. Young people in all 50 states compete annually in this program which honors outstanding commitment to the environment. National award winners, selected by EPA regional offices, participate in a recognition program in Washington, D.C. Since 1989 President Bush has hosted ceremonies at the White House to honor the ten annual award winners. National Environmental Education Awards. A new federal awards program creates the following awards to recognize individuals for their contributions to environmental education: • Theodore Roosevelt Award for an • Henry David Thoreau Award for • Gifford Pinchot Award for an outstanding educational contribution to forestry and natural resource management. President's Environment and Conservation Challenge Awards. CEQ, working with private-sector partners, manages this program to recognize U.S. citizens and organizations for outstanding contributions to the nation's environmental quality. One of the four award categories is Education and Communications, in which Presidential medals are awarded for developing informational programs that inspire respect for the environment and raise the public's environmental awareness. For more information, see the Private Sector Initiatives section. National Network for Environmental Management Studies. NNEMS provides fellowships or paid internships to students in exchange for written studies or reports on environmental science, policy, and management in areas of concern to EPA. Most recipients are students conducting master or doctoral research. Goal 6. Provide educators and the public with access to appropriate environmental education materials. A quantity of environmental education materials exists, but quality varies and finding appropriate materials can be difficult. To categorize and provide access to the best materials available, federal agencies have the following efforts underway: Clearinghouse. To facilitate information exchange, EPA is developing an interactive computer system for environmental education materials produced by federal agencies and other organizations. EPA is testing the clearinghouse, designed for educators (K-12), during the 1992-1993 school year and plans to have it available to the public for the 1993-1994 school year. Earth Notes. This quarterly periodical, published by the EPA Office of Environmental Education, contains innovative ideas from educators (K-6) about their first-hand experiences in bringing environmental education into the classroom. The periodical provides an open forum for the exchange of teaching ideas, comments, and brief essays concerning environmental education in the elementary grades. Wee Deliver Newsletter. The U.S. Postal Service publishes this newsletter read by 1 million school children. The Postal Service and EPA developed a multi-page environmental insert on recycling and pollution prevention for the March 1992 issue, which was distributed to 7,000 elementary schools nationwide. Goal 7. Educate the general public to make informed decisions. The U.S. Postal Service issued this environmental stamp on Earth Day, April 22, 1992. Federal agencies are improving their ability to communicate complex scientific and technical information to the public. To prepare citizens to make informed decisions on the environment, federal agencies are sponsoring projects such as the following; Media Strategy. EPA is developing a media strategy that federal agencies can use to reach the general public with information about actions that individuals can take to make a difference in the environment. The strategy enlists the help of private partners and the media, including press, television, and radio. Marine Environmental Outreach. In 1992 the U.S. Coast Guard developed an outreach program for the general public and the marine industry. The campaign, scheduled for implementation in early 1993, will raise awareness of regional, national, and international marine pollution issues impacting U.S. waters. To improve relations with private groups, the Coast Guard will publish a Marine Environment Protection Strategy and a newsletter with updates on such topics as plastics in the marine environment, spill-reporting mechanisms, and the unintentional introduction of nonindige nous aquatic species into U.S. waters by ship ballast discharges. Sea Grant Marine Advisory Service. The NOAA Sea Grant Network sponsors public education/outreach programs that utilize a network of extension professionals in every coastal state. The programs target teachers, state and local policymakers, industrial leaders, and the general public. Educational efforts promote appropriate strategies to protect and wisely use aquatic resources. Mail That Mother Earth Can Love. The U.S. Postal Service produced a brochure by this title to explain what each person can do at work or home to help the mail and Mother Earth. The brochure contains the following tips for business mailers: Design recyclable mailings by using uncoated paper stocks, waterbased inks, and envelopes with water-based adhesives and recyclable windows or no windows at all; Support recycled-products • Print on both sides of paper; Target mailings; and • Reduce the amount of EPA and the Postal Service joined forces to produce posters promoting the "New 3Rs-Reduce, Reuse, Recycle." In September 1992 the posters appeared in postal lobbies throughout the country, and a multilingual design was |