Environmental Literacy

DEFINITION ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY

In recent years, the term “environmental literacy” has become increasingly prevalent, but how exactly is environmental literacy defined?

NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY

Our future relies on a well-educated public to be knowledgeable and active stewards of the environment, yet the U.S. public suffers from a tremendous environmental literacy gap that appears to be increasing rather than decreasing. Learn about efforts across the country to support the development of environmentally literate students and citizens.

MID-ATLANTIC ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY STRATEGY (MAELS)

Developed by education experts, the Mid-Atlantic Elementary & Secondary Environmental Strategy (MAELS) calls upon federal, state & non-governmental partners to work together to ensure that educators and schools across the region are provided with the proper tools, training & resources to support student environmental literacy and ensure that school buildings, grounds & operations support positive environmental and human health outcomes.

MARYLAND ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY

In 2011, Maryland became the first state in the nation to pass an environmental literacy high school graduation requirement mandating that every local public school system in the state must now provide a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary environmental education program. Learn more about Maryland’s environmental literacy standards & graduation requirement as well as current efforts to support effective environmental literacy plan implementation in schools.

E-LIT 101: TOOLS TO EXPLAIN ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY

Effective communication of requirements, resources and expectations is critical for successful environmental literacy plan implementation, yet the concept of environmental literacy is still unfamiliar to many people. These materials have been designed for use as an introduction or refresher for individuals, or as training tools to easily familiarize others with environmental literacy.