The Maine Environmental Education Association is seeking nomination applications for recognition of outstanding environmental achievement in Maine in the following four categories:
- The Eberhard Thiele Environmental Educator Award
- Excellence in Environmental Education Program Award
- Maine Environmental Education Association School of the Year Award
- Maine Environmental Education Association Business of the Year Award
Nominations may be submitted by the nominee or by a colleague on the nominee’s behalf. Applications are due by Monday, Feb. 8.
The selection criteria for each of the awards are as follows.
The Eberhard Thiele Environmental Educator Award is designed to recognize either an environmental education professional who works outside the formal classroom setting or a public or private school classroom teacher who incorporates environmental education into his or her pedagogical philosophy and practice. Eberhard Thiele was the first President of MEEA (1981), served many years on the board, and inspired many students as the director of Environmental Studies at the University of Maine, Fort Kent.
The award recipient:
- makes continuous and enduring contributions to environmental education
- demonstrates capacity for creating and implementing successful EE activities
- encourages students and/or audience to make informed decisions about environmental issues
- shows creative and innovative approaches to EE programming
- promotes environmental education by inspiring colleagues and/or providing training or resources to other educators
The Excellence in Environmental Education Program* Award is designed to recognize an outstanding environmental education program that is:
- innovative and creative
- sustainable
- has a strong evaluation component
- results in action or changed behaviors by participants
*Recipients for this award might include nonprofits, land trusts, city programs and others.
The Maine Environmental Education Association School of the Year Award is designed to recognize an outstanding Maine public or private school or school program that demonstrates a commitment to one or more of the following:
- reducing the school’s environmental impact and improving energy efficiency
- creating a healthy school environment (i.e. high school standards for nutrition, fitness, physical environment such as air and water quality, and quantity and quality of outdoor time for both students and staff)
- environmental and sustainability education that incorporates service learning.
The Maine Environmental Education Association Business of the Year Award is designed to recognize an outstanding Maine Business that is committed to one or more of the following:
- connecting to local land and resources which highlights conscious understanding of health, conservation or environmental and economical sustainability
- serving their community through the support of green initiatives
- reducing their environmental impact and improving their energy efficiency
MEEA awards will be presented at the annual conference, Pathways to Environmental Literacy: Sharing Stories to Inspire Our Work, on March 22 (snow date: March 23) at the Chewonki Foundation in Wiscasset.
Please complete the application form to nominate yourself or a colleague for one of the 2013 awards. Submission by email is required. If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact:
Please note: Individuals who serve as MEEA Board Members and the programs those individuals oversee are not eligible to receive MEEA awards during their term of service and for one year after. In addition, MEEA does not have to award every award every year; if MEEA deems there are not enough quality nominations in any one category, an award may not be given in that category that year.
More information
- Maine Environmental Education Association website
- Olivia Griset
MEEA Awards Committee Chair
oliviagriset@yahoo.com