Attend The Conference

#EENC2024: Imagining SustainablE FuturEs

REGISTRATION IS CLOSED: EENC's 2024 conference will take place September 13th and 14th at Catawba College in Salisbury, with a pre-conference workshop and field trips taking place on the 12th. The Scholarship Application for the conference is now closed.

We thank the Catawba College Center for the Environment for their generous in-kind facility donation for our conference sessions and gatherings!

Attention Exhibitors! Would you like to showcase your organization or program? You can set up table during the conference to share information about what you do. Organizational Members with a Platinum, Titanium, or Diamond level membership get to table for free! Contact Will at will@eenc.org for more information.

Lodging: We’re happy to be working with Dan Nicholas Park to provide camping options (at $35 per site per night), and Holiday Inn Express Salisbury (at $159 per room per night) for hotel accommodations. Details are available upon registration.

Do you need to fill out a travel/expense request before you can come? Use this Info Sheet with prices, lodging, and meals listed for the whole event!

It's Here!

2024 Conference Schedule

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2024 Conference Theme:

The 2024 conference theme is Imagining SustainablE FuturEs. During the conference, we will examine present-day issues to explore the future of environmental education in North Carolina. Through capacity building, engagement, and practical innovation we will dream big about what environmental education can look like and build skills for how we get there.

2024 Conference Session Strands:

The Future of Community Engagement: Environmental education (EE) can take place anywhere and involve anyone. This track will explore how EE can empower students through formal education, enable youth to be active contributors, and engage community members who are not typically represented in EE. Sessions will focus on the diverse ways EE can engage different audiences, such as visitor engagement, youth empowerment, higher education, adult education, and partnership projects.

The Future of Capacity Building: EE relies on the people and organizations that do the hard work. This track will delve into effective techniques for building capacity in organizations to promote growth, innovation, and sustainability. Examples include evaluation, strategic planning, facility management, and equitable pay and hiring practices.

The Future of Environmental Literacy: These sessions will examine what it means to be environmentally literate in 2024. How can we support environmental literacy in classrooms and beyond, and how might it be influenced by current issues? Topics include climate education, formal education, and systems thinking.

Research to Action: These presentations will highlight the research conducted by you and/or your organization in the field, as well as its practical applications. For instance, you might present the findings of a study on intergenerational learning and then discuss strategies for engaging audiences in such learning experiences.

Hands-On, Minds-On: These presentations will showcase practical activities, field skills, demonstrations, and walking workshops that exemplify the essence of EE. They are designed to be interactive and demonstrate both the 'what' and 'how' of EE. Examples include activity demonstrations, activity guides, and identification skills workshops.

Don't Forget to Sign up for a
Pre-Conference Field Trip!

All pre-conference programs will take place on Thursday, September 12th and must be registered for separately.

Membership Offer
Thu, Sep 12
Horizons Unlimited
Pre-Conference Field Trip: Educator Play Day at Horizons Unlimted
Sep 12, 2024, 10:00 AM – 3:30 PM
Horizons Unlimited, 1636 Parkview Cir, Salisbury, NC 28144, USA
Horizons Unlimited is a science center operated under the Rowan-Salisbury School System that provides hands-on field trips to drive student engagement as well as professional development to support innovative science instruction from the field to the classroom.
Details
Membership Offer
Thu, Sep 12
Center for the Environment
Community Engagement: NAAEE Guidelines for Excellence Workshop
Sep 12, 2024, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Center for the Environment, 2300 W Innes St, Salisbury, NC 28144, USA
Do you want to build better programs and opportunities for your community WITH your community? Join us for this incredible collaborative workshop.
Details
Membership Offer
Thu, Sep 12
Henderson School Greenhouse
Pre-Conference Field Trip: Roots and Rivers!
Sep 12, 2024, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Henderson School Greenhouse, 1215 N Main St, Salisbury, NC 28144, USA
Starting at Henderson School Greenhouse, tour Happy Roots' longest running project area. Then venture over to the West End Community Garden. After lunch on your own, meet back up at RiverPark at Cooleemee Falls for some afternoon water fun!
Details

About The Location:

Just an hour from both the Triad and Charlotte Metro areas, Catawba College is situated conveniently in the heart of EENC's Piedmont Section. Our gracious hosts at the Catawba College Center for the Environment are opening their campus to our community: we can't wait for you to enjoy their AASHE STARS Silver rated, carbon-neutral facility, as well as the neighboring college-owned Fred Stanback Jr. Ecological Preserve.

"Since its founding in 1996, the Center has led a living-learning laboratory for campus sustainability that provides hands-on environmental learning opportunities for Catawba’s students while helping them learn how to advocate for and lead positive environmental change. The Center also serves as a research, convening and policy development hub for issues ranging from regional air and water quality to state and national environmental and energy policies.

The Center is housed in a stunning structure that emerges from a sloping stand of hardwood trees at the edge of the College's 189-acre ecological preserve. Every aspect of the building embodies leading sustainability principles, which creates one of the most sought-after spaces for environmental gatherings in North Carolina."

Additional conference information will be published here as it becomes available. Check back frequently for the latest details!

Estimated Release Dates: