The 2023 EENC Conference was a big success! EENC would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our highest-level sponsors, whose financial support helped make the conference possible. Our Champion-tier sponsor, DBA Partners, LLC, offers a vacation experience like no other. Nestled in the pristine surroundings of the Outer Banks, their property "Sweet Sands of Salvo, NC" is a masterpiece of luxury and comfort. This 6-bedroom, 5.5-bathroom haven promises not only exquisite accommodations but also panoramic views that would leave you breathless. Perfect for a grand family retreat or a serene get-away with friends, it beckons with the promise of cherished memories and experiences worth capturing. Their dedication to offering such a quintessential vacation experience underscores their commitment to excellence and quality. Our Guardian-tier sponsor, Duke Energy, is another pillar of support that deserves our heartfelt appreciation. Through the Duke Energy Foundation, they continually strive to bolster and uplift various communities in North Carolina. Their unwavering focus on community development and enrichment through grant funding has left an indelible mark on countless lives, mirroring their dedication to creating a brighter and more sustainable future for all. Without the generous contributions of DBA Partners, LLC and Duke Energy, along with our other sponsors, this conference would not have reached the heights that it did. Their donations have been instrumental in ensuring we could provide our attendees with an enriching and memorable experience. Beyond the financial support, it's their belief in our mission and vision that made this conference a landmark event. We deeply appreciate their commitment and thank them for being pivotal to the success of the 2023 EENC Conference.

EENC Community, The cooler weather in recent weeks is evidence that fall is upon us! Fall heralds many changes for our natural world, including changing leaf colors, migrating animals, and shorter days, and this year, it also marks a season of change for us at EENC. After almost six years of service as EENC’s first executive director, Lauren Pyle will be leaving the organization as of September 24, 2023. Lauren is moving out of state, and thus will no longer be able to support North Carolina's environmental education community. EENC will conduct a thoughtful and thorough hiring process to find our next permanent staff member in early 2024. Until then, The EENC Board of Directors has appointed Nikki Jones as interim executive director, with the support of the EENC staff, Michelle Pearce and Grace Baucom. In this role, Nikki will complement Michelle and Grace’s work by supporting partnerships, advocacy, operations management, fund development, and other projects. Nikki brings a wealth of experience in both formal and nonformal environmental education and more than a decade of experience supporting and developing outdoor and science educators in parks, camps, schools, and ecotourism settings. In addition, she brings deep knowledge of nonprofit management and experience with transition navigation and major grant writing. Since returning home to NC in 2018 with the City of Raleigh nature preserves, and most recently with Muddy Sneakers, she has been dedicated to growing meaningful connections in the EE community across the state. Nikki is inspired to put her passion for EENC’s work into further action as she helps guide our organization into its promising next chapter. Once Nikki begins in October, you will be able to contact her at director@eenc.org. EENC is committed to continuing our efforts to support North Carolina’s network of environmental educators to the fullest extent possible during this transition. We are eager to use this shift to look ahead and strategize how EENC can best continue to grow, adapt, and serve our community as we move forward! If you have any questions about this transition, you can contact EENC President, Amy Juliana, at president@eenc.org. We’re here for you! The EENC Team

Early this month, EENC friends and members gathered at Rockfish Camp and Retreat Center in Parkton for our 32nd annual conference, guided by the theme, “Unplug and rEEconnect.” It was a meaningful, energizing weekend of networking, learning, and fun, and now that we’re “plugged back in,” the EENC team is excited to share snapshots and highlights from our time together. 2023 EENC Conference By The Numbers: 130 attendees 26 presentations 9 award winners 3 guests from the Lumbee Tribal Council 32 strolls across the boardwalk 1 Keynote Address by author Mallory McDuff 61 silent auction items won 5 generous sponsors 19 drenched – but still smiling! – thunderstorm journalers 88 species observed during the iNaturalist BioBlitz 36 s’mores eaten around the campfire ...and countless memories. The conference was a blast – but don’t take our word for it! Here’s what some of our attendees had to say about their conference experience: “It is really hard to pick a favorite moment. I think my favorite moment was games on Thursday night or the Keynote speaker or just getting to talk with so many wonderful people!” “Meeting my peers in person is always the highlight.” “For my first EENC conference, this experience has surpassed expectations. I'm grateful I was able to attend, and I look forward to coming back next year!” “The venue was lovely and perfect for unplugging!” “I liked the variety of sessions. Some were more informative while others were hands-on. I wish I could have attended them all because they all would have brought value to either my personal or professional life.” “I thought it was a REALLY wonderful conference!! The attendees were all so friendly and there were so many opportunities to talk and meet with other attendees. Additionally, there was so much wonderful information shared. I really enjoyed the journaling, social media, and EE jobs sessions that I attended. The EENC staff were so wonderful and organized and just so friendly, staying in such great spirits” “So happy to be with my EE family.” Session Resources: Keep learning with the help of these resources, shared by our presenters. Compilation of Favorite Children’s Books (“Nature Story Time” session) “Turning Math and Science Instruction Inside Out” presentation Writing Examples and Resources for Environmental Educators compiled by Margot Lester (“Climate Education: How to Blend Data and Exposition,” Reconnect to Yourself and Nature with Journaling,” and “The Power of Your Ideas: How to Write for Social Change” sessions)

The 2023 NC Standard Course of Study Science Standards were released this July, after over a year of review, and revision by the Department of Public Instruction and NC Board of Education. During the revision window, EENC hosted collaborative working sessions for educators, provided updates on the proposed standards, and mobilized our community across the state to provide feedback during public review periods. Now that the updated standards have been finalized, EENC is continuing to provide support to educators by developing resources that highlight noteworthy updates and changes to the standards as pertain to environmental education. In August, we shared our At-A-Glance Document for Environmental Education and the North Carolina Standard Course of Study, which summarizes and spotlights standards in K-12 Science that are potentially aligned with environmental education topics and themes. Now, we are pleased to share a second resource for educators: Things to Note in the 2023 NCSCOS Science Standards. This document highlights key changes and differences between the 2010 and 2023 standards, including changes in content area categorization, revised language, and the addition of new clarifying objectives. Find the Things to Note Document Here. We encourage both nonformal and formal educators across North Carolina to review the new standards in their entirety, as well as the associated DPI resources, including the Crosswalks and Installation Timeline. Find the standards announcement from DPI on their website.

In September, after months of preparation, the EENC launched our new website – the one you’re visiting now! This bright and shiny new site houses our events, membership registration, blog, donation page, member-exclusive resources, all of our key advocacy and project information, and more. Our intention is that this site will serve as a “one-stop-shop” of EENC engagement opportunities for all of our community members, and with that goal in mind, we’re sharing this brief guide of key features and tools for navigating EENC's new website. With individual questions regarding your EENC account or membership, please contact our Communications & Relationships Manager Grace Baucom. Happy exploring! In this guide: Site Map Website Header Features Website Footer Features Becoming a Member Registering for an Event Finding Staff Info Searching for Blog Posts Making a Donation Website header with Log In button (log in to access your EENC event registrations, membership status, etc.). Website Footer: here, search the entire webpage using keywords, access all of our social media pages, and find our mailing address. Become a Member page: click the Membership level of your choice, then complete the registration process to become an EENC Member! Event page – for paid events, review event information and then click “Register” to purchase tickets and register. For RSVP events, click "RSVP." Meet Our Staff & Board page: read bios, and find email addresses, of each staff member by clicking on their profile picture. Latest News page header: looking for a certain news blog post? Filter by category, or search by title. Donate page: to make a donation, click the black “Donate Securely via Bloomerang” button (image 1), then complete the pop-up donation form (image 2).

NC Representative helps facilitate the auction at EENC’s 2014 conference Strong local networks and meaningful partnerships are important for the sustainability and success of environmental education organizations, and inviting leaders and elected officials to your organization’s signature events can be a great way to strengthen those networks and build connections. EENC members interested in inviting elected officials to community events can now do so with the help of a new resource developed by EENC staff and our 2023 Board Policy Chair, Brian Wuertz. The EENC Template for Inviting Elected Officials and Key Individuals to Your Organization’s Event provides resources to help environmental educators identify and select which elected officials to invite to an event, and includes guidance on how to contact those officials, including a customizable invitation email template. Wuertz notes that inviting elected officials to key events is an “opportunity to build goodwill and introduce them to the amazing work you do in environmental education,” which can open new doors and help promote environmental education efforts in your community. This resource is part of EENC’s ongoing efforts to advocate for environmental education in North Carolina, and to provide educators with materials and information that empower them to become their own best advocates and advance the field. Find the template here; EENC members can also log in to the Member Resources page to access the template anytime.

Thanks to the skill and passion of students from UNC’s Computer Science and Social Good club, EENC will collect, analyze, and share more program evaluation data than ever before. Computer Science and Social Good (CS + Social Good) is a nation-wide organization for university students interested in using technology to create positive change. Each semester, hundreds of students across the country pair with nonprofits to advance their efforts by completing prono bono coding design projects. Last fall, students from the UNC chapter of CS + Social Good reached out to the EENC team with an invitation to be one of their 2022-2023 school year nonprofit beneficiaries, and EENC Program Coordinator Michelle Pearce knew it was the perfect opportunity to expand EENC’s evaluation and reporting toolbox. Together, the UNC CS + Social Good and EENC teams developed a plan to build an evaluation dashboard that could synthesize and display the survey results collected from participants in EENC’s professional development courses. EENC had the data, and CS + Social Good had the technological savvy to bring it to life. Now, after a ten month build and review process, EENC is proud to announce the launch of our Evaluation Dashboard. Access the dashboard here: EENC CS+Social Good Evaluation Dashboard Coded in Python using the Streamlit software, the dashboard automatically imports, categorizes, and aggregates data from across program participant surveys into customized results visuals, making real-time evaluation – and therefore, timely course revisions and updates – feasible and sustainable for the EENC team. We’ll use these results to gain new, cross-program insights into our participant demographics and learning outcomes, as well as the unique and cumulative impacts of our programming. In addition to internal use for evaluation and analytics, the Dashboard is also publicly available on EENC’s website, and a summary of findings will be shared in our annual Program Evaluation Report each year. “Working with the team from Computer Science and Social Good was completely collaborative and really enjoyable,” says Pearce. “The team listened to EENC’s need for the dashboard and we all worked together to create a tool that will be sustainable and user friendly for the organization. We’re really looking forward to watching the data roll in!” EENC strives to be a leader in evaluation and transparency in environmental education, and this new dashboard aligns closely with other projects, including the design of a new evaluation-focused professional development course, that position EENC to understand and maximize our impact on environmental education efforts across the state. Many thanks to Prajwal Moharana, Mel Ho, and the rest of the UNC CS + Social Good team for coordinating this project and dedicating their volunteer time to supporting EENC’s mission.

EENC and 2022 Board President Elise Tellez are pleased to announce the release of our 2022 Annual Report, which documents the impact and ongoing efforts of EENC toward our mission to build connections, provide professional development, and promote excellence for North Carolina's community of environmental educators. “This past year has been an exciting year for EENC,” notes Executive Director Lauren Pyle in her letter to the membership. Key projects highlighted in the Annual Report include NC K-12 Science Standard revision advocacy work, a landscape analysis of environmental education across the southeast in collaboration with the Southeastern Environmental Education Alliance, and the development of eeGuidance for Equitable Pay and Hiring in the environmental education sector. That’s not all – 2022 also saw the development and release of a new professional development course on Universal Design for Learning in environmental education, and a corresponding presentation on universal design by EENC staff representatives at the North American Association of Environmental Education’s (NAAEE) annual conference in Tucson, Arizona in October. Board members also participated in NAAEE’s ee360 Leadership Clinic in May, where they worked alongside other Affiliates to discuss and dig into organizational structure and design for EENC. And in August, we brought members together for our own annual conference, held at the McKimmon Center in Raleigh, for two days of speakers, networking, and professional development, including a keynote by Dr. Rasul Mowatt focused on the decolonization of environmental education practice. It’s been a busy 2022, and EENC is excited to see what the new year holds. “In 2023, we will continue to champion environmental education, advocating for its integration at both policy and practice levels,” says 2022 Board President Elise Tellez in the Annual Report’s opening letter. We welcome you to stay in touch with EENC during 2023 by becoming a member, attending an event, and joining us at our annual conference.

At their June meeting, the Board of Directors approved a new EENC membership level: Guardian Organizational Membership. Guardian Organizational membership provides up to 50 staff with individual Professional level benefits, and includes access to all of EENC’s organizational member benefits. Guardian membership was developed in response to community requests for a membership level that could accommodate mid-size organizations who would like to cover more than the 25 employees included under the Leader level membership, but don’t have a large enough staff to fully take advantage of the Champion level membership’s 100 employee coverage. The Guardian level aims to fill that gap, and provide a cost-effective, meaningful membership option for organizations seeking to offer individual Professional level benefits to between 25 and 50 employees. Board members anticipate that the Guardian level membership will allow a broader range of North Carolina schools, museums, and organizations to take advantage of EENC membership than ever before, and they’re excited to welcome new members to our Organizational Member Community. Interested in becoming an EENC Organizational Member? All non-profits, institutions, and agencies whose aims and purpose are in keeping with the mission of EENC are eligible for membership. Find out more and apply at https://www.eenc.org/become-a-member.

One of EENC’s current priority areas of focus, as detailed in our 2021-2024 Strategic Plan, is to build internal capacity. To that end, the Board and Staff teams have taken on many projects over the last three years that aim to support and strengthen capacity, including developing a multi-year staffing plan, revising Board position expectations and tasks, and creating updated systems for optimized internal communications and collaboration. During their July meeting, the Board of Directors finalized another such capacity-building project relevant not just to EENC’s internal operations, but to our organizational identity, when they reviewed and voted to approve EENC’s official Value Statement. Development of the Value Statement was led by Past-President Board Member Elise Tellez, alongside Values Task Force team members President Amy Juliana, President-Elect Kyra Thurow Bartow, and Partnerships Chair Nikki Jones, in a collaborative, iterative process that began late last year. Now, after over six months of effort and input from all Board Members, EENC is proud to expand our organizational identity to include official values that represent our evergreen priorities and beliefs, and provide additional insight for members, and the general public, into EENC’s identity and ideology. The Values Statement is now live on the About page of our website.

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release EENC Receives $20,000 Grant from Triangle Community Foundation Funding Will Go Toward Development of Climate Change Education Professional Development Offerings Hendersonville, NC (June 23rd, 2023). EENC’s Staff and Board of Directors are pleased to announce that EENC has received $20,000 of unrestricted support from Triangle Community Foundation as part of its Sustainable Communities grant program. Funding from this grant will be used to expand EENC’s professional development offerings to include North Carolina-specific eeCredential programs grounded in the forthcoming NAAEE Climate Change Education Guidelines for Excellence, with the aim of centering climate resiliency work in environmental education and strengthening EENC’s reach and impact among nonformal and formal environmental educators statewide. “The professional development opportunities, including both in-person and online offerings, developed as a result of this grant will provide educators with the skills and knowledge they need to deliver effective, high-quality environmental education that helps learners weigh various sides of environmental issues and develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills as well as provide professional recognition,” notes Lauren Pyle, EENC Executive Director. EENC envisions a future in which individuals across all North Carolina communities are empowered by their knowledge, skills, convictions, and abilities to inspire a just and sustainable world. By providing key funds needed to advance EENC’s climate change education professional development efforts, the Triangle Community Foundation’s generous support works to bring that vision for the future to fruition. “Climate change is an existential threat, and investing in organizations working to combat climate change is more important than ever,” said Sarah Guidi, Senior Program Officer for Arts and Sustainable Communities Initiatives. “EENC was selected this year because of its work providing education and communications around conservation and climate issues.” – About EENC |The Environmental Educators of North Carolina grew from the desire of environmental educators across North Carolina to meet and share their experiences, aspirations, and tools. Since its inception in 1990, EENC has grown into something much greater. Our organization represents a network of outstanding environmental educators, individuals, and organizations who work together to accomplish our core mission: to build connections, provide professional development, and promote excellence in environmental education. Learn more at eenc.org. About Triangle Community Foundation | Founded in 1983, Triangle Community Foundation works to build a brighter future for everyone in the Triangle region of North Carolina. By working with dedicated donors and strong nonprofits, the Foundation is able to guide gifts in strategic ways to fill in gaps, reduce inequities, and solve the region’s most pressing challenges. Learn more at trianglecf.org. ###

Early this month, EENC became one of the first fifty organizations worldwide to sign on to the Green 2.0 Pay Equity Pledge, demonstrating an ambitious commitment to transparency and equity in pay, hiring, and staffing. The Pay Equity Pledge is a campaign from the environmental diversity NGO Green 2.0 that aims to increase pay equity for women and people of color in environmentally-focused organizations. EENC is excited to be aligning ourselves with such existing pledgers as the National Parks Conservation Association, the Sierra Club, and the Nature Conservancy as a means to further and celebrate our ongoing efforts related to pay and hiring equity, which include developing a ten-year staffing and advancement plan, designing and implementing a model of shared leadership for the EENC team, and promoting equitable hiring across the environmental education section via policy recommendations and individual support. By taking the pledge, EENC commits to continuing to analyze staffing and pay structure to promote shared leadership and equity, and to submitting annual accountability reports to Green 2.0 to share updates and progress. “We've been working internally to evaluate our compensation structure, and externally, we're supporting the community of educators we serve through our work with SEEA's eeGuidance for Equitable Pay and Hiring”, notes EENC Executive Director Lauren Pyle. “Taking the pledge with Green 2.0 helps show our commitment to that work.” The pledge:“Our organization is committed to conducting a pay equity analysis of staff compensation to look at differences in compensation in regard to race, ethnicity, and gender, to collect and analyze relevant data, and take corrective actions to remediate pay disparities.”