ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATES





Mission Statement


Environmental Education Associates (EEA), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located in San Anselmo, California, designs programs that integrate students' existing studies at the high school level in social studies, civics, economics, science, and literature into a broader consideration of the nation's concern for environmental protection.  EEA's environmental curricula reflect the complexity of the science, economic, and public policy issues at the center of almost all environmental disputes.  As a result, our curricula and approach to teaching emphasize the "gray area" that students must confront if they are to understand and intend to resolve the environmental concerns in their communities.


EEA's initial curriculum focuses on the federal Endangered Species Act.  The second curriculum addresses the issue of environmental justice.  Each course takes as its springboard a hypothetical case pitting seemingly intractable opponents in the search for both legal and ethical solutions.  It is the aim of EEA's hypotheticals to confront students with realistic concerns facing a community similar to theirs, and to encourage them to discover consensus when no party in the hypothetical dispute is clearly right or wrong.


EEA's coursework, included within a class offered as part of a participating school's established curriculum, is presented in a seminar setting for approximately twenty-five to thirty students.  Each course is designed for six to eight class periods taught over a three to four week period.  Lesson plans promote give-and-take discussion rather than a formal lecture. 


EEA's programs are initially taught by teams composed of 3 to 5 volunteer environmental professionals.  Each team member is selected on the basis of their ability to teach certain core elements of the project.  These include writing, math and science, civics, environmental law, and legal advocacy.  After the classroom teacher has participated in the course, a smaller team of EEA volunteers led by the teacher is used in future classes.  EEA's programs are provided at no cost to participating schools.  With the exception of overhead relating to the use of a classroom, EEA or participating corporations/law firms cover all costs, including the production of the coursebook which every student receives.
Since stepping into the classroom at the beginning of 1994, EEA has expanded the program to establish classes in high schools throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.   




The following curriculms are for your review:






Please direct all inquiries to Environmental Education Associates at P.O. Box 1802, San Anselmo, California 94979-1802. Telephone: (415) 460-9760.