Our Mission

Promoting Environmental Awareness

We promote environmental awareness by serving teachers, natural resource managers, nature center staff and environmental program managers with training, conferences, publications, programs and other resources.

This support of Maryland's environmental educators enables students to explore, investigate and act to improve the health of their schools and surroundings. In addition, meaningful change is the goal of MAEOE's collaboration with other environmental organizations to produce educational programs and promote environmental literacy throughout Maryland.

Towards Justice and Change

Dear MAEOE community,

We recognize the racial injustices experienced by people of color often do not go viral. There cannot be inclusive environmental education in outdoor spaces until all people are heard and feel safe in their communities. The process to accomplish this may drive anxiety, conflict, and even pain but it is one of the keys to our success.

As an organization that promotes environmental awareness and supports our communities to improve the health of their schools and neighborhoods, we must work together to fight the systemic racism that underlies the very fabric for our nation.

We believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the core of ensuring an environmentally sustainable future and are building it into the mission of our organizational structure. This will help us develop long term goals that will ensure MAEOE continues to be an inclusive space for all Marylanders.

Our students are our future and their voices matter. Guiding them through difficult conversations is an important practice that we must model. There is much work to be done and we must work together for lasting solutions that protect every single person of every single race to achieve our collective vision of a sustainable future.

We can only solve the environmental issues of today and tomorrow by including everyone in the discussion. We ask you to consider the following questions with the board, advisory council, and staff:

• How do we share relevant topics with our students in a virtual environment?
• How can we integrate topics of equity and inclusion into our discussions about the environment?
• How do we help our students to process their thoughts and feelings about current or future injustices in a virtual environment?

We invite the MAEOE community to let us know how we can help your organization, school, family, and children. The challenges we face are immense, and it will take every single one of us to commit to building an anti-racist world.

Sincerely,

MAEOE Staff, Advisory, and Board

Maryland Green Schools and Green Centers

A major focus for MAEOE is managing and operating the Maryland Green Schools and Green Centers Programs. This initiative involves training Green Centers and Green Leaders to support teachers and students to implement sustainable activities. These activities include planting and increasing riparian buffer zones, recycling and reducing school waste and identifying cost saving energy measures.

Currently, this program consists of 621 Green Schools, 42 Green Centers and over 200,000 involved students, teachers, parents

Annual Events

Another focus for MAEOE is our two prominent annual events:

• The MAEOE Conference is three days every February that brings together over 500 environmental educators from across the region for professional development and sharing of knowledge.
• The Maryland Green Schools Youth Summit is a celebration each May for schools that have successfully met the requirements to become a certified Green School.

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