Where should you go to find out more about saving Mother Earth? Check it out below!

There are gobs and gobs of Web sites on the Internet about the environment and climate change. So many, in fact, that some of them get lost in the shuffle – especially those dedicated to education as a purpose. One of these is the North American Association for Environmental Education.

This site sees its mission as teaching people “how to think about the environment, not what to think.” The association tracks information in the political spectrum, as well as in the educational spectrum. One thing it is working on is a set of amendments to the No Child Left Behind act called "No Child Left Inside," which would include ways to integrate environmental education into American schools.

The association's site has oodles of information for everyone about the environment. One interesting read is the 2007 annual report(downloads a pdf), which details what the association has been doing over the past year. It's a great first step to getting to know these education-minded folks.

A fantastic resource for all is the EE-Link, which is a compendium of links to hundreds of sites that have something to do with educating the populace, from children to educators to college students and more.

By following the K-12 link under the heading "Audience-Specific Content," for example, you can find Teens for Planet Earth, an organization dedicated to getting teenagers involved in saving the planet and in educating others.

One section of this site is "News," which is an aggregate of environmental news - not just news for teens, but for everyone. In the Resource Library, kids can learn how to prepare for a career in an environmental field. The list includes taking science and math classes, looking for colleges with great environmental and science programs and getting involved in volunteer work and internships at local organizations dedicated to environmental issues.

Another great aspect of the site is the Take Action section, which has activities to help kids determine what they'd like to do to help earth and then how to achieve their goals.

Another site from the association is one that is for both high school and college student: Sierra Students Coalition, the national student chapter of the Sierra Club, which is another great eco-resource site.

This site has numerous great resources for students, including its blogs, under the heading of "It's Getting Hot in Here!"

These blogs are written by teens and young adults for teens and young adults.

Additionally, the site offers a great set of resources for students to get things started on their campuses. Coupled with that, the organization offers fellowships, which include $1,500 scholarships, for student leaders wanting to take their involvement a bit further.

NAAEE is serious about environmental education. Along with these engaging Web sites, it shows how it is trying to make environmental education something more important to American society. It has information on programs and initiatives it is involved in, including one project that would set up an environmental educator certification program. The program would create a professional credential for educators who teach about the environment, ensuring a high level of competency for the people who would teach our kids and young adults about how to care for the Earth.

The association recognizes that after gaining all of this wonderful education, there must be a place to take it an use it. The jobs page includes jobs such as the director of a charter school in Prescott, Ariz., instructors for a zoo camp in San Francisco, an environmental education intern and much more.

With loads of information - more than my humble blog could cover - NAAEE is a fantastic starting point in your journey of environmental discovery. Find your path. Just learn a little. Maybe nose around to see what your own Web site is missing.





Environmental education is the next step in this newfound trend in being green. We got the bug to be better to our planet, now let's make sure everyone learns as much as possible, so we can turn that trendiness into a habit.