An official website of the United States government.

News Releases from Region 01

Connecticut Environmental Chapter Awarded EPA Education Grant

Among Environmental Education Grants in 26 States

09/22/2017
Contact Information: 
David Deegan (deegan.dave@epa.gov)
617-918-1017

BOSTON - The National Audubon Society has been awarded a $91,000 Environmental Education Grant by the US Environmental Protection Agency to support its work in addressing a range of topics in classrooms to support schoolyard habitats. The grant given to the National Audubon Society in Greenwich was among 36 grants awarded nationally and three grants awarded in New England under the 2017 Environmental Education Grants Program.

"To solve environmental challenges in the future, young people need to understand the science behind our natural world," said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. "Environmental education programs help children learn about the importance of clean air, water and land."

The Audubon Society received the funding for a project called "Creating School Habitats in Connecticut," that will allow the Audubon's Schoolyard Habitat Program is to establish a vibrant and sustainable network of schoolyard habitats in urban communities within Connecticut's Long Island Sound study area. This program will engage school communities in environmental education and stewardship focused on their own communities.

Audubon works with 16 public schools in New Haven and Fairfield counties to help develop bird-friendly habitat in their schoolyards, integrate environmental education into the curriculum, and engage the school and community in conservation work. The goals of this project are to create two new schoolyard habitats and to enhance 14 existing schoolyard habitats. It also aims to give professional development to teachers, as well as experiential, environmental education activities to students and education opportunities to families. It aims to help community members improve habitats on their school grounds and to provide high school students with career development and employment opportunities. Finally, the project aims to expand the schoolyard habitat network by developing leadership, sharing best practices, and supporting those involved in creating and protecting the habitat.

"Audubon Connecticut is grateful for the support from the Environmental Protection Agency for our Schoolyard Habitat Program, which enables underserved school communities to create healthy schoolyard habitats where wildlife thrives and children engage in outdoor science learning and environmental stewardship," said Stewart Hudson, executive director of Audubon Connecticut. "The award recognizes the commitment of our work with partners - U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Common Ground High School, Urban Farm & Environmental Education Center, the Yale Peabody Museum, local school districts and hundreds of dedicated teachers and students - to help develop the next generation of conservation leaders."

The other New England organizations to receive grants were Health Resources in Action of Boston, which received $91,000 and The New England Aquarium, which received $90,864. The Health Resources project will give low-income high school students of color at Boston Public Schools paid teaching internships to teach science to fourth to sixth graders in after school programs. The aquarium project will educate 500 Boston youth and adult volunteers on habitat restoration opportunities.

More information:

Summaries of each project, grant winners, and information on how to apply for future EE grant competitions (www.epa.gov/education/environmental-education-ee-grants)

Environmental Education at EPA (www.epa.gov/education)