Join us as we review the schedule for the day, share some important announcements about upcoming events, and meet our President-Elect candidate, Autumn Reich. Several door prize winners will be announced to reward the early birds!
A lot of the doom and gloom messaging about the environment can have the effect of making people feel like the problem is too big and that there's no reason to fight for a brighter future since we're still doomed. That is not the mentality that will facilitate action, and the Hope for Florida Project seeks to change the way we look at our environmental issues here in Florida, using the same tone of messaging that Jane Goodall uses in her conversations about global conservation. I will give several examples of success stories (or "success in progress" stories) as a way to show that there is a reason to hope if we're willing to get involved--and for each story, I'll share some ways that the audience can help get involved in that topic. For example: The atala butterfly was once thought to be extinct, because its only larval host plant, coontie, was overexploited. When the butterfly was rediscovered, naturalists worked hard to get more populations of coontie planted, and now the atala butterfly is prolific in some gardens and yards--this is a success story in and of itself, but people can continue to be involved in supporting our Florida butterflies by choosing coontie and other native Florida plants in their gardens or yards, joining the Florida Native Plant Society, and even communicating with businesses to encourage them to include native plants in their landscaping.
I am a former middle school teacher and current artist, writer, and environmental interpreter. Though my background is in psychology, education, and the arts, I have more recently completed UF’s Florida Master Naturalist Program so that I can be better educated on the nature and... Read More →
Participants of the presentation will walk away with practical strategies to develop and nurture students’ environmental activism including the National Geographic’s Explorer’s Mindset Framework.
Monika Moorman, named Broward County Public Schools 2021 Teacher of the Year, has been an educator for over 20 years in grades ranging from first to adult education in both general and gifted settings. Originally from Poland, she completed her M.Ed. in international teaching at Framingham... Read More →
Learn about a college-level professional development model in early childhood environmental education. Learn about course requirements and opportunities for study, including scholarship funding for eligible formal and non-formal educators.
Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education, Florida Atlantic University
I am an Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education and Editor of the International Journal of Early Childhood Environmental Education (IJECEE) published by NAAEE.
What does Florida do with all that #2 once it goes down the toilet? Most people don't know it is collected, treated and depending upon where you live in Florida, it is made into a soil amendment or possibly fertilizer. Introducing students to "resource recovery" is essential for an environmentally conscious future; our book, a teacher curricula guide complete with 12 hands-on activities helps secondary teachers introduce the topics of wastewater treatment, resource recovery, fertilizers, government regulation, contaminants and more! The book is available for free to download for anyone to use.
Shea Dunifon is the Education Coordinator for Pinellas County Utilities. An award winning educator, she is based out of the South Cross Bayou Advanced Water Reclamation Facility in St Petersburg, where she educates 30,000+ individuals a year on where their used water goes, how it... Read More →
Dr Phil Kane is a lifetime environmentalist with over 35 years at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Trained in biology and science education, he has endeavored to facilitate the education of people on environmental issues by publications and activities.
Come walk through exciting free climate change learning modules and Climate Action Toolkits. Engage your students in hands-on activities, empower them to start powerful conversations in their communities and watch them become change agents with climate action projects. Formal and informal teachers are welcome. All modules are linked to the Next Generation Science Standards and the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.
Maria Claudia works as a Regional Coordinator for The Climate Initiative. She graduated college with a BA in Cultural Anthropology & Latinx, Latin American, and Caribbean Studies with a concentration in Social Justice Studies. Her background is in interdisciplinary and place-based... Read More →
Environmental educators will obtain Ideas and examples of environmental initiatives and projects utilizing school, county, state and national resources. A plethora of green resources will be shared focusing on environmental experts and hands-on, student-centered advocacy.
I am a teacher with elementary and middle school experience. After over 42 years in the field of education, I retired a few months ago. My positions included classroom teacher, grade level chair, writing facilitator, lead teacher/advocate and environmental advocate, environmental... Read More →
How do we make progress on climate change? It starts in America’s Everglades. Everglades restoration will make South Florida more resilient to the harmful impacts of sea level rise and climate change. Join our discussion to learn how Everglades restoration will mitigate the effects of climate change and how students can help.
Bianca Cassouto’s higher education and career experiences focus on sustainability, environmental education, and the relationship humans have with natural resources. She graduated from the University of Florida with a B.A. in Geography Geosciences and a minor in Environmental Studies... Read More →
You may have heard the call to “plant native” for all the planet-saving powers that native gardens offer; they can help us support biodiversity, conserve water, reduce pesticide and fertilizer use, and save time and money. But native gardens also provide an ideal opportunity to model and practice scientific inquiry and environmental stewardship with students. This presentation will share ways to use native garden projects to engage students as community scientists and stewards, along with tips (and cautionary tales) on establishing and maintaining native garden projects at your school or center.
Lauren Butcher is excited to share the Everglades with students and teachers as an Environmental Education Coordinator at Grassy Waters Preserve in West Palm Beach, FL. She also serves as a board member and education committee co-chair for Audubon Everglades. Lauren has 14 years of... Read More →
How short documentary films can be used to leverage community awareness and motivation to act on climate resiliency The positives and limitations of using a storytelling model to convey information about climate change Identifying which aspects of a documentary film most motivated and impacted the audience
Associate Professor of Geography, University of South Florida
Associate Professor of Geography, School of Geosciences, USF; Vice President of the Florida Society of Geographers; National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow, 2022
This presentation will provide an overview of aquaculture around the world and real-world examples of how aquaculture can be incorporated into traditional science courses as well as offer information on the numerous free resource available to Florida teachers.
Education Lead and System Specialist, FDACS Division of Aquaculture
I am the education lead and system specialist for the FDACS Division of Aquaculture. I work closely with industry professionals and educators to bring aquaculture into classrooms across Florida.
Attendees will learn how to use an in-class ecocolumn (made of three soda bottles) to model data collection and interpretation, then apply those skills to the campus detention pond, collecting data to make reasonable mediation recommendations to campus stakeholders. The yearlong scaffolded process can be adapted to multiple grade levels, and can include both math and writing prompts that support state testing initiatives.
Kati Morris is an Upper School Science Instructor at Canterbury School, in Fort Myers, Florida. Alongside her AP Environmental Science and Honors Chemistry classes, she also oversees the Canterbury Upper School Independent Student Research program. She has taught biology, chemistry... Read More →
Green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) is a growing practice that integrates native plants, natural soils, water conservation, and pollutant reduction technologies into drainage systems within the built environment. Although there are excellent opportunities for implementing GSI in cities and suburbs throughout Florida, our state also has a number of rather unique social, regulatory, and institutional barriers that currently make it challenging to implement GSI in most communities. This presentation will provide a few local case study examples of successful GSI projects in Central Florida, with a particular focus on the crucial role of engaged citizen scientists. A few ideas for scaling up GSI to a more standard practice in Central Florida, including some policy templates from other jurisdictions, will also be discussed.
Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Studies, Stetson University
Dr. Jason Evans is the Executive Director of the Institute for Water and Environmental Resilience and Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Studies at Stetson University. Jason’s research, outreach, and teaching portfolio largely focuses on climate adaptation and green... Read More →
CAPE (Community Action Projects for the Environment) is a program designed for youth clubs. The process engages youth in identifying an issue, talking to stakeholders, and asking a decision maker to create a change. Kids want to make a difference and are concerned about their environment. This is a good tool to help educators avoid controversy and prepare youth to be a positive force for change as they build 21st century skills.
4H Youth Development Extension Agent, UF/IFAS Sarasota County
As the 4-H Youth Development Extension Agent II for UF/IFAS Sarasota County, Sarah coordinates 4-H youth and volunteer education programs. Her interests include environmental education, the importance of connecting children with nature, and natural & cultural resource interpretation... Read More →
Structured as a book talk, this session will introduce a collection of award-winning children’s literature that can be used to develop understanding and inspire appreciation of the natural world. A book list and suggested complementary hands-on activities will be shared. Intended audience- anyone working with elementary students.
Associate Professor of Education, Stetson University
Melissa Parks, PhD, is an associate professor of education at Stetson University. Dr. Parks has served on the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) Outstanding Science Trade Book Award Committee, is currently a member of the NSTA Preschool- Elementary Science Teaching Committee... Read More →
We will demonstrate the use of Remora, an app to record single-use plastic use and refusal. We will also show how this data, generated by the students, can then be analyzed to explore trends in plastic use. We have successfully used this approach at Eckerd College.
Associate Professor of Marine Science, Eckerd College
Shannon Gowans is a Professor of Marine Science and Biology at Eckerd College. Together with Amy Siuda (Associate Professor of Marine Science at Eckerd College) we lead the Reduce Single-Use Project at Eckerd Collage. Our project is focused on encouraging the reduction of single-use... Read More →
Shannon Gowans is a Professor of Marine Science and Biology at Eckerd College. Together with Amy Siuda (Associate Professor of Marine Science at Eckerd College) we lead the Reduce Single-Use Project at Eckerd Collage. Our project is focused on encouraging the reduction of single-use... Read More →
Lessons learned from piloting a local Adopt-a-Drain (storm drain) program. Speaker will highlight inputs and outputs invested in the program, and also share some success stories. This program has applications for municipalities statewide.
Natural Resources Agent, UF/IFAS Extension Pinellas County
Lara Milligan is the Natural Resources Agent for UF/IFAS Extension Pinellas County. Her work focuses on water and wildlife education for the public. She has a Masters from University of Florida in Forest Resources and Conservation and is a graduate of the Florida Natural Resources... Read More →
Explore simple ways to take data collection lessons and activities into the schoolyard across counties with GIS technology. From weather data to student experiences outdoors learn how to empower educators and students to collect, share, and analyze environmental data.
Environmental Education Coordinator, Florida Gulf Coast University
Regina Bale has her M.A in Educational Technology from the college of education at Florida Gulf Coast University and is the environmental education coordinator for The Water School. She has over ten years of experience teaching and academic coaching in science at the elementary and... Read More →
This presentation will highlight some of the findings and insights from our ongoing research analyzing the long-term impacts of the National Network for Ocean and Climate Change Interpretation’s climate communication training program. Our project collected surveys and interviews from participants in the 2011-12 cohorts in order to gain insight on the long-term effects that this program had on them and their respective institutions. Overall, we will discuss the components that contribute to successful train-the-trainer programs, as well as some potential areas of improvement for future professional development programs. Additionally, we will discuss the importance of train-the-trainer programs to the environmental education field, as well as the implications that our research has on climate communication training as a whole.
Assistant Curator of Museum Education, University of Florida
Natalie Triana is an undergraduate student at the University of Florida studying Political Science, Economics, and Sustainability Studies. Currently, she conducts research on climate communication training for museum educators with Dr. Megan Ennes at the Florida Museum of Natural... Read More →
Natalie Triana is an undergraduate student at the University of Florida studying Political Science, Economics, and Sustainability Studies. Currently, she conducts research on climate communication training for museum educators with Dr. Megan Ennes at the Florida Museum of Natural... Read More →
Your votes and nominations are in! We will honor the 2023 LEEF Award winners, announce the new Board of Directors, and choose more door prize winners. We look forward to seeing you and celebrating with you!
