Editorial Issue 113, Summer 2017


General Editor Tim Grant


Editorial Assistant Sofia Vargas Nessi


Editing Amy Stubbs, Tim Grant


Regional Editors Canada Gareth Thomson


Laurelei Primeau Bob Adamson Raissa Marks Craig White Janet Barlow


Barbara Hanbidge Remy Rodden


United States Karen Schedler Helen de la Maza Mary Lou Smith Dean Goodwin Cathy Meyer


Shelene Codner


Laura Downey-Skochdopole Jeanine Huss Christine Voyer


Sandra Ryack-Bell John Guyton Bob Coulter


Lauren Madden Kary Schumpert Lois Nixon Sara Ivey


Anne DiMonti Tim Brown Jen Cirillo


Celebrating our Leaders Alberta (403) 678-0079


British Columbia (604) 942-0267 Manitoba (204) 261-7795


New Brunswick (506) 855-4144 Newfoundland (709) 834-9806 Nova Scotia (902) 494-7644 Saskatchewan (866) 254-3825 Yukon (867) 667-3675


Arizona (480) 828-4981


S. California (714) 838-8990 Connecticut (860) 465-2610 Delaware (302) 998-2292 Indiana (812) 349-2805 Iowa (319) 404-1942 Kansas (785) 532-3322 Kentucky (270) 745-2293 Maine (207) 228-1624


Massachusetts (508) 993-6420 Mississippi (228) 324-4233 Missouri (314) 442-6737 New Jersey (609) 771-3319 New Mexico (505) 710-5632 North Carolina (919) 467-6474 Oklahoma (405) 702-7122 Rhode Island (401) 245-7500 Utah (801) 596-8500 Vermont (802) 985-0331


New Zealand Patricia Hoffmann (South Island)


Green Teacher is a nonprofit organization incorporated in Canada. We are grateful for the financial support of the Ontario Media Development Corporation.


Design and Production Cover photo by Jacob Rodenburg, Camp Kawartha Layout and cover design by Lisa Rebnord


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ensure its’ success. But our appreciation should probably be extended to another group of volunteers – those who established the host organiza- tions many years ago. This spring I spent much time thinking about this when I attended the 50th annual conference of the Environmental Education Council of Ohio, and a few weeks later, the 25th annual con- ference of the Canadian Network for Environmental Education and Communication (EECOM). Both of these milestone events were celebratory affairs. Amidst the


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packed agendas, the conference chairs took time to salute those who helped to establish their organizations and those that managed to sustain them through subsequent years. The first group were the pioneers who had a vision of how such an organization could assist educators and build public support for environmental education more generally. They were persuasive individuals, who motivated and inspired others. And they put in countless hours to accomplish their vision. Not everyone can lead, nor can most dedicate the hours that those leaders invested to draw diverse voices into a


cohesive organization. Needless to say, those early leaders laid the orga- nizational foundation that subsequently enabled tens of thousands of educators to better incorporate sustainability into their programs, and how best to introduce young people to the natural world around them. While not a founder, I was EECOM’s vice-chair for 15 of its first


25 years. As such, I am very aware of how many challenges there are to sustaining volunteer-run organizations. You have to raise money, estab- lish newsletters and websites, determine membership benefits, organize conferences, and endlessly make public officials aware of the value of environmental education. In addition to these ongoing challenges, most organizations take on special projects each year. With so many possible choices, it is often tough to develop a consensus as to the best course of action. What is the take-away from this? The next time we attend a work-


shop or a conference, let’s take a few moments to thank the organizers. They deserve all the praise and gratitude that we can muster. Then let us take another moment to thank any of those in attendance who helped to establish and maintain the host organization for so many years.


What Happened to the Spring issue of Green Teacher?


Good question! Sad to say, but it seems that every two years or so, we get so behind that we have to skip an issue. Over the past several months, our progress on what was to be our Spring issue was slowed by an office move, staff changes, our work on a soon-to-be-published book on cli- mate change and the launch of Green Teacher’s video channel. Rest assured: we will be extending everyone’s subscriptions by one issue.


—Tim Grant


F YOU HAVE ATTENDED an inspiring workshop or conference, you have likely rubbed shoulders with, and possibly thanked the dedicated group of volunteers who worked behind the scenes to


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GREEN TEACHER 113


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