In a very short time, author Richard Louv and the Children and Nature Network (C&NN), the organization inspired by his 2005 Last Child in the Woods book, is reversing the “Nature-deficit disorder” epidemic. Hundreds of grass roots groups nationwide are rediscovering the outdoors, and recently the federal government reintroduced the, “No Child Left Inside Act” on Earth Day 2009. This legislation would encourage states to create environmental literacy plans that would ensure environmental literacy for as part of K-12 education. This legislation also calls for the professional development of teachers and educators and outdoor learning experiences for students.

In response to the national momentum, NYSOEA formed an environmental literacy committee to address this issue in New York State. As the statewide outdoor education association it was a logical step for our organization, of formal and non-formal educators, to take a proactive stance in helping build momentum at the state level. Professors Beth Klein, from SUNY Cortland and Mary Leou, from New York University approached the NYSOEA Board of Directors with an interest to develop an environmental literacy plan for New York Sate. That led to the formation of the Environmental Literacy Committee in January 2009. The committee set forth to inform NYSOEA members and also gather preliminary information on how to define an environmentally literate citizen in New York State and the pathways that lead environmental literacy. A series of roundtables were held in the five regions of NYSOEA. The goal of the roundtables was to engage constituents in a dialogue about the development of an environmental literacy plan. Important information was gleaned from this series of conversations and the results were presented at the 2009 NYSOEA conference in September. The results will be posted on the NYSOEA website.

The committee’s ultimate goal is to ensure an environmental literacy plan comes to fruition in New York State that provides for environmental education in grades K-12 and teacher training and preparation to support it. The committee will also work with the New York State Education Department to secure an Environmental Literacy Plan for NYS. Once New York has an environmental literacy plan and The No Child Left Inside Legislation is signed into law, New York will be eligible for federal funding to begin steering our educational system into a direction that will inspire our youth to better understand and make the decisions that ensure a healthy future for a sustainable world.

Contact Information:

Helpful Links:

• NYSOEA Ning Site: Visit to view and participate in committee updates, online discussions, etc.
• The Bradley Bill: NY State Environmental Education legislation – in process
• The Kavanagh Bill: NY State Environmental Education legislation – in process
• No Child Left Inside Federal Environmental Education legislation – in process:
  • Senate Version
  • House Version
  • NCLI Coalition
  • TEEP Listserve