Mission

The Environmental Education Association of New Mexico (EEANM) is a nonprofit organization which provides, promotes, and enhances quality environmental education by offering New Mexicans opportunities for professional development, communication, and partnership. Read more about our mission.

Ecoed Listserv

Subscribe (and don't forget to join EEANM!) to our email list to post and view postings related to New Mexico Environmental Education.

Project Learning Tree

Announcing the New Mexico Project Learning Tree Outstanding Educator Award for 2012! Click here to learn more about the award and find out more about Project Learning Tree environmental curricula and when trainings are scheduled.

Project WET

Click here to find out more about Project WET curricula and trainings.

Check our calendar page on the left menu to see what's coming up

Join the Campaign for Environmental Literacy, a national organization that focuses on policy and funding for EE at the national level.  

An Environmental Literacy Plan for New Mexico

EEANM launched Environmental Literacy Planning for New Mexico on January 5th at a meeting co-hosted by the NM State Land Office.

The statewide effort will produce an Environmental Literacy Plan (ELP) for the state’s schoolchildren. 

The plan is in response to proposed federal legislation, the No Child Left Inside Act. The Act has specific requirements for Environmental Literacy Plans that would be eligible for implementation incentives if the legislation is passed.   Senator Jeff Bingamon and Senator Tom Udall are sponsors of the Senate bill and Representative Martin Heinrich and Representative Ben Ray Lujan are sponsors of the House bill.   State environmental literacy plans detail the environmental education inputs at each grade level, including standards addressed, teacher preparation and support, and assessing students’ environmental literacy.  Schools and districts that have adopted environmental education as an interdisciplinary theme have increased their student achievement.   At this point in time, nearly all of the states are developing ELPs.  Ultimately, the goal is to have the plan adopted by the NM Public Education Department.   

The Center on Education Policy’s 2008 report, Instructional Time in Elementary Schools: A Closer Look at Changes for Specific Subjects, demonstrated the narrowing of educational focus brought by the No Child Left Behind legislation, with a majority of school districts adding time to teach language arts and math, while reducing time spent teaching social studies and science.   Students and society are shortchanged by the dramatic reduction in the breadth of student education, brought on by efforts to comply with the No Child Left behind Act.  A 2005 study by the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation, Environmental Literacy in America, found that 68% of Americans failed a basic quiz on awareness of environmental topics.  Most recently, a Yale University study released in April 2011 found that 54% of American teens say that global warming is occurring compared to 63% of adults.  Both of these studies found that Americans think they have more environmental knowledge than they actually do.

Meetings will be held around the state to gather input for the plan. To participate, contact EEANM at info@eeanm.org.

EEANM Board Meetings

Members are welcome and encouraged to attend the bi-monthly Board meetings, held on the fourth Thursday of every other month. For locations and times, contact us! Minutes from the most recent meeting are available by clicking the meeting date below:

Board Meeting Minutes, September 2011