Advancing EE

Advancing EE

MAEE works to educate and advocate for more and better environmental education in the state of Minnesota.  Whether at the national, state or local level, our partners and Board work to make this dream a reality. Our advocacy vision is to build support for environmental education at all levels of government, in key state agencies and to empower a lively grassroots base of practitioners, parents, students and allies.

MAEE Advocacy Committee

Help advance environmental education in Minnesota by joining MAEE’s Advocacy Committee. Contact maeeinfo@gmail.com to learn more and get involved.

Foundational Documents for EE in Minnesota

A GreenPrint for Minnesota: Minnesota’s state plan for environmental education for 2008 to 2018.

Environmental Literacy Scope and Sequence: Key EE concepts and the sequence in which they should be taught.

MN Report Cards on Environmental Literacy: The results of the three statewide surveys measuring the environmental literacy of adults in Minnesota

History of EE in MN (pdf) {update page}

EE in Minnesota Map 

Connect with other organizations throughout Minnesota who are helping to advance the field of environmental education everyday!

{link to EE Map page}

National EE Advocacy

Learn about and get involved in national environmental education advocacy through the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE).

  • EE in the Every Student Succeeds Act: On December 10, 2015, President Obama signed into law the Every Student Succeeds Act, which reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act—the comprehensive federal legislation governing preK-12 education in the United States. The new bill includes, for the first time, language making environmental education and environmental literacy programs explicitly eligible for federal funds. Find additional ESSA resources and updates via NAAEE.
  • NAAEE’s Natural Start Alliance is a coalition of educators, parents, organizations, and others who want to help young children connect with nature and care for the environment. The Natural Start Alliance advocates for improvements to state requirements for early childhood education centers, including increased minimum guidelines for outdoor playtime and space per child. Learn more about outdoor learning environments and early childhood education and the work of the Natural Start Alliance.
  • No Child Left Inside Act: Since 2008, NAAEE has played a leadership role in developing and implementing advocacy strategy to advance the No Child Left Inside Act (NCLI). The intent of the NCLI Act is to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (formerly, No Child Left Behind) to provide grant funding to states for implementation of a statewide plan for environmental literacy. The NCLI Act has inspired the development of dozens of environmental literacy plans. In December 2015, thanks in large part to the strong foundation of support for the NCLI Act built by the EE community over many years, the reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act (now, the Every Student Succeeds Act) was passed with key language in support of environmental education included! NAAEE is working with the offices of Congressional EE champions Senator Jack Reed (RI) and Congressman John Sarbanes (MD-3) to reconsider the NCLI Act in light of the new education bill.

How to contact your representatives

U.S. House of Representatives

Find contact info for Minnesota U.S. Representatives.

U.S. Senate

Minnesota has two Senators, Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken. Click here to find contact info for Minnesota U.S. Senators.

Minnesota House and Senate

Find your state representatives and their contact info using Minnesota's district finder application.