George Gehrig
Sandpoint, Idaho
The North American Association of Environmental Educators held their national conference in Pittsburgh
The Idaho Environmental Education Association is a state affiliate of the North American Association of Environmental Educators (NAAEE). The NAAEE meets annually, and the 2024 Research Symposium and Conference and was held November 5–9, in Pittsburgh, PA.
Pittsburgh, renowned as the city of bridges with an impressive 446 structures spanning its rugged terrain, stands as a testament to the power of connectivity. These bridges, which gracefully cross the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers and other waterways symbolize unity across neighborhoods once divided by landscapes of deep valleys, steep hillsides, creeks, and rivers.
Representatives from affiliate Environmental Education organizations from around the country collaborated and shared ideas and challenges.
The conference drew inspiration from Pittsburgh's iconic bridges, celebrating their symbolic significance while embracing the theme of "Building Bridges" to address challenges in the environmental education landscape. In a world grappling with complex environmental and social issues, collaboration and understanding were shown to be more crucial than ever.
"Building Bridges" spotlighted environmental educators as natural bridge builders, and focused on bridging gaps across borders, disciplines, and ideas. It aimed to foster mutual understanding and explore how to discover common ground. It brought together over 1,100 educators, policymakers, and environmental professionals from over 30 countries to discuss advancements in environmental education, share best practices, and address pressing environmental challenges.
IdEEA sent board member and Northern Rocky Mountain Biodiversity Challenge organizer George Gehrig to represent our organization at the conference!
Besides 400 thought-provoking sessions and posters, and inspiring keynote speeches, NAAEE’s new podcast was launched: “The World We Want” https://naaee.org/podcast. A new groundbreaking documentary titled “In Our Nature” was also premiered https://vimeo.com/1026597595. It is about the power of education and nature, and how educators are natural bridge builders to strengthen communities.
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