Global Change and Environmental Education Resources

2007-11-15T18:27:00.000-08:00

Global Change and Environmental Education Resources

Multidisciplinary and international in scope, this collection of resources was selected for its relevance to global change and environmental education. Included is a wide range of resources in a variety of formats for educators and students at all levels (K-12 and higher education), librarians, citizens and community groups.
Air Conditioning: Analyzing the Role of Government Agencies in Climate Research and Environmental Policy
One of the "Daily Lesson Plans" developed by the New York Times in partnership with the Bank Street College of Education in New York City. In this lesson, students explore the roles that United States government agencies play in weather forecasting, climate control, and other climate-related environmental issues..
Alliance to Save Energy
Hands-on, multidisciplinary lesson plans in the area of energy at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.
Ask-A-Scientist
Provides "K-12 science, math and computer teachers (and their students) a place to practice telecommunications, to retrieve useful information in a wide variety of subjects, to contact research scientists from all over the world and to open communications between classroom teachers." Operated by Division of Educational Programs (DEP) of Argonne National Laboratory
Aspen Global Change Institute (AGCI)
The Aspen Global Change Institute (AGCI) is dedicated to enhancing understanding of global environmental change and the role of human beings in that change. AGCI helps to educate decisionmakers, students, and the public about the science of global change and its ramifications. AGCI convenes interdisciplinary meetings of the world's leading scientists, enabling them to work together at the cutting edge of a variety of topics of critical importance in the global change arena. The goal of these meetings is not only to further scientific understanding across disciplines, but also to serve as a catalyst for researchers to collaborate on new work.
Canada's Global Climate Change Web Site
This web site from the Government of Canada was developed to inform people about climate change and how it affects our environment.
CIA's Home Page for Kids
The Central Intelligence Agency homepage for kids provides information about the Nation's intelligence efforts as well as access to the World Factbook, geography trivia questions, and other fun things for kids to do.
Citation and Abstract Databases
A collection of databases that provides citations and abstracts to global environmental change literature.
Clearinghouse of Subject-Oriented Internet Resource Guides: Environment
Value-added guides which "identify, describe, and evaluate" Internet-based environmental resources and cover 40+ topics including energy, earth sciences, forestry, sustainable development, remote sensing, and environmental ethics, policy and law.
CNN: The Global Warming Debate (1997)
CNN correspondents around the world examine the science, the economics and the politics of the global warming debate.
Common Questions About Climate Change
Published by the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organization, Common Questions about Climate Change answers some of the most commonly asked questions about climate change, including whether the Earth has warmed, which human activities are contributing to climate change, what further climatic changes are expected to occur, and what effects these changes may have on humans and the environment.
Cornell Center for the Environment
A significant environmental site from Cornell University that combines research, teaching and outreach.
Department of Education Funding Opportunities
If you're interested in applying for a grant or contract from the Department of Education, here's information you'll need to know.
Discovery Channel Online
It's all here -- daily updates on the state of the planet, news briefs, feature stories, expeditions, mind games, live cams, and conversations.
DOE Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program Education Center
DOE Office of Science Education
The Department of Energy is committed to helping educate the nation's next generation of scientists, engineers, technicians, and educators.
DOE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network (EREN) Dr. E's Energy Lab
Where does renewable energy come from? What are the benefits and disadvantages? Which renewables are already providing energy? This site has all the answers. It provides information on renewable energy especially aimed at school children, university students and teachers. The site is divided into two zones. The Energy Trail provides renewable energy information for students. The Information Zone provides renewable energy information for teachers, further links and tells you how to contact the DOE sources.
DOE Office of Fossil Energy: Educational Activities
Why is energy important? Where do we find it? How do we use it? An introduction for students to the fuels we use most to power our economy -- and if we can develop the right technology, fuels that can power us into the future.
DOE Energy Information Administration Kid's Page
Online energy education resources -- these include energy activities that kids can do online and materials to help classroom teachers teach about energy.
DOE Office of Biological and Environmental Research Global Change Education Program
The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Biological and Environmental Research has established the Global Change Education Program to promote undergraduate and graduate training in support of the Department's global change research activities.
Earthguide
Earthguide is an educational website with a focus on earth, environmental, and oceanographic sciences, and global change. The site is intended to be useful to K-12 teachers and students, as well as the general public. The site includes stories that document research expeditions by Scripps scientists, and makes available key diagrams, maps, and images in earth and oceanographic sciences.
Education for Sustainability
Education for Sustainability: An Agenda for Action, resulted from the National Forum on Partnerships Supporting Education about the Environment, held at the Presidio in San Francisco in October 1994. The document contains recommendations on how to incorporate sustainability education into and beyond the classroom. Specific initiatives and opportunities provide guidance to individuals or groups interested in sustainability education and collaboration is encouraged from all sectors. Discussions between the President's Council on Sustainable Development (PCSD) and the Forum developed the framework for the implementation of sustainability education and includes the following themes: 1) Lifelong Learning; 2) Interdisciplinary Approaches; 3) systems Thinking; 4) Partnerships; 5) Multicultural Perspectives; and, 6) Empowerment.
Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) and Other Clearinghouses
The Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) is a nationwide information network that acquires, catalogs, summarizes, and provides access to education information from all sources. The data base and ERIC document collections are housed in about 3,000 locations worldwide, including most major public and university library systems. ERIC produces a variety of publications and provides extensive user assistance, including AskERIC, an electronic question answering service for teachers on the Internet. The ERIC system includes 16 subject-specific Clearinghouses, the ERIC Processing and Reference facility, and ACCESS ERIC which provides introductory services.
Educator's Reference Desk
"The Educator's Reference Desk builds on over a quarter century of experience providing high-quality resources and services to the education community. From the Information Institute of Syracuse, the people who created AskERIC, the Gateway to Educational Materials, and the Virtual Reference Desk, the Educator's Reference Desk brings you the resources you have come to depend on. 2,000+ lesson plans, 3,000+ links to online education information, and 200+ question archive responses. "
EE - Link
Environmental education on the Internet. Funded by EPA's Office of Environmental Education.
Electronic Mailing Lists for Global and Environmental Change Education
Compiled to provide easy access, these lists are useful discussion forums that address topical areas.
Encyclopedia of the Atmospheric Environment
The Encyclopedia of the Atmospheric Environment is a one-stop source of information for all ages on a range of atmospheric issues, including weather, climate, air pollution, acid rain, global warming and ozone depletion.
Environmental Education and Education Reform
This site facilitates dialogue and collaboration between environmental education and education reform. It is a project of the Environmental Education and Training Partnership (EETAP) funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Environmental Education and Training Partnership (EETAP)
The North American Association for Environmental Education and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are working together on a national project, delivering quality environmental education training and related support services to education professionals.
Environment Canada Kidzone
Environment Canada deals with issues, programs and other aspects of the ozone layer. Includes a Kidzone with facts and quizzes.
EPA Environmental Education Center
Want to learn about the environment? Want to share what you know with someone else? With fact-sheets, interactive games, and more, EPA's website can help you with all sorts of information about EPA and the environment.

EPA Environmental Education Web Site
There is a kid's page, a student's page, and a teacher's page. The mission is to advance and support education efforts that develop an environmentally conscious and responsible public and inspire personal responsibility in caring for the environment.
EPA Global Warming Kids Site
Global warming may be a big problem, but there are many little things we can do to make a difference. If we try, most of us can do our part to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that we put into the atmosphere.
EPA Global Warming Web Site
What is the problem? What do we know? How serious is it? Now? In the future? What's being done? What can I do? This site does a great job answering these questions.
EPA Environmental Education Grant Program
The Grant Program sponsored by EPA's Office of Environmental Education supports environmental education projects that enhance the public's awareness, knowledge, and skills to make informed decisions that affect environmental quality.
Federal Government Internet Educational Resources
Department of Education funded internet resources and other government internet resources for education and libraries.
Federal Resources for Educational Excellence
This site offers teachers access to all the learning resources provided by the Department of Education and 40 other federal agencies.
Federal Task Force on Environmental Education (Member Internet Sites)
The Federal Task Force on Environmental Education facilitates communication and collaboration among federal agencies and departments that have common interests in supporting and implementing environmental education programs. The task force places emphasis on supporting joint interagency environmental education projects that leverage both federal and non-federal dollars.
Fellowships, Grants, and Funding Opportunities
Various sources of essential information (including federal agencies) involved in pursuing educational and research opportunities and grants.
Gateway to Educational Materials
This tool searches through thousands of items offered on the Web by more than 140 universities, and nonprofit and commercial groups.
General Public and Community Groups
For private citizens, consumers, public interest and community groups seeking information about the human impacts of global and environmental change.
Global Change Data & Information System (GCDIS) Educational Resources
GCDIS is a collection of distributed information systems operated by government agencies involved in global change research. GCDIS provides global change data to scientists and researchers, policy makers, educators, industry, and the public at large. GCDIS includes multidisciplinary data from atmospheric science, ecology, oceanography, as well as economics and sociology.
Global Change Electronic Edition
Global Change, published by the Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment, and Security, seeks to familiarize the public with the issues associated with climate change and ozone depletion.
Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE)
The GLOBE Program brings together K-12 students, teachers, and scientists from around the world who work together to help us learn more about the environment. By participating in GLOBE, teachers guide their students through daily, weekly, and seasonal environmental observations, such as air temperature and precipitation.
The Global Schoolhouse
The Global Schoolhouse mission is to "harness the power of the Internet" to provide ongoing opportunities to support learners both in and outside of the school environment.
Global Warming and Climate Change
A publication prepared by researchers in the Department of Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University to explain the issue of global warming and climate change to a general audience. Issues addressed include: The science of global warming; the potential impacts of climate change, and the range of policy responses to the threat of climate change.

Global Warming Central (Pace University School of Law)
A source for information on the global warming debate.
Global Warming: Focus on the Future
"Global Warming: Focus on the Future" is the web version of a traveling exhibition developed by the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History and Environmental Defense. The online exhibit covers topics, such as: Global Warming Is Happening; Global Warming Is a Problem; and You Can Help.
The Great Green Web Game
The Great Green Web Game, developed by the Union of Concerned Scientists, is based on an analysis of the environmental impact of consumer decisions. Air pollution, water pollution, destruction of natural habitats, and global warming are the main forms of environmental damage caused by consumer-related activities today. The Great Green Web Game shows how you can reduce this damage through effective consumer choices.
Institute for Global Environmental Strategies
The Institute's activities are designed to expand public awareness and understanding of global change issues; to elevate the skills of educators, who are critical to the training of future scientists, educators, decision makers, and informed citizens; and to address the information needs of decision makers by developing tools for assessing the policies for responding to and mitigating environmental change.
Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) School Yard Program
LTER has begun a broad-scale, long-term effort to combine scientific research and science education, supported by the individual LTER sites and the National Science Foundation Divisions of Environmental Biology and Education and Human Resources, including developing long-term research sites on or near school yards.
The Magic School Bus
Scholastic's The Magic School Bus, based on the award-winning book series by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen, features a wacky science teacher named Ms. Frizzle who takes her class of enthusiastic, inquisitive students and playful sidekick, Liz, the lizard, on educational field trips in her magically transformable bus.
Metropolitan East Coast Assessment Education Module
"Climate Change and a Global City" -- The MEC Educator's Pack is a package of GIS software, datasets and lesson plans designed for educators who are interested in using GIS technology to explore global climate change issues.
NASA Earth Science Image Gallery
Satellite images of earth from space, and images of satellites themselves from NASA.
NASA Earth Observing System Education Web Site
A comprehensive listing of educational materials that relate to NASA's Earth Observing System.
NASA Education Program
The NASA education program has resources for educators, resources for students, an education calendar, education news, and other information and comments.

NASA Global Change Master Directory Learning Center
Learn all about global environmental change. The GCMD Learning Center has questions and answers about global change as well as annotated links categorized by age group and subject matter.
NASA Observatorium
NASA's Observatorium is a public access site for Earth and space data. They have pictures of the Earth, planets, and stars as well as the stories behind those images.
NASA Quest Project
The mission is to provide support and services for schools, teachers and students to fully utilize the Internet, and its underlying information technologies, as a basic tool for learning.
NASA Stratospheric Ozone Depletion Resource File
This is a resource file for both teachers and students interested in the ozone layer. Stratospheric ozone depletion is a concern because the ozone layer in the stratosphere keeps 95-99% of the suns ultraviolet radiation from striking the earth.
National 4-H Council Environmental Stewardship Program
The specific goals of the Environmental Stewardship program include: understanding ecological concepts, building an awareness of environmental issues and values, developing scientific investigatory and critical thinking skills, and learning skills needed for effective action. In general, these goals foster leadership skills that allow youth to work as full partners with others to develop creative, community-based solutions to difficult environmental challenges.
National Center for Atmospheric Research: Environmental and Societal Impacts Group
Provides insight into how society might better understand and cope with the interactions between human activities and changes in the environment.
National Library of Education
The National Library of Education (NLE) is the largest federally funded library devoted entirely to education. The Library offers the following online resources: ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center), GEM (Gateway to Educational Materials), NEN (National Education Network), and USNEI (U.S. Network for Educational Information).
National Park Service's The Learning Place
The Learning Place, your one place for finding all the education and interpretation related materials on ParkNet. We hope that the tools and resources we provide are useful and exciting for all our visitors, especially those interested in teaching about America's natural and cultural heritage through the National Parks.
National Safety Council's Environmental Health Center (Climate Change)
The National Safety Council's Environmental Health Center conducts a variety of outreach and education activities on climate change. Some of these efforts are supported by grants from federal agencies, others are funded by private foundations.
National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Science and Math Links
A full suite of links, including biology, earth and space science, environmental science, and a section on developing teaching skills.
New York Times Global Warming Page (1997)
Articles from The New York Times covering the issue of global warming (free registration required to access pages).
NOAA Education Web Site
Weather, climate, El Niño and La Niña, space, the Earth, the atmosphere, the ocean, history, and cool sites to visit - it's all here!
NOAA Links to Special Sites for Kids K-12
This is a quick reference list of sites for students in grades K-12.
NOAA Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research Education Web Site
The goal of the site is to provide middle school science students and teachers with research and investigation experiences using on-line resources.
NOAA Photograph and Image Collection
The NOAA photograph and image collection has been produced to help those interested in studying our natural world learn more about our oceans, the atmosphere, and the history of the pioneers who began the study of our environment in the United States.
North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) Home Page
The North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) is a network of professionals and students working in the field of environmental education throughout North America and in over 55 countries around the world. Since 1971, the Association has promoted environmental education and supported the work of environmental educators. There are many environmental interest groups, and many organizations dedicated to improving education. NAAEE uniquely combines and integrates both of these perspectives, and takes a cooperative, nonconfrontational, scientifically-balanced approach to promoting education about environmental issues.
NOVA: Warnings from the Ice
Explore how Antarctica's ice has preserved the past -- from Chernobyl to the Little Ice Age -- going back hundreds of thousands of years, and then see how the world's coastlines would recede if some or all of this ice were to melt. Also check out scores of astonishing facts about the White Continent, and what it's like to live and work there.
NSF Education Web Site
The National Science Foundation makes grants and awards in all areas of science, mathematics, and engineering education.
One Sky, Many Voices
Inquiry-based K-12 science programs for the interactive study of current science.
Online College and University Global Change Courses
Course descriptions, syllabi, and home pages for college and university global environmental change courses.
A Paleo Perspective... on Global Warming
This site was developed by NOAA's Paleoclimate Program to help educate, inform and highlight the importance of paleoclimate research; as well as to show how paleoclimate research relates to global warming and other important issues regarding climate variability and change.
Polar Meteorology Web Module
This is an educational web site developed at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School and designed for upper-level undergraduates or graduates majoring in meteorology, atmospheric science, other polar studies or other related fields.
Smithsonian Institution Education Web Site
Contains teaching resources, information about professional development, exhibits, and events calendar.
Teachers Experiencing Antarctica and the Arctic (TEA)
Join teachers as they venture to points north and south and participate in Antarctic and Arctic research expeditions.
Time Magazine Special Issue: Our Precious Planet (1997)
Why saving the environment will be the next century's biggest challenge.
Twenty Simple Steps to Reduce Global Warming from Environmental Defense
Here are 20 simple steps that can help cut your annual emissions of carbon dioxide by thousands of pounds. The carbon dioxide reduction shown for each action is an average saving.
Union of Concerned Scientists
Abstracts to journal articles and books according to six topic areas: Agriculture, Arms Control, Energy, Global Resources, Global Warming, and Transportation.
United Nations System-Wide Earthwatch
A window on United Nations work to observe and assess the global environment, plus short descriptions of new or growing problems.
USA Today Climate Change Web Site
USA Today graphics and text dealing with climate change.
USA Today Climate Science Links
Links to web sites with information about climate change.
USDA Agricultural Research Service Sci4Kids
Sci4Kids is a series of stories about what scientists do at the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS). Geared to kids about 8 to 13 years old, it is produced by the ARS Information Staff in Beltsville, Maryland. They bet you'll agree that much of what their scientists do is not what you might expect.
USDA Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service
This site has research and education information about many subjects, and staff specialists who can answer your questions or refer you to someone at state or county level who possesses the information you need.
USGS Learning Web: Changing World (Global Change)
A web site with information on teaching about aspects of global change to students from grades 4 through 6.
Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) Sea Grant Virtual Marine Education Center
Information and on-line resources for learning about the marine environment.