Washington, D.C. – Project Learning Tree (PLT), the environmental education program of the American Forest Foundation, named Barbara Cook of Greenfield, Ohio, a 2006 National Outstanding Educator of the Year.  Cook is one of five environmental educators selected nationwide and will receive her award on May 9 during PLT’s 20th International Coordinators’ Conference, May 8-12, in Virginia Beach, Virginia.  The award honors educators who demonstrate a strong commitment to environmental education, exceptional teaching skills, and exemplary use of PLT.

Cook teaches science and reading to seventh grade students and computers to seventh and eighth grade at Greenfield Middle School.  She has been actively involved in environmental education for more than 20 years and her resume is saturated with activities and projects linking students with their environment.

During her career, Cook has held several educational leadership positions. During the years, her classroom and administrative background have provided invaluable insight into administering PLT and other environmental education programs to formal educators.  She has facilitated more than a hundred presentations and workshops, reaching more than a thousand teachers. 

“Kids today are much more environmentally aware than they were when I first started teaching 29 years ago,” said Cook.  “My seventh graders can already discuss how we use our natural resources and what impact this will have on our world in the future.  More and more teachers are bringing environmental education into their classrooms and this is creating an attitudinal change for the better.”

For ten years Cook has been a member of the Ohio PLT State Steering Committee and is currently an executive officer.  She has always played a lead role in aligning PLT and other curriculum to Ohio’s latest academic standards.  Cook was one of many educators selected to help develop and write PLT’s PreK-8 Energy & Society kit and is an educator reviewer for Ohio PLT's fire activities that teach students about wildland fire and its important role in the hardwood forest ecosystem of the Northeastern United States, particularly Ohio.  Cook is currently working on integrating PLT workshops into classes for preservice educators at Wilmington College and is assisting the Ohio PLT Coordinator in developing a PLT facilitator mentoring program.

For more information please contact Brigitte Johnson, Director of Communications, 202.463.5163, email bjohnson@forestfoundation.org or visit PLT at www.plt.org.

Project Learning Tree (PLT) is the environmental education program of the American Forest Foundation. PLT uses the forest as a “window on the world” to increase students’ understanding of our complex environment and to help students learn the skills they need to make sound choices about the environment.  Developed in 1976, PLT has an international network of more than 500,000 trained educators using six curricula covering the total environment.  The American Forest Foundation, a nonprofit organization, works for healthy forests, quality environmental education, and informed decision-making about our communities and our world.

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