Policy Update – Winter 2012
The American Forest Foundation's (AFF) environmental education advocacy continues to focus on working with our partners to build policy and funding support for Project Learning Tree and other similar programs. Our advocacy goal is to ensure that PLT state coordinators, facilitators, and educators have the tools they need to help our children understand the world around them and learn how to think, not what to think, about complex environmental issues. As we plan for what we might accomplish this year, it’s important to review our successes and challenges from 2011. Take a peek at 2011, in review below:
Key Legislation
The climate on Capitol Hill for investment in education, or anything for that matter, was tough, with cuts proposed at every turn. To help maintain current funding support for PLT and grow new opportunities, AFF advocated for the following:
- Funding for the National Environmental Education Act (NEEA)
- Funding for USFS State and Private Forestry Programs, which support Conservation Education
- Passage of the No Child Left Inside Act (NCLI)
We saw the House propose to completely eliminate the NEEA funding, and the House Majority Leader’s YouCut website proposed to eliminate USFS Conservation Education, which supports PLT along with critical programs like Smokey Bear. Fortunately, due to the leadership of PLT, our partners, and the action of the PLT network, the final FY2012 appropriation levels passed by Congress maintained funding for these programs.
In 2011, we saw progress on NCLI. Lead sponsors of the bill, Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) and Congressman John Sarbanes (D-MD), reintroduced the legislation into the 112th Congress on July 14, 2011. Again, with PLT’s leadership and your actions, the NCLI Act had bipartisan, bicameral support with 14 Senate and 47 House co-sponsors.
The Senate Education Committee included environmental education in their bill to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA): the federal government’s comprehensive education law. This means, for the first time ever, environmental education was recognized in mainstream education policy as a key component to a child’s education. Additionally, the Obama Administration launched a new Green Ribbon Schools awards program to recognize environmental leadership among schools, something that will help support getting PLT used in more classrooms. PLT was at the table during this process and ensured that the program made sense for our PLT GreenSchools!
PLT Grassroots Activities in 2011
In 2011, we held our first PLT fly-in with 10 PLT Grasstops Leaders (educators, state coordinators and state partners) from six target states coming to DC to build relationships with target Members of Congress. Following the fly-in, 10 letters to the editor detailing the advocacy experience were submitted to home papers to highlight environmental education and PLT.
We also conducted three online campaigns with our PLT Grassroots Network of over 28,000 individuals, using our new PLT advocacy website. We ran campaigns around environmental and conservation education program funding and in support of NCLI legislation. Through these campaigns, activists had more than 15 letters to the editor placed, highlighting PLT and its value to children.
What to expect in 2012
While Congress is not expected to move much in 2012, given that it’s a Presidential election year, that doesn’t mean we will dial down our efforts! Congress must continue to hear from the PLT network about the importance of educating the next generation, so we can conserve our natural resources.
Successful advocacy is about relationships. Members of Congress continually use constituent relationships for advice on issues. To position PLT and our policy priorities, from passage of NCLI to funding for key environmental education programs, we must develop relationships with our Members of Congress.
So how can you be a part of this relationship building? It doesn’t mean you have to come to D.C.; you can do it right in your own home!
Here are a few steps you can take to build relationships with your Members of Congress:
1) Take Action
2) Write a Letter to the Editor
3) Host a Member at a PLT school
Throughout the year you’ll hear from us as we offer webinars and other training opportunities to learn more about being a PLT advocate. We hope you’ll join us in this effort!
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