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Letter to Congressional Appropriations Committee on Funding for EPA's Office of Environmental Education The Campaign for Environmental Literacy extends warm thanks to each organization that chose to participate as a co-signatory on this letter, sent to Congress in March 2005 to voice our collective support for restoration of funding for the EPA's Office of Environmental Education. The Honorable Charles H. Taylor, Chairman The Honorable Conrad Burns, Chairman Dear Chairman Taylor, Chairman Burns, Ranking Member Dicks, and Ranking Member Dorgan, On behalf of environmental education (EE) organizations, students, industry partners, and teachers throughout the nation, we write to you today to respectfully request your support in restoring funding for the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Environmental Education (OEE) to a level consistent with FY '05 support of $9.2 million. While this amount is tiny in comparison to other federal expenditures, the loss of this funding will have a staggering effect on positive educational programs across the country. The OEE was created by the National Environmental Education Act, a highly successful initiative signed into law in 1990 by George Bush, Sr. Although funding authorization for this important piece of legislation expired in 1996, Congress has continued - through bipartisan support - to appropriate funds for operation of the OEE. Certainly, such bipartisan support is earned only by issues that are popular with voters on both sides of the aisle. In fact, according to Roper Starch research compiled in 2000, 95 percent of adult Americans agree that EE should be taught in schools. What's more, more than 97 percent of Americans believe that EE teaches the value of community service - a value prized as a core element of American society. This bipartisan support comes as no surprise when one considers that the prime beneficiaries of EE are our children - our students. The EPA's EE program provides a critical structure through which innovative programs around the country are funded and coordinated. As such, the program enables teachers, trainers, formal and informal educators, and supportive businesses to implement and maintain their efforts to engage youth in the linkages between the environment, their daily lives, and the health and future of the planet. Americans are wise to support EE: without environmental knowledge, citizens cannot safeguard public health, protect natural resources, or support energy conservation efforts. Furthermore, environmental problems are complex and multi-faceted. Legislation and litigation alone are inadequate strategies to address these issues. The solution appears to be found, rather, in widespread environmental literacy and in informed local decision making. In other words, the solutions are to be found in informed private stewardship - the end-result of an education that prepares citizens to critically evaluate the voluminous environmental information presented to them and come to their own conclusions as to the best course of action. Certainly, Americans must have a much better working knowledge of the environment in order for our country to achieve the environmentally sustainable growth that will maintain and enhance our quality of life. As we accomplish this, we must also become literate with respect to international environmental threats, as our way of life will come under increasing challenges by other nations - and by the many non-governmental organizations that oppose globalization - on pseudo-scientific environmental grounds. In sum, then, the EE mission serves to equip the youth of today with the educational grounding necessary to meet the mounting global challenges that we face as a nation. Thank you for your consideration of this request. If you have any questions or need further information, please contact me or Marialanna Lee at mlee@mrss.com or 202-478-6187. Sincerely, The Aldo Leopold Foundation |
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