EE in Action at Antioch & Beyond
EE in Action at Antioch & Beyond
Grounded in environmental education (EE) theory and practice, graduate students acquire an interdisciplinary understanding of the social, political, and economic aspects of human systems and how they impact ecological systems. Antioch graduate students learn natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities. Principles of sustainability, justice, and cultural competency are interwoven into our EE approach.
Being an environmental educator means understanding how people learn and what inspires people to change. This specialization balances knowledge about the learning process with a solid foundation in environmental sciences and the acquisition of effective teaching methodologies and educational designs. Students learn to translate the complex web of earth systems science, sustainability, environmental issues, and environmental change for the public. Courses and internships highlight aspects of EE in urban and rural contexts while catering to the individual interests of students. Through innovative coursework, professional internships, and graduate capstones, students acquire the skills and confidence to be leaders in the field.
EE students gain hands-on experience in stewardship practices, positive youth, and community development, program design and evaluation, conservation psychology, and understanding ‘place’ as socio-ecological systems and dynamic classrooms for all ages. Our MS and PhD students, alumni, and EE faculty put the principles and values of this program into professional practice. EE in Action at Antioch & Beyond is a devoted team of individuals focused on supporting a diverse cadre of environmental education leaders who are better prepared to increase environmental literacy for everyone, everywhere. Additionally, students and faculty engage locally through such projects as the Conservation Psychology Institute, the Institute for International Conservation, Community Garden Connections, and the Monadnock Ecological Research & Education Project, to name a few.
Guideline Links
Additional Information
From the Equity & Inclusion Module (Ranelli, 2022): Celebrating the existing rich history of diverse groups of peoples’ connections to the natural and built environment while acknowledging and addressing the history of marginalization within environmental education would move the field toward a more inclusive and just future. Communities of color and historically marginalized groups already lead in environmental education in a wide variety of ways. For instance, people of color have strong support for and interest in conservation and the environment, according to polls, surveys, and articles from Diversity and the Conservation Movement (2015), the Center for Diversity and the Environment (e.g. Bernard, 2014; González, 2017), and Intersectional Environmentalist (e.g. Pedroza, 2021). Indigenous communities have cultural and ecological knowledges that sustain their lifeways and inform use, connection to, and reciprocal, sustainable care of the environment around them (e.g. Indigenous Rights Radio, 2019; Robbins, 2018; Tom, Sumida, & McCarty, 2019). Organizations like Latino Outdoors or Outdoor Afro cultivate community among Latinx and Black people in and around nature. Ancestral Lands engages Indigenous youth and young adults in conservation and stewardship projects that honor the culture of participants and the tribal nations in which they work. Countess African American environmentalists like MaVynee Betsch and J. Drew Lanham have served as leaders and change agents in environmental contexts. Betsch leveraged ecological value and historical and cultural importance to local African Americans, when working with the National Park Service to protect a Florida beach from development (Finney, 2014). Lanham describes common misperceptions and personal experiences with intersecting identities as a birder and as a Black man (Lanham, 2017). Additional oftentimes-underrepresented intersectional social identities have an active presence in, and dedication to the natural world. For instance, The Venture Out Project connects queer and trans youth and adults to the outdoors via safe, fun guided wilderness and backpacking trips, as well as professional development for camp and adventure educators. The body-liberating, anti-racist social media and outdoor group, Unlikely Hikers, provides community for and representation of people enjoying the outdoors as identity intersections of body size, disability, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, and more. The range of individual and organizational exemplars is extensive, and is even more expansive and impressive when considering the built environment and environmental justice leadership.
Resources
Bernard, S. (2014, September 26). Americans of color put whites to shame on climate. Retrieved June 11, 2018, from Grist website: https://grist.org/climate-energy/americans-of-color-put-whites-to-shame-on-climate/
Finney, C. (2014). Black faces, white spaces: Reimagining the relationship of African Americans to the great outdoors. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press.
González, J. (2017, June 20). ¡Estamos aquí! Opening America’s public lands and green spaces. Retrieved June 11, 2018, from Latino Outdoors website: https://latinooutdoors.org/estamos-aqui-opening-americas-public-lands-and-green-spaces/
Indigenous Rights Radio. (2019). Many voices, one message - Traditional knowledge protects Mother Earth! https://soundcloud.com/culturalsurvival/many-voices-one-message-traditional-knowledge-protects-mother-earth
Lanham, J. D. (2017). Birding while Black. The home place: Memoirs of a Colored man’s love affair with nature. Retrieved from https://lithub.com/birding-while-black/
Pedroza, K. (2021). Black and Brown families practiced sustainability before it was cool. Intersectional Environmentalist. https://www.intersectionalenvironmentalist.com/ie-stories/black-and-brown-families-practiced-sustainability-before-it-was-cool
Ranelli, L. (2022) Equity and inclusion: Community engagement: Guidelines for excellence - Key characteristic #3; Collaborative and inclusive. North American Association for Environmental Education.
Robbins, J. (2018). Native knowledge: What ecologists are learning from Indigenous people. Yale E360. https://e360.yale.edu/features/native-knowledge-what-ecologists-are-learning-from-indigenous-people
Tom, M. N., Sumida Huawman, E., & McCarty, T. L.(2019). Indigenous knowledges as vital contributions to sustainability. International Review of Education, 65(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11159-019-09770-9
Podcast
Community Engagement: Guidelines for Excellence serves a broad diversity of individuals and organizations dedicated to environmental quality and community well-being. It was created by environmental educators, for environmental educators who want to work in partnership with communities to strengthen the underpinnings of well-being—environmental quality, social equity, shared prosperity, and the capacity to pursue these goals together.
These guidelines draw on best practices honed by scholars and practitioners in diverse fields including education, environmental education, social change, community development, communication, sociology, management, government, and business. The guidelines were developed using a process of critique and consensus, similar to the process used to develop all of the other Guidelines for Excellence publications. The public review process involved gathering input from hundreds of educators, including focused feedback collected from content experts representing a variety of fields (e.g., diversity, community partnership building), a 16 person National Advisory Team and a Professional Learning Community (PLC). Many of the case studies were researched and drafted by members of the Professional Learning Community. Finally, a 25 item toolkit augments the guidelines. Toolkit resources help users dive more deeply into aspects of environmental education and community engagement that may be unfamiliar to some practitioners. Drafts of this document were reviewed by a large number of educators and other experts who work with communities across North America. The resulting document reflects our collective wisdom. Whether you work with youth or adults, on behalf of an organization, or as an individual, these guidelines and the accompanying resources can help you design programs that strengthen the interwoven strands of environment and community. They point to steps for creating more inclusive working environments that support social equity, effective partnerships and coalitions, and long term change. And, to help you prepare for this work, the guidelines highlight needed skills and resources, how to put those in place, and the kinds of outcomes you might expect.
What you will find in these guidelines:
- Find suggestions for working in collaborative and inclusive partnerships and coalitions that help root your environmental education efforts in the community’s interests, issues, and capacities
- Receive guidance for supporting community capacity and action toward sustainability and resilience
- Learn what it might mean to make a long-term investment in community change, and how to incorporate learning and adaptation over time
- Reflect on your personal, organizational, and community capacities for engagement
- Discover how to keep your practice rooted in the professional underpinnings of the field
View the Guidelines here above!
Want to learn more? Take some classes at Antioch!
ESE-5170: Urban Environmental Education
ESE-5230: EnvEd Meth-Teach Outdoors
ESE-5370: Place-Based Environmental Education
ES-5900: Communications in the Digital Age
ESP-6050: Civic Participation & Sustainable Communities
Jean Kayira (she/her/hers), EE in Action at Antioch & Beyond team, Co-Project Director
Jean is associate faculty at SUNY-ESF and research faculty at AUNE. Her areas of interest include sustainability education, Indigenous knowledge systems, and postcolonial theory; youth, place, and culture; decolonizing and Indigenous research methodologies; participatory forms of education and research; and cross-cultural education and research. She teaches courses such as Indigenous Research Methods and Program Evaluation. Jean is engaged in a variety of research projects, working with youth and teacher candidates on issues of community engagement, particularly examining Indigenous knowledge and sustainability, youth identity in relation to place and sustainability, and social and ecological justice pedagogies. Through her doctoral research, Jean explored the possibilities of Indigenous knowledge in furthering student learning in relation to culturally appropriate environmental sustainability. She has drawn on the sub-Saharan African concept of Ubuntu/uMunthu and postcolonial theory to enable a third space (Bhabha, 1994) centered on culturally appropriate Malawian ways of knowing, while at the same time, working in tandem with non-Indigenous knowledge and practice. In broad terms, this study sought to widen the space that meaningfully acknowledges both Indigenous and non-Indigenous knowledge and practice. To learn more about Jean’s work, visit her SUNY-ESF faculty webpage.
Libby McCann (she/her/hers), EE in Action at Antioch & Beyond team, Co-Project Director
Libby serves as Antioch University New England’s Director of Environmental Education (EE) within the School of the Environment’s Environmental Studies & Sustainability Department. In addition to advising master’s and doctoral students, she teaches graduate courses on such topics as: environmental and sustainability education; program planning and design; qualitative research; inclusive education, program evaluation; urban EE; leadership development, civic ecology & community resilience; sustainable school and community-based food systems; and environmental communications in the digital age & climate change education. Libby collaborates with faculty and students through Community Garden Connections, a food justice initiative to build local capacity to grow food, address food insecurity, and enhance personal and communal health. Libby holds two degrees in the natural sciences, a doctorate in adult education, and has facilitated a variety of environmental education programs for youth and adults throughout her career. For more information, visit Libby’s Antioch faculty webpage.
Luciana Ranelli (she/her/hers), EE in Action at Antioch & Beyond team, Project Co-Manager & Outreach Specialist
Luciana Ranelli’s personal and professional life revolves around the theme of connections as she fosters relationships among people, sees connections between ideas, and invests in connection to place. The EE in Action at Antioch and Beyond project ties in her passions for communication, inclusion, outdoor experiences, and learning. Luciana’s team efforts focus on train-the-trainer workshops for the Community Engagement: Guidelines for Excellence and development of the Equity and Belonging expansion publication. Her AUNE Master of Science in Environmental Studies with an Environmental Education concentration set her up well for teaching, leadership, program management, and staff mentoring endeavors at Teton Science Schools and Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center. Luciana holds a BA in Biology and Secondary Education from the University of Minnesota, Morris. Luciana currently serves as Education Coordinator at Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve and you can learn more about Luciana here.
Susy Mateos (she/her/ella) EE in Action at Antioch & Beyond team, Project Co-Manager & Outreach Specialist
A graduate of Antioch’s MS in Environmental Studies with an EE specialty, Susy Mateos is currently a doctoral student at North Carolina State University in the Forestry and Environmental Resources Department. She joined the EE in Action at Antioch & Beyond group in May 2020, working virtually from southern California. Susy has experience with community science bird monitoring in the Santa Monica Mountains in California, extensive EE experience among youth, and bird conservation work in Costa Rica. She has extensive experience in community engagement, avian research, natural history museum curation, and coordination among varied projects and partners. For her doctoral work, she is engaged with a rural Costa Rican community, learning about their connections to the natural environment and local ecological knowledge. Using political ecology and ethnoecology as theoretical frameworks, her narrative inquiry study seeks to understand the intricate socio-ecological dynamics (power relations, resource distribution and environmental justice) within the community (Nicaraguan refugees, their Costa Rican-born adult children, and native Costa Ricans) in Costa Rica. Susy loves to engage with adult learners and is passionate about cultivating social justice.
Amber Cardwell (she/her/hers) EE in Action at Antioch & Beyond team
As a recent graduate of Antioch’s MS in Environmental Studies with a concentration in Environmental Education, Amber joined the EE in Action at Antioch & Beyond team in January 2025. With many years of experience working in multiple environmental education settings, Amber is dedicated to creating inclusive, accessible, and reflective programs for all people. She is excited to be learning alongside the EE in Action at Antioch & Beyond team and building her skills in educating and evaluating.
Adrian Reddick (she/her/hers) EE in Action at Antioch & Beyond Team
Adrian Reddick holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, with an Environmental Concentration, from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). She developed a passion for environmental education and clean water access through her participation in both her social sorority and a National Co-Ed Community Service fraternity. Adrian found her way into the EE in Action at Antioch & Beyond team in January 2025. As a recent graduate of Antioch University, she earned a Master's of Science in Environmental Studies, with concentrations in Environmental Education and Advocacy for Social Justice and Sustainability.
Jordan Cummings, EE in Action at Antioch & Beyond team Jordan Cummings is from the San Francisco Bay Area in California. Formerly a classroom teacher for eight years, she taught Kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade. Jordan received her Masters of Science in Environmental Studies/Environmental Education at Antioch University New England, where she blended her two passions: education and the environment. She believes environmental education is essential at any age and is thrilled to be able to work and learn with this team. Jordan now serves as K-12 school district-wide EE specialist in Northfield, MA.
Cynthia Espinosa Marrero, EE in Action at Antioch & Beyond team, Education Consultant Cynthia Espinosa Marrero is a food systems scholar and activist, helping diverse communities grow and learn more about food and environmental systems. Her passion was seeded with her family and neighbors in Yabucoa, P.R. where she grew up. With over 10 years of experience in the food systems, Cynthia is now focusing her work as a Senior Manager in the Health and Racial Equity at Heath Resources in Action (Boston, MA). Inspired by her ancestral roots, especially her *abuela* (grandmother), Cynthia has also facilitated trainings and curriculum development for environmental educators, organizations and institutions in the topics of diversity, inclusion, community engagement and permaculture (DICP). Her use of permaculture is unique as she uses the principles, ethics and activities in her program design efforts. As a volunteer support and Environmental Educator with Latino Outdoors <http://latinooutdoors.org/> and within her own community, she follows her humanistic educator goal of giving opportunities to underrepresented groups to find their inner power, voice, and skills to build a socially just food and environmental system. She has a BA Degree in Sustainable Food Management from UMass Amherst and a Master of Science in Environmental Studies focusing in Environmental Education from Antioch University New England.
Anna Mooney, EE in Action at Antioch & Beyond team, Doctoral Student Anna Mooney serves as the Director of Environmental Education at YMCA Camp Thunderbird in Lake Wylie, South Carolina. In her environmental educator efforts, Anna has worked with hundreds of teachers to craft field trips that meet the academic and social needs of students. Inspired by the teachers’ enthusiasm and passion for fair and just education for all, Anna is currently studying culturally relevant environmental education in pursuit of her doctorate in Environmental Studies at Antioch University New England. She also holds a Master of the Arts in Psychology from Hunter College, a graduate certificate in Animal Behavior and Conservation from Hunter College, and a Bachelor of Science in Biopsychology from Wagner College.
Anna Parker, EE in Action at Antioch & Beyond team, Outreach Coordinator Anna Parker completed her Master of Science in Environmental Studies with an EE concentration at AUNE in 2021 and now serves as Communication Specialist in Maine Coast Heritage Trust’s Engagement Department. Anna is passionate about building connections between people and place and strengthening connections within her own community. Anna studied anthropology during her undergraduate studies at the University of Colorado. While there, Anna became eager to learn from different cultures and perspectives. Consequently, Anna joined the EE in Action at Antioch & Beyond team with almost six years of experience as an environmental educator, including 3 years in Palau running community engagement programs for the Palau International Coral Reef Center. Living and working in Palau ignited Anna’s passion for environmental justice and taught her the role that traditional knowledge plays in local conservation efforts. Anna’s curiosity and ambitions are driven by the human dimensions of conservation and understanding how she can listen to and amplify diverse perspectives in her work.
Katie Lamoreaux, EE in Action at Antioch & Beyond team
Emily Shuttenberg, EE in Action at Antioch & Beyond team
Megan McDaniel, EE in Action at Antioch & Beyond team
"The Community Engagement: Guidelines for Excellence set the stage for this Equity & Inclusion module, an expansion pack of the guidelines. This module has value as a stand-alone set of resources and as a deeper dive into practices and concepts introduced in Key Characteristic #3n(Collaborative & Inclusive) in the guidelines.
The Equity & Inclusion Module supports growth and change within collaboration and inclusion in environmental education, the third Key Characteristic in the Community Engagement: Guidelines for Excellence.
This module is intended for Train-the-Trainer participants to inspire and support reflection, improve educational practice, and enhance community engagement, especially because collaboration and inclusion are identified as growing edges. In addition, the module ultimately serves as a resource for any leader or seasoned practitioner within environmental education to use and expand upon.”
View the Guidelines here: Equity & Inclusion Guidelines
Want to learn more? Take some of these classes at Antioch!
ENV-3020: Environmental Racism: Environmental Justice
ES-5110: Indigenous Knowledge Systems & Environmental Sustainability
ES-5150: Environmental Advocacy: The Essentials
ES-5171: Justice, Equity and the Environment
ES-5260: Advocacy: Applied Methods
Evaluation is key to social change and continual improvement, and showing impacts. Over the past 5 years, Antioch faculty member Dr. Libby McCann and students have been a part of a national initiative focused on culturally responsible and equitable evaluation processes (CREE). Funded through the Pisces Foundation, eeVAL is a collaboration across multiple universities, consultants and practitioners, centering cultural and lived experiences of community members most impacted by the evaluation process.
To learn more about eeVAL, visit https://evaluation.naaee.org
Students who have become evaluators - need photos and to reach out to get permission and see how antioch evaluation has changed their perspective
Michael Duffin - PEER Associates
Brian Johnson - Inform Evaluation & Research
Cynthia Espinosa- Health Resources in Action?
Want to learn more? Take some of these classes at Antioch!
ESE-5060: Program Evaluation for Environmental & Conservation Education
ESE-5140: Program Planning & Design
ESE-5280 Exhibit Design and Interpretation
"Educating for Climate Action and Justice: Guidelines for Excellence was developed for the many individuals and organizations who facilitate climate education. Education, in all its various forms, can raise awareness and understanding of climate change, its causes, impacts, and potential solutions. Effective education can instill hope, build skills (e.g., communication, problem-solving, negotiation, self-reflection, and conflict resolution), increase social-emotional capacities, and energize learners of all ages to work on reducing risk and strengthening their communities—whether they are residents in New Orleans, community members in Hawaii, or students in New York. With this set of guidelines, we offer suggestions for creating more inclusive and equitable learning environments that support learners as they make informed decisions and take collective actions to address our changing global climate.”
View the Guidelines here: Educating for Climate Action and Justice Guidelines
Want to learn more? Take some of these classes at Antioch!
ENV-4200: Environmental Health & Justice: Principles, Policies and Practice
ES-5700: Climate Change-Resil/Adap/Mit
ES-5860: Climate Justice and Equitable Adaptation
ESM-6010: Environmental Justice: Futures and Fictions
ESP-5100: Policy Advocacy: Climate Change