The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the selection of Florida's Youth Environmental Alliance to receive $100,000 in funding aimed at supporting environmental education across Broward and Palm Beach counties. The organization offers immersive programs focusing on natural sciences, sustainability, resilience, and environmental stewardship for youth, companies, and communities.
"Congratulations to our environmental education grant winners in the Southeast area," said Acting Region 4 Administrator Jeaneanne Gettle. "Investing in environmental education increases public awareness and knowledge about environmental issues, as well as provide participants in its programs the skills necessary to make informed decisions and take responsible actions."
This grant is one of 38 nationwide awarded by the EPA with the aim of increasing public awareness of environmental issues and equipping participants with skills to make informed decisions regarding the environment.
"We are so excited to get started with Project EEASY (Education and Engagement to Active Stewardship with YEA) food forest installations at 10 lucky schools, followed by ongoing lessons on how to use food forests for sustainable living," said Kristen Hoss, Executive Director of Youth Environmental Alliance. "We are looking forward to teaching hands-on science lessons followed by meaningful eco action in order to empower children to enact positive change in their lives and for the planet."
Project EEASY follows an awareness-to-action model that educates participants through formal and non-formal settings. The programs aim to increase knowledge through experiments and simulations that utilize critical thinking to address climate change, water quality, and environmental injustice. The educational components are complemented by actions that teach participants necessary skills for environmental stewardship.
Since 1992, EPA has distributed between $2 million and $3.7 million annually in Environmental Education (EE) grant funding, totaling over $95.1 million supporting more than 3,960 projects. These grants support projects that design or disseminate environmental education practices or techniques.
For further information about current and past award winners or details on future EE grant competitions, visit EPA’s Environmental Education webpage.
