Surveys identify that “interest in environmental sustainability is high… [but] in most
schools, environmental education takes place outside the classroom,” (nais.org). These surveys
also indicate that “almost all school-based environmental education curriculum development is
initiated by teachers (92 percent); only a few schools have professional development in
environmental education (very great/great extent: 15 percent),” (nais.org). Statistics like these
show that interest in environmental education is high, though the resources and curriculum are
not currently aligned to support it.
The purpose of this project is to develop a set of curricula that the North Florida Land
Trust can implement in schools. This curriculum cross-references the Florida B.E.S.T. Standards
and the mission of the North Florida Land Trust to promote a holistic approach to environmental
education. In the process, landowners are informed of how they can contribute to the North
Florida Land Trust to help protect native ecosystems. The goal of the curriculum is two-fold: to
educate students on environmental science and to have them go home and discuss what they
have learned with those around them. In doing so, we are able to generate interest in the North
Florida Land Trust and protect wildlife by building corridors (like the Ocala to Osceola- O2O
corridor) so that humans become less of a predator to natural environments. By educating
students of all ages, we are able to interest more young minds in science and bridge future
educational gaps.
