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Environmental Literacy in the District of Columbia

by
Bill Whorton

2012 has been a banner year for environmental literacy in the District. On July 2, 2012, Mayor Vincent C. Gray submitted our state Environmental Literacy Plan to the Council of the District of Columbia. Like other states across the country, the development of our state Environmental Literacy Plan (ELP) was mandated by legislation. Passed by the DC Council in 2010, the Healthy Schools Act seeks to improve the health and wellness of all District students. The legislation addresses nutrition, health education, physical education and physical activity, Farm-to-School programs, and school gardens. Additionally, the law acknowledges that creating and sustaining an environmentally-friendly school environment and integrating environmental education into the schools’ curriculum are essential to the health and wellness of students, as well as the health of the local environment and community. The Act also directed the District Department of the Environment (DDOE) to draft a plan in conjunction with other District education agencies and stakeholders.

Since submitting the ELP to Council in July, the big question has been, “Now what?” On Thursday, December 13, 2012, DC Council held a Roundtable Discussion on the Healthy Schools Act and District’s Environmental Literacy Plan Implementation. Four public witnesses testified on the importance of at implementing the ELP as well as on the need to hold agencies accountable for this. Council plans to draft Healthy Schools Act Amendments in the Spring of 2013.

On the same day as the DC Council’s Roundtable, Mayor Gray announced the winners of the Sustainable DC Budget Challenge, a grant competition in which District agencies proposed projects to test innovative sustainability initiatives. DDOE was awarded $272,000 to implement components of the DC Environmental Literacy Plan. Sustainability has been a priority for Mayor Gray and his for a Sustainable DC includes recommendations to integrate sustainability concepts into the school curriculum. What better way than through the DC Environmental Literacy Plan?

As exciting as 2012 has been, many promising things are on the horizon to take place in 2013. We will be looking at building capacity for environmental literacy integration in the schools by encouraging networking between school administrators and environmental education program providers, hosting Green Jobs fairs for students, and more. We’ll keep you posted on what happens next!

To read more about the plan and DDOE’s environmental education initiatives, visit: http://ddoe.dc.gov/education.