RIEEA Annual Meeting Minutes

February 28, 2017

Board Members Present: Elisabeth Bux, Lauren Parmelee, Shareen Knowlton, April Alix, Samantha Polon, Jim Murphy, Bridget Kubis Prescott, Rachel Holbert, Reada Evans, Denise Poyer, Molly Allard

Other Participants: Jeanine Silversmith (RIEEA Coordinator) and RIEEA general membership

Location: Rhode IslandCollegeStudent Union

Welcome, Introductions, and Thanks by Elisabeth Bux

2016 Year in Review

  • RIEEA kicked off the year with our Annual Meeting at Rhode IslandCollege on January 12. The gathering featured Welcoming Remarks by the new Commissioner of RI Department of Education, Dr. Ken Wagner, and an inspiring panel presentation with some of our state’s most exemplary teachers who have successfully integrated environmental educationinto school day learning.
  • RIEEA organized the fifth floor Kids Adventure Zone at the 2016 Rhode Island Spring Flower & Garden Show in February. The RIEEA team designed another magical and interactive exhibit for families, coordinated all youth activities and presentations, and displayed the works of schools that participated in the Dream Outdoor Classroom Design Contest. Thank you to everyone who volunteered!
  • With funding from US EPA Region 1, the New England Environmental Education Alliance (NEEEA) convened Climate Change Education events across New England. In RI, RIEEA worked with the RI Chapter of the US Green Building Council to deliver a dynamic, full day workshop for educators, architects, landscape designers, and others on March 16.
  • RIEEA members participated again this year as “Environmental Education Experts” in ongoing professional and leadership development for RI teachers and principals through the University of RI’s Guiding Education in Math and Science Network (GEMS-Net).
  • On July 5 RIEEA hosted a fundraiser at Flatbread Pizza Company in Providence raising over $700 to support RIEEA’s ongoing efforts to advance environmental literacy in the State. Thank you to everyone who enjoyed delicious pizza that night!
  • RIEEA received funding this year from the Albert I. Pierce Foundation to revive Rhode Island’s Project Learning Tree program. Our new facilitators worked cooperatively to develop and conduct five workshops in which 94 teachers were trained in the curriculum. We were also able to offer funding to two elementary schools to attend a field trip at a nearby tree farm where students will engage in Project Learning Tree activities on the property.
  • On July 13-15 RIEEA convened the Environmental Literacy Assessment Planning Summit with generous support from the Rhode Island Foundation and the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE). The two-day workshop with expert advisors from the national EE field and local stakeholders helped RIEEA develop a strategic plan outlining four distinct and interwoven initiatives, each essential to the purpose of assessing and advancing the current state of environmental literacy in Rhode Island.
  • An impressive and impactful $650 in professional development scholarships were awarded to RIEEA members in 2016.
  • Business Meeting
  • Motion to approve last year’s minutes, seconded, approved by body.
  • RIEEA Treasurer Report 2016
  • We started with a balance of $12,592
  • We generated $12,263 in revenue
  • Memberships
  • 34 Individual
  • 40 Organizational
  • Annual Meeting fees & raffle
  • Flower Show Income
  • Donations and fundraisers
  • Grant from WesterlyLand Trust
  • We spent $18,919
  • Flower Show Expenses
  • RIEEA Coordinator
  • P.O. Box fee
  • Professional Development grants
  • Website design and database work
  • Business and other consultant fees
  • Membership fees for NEEEA, NAAEE, and ECRI
  • Balance at the end of 2015 was $7,327
  • Board nominations and elections of officers
  • The following returning board members received nominations for a two-year term:
  • Elisabeth Bux, Apeiron Institute for Sustainable Living
  • Paul Dolan, RI RC&D Area Council
  • Denise Poyer, Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Associaiton
  • Molly Allard, Northern RI Conservation District
  • Kelly Shea, URI GEMS-Net
  • Lauren Parmelee, Audubon Society of RI
  • The following new and returning board members received nominations for a two year term:
  • (returning) Shareen Knowlton, Roger Williams Park Zoo
  • (new) Josh LaPlante, The GreeneSchool
  • Amelia Rose, GroundworkRI
  • No additional nominations from the floor
  • Motion presented and seconded with no objections
  • The following slate of officers was presented:
  • Elisabeth Bux, President
  • Rachel Holbert, Vice President
  • Bridget Kubis-Prescott, Treasurer
  • Andrea Stein, Secretary
  • Motion presented and seconded with no objections
  • Coming off the board this year, Wendy Fachon.
  • Business Meeting Concluded
  • Keynote Address by Sarah Bodor,Director of Policy & Affiliate Relations, North American Association for Environmental Education

“A call to action for organizational collaboration and collective impact “

  • Rollout of RIEEA’s four Environmental Literacy Initiatives:
  • Initiative 1: Environmental Literacy Leaderships and Partnerships - establishing strong partnerships across the State in all environmental and academic fields
  • Initiative 2: Environmental Literacy Supporting a Better Rhode Island - reaching out to a broader range of sectors whose work can be strengthened by the development of an environmentally literate citizenry
  • Initiative 3: Striving for Excellence in Environmental Education Practice - developing an inventory of the current state of environmental education (EE) in our schools and assessing the needs of our teachers to successfully implement environmental education practices
  • Initiative 4: Monitoring the Status of K-12 Environmental Literacy - build off of Initiatives 1, 2, and 3 to develop the evaluation tool

ADJOURN