Additional Environmental Education Resources
Air Quality
“Atmosphere” and “Air Pollution” units in the Habitable Planet multimedia environmental science course for high school teachers and adult learners, from Annenberg Media.
The Clean Air Superheroes Defeat Radon activity book is perfect for school outreach events and educator use in the classroom. Teachers, parents, and environmental educators can use this book to educate kids about radon. The book includes the following:
Fun, comic book-style story
Interactive activities
Glossary of new terms
Resources for kids
Resources for parents, guardians, and educators
Ohio EPA Division of Air Pollution Control: ensures compliance with the federal Clean Air Act and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act as part of its mission to attain and maintain air quality at a level that protects the environment and public health. The division reviews, issues, and enforces permits for the installation and operation of sources of air pollution and operates an extensive outdoor air monitoring network. The division also oversees an automobile emission testing program to minimize emissions from mobile sources.
U.S. EPA — Air Cleaning Allies Activity Book: Meet the Air Cleaning Allies superheroes! Follow along as they help a family learn about and deal with sources of indoor particle pollution. Join the adventure and complete a series of activities to learn about filtration and air cleaning with Merv the air filter, Aerie the air cleaner, and DJ the do-it-yourself air cleaner.
U.S. EPA — AirNow.gov: is your one-stop source for air quality data. Our website and app prioritize highlighting air quality in your local area, while also providing air quality information at the state, national, and global levels. AirNow’s interactive map even lets you zoom out to get the big picture or drill down to see data for a single air quality monitor. AirNow’s Fire and Smoke map, a collaborative project with the US Forest Service, uses a variety of products, including low-cost sensors, to provide detailed, up-to-date information that can be critical to users experiencing smoke events.
U.S. EPA and the Missouri Botanical Garden — In the Air, Tools for Learning About Airborne Toxics Across the Curriculum: education modules for K-3, 3-6, 6-8, 9-12, and adults, and correlated with national science standards.
Energy Efficiency/Alternative Energy Sources
Annenberg Media — Energy Challenges: unit in the Habitable Planet multimedia environmental science course for high school teachers and adult learners.
Columbus Green Building Forum: The Columbus Green Building Forum is an organization dedicated to promoting energy-efficient and environmentally friendly building practices in the Central Ohio region. We provide education to the building industry and participate in projects to create awareness in the general public. The Forum is Central Ohio’s leader in providing educational opportunities to advance the principles and practices of sustainability.
Clean Fuels Ohio is a national Clean Cities Coalition that supports energy and economic security through partnerships that advance affordable, efficient, and environmentally beneficial domestic transportation fuels, technologies, and mobility systems.
Ohio Department of Natural Resources — Mineral Resource Management: Manages the environmental and safety aspects of the coal and industrial mineral mining industries while protecting citizens, land, and water resources.
Since 1988, Ohio Energy Project: has been energizing classrooms, inspiring students, and empowering educators with science-based, standards-aligned education programs that spark curiosity about energy. From STEM Design Challenges to studies in sustainability, OEP offers STEM-focused curricula and materials designed to equip our next generation with the knowledge, tools, and confidence to take charge of their future.
Project Learning Tree’s — Energy & Society Kit: offers K-8 students opportunities to learn about their relationship with energy and helps develop their critical thinking skills to make decisions about their personal energy use. In addition to hands-on activities, this curriculum integrates music and dance to enhance the study of energy issues.
US Department of Energy – Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy education pages, including K-12 Lesson plans, energy literacy, green your school, and energy career resources.
U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration (EIA) — Energy Kids: is a student-friendly website that features a variety of information and activities about energy, organized into several main categories: What is Energy?, Sources of Energy, Using and Saving Energy, History of Energy, Games and Activities, for Teachers, Related Links, Energy Calculators, and a Glossary. This teacher guide offers activities that utilize Energy Kids as a resource to teach students about energy in a fun and interactive manner. Using Energy Kids provides students with the opportunity to learn about energy while improving their research and reading skills.
U.S. EPA — Lesson Plans, Teacher Guides, and Online Environmental Resources for Educators: Find an array of environmental and science-based lesson plans, activities, and ideas below from EPA, other federal agencies, and external organizations.
U.S. EPA — Energy and the Environment: Learn about energy and its impact on the environment.
U.S. Green Building Council: accelerates and scales the transformation of the built environment. The evolution of LEED through LEED v5 sets a new standard for sustainable building, pushes boundaries, and creates efficient and extraordinary spaces.
Environmental Health and Safety
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, U.S. Centers for Disease Control: When communities are exposed to natural and manmade hazardous substances, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) is ready to respond. Our top priority is to determine the public health effects of environmental exposures and to protect people from these exposures.
Annenberg Media — Habitable Planet - Risk, Exposure and Health: is a multimedia environmental science course for high school teachers and adult learners.
Bowling Green State University — Project EXCITE: offers grade 4-9 problem-based learning episodes in environmental health science, aligned with Ohio standards.
Learning and Teaching about the Environment: offers K-12 students and educators access to high-quality homework resources, lesson plans, and project ideas for learning and teaching about the environment. Environmental education (EE) is a multi-disciplinary approach to learning about environmental issues that enhances knowledge, builds critical thinking skills, and helps students make informed and responsible decisions.
National Environmental Health Association: Is a leading organization supporting environmental health professionals in the US and the world. They represent more than 7,000 environmental health professionals from governmental, private, academic, and uniformed services sectors in the U.S., its territories, and internationally.
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) — Environmental Health A to Z Topics; supports and conducts studies to determine how chemicals and environmental agents may influence various diseases. Access a wide range of information made available by NIEHS.
National Library of Medicine (NLM) — MedlinePlus: Environmental Health: serves as an online health information resource for patients and their families and friends.
Ohio Environmental Health Association: is an affiliate of the National Environmental Health Association. For more information, please visit www.neha.org.
U.S. EPA — Fred the Fox Stays Safe from Lead in Soil - Virtual Version: Join Fred the Fox as he learn's to protect himself from lead exposure in his environment. Follow along through fun, comic-book style illustrations. Download a copy and join the adventure today!
U.S. EPA — Healthy School Environments: The health of a school's environment can impact the attendance, concentration, performance, and overall well-being of both students and educators. This website provides information on key topics related to establishing and enhancing healthy school environments.
U.S. EPA — Kids' Radon Activity Book | U.S. EPA: Join Mateo and his friends as they learn about radon indoors and become superheroes defeating it in their homes. Follow along through fun, comic-book style illustrations and complete interactive activities. Download a copy and join the adventure today!
Wastes and Recycling
Keep America Beautiful, Inc.: the nation’s leading community improvement nonprofit organization, inspires and educates people to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environment. Established in 1953, Keep America Beautiful® strives to End Littering, Improve Recycling, and Beautify America’s Communities.
Ohio EPA — Division of Materials and Waste Management: ensures solid waste, infectious waste, scrap tires, and construction and demolition debris (C&DD) are managed in accordance with applicable regulations.
Project Learning Tree — Municipal Solid Waste: Use this curriculum to explore waste management issues and options with middle and high school students. This resource utilizes hands-on experiences to illustrate the interrelationships among waste generation, natural resource use, and disposal. Eight activities guide learners through waste management strategies and solutions while providing the necessary tools to make informed choices on waste management issues.
Turning the Tide on Trash: A Learning Guide on Marine Debris: is a learning guide on marine debris. This set of lesson plans and background information introduces educators, students, and researchers to the topic of marine debris. The interdisciplinary education guide is designed to provide maximum flexibility in the classroom: it can be used as a stand-alone teaching tool or to supplement work in other subject areas. Appropriate for grades K-12.
Windows on Waste: is an elementary, interdisciplinary, environmental studies activity guidebook about solid waste and environmental issues.
Water Quality
Annenberg Media — The Habitable Planet — A Systems Approach to Environmental Science: Earth's water resources, including rivers, lakes, oceans, and underground aquifers, are under stress in many regions. Humans require water for drinking, sanitation, agriculture, and industry, and contaminated water can spread illnesses and serve as a vector for disease transmission. Therefore, clean water is both an environmental and a public health issue. In this unit, learn how water is distributed around the globe; how it cycles among the oceans, atmosphere, and land; and how human activities are affecting our finite supply of usable water.
Center for Great Lakes Literacy (CGLL): is a collaborative effort led by Sea Grant educators throughout the Great Lakes watershed. CGLL fosters informed and responsible decisions that advance basin-wide stewardship by providing hands-on experiences, educational resources, and networking opportunities promoting Great Lakes literacy among an engaged community of educators, scientists, and youth.
Google Earth: is easy to use and presents, in a geospatial context, a vast amount of information that applies to topics ranging from the natural sciences to social sciences, history, art, engineering, and many other subjects with a geographic component. By offering the ability to combine this information with a three-dimensional model of the Earth, it can facilitate an understanding of the Earth system and the various subject areas that comprise it.
Macroinvertebrates.org: is an interdisciplinary research and development effort to create an innovative new kind of teaching and learning resource for aquatic insect identification to support citizen science identification activities. This National Science Foundation-supported project brings together expertise in entomology, learning sciences, software engineering, water quality biomonitoring, and design.
National Geospatial Program — Topography Maps: became a signature product of the USGS because the public found them, then and now, to be critical and versatile tools for viewing the nation's vast landscape.
National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) — Marine Debris in the Great Lakes: Marine debris spoils the unique beauty of the Great Lakes region: a complex system of habitats, wetlands, rivers, and tributaries. Debris in the Great Lakes ranges from small items, including microplastics and other litter, to large abandoned and derelict vessels. Regardless of size or type, debris harms the environment, wildlife, and natural resources, creates health and safety hazards, and threatens the Great Lakes’ robust recreational fishing and boating economy. Since 2006, the NOAA Marine Debris Program has collaborated with regional partners to prevent marine debris from entering the Great Lakes through education, outreach, and removal projects.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) — Locations and Languages: Marine Debris Curricula and Resources from Near and Far: Marine debris poses a constant and significant threat to communities worldwide. It can travel across ocean currents, reach remote shorelines where few people live, and cause major problems for both humans and wildlife. Regardless of where you live, it's essential for us all to understand the issue. Marine debris is created by people, which means we can also be the solution.
Ohio Department of Natural Resources — Ohio Rocks! Earth Science Educational Program: provides educators with numerous products and services that offer students exciting opportunities to learn more about Ohio’s geology. These include hands-on activities, talks, and interactive experiences with professional geologists and classroom-based inquiries.
Ohio EPA, Division of Air Pollution Control — AirOhio, Air Quality Data Collected at Outdoor Monitors Across Ohio: This automated air quality data acquisition and reporting system providing air quality reports in near real-time, in real-time ambient data, and others that are based on the air quality index.
Ohio EPA — Geographic Open Data: Explore public data from Ohio EPA.
U.S. EPA — Air Data: Air Quality Data Collected at Outdoor Monitors Across the US: provides access to air quality data collected at outdoor monitors across the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The data comes primarily from the AQS (Air Quality System) database.
U.S. EPA — Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO): search for facilities in your community to assess their compliance with environmental regulations.
U.S. EPA — How’s My Waterway: is designed to provide the general public with information about the condition of their local waters based on data that states, federal, tribal, local agencies, and others have provided to the U.S. EPA
US Geological Survey — Water Science School: provides information on various aspects of water, accompanied by pictures, data, maps, and an interactive center where you can share your opinions and test your water knowledge.
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI): is the world's premier independent organization dedicated exclusively to ocean research, technology, and education. We combine state-of-the-art science, engineering, and ship operations to unravel the mysteries of the deep and devise science-based solutions to planet-wide problems.
Wildlife
Arizona State University (ASU) — K-12 Ecology Explorers | Central Arizona–Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research: improving science literacy by introducing teachers and students to the actual research conducted by university-level scientists and by involving K-12 students in scientific investigations.
Association of Zoos and Aquariums — AZA.org: is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and aquariums in the areas of conservation, education, science, and recreation. AZA represents over 235 facilities in the United States and abroad, collectively drawing more than 200 million visitors annually. AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums meet the highest standards in animal care and welfare and provide a fun, safe, and educational family experience. Additionally, they dedicate millions of dollars annually to support scientific research, conservation, and educational programs.
Cornell Lab of Ornithology — K-12 Materials and Professional Development for Educators: provides support to both formal and informal educators. We create innovative K-12 resources that build science skills while inspiring young people to connect with local habitats, explore biodiversity, and engage in participatory science projects.
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Audubon, Bird of Canada — Great Backyard Bird Count: Spend time in your favorite places watching birds—then tell us about them! In as little as 15 minutes' notice, the birds around you. Identify them, count them, and submit your counts to help scientists better understand and protect birds around the world.
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Bird of Canada — FeederWatch - Count Feeder Birds for Science: turns your love of feeding birds into scientific discoveries. FeederWatch is a November-April survey of birds that visit backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North America. You don’t even need a feeder! All you need is a spot where you enjoy watching birds. Plus, the schedule is completely flexible: you can count every week or once all winter, for as much or as little time as you like.
Explore.org: features over 120 live camera streams capturing everything from the Aurora Borealis to grey seals, underwater sanctuaries, and honeybee hives.
iNaturalist: Every observation can contribute to biodiversity science, from the rarest butterfly to the most common backyard weed. We share your findings with scientific data repositories such as the Global Biodiversity Information Facility to help scientists locate and utilize your data. All you have to do is observe.
SciStarter: Find volunteer opportunities that match topics you're curious or concerned about. There's something for everyone!
Trout in the Classroom – Connecting students with watersheds: is a gateway stewardship experience for students. It fosters a new generation of advocates for salmonids and the watersheds in which they live.
University College London, The Zoological Society of London, The Bat Conservation Trust, BatLife Europe, and The University of Auckland —Through Bat Detective, volunteers listened to audio recordings (and viewed the associated spectrogram) in order to pick out, mark, and label different bat and non-bat calls. The ultimate research goal for this effort is to develop automated algorithms that researchers worldwide can utilize to extract information from their bat recordings, track bat populations, and understand how these populations are being affected by global change.
U.S. Phenology Network: is a national-scale monitoring and research initiative focused on collecting, organizing, and delivering phenological data, information, and forecasts to support natural resource management and decision-making, advance the scientific field of phenology, and promote understanding of phenology among a wide range of audiences.
Wildlife Ohio History Timeline Slideshow [PDF]: Ohio's wildlife is rich and varied. Our state has witnessed the decline and resurgence of wildlife species and habitats for over 200 years. Changes in landscape, increasing human population, and advances in wildlife management knowledge and technology have created a timeline that is both sad and successful.
Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation — Community Science | Xerces Society: Community science (sometimes referred to as "participatory science" or "citizen science") is a form of research that provides everyone an opportunity to contribute meaningful data to further our scientific understanding of key issues. By engaging community members, researchers can collect a larger amount of data and often span more geographic regions in a shorter timeframe. In turn, data collected informs larger conservation efforts. It's also a great opportunity for participants to learn more about species that interest them. It's a win-win situation for all of us—including invertebrates!
National Environmental Education Curricula and Projects
Annenberg Media — The Habitable Planet is a multimedia environmental science course designed for high school teachers and adult learners.
Center for Ecoliteracy: provides lessons, articles, and principles to further ecological teaching and learning.
Leopold Education Project: is a dynamic community, united by a shared passion for conservation and environmental stewardship. Our mission centers on the fusion of timeless wisdom and contemporary initiatives as we strive to foster a harmonious coexistence between humanity and the natural world. As champions of a land ethic, we aim to inspire a profound connection to the environment, empowering individuals and communities to actively engage in the flourishing of our precious ecosystems.
National Agriculture in the Classroom (See also: OSU Extension: Ag in the Classroom): provides free lesson plans, virtual field trips, and teacher resources to bring educational standards to life through agriculture in K-12 classrooms.
NASA Sponsored — Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE): is a science and education program that focuses on advancing Earth systems science through data collection and analysis by citizen scientists. The GLOBE Program’s primary goal is to advance Earth system science and its applications.
Population Connection: is a program of Population Connection that provides K-12 teachers with innovative, hands-on lesson plans and professional development to teach about human population growth and its effects on the environment and human well-being.
Project Food, Land, and People: Concerned about students, educators, and citizens understanding the crucial relationships between agriculture, natural resources, and people of the world, a group of about 50 professionals established Project Food, Land, and People (FLP) in 1989. Since then, FLP has started coalitions in 29 states, developed a nationally recognized collection of related lessons for grades Pre-K through 12, and reached millions of students, educators, and citizens through its educational network.
Project Learning Tree: provides activities and resources to engage children in learning about the environment through the lens of trees and forests.
Project WET (Water Education for Teachers): provides high-quality, hands-on preK-12 curricula for community educators to engage youth in understanding and solving local and global challenges.
Project WILD: provides wildlife-based conservation and environmental education that fosters responsible actions toward wildlife and related natural resources. All curriculum materials are backed by sound educational practices and theory, and represent the work of many professionals within the fields of education and natural resource management from across the country.
Outdoor Classrooms/Land Labs/Wildlife Gardens
4-H Children's Garden at Michigan State University: created to promote an understanding of plants and the role they play in our daily lives; to nurture the wonder in a child's imagination and curiosity; and to provide a place of enrichment and delight for children of all ages.
Cornell Lab of Ornithology — Bird Sleuth: offers a wide variety of lessons and activities to captivate learners of all grade levels.
Journey North: was organized to inspire people from across North America to help track wildlife migrations.
National Wildlife Federation Backyard Habitats: provides a wealth of information, resources, and sound scientific advice to help people of all ages grow their own habitats — in a yard, community space, or container garden.
National Wildlife Federation Schoolyard Habitats: engages educators and students from kindergarten through University to incorporate native plant habitats on school grounds.
University of Kansas — Monarch Watch: is an education, conservation, and research program.
U.S. EPA Watershed Academy — Reduce Runoff: Slow It Down, Spread It Out, Soak It In: is a video discussing how green techniques such as rain gardens, green roofs, and rain barrels help manage stormwater runoff.