Green Fork Utah: What is USEE?

Have you been checking out our blog, but are still a bit unsure about what USEE (The Utah Society for Environmental Education) is all about?

Well, here are some tidbits to give you a better idea...

Established in 1981, USEE is a 501 (c) 3 Environmental Education (EE) nonprofit membership organization with a mission to provide state-wide leadership expanding the quality, scope and effectiveness of environmental education in Utah.
USEE's members include individuals and diverse institutions and organizations such as the Department of Environmental Quality, Momentum Recycling, and the Ogden Nature Center.
USEE’s vision is to ensure economic, social, and environmental sustainability for Utah as a result of environmental consciousness built upon sound ecological knowledge.
USEE teaches people “how to think, not what to think,” about the environment based on science-based knowledge while also trying to help teachers integrate EE into their regular classrooms.
As an affiliate of the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE.org), USEE serves as an umbrella organization that links state and national EE efforts by guiding, informing, and serving as a voice for those who provide EE in Utah (including: teachers and non-formal educators).
USEE establishes standards of knowledge, skills, experience and conduct for EE and promotes them to educators via professional development opportunities, training and support services, community events, and an Annual Environmental Education conference.
USEE helps cultivate leaders in the field of EE by providing professional development and networking opportunities and disseminating high-quality programs and resources.
USEE’s programs, often supported by state and federal grants, teach non-biased information that works within the Utah state core science curriculum.
Rather than working directly with students in their classrooms, USEE trains and offers curriculum and activity ideas to more than 200 teachers each year who are then able to teach EE to kids in the classroom.
USEE also offers EE programs in the form of community-based discussion courses developed by the Northwest Earth Institute in 1993, including Menu for the Future, Choices for Sustainable Living, Global Warming: Changing CO2urse, Exploring Deep Ecology, Voluntary Simplicity, Healthy Children-Healthy Planet, and Discovering a Sense of Place. As a partner with the Institute, USEE helps small groups in homes, workplaces, churches and community centers explore important environmental and sustainability issues and create discussion around personal values and habits that affect our environment.
USEE is currently conducting the Utah Project for Excellence in Environmental Education, funded by the Environmental Protection Agency, which will strengthen the quality and effectiveness of environmental education throughout the state through partnerships with non-formal environmental education providers and teachers.
USEE has been recognized with numerous awards for its efforts at both state and federal levels including: the National Environmental Education Achievement Award, the Environmental Achievement Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Conservation Education Outstanding Achievement Award from the US Forest Service.