EDUCATION
Environmental Education Programs List
As a public service, Anthrocean is collating a list of environmental education programs for grade and high school education in the Bay Area. If you would like for your Bay Area program to be listed, please contact anthrocean@anthinst.org. To learn more about programs, follow the links below.
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| Location | Program | Organization |
|---|---|---|
| The Bahamas - Eleuthera | Study Abroad Programs | The Island School |
| USA - San Francisco, CA | Youth Leader | Sustainable Ocean Alliance |
| USA - Sausalito, CA | Youth Crew | The Marine Mammal Center |
| USA - Monterey, CA | TCL, YWS, WATCH, SOC | Monterey Bay Aquarium |
| USA - Redwood City, CA | School Programs, Out of School Enrichment | Marine Science Institute |
| USA - Palo Alto, CA | Multiple Programs | Environmental Volunteers EcoCenter |
Protecting Pollinators
Xerces Society
The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation protects the natural world through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitats. The vast majority of invertebrates serve vitally important roles in a healthy environment, including controlling pests, pollinating flowering plants, and providing food for other wildlife, yet many of these animals are threatened by the widespread use of pesticides. We strive to reduce reliance on pesticides by supporting the diverse systems that reduce pest problems.
Photo caption: Curtailing the use of bee-toxic pesticides can help protect dwindling pollinator species like this endangered rusty patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis). Photo by Rich Hatfield, the Xerces Society.
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Anthrocean has supported several projects with Xerces Society, including:
- A series of webinars and a short video to encourage the adoption of ecologically sound pest management practices
- Workshops and presentations to train community members to support pollinators in backyards and public spaces
- Establishment of Bee Cities and Bee Campuses across the USA
- Toolkit for pollinator-friendly parks
Instructional Videos for Disaster Relief
Field Ready
In the Anthropocene, as the climate changes, disasters will become more common-place. Field Ready is a non-profit organization that meets humanitarian and reconstruction aid needs by transforming logistics through technology, design, and engaging people in new ways. They work with communities across the world to address local problems by creating solutions that leverage the unique resources and capacity of each community.
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For this project, Field Ready created two instructional videos that are currently being used to train staff members on how to create a water filter and repair a solar panel with readily available materials. The videos will be used in future training activities and have also been made available to the public through Field Ready’s website and social media platforms.
Check out the videos below!
Enabling Field Trips for Bay Area Students
Environmental Volunteers
The mission of the Environmental Volunteers (EV) is to “promote the understanding of and responsibility for the environment through hands-on science education.” To that end, the Environmental Volunteers manage a Field Trip Transportation Fund. This fund allows Bay Area teachers who meet certain criteria to receive assistance in paying for buses so that their students can attend a science or environmental education themed field trip.
Over the past four years, Anthrocean has funded transportation subsidies to facilitate field study excursions for over 5,000 students.
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Maria Chichizola, Student Support Counselor
Grant Elementary School, San Jose
“On behalf of myself, my parent volunteers and 63 students from Grant Elementary who participated in a beach clean, I want to thank Environmental Volunteers for the $500 bus reimbursement that helped make our field trip possible. Grant is a Title 1 school with 84% of students who are socio-economically disadvantaged. Although most of our students and their families struggle with financial hardships, they are extremely enthusiastic about learning about and helping animals and the environment. I was concerned I may not have many students interested in cleaning up beaches and was amazed that I had to turn down many students due to lack of space, I thought maybe the kids would get distracted on the beach and start playing around, but they were committed to cleaning up as much as they could. They had a wonderful time, and I am so proud of their level of concern for and commitment to wildlife and the environment. Thank you again for the opportunity to involve our students in such important work.”
Anthropocene Research Award in Marine Conservation
California State University Monterey Bay
The Anthrocean Research Award in Marine Conservation was initiated in 2020 with a goal of supporting marine science students from underrepresented communities to carry out scientific diving research. The primary objectives of the Award are four-fold: 1) to engage students directly in original scientific research, 2) to advance students’ training in research SCUBA diving, 3) to engage students in outreach to underserved communities, and 4) to expose students to policymaking through introductions to elected officials and agency heads. Working under the mentorship of Dr. James Lindholm, the students are offered a suite of potential research opportunities, along with training in science communication and leadership.
To date, two students have completed the two-year program and another cohort of four students recently started their research.
Education to Action
Baja Coastal Institute
Baja Coastal Institute (BCI) is a non-profit organization registered in both the USA and Mexico. BCI’s mission is to bring scientific research to the citizens of the region, to empower an active and knowledgeable citizenry to protect this rich and beautiful region. BCI’s Education to Action program trains teachers to teach the driving principals of conservation to high school students using project based learning.
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Through grants from 2018-present, Anthrocean has supported environmental education field expeditions for high school students, as well as the development of virtual learning models and training for teachers. This project is ongoing.
Our Ocean Youth Leadership Summit
Sustainable Ocean Alliance
Anthrocean sponsored 10 students to attend the Our Ocean Youth Leadership Summit to engage the next generation in building solutions to key ocean challenges.
Youth Diver Program
Reef Check/Outward Bound Adventures Inc.
Reef Check is an ocean conservation organization that believes in engaging the public in citizen science research to empower them to take action and develop a science-based ocean stewardship ethic. For this project, Reef Check has partnered with Outward Bound Adventures Inc., the oldest nonprofit in the nation dedicated to engaging urban and low-income communities of color in meaningful, project-based outdoor experiences.
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Together, the organizations have designed a program to recruit more people of color from traditionally underrepresented communities into a citizen scientist diver program and train them to provide direct, ocean-focused experiential science education to urban youth who share their socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.
This project included training young adults from Outward Bound Adventure’s Diverse Outdoor Leaders Institute (DOLI) as open water certified SCUBA divers and Reef Check scientific divers. The DOLI participants then led underserved youth from their own communities through marine education programs. This project also included additional educational boat trips for middle and high school students participating in the Outward Bound Adventures program. Check out photos below.
