Missouri Environmental Education News: Late Summer 2026
Welcome to the lastest edition of MEEA's Newsletter
Table of Contents
- Featured Article & Curriculum
- What’s Happening in MEEA?
- News from The Field
- Equity in Action with JEDIA
- Young Leaders on the Rise (YEL)
- Green Schools Spotlight
Dear Friends of MEEA,
I am writing to you this month with news of big changes at MEEA. After 7 ½ years, I am stepping down as MEEA’s Executive Director. As I reflect on my time with MEEA, I am filled with a deep sense of accomplishment and profound gratitude. MEEA and I have both grown so much, and I credit the power of the network. I had no idea what I was getting into when I became MEEA’s Executive Director! As a former “stay-at-home mom”, imposter syndrome was really strong at times, but the relationships from our EE community sustained and pulled me through. These same relationships also provided vital support for MEEA. I’m amazed how far MEEA has come.
Through the NAAEE Affiliate Network, MEEA captured a current snapshot of EE on the ground in Missouri, looking at gaps and opportunities across the state. MEEA is addressing gaps in EE resources with a growing catalog of online eeCourses for educators and new green career pathway resources for middle and high schoolers. Show-Me Green Schools, built in collaboration with Missouri Gateway Green Building Council, serves over 130 Missouri schools and has become a leader in the national green schools movement. These accomplishments have only been possible because of the partnerships we’ve built across Missouri and beyond. Being an Affiliate of the Conservation Federation of Missouri has helped MEEA connect the SMGS network of schools with a huge pool of community mentors, a vital aspect of Show-Me Green Schools programming. MEEA also has a thoughtful strategic plan that will guide expanded educator support and geographic growth as we continue advancing environmental literacy across Missouri.
MEEA recently received funding from Vital Farms to launch our newest eeCourse, Regenerative Ag in the Classroom, and train our first cohort of eeCourse facilitators. This investment will allow us to dramatically expand our calendar of eeCourse offerings – no longer relying on just one person to facilitate them. We also now have 10 MEEA Members who are part of the NAAEE Trainers Bureau and able to facilitate NAAEE’s Guidelines for Excellence Workshops. MEEA is ready to rapidly expand EE professional development in every corner of our state.
I’m happy to report that Charles Whitt, MEEA’s current Board Treasurer, will step in as Interim Executive Director. Charles brings more than 30 years of experience in marketing, communications, sales, and event management, with extensive involvement in the environmental and agricultural sectors. He has been an active mentor for Show-Me Green Schools over the past four years and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Missouri Gateway Green Building Council. In his professional work, Charles leads development and marketing for Open Space STL, mentors for The Climate Reality Project’s global leader training program, and supports sponsorship efforts for Cleantech Open. Charles is uniquely positioned to lead MEEA through this transition period, and I’m so grateful for his commitment to MEEA and its mission. He has already begun his onboarding process, and you can reach him at director@meea.org.
As I prepare to step away from MEEA directorship, I am proud of the strong foundation that has been laid for its next chapter. I’m also really grateful – for the opportunity to stay involved a few hours a week for as long as needed to ensure a smooth transition, and continue representing MEEA on the Conservation Federation of Missouri’s Affiliate Board as a voice for environmental education in the conservation community. More than anything, I am grateful for the people who make MEEA so special. Whether you’ve volunteered your time, shared your expertise, mentored a green school, attended the conference, or simply renewed your membership year after year, you have helped shape MEEA into the organization it is today. Thank you for welcoming me, encouraging me, and believing in this work. It has truly been the honor of a lifetime to serve alongside you, and I can’t wait to see where MEEA goes next.
Lesli Moylan, Executive Director
Featured Article
Erin Graves, Retired Biology Teacher, Herculanum High School in Dunklin R-V School District, awarded 2020 Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Teacher of the Year Semifinalist
Jeanne Fernandez, Founder and Executive Director of Barefoot & Bloomin’
As another school year begins, many educators are looking for meaningful ways to engage students while meeting academic standards. One of the greatest challenges in teaching environmental education (EE) is finding room for it within an already full curriculum. The good news is that environmental education does not have to be taught as a separate subject. Instead, it can be woven into science, language arts, mathematics, social studies, and the arts, creating engaging learning experiences that help students better understand the world around them while strengthening core academic skills.
The North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) identifies several Essential Underpinnings of Environmental Education (pg.12) that provide a strong foundation for this work. Central to EE is understanding systems—recognizing how natural and human systems are interconnected and how changes in one part of a system can affect the whole. Environmental education also emphasizes interdependence, helping students understand that human well-being is closely tied to environmental quality.
Beginning with local environments and experiences, students develop the knowledge and skills needed to understand broader environmental issues and their own role within them. Environmental education is most effective when infused throughout the curriculum and rooted in real-world experiences that encourage investigation, collaboration, problem-solving, and lifelong learning.
One effective way to integrate EE is through interdisciplinary and project-based learning. Environmental topics naturally connect to multiple subject areas and provide authentic opportunities for students to apply what they are learning. In language arts, students might read nature-themed literature, write persuasive essays about conservation, or create poetry inspired by outdoor experiences. Mathematics lessons can include graphing climate data, analyzing recycling statistics, or calculating carbon footprints. Social studies classes may explore environmental justice, research local policies, or develop civic action projects related to sustainability. These types of experiences deepen content knowledge while encouraging creativity, critical thinking, and student engagement.
Outdoor learning also provides valuable opportunities for environmental education. School gardens, nature walks, bird feeders, pollinator habitats, and outdoor observation activities transform everyday spaces into living classrooms. Research consistently shows that outdoor and project-based learning can improve academic performance, reduce stress, increase student enthusiasm, and foster stronger leadership and problem-solving skills.
A Real-World Classroom Connection: Symbolic Monarch Migration
One outstanding example of interdisciplinary environmental education is the Symbolic Monarch Migration program. What if your classroom could connect with students in Mexico, just like the monarch butterfly?
Each fall, students in the United States and Canada decorate life-sized paper butterflies that are sent to schools near the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Mexico. Throughout the winter, classes can monitor the butterflies’ journey online as they are hand-delivered to participating schools. The project mirrors the monarch’s own migration while teaching students about conservation, geography, culture, and international connections.
In the spring, participating classrooms receive a packet of life-sized paper butterflies created by students in Mexico, along with letters sharing messages of hope and gratitude. Students gain a deeper appreciation for migration, ecosystems, and the understanding that the environmental choices they make locally can have impacts thousands of miles away.
The Symbolic Monarch Migration naturally integrates science, geography, language arts, social studies, visual arts, and global citizenship into one engaging project. Last fall, more than 27,000 youth across the United States and Canada participated. Classrooms, nature centers, homeschool families, and youth organizations are all welcome to join this year’s migration.
If you’re considering participating this school year, be sure to watch the accompanying video featuring Susan Meyers. In just a few minutes, she walks educators through the Symbolic Monarch Migration process, including how to prepare and mail your Ambassador Folder, what to expect throughout the school year, and tips for a successful classroom experience.
The program is sponsored by Monarch Joint Venture and the Environmental Education Alliance. Registration is only $20 per classroom or group and includes one Ambassador Folder, a cluster of life-sized paper butterflies (one per student), and a “Hello Friends/Hola Amigos” letter to Mexico. Register by October 3rd and postmark your mailings by October 10th.
Ready-to-Use Lesson Ideas
If you’re looking for additional ways to bring environmental education into your classroom this school year, these cross-curricular lessons provide an excellent place to start:
- Preschool–PreK: Caring for Our Earth
- Grades K–5: The 4 R’s Waste Warriors
- Grades 6–8: Local Ecosystems and Human Impact
- Grades 9–12: The Trash We Pass
Whether you begin with a single lesson, an outdoor observation, or a year-long project like Symbolic Monarch Migration, environmental education helps students build academic knowledge while developing the skills, curiosity, and stewardship needed to care for their communities and the natural world.
2025 National Green Ribbon School Missouri honoree, Ladue Horton Watikins High School, demonstrates project-based learning by participating in seasonal maitnentce of the school’s native pollinator garden learning about habitat restoration, invasive species management and role of native plants in supporting biodiversity and stormwater health. Photo credit: Kelly Krejnik, Classroom Teacher at Ladue Horton Watkins High School.
What’s Happening in MEEA?
Professional Development Committee Update
The MEEA Professional Development Committee supports the development, facilitation, and maintenance of environmental education courses and professional learning opportunities for formal and informal educators. The committee meets quarterly and includes MEEA Board members, MEEA members, and interested non-members. We are excited to announce over the past year MEEA has helped in the development of a new eeCourse: Regenerative Ag in the Classroom for K-12 teachers across Missouri! It is now ready for educators to use in the classroom. There are so many ways to integrate concepts connected to regenerative agriculture into classroom curriculum, and this is such an important career pathway to expose kids to.
A new Exploring Green Careers with Teens eeCourse was developed as a part of the EPA grant with KACEE and MEEA for Region 7 and Affiliates from Region 8 (CO, UT, WY). Through this Green Careers grant, we held a green career summit, developed a green career exploration website for teens in our various states, and created the eeCourse. Thirteen Missouri participants pilot tested this eeCourse from MO and KS. We’ll be adding this to our eeCourse catalog once the revisions from the pilot are made in the next couple of months. Check out the description to learn more about this course. COURSE DESCRIPTION
We are currently collaborating with the Arkansas Environmental Education Association (AEEA) offering the online course: Nature & Human Wellness. This eight-week course is running from June 15 through August 10, 2026. Participants note they are learning so much about the important connections between human physical, mental and emotional health and nature! Watch for emails coming in the Fall as we plan to offer another eeCourse called Foundations in Teaching Environmental Education! Be sure to visit the MEEA website at meea.org for additional upcoming course offerings. If you have ideas for environmental education professional development opportunities you would like us to offer, we would love to hear from you!
Membership and Fund Development Committee Update
The Membership and Fund Development Committee supports MEEA staff in advancing membership and fundraising priorities, including recruiting, supporting, and engaging members; planning and implementing fundraising efforts; grant writing; and reviewing MEEA mini-grant applications. MEEA offers a mini-grants program for formal and non-formal educators. These grants support a wide variety of environmental and sustainability education projects. The next grant application cycle will open on September 15, 2026. Be sure to check the MEEA: Environmental Education Grants webpage for updates and application information. In addition, the committee is planning a Trivia Night Fundraiser on Friday, November 13, 2026, at the Kirkwood Community Center. This fun event will feature a playful “Friday the 13th” theme, and we would love for you to join us! Registration is now open, so start planning your team’s most creative “unlucky Friday the 13th” table decorations for a chance to win a prize!
Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (JEDIA) Committee
The Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (JEDIA) Committee works to ensure these principles are thoughtfully integrated throughout MEEA’s programs, resources, and organizational practices. The committee’s current priorities include updating MEEA’s Environmental Justice webpage with current, high-quality educational resources and finalizing MEEA’s Gift Acceptance Policy in collaboration with the Fundraising Committee. Through these efforts, the committee supports MEEA’s mission by promoting equitable access to environmental education and providing members with timely, research-based resources.
This summer, committee members have been conducting a comprehensive review of the Environmental Justice webpage, evaluating existing resources for quality, relevance, and alignment with MEEA’s values. Resources published within the past five years are being prioritized, and the committee is expanding the collection by reaching out to researchers and organizations for additional materials, including unpublished environmental equity research taking place in Missouri. The committee is also developing new content that explores current environmental justice topics and their connections to education.
Looking ahead, the committee is preparing upcoming newsletter features that examine emerging environmental issues through an educational lens. August’s article will explore the rapid expansion of data centers in Missouri, providing educators with balanced, factual resources related to energy use, water demand, and community impacts. Additional newsletter features are planned throughout the year to highlight resources that support diverse communities, elevate underrepresented voices in environmental education, and continue advancing MEEA’s commitment to justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility.
Conference Committee Update
The Conference Committee plans and delivers MEEA’s annual professional conference each year, bringing together formal and informal educators, natural resource professionals, nonprofit leaders, students, and community partners to strengthen environmental education across Missouri. Through engaging keynote speakers, field experiences, hands-on workshops, and networking opportunities, the committee creates a collaborative space where participants can exchange ideas, discover innovative teaching strategies, build partnerships, and advance environmental literacy throughout the region.
Registration is now open for the 2026 Missouri & Kansas Environmental Education Conference, From the Soil to the Stars: Systems Connect Us All, co-hosted by the Missouri Environmental Education Association (MEEA) and the Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education (KACEE). This annual conference is the premier gathering for environmental educators in Missouri, and this year’s partnership with our Kansas colleagues promises an outstanding opportunity to learn, connect, and collaborate. Conference details continue to be added as planning progresses, so be sure to check the website regularly for updates. There is still time to share your expertise—proposal submissions are open through August 28, 2026. We look forward to welcoming you to Kansas City this fall!
Important Details:
- Conference: Missouri & Kansas Environmental Education Conference
- Theme: From the Soil to the Stars: Systems Connect Us All
- Dates: October 26–27, 2026
- Location: Kauffman Conference Center, Kansas City, Missouri
- Proposal Deadline: August 28, 2026
- Day 1: Field trips, Night Walk, Opening Keynote, and Networking Social
- Day 2: Concurrent educational sessions and Lunchtime Keynote
- Registration & Proposal Submission: https://meea.org/professional-development/annual-conference/
I Want to Join a MEEA Committee!
News from the Field: Ideas, Innovation, & Impact
The environmental education community continues to create exciting opportunities to learn, connect, and be inspired. Whether you’re looking to attend a national conference or hear stories from leaders making a difference around the world, there are several ways to stay engaged this fall.
NAAEE 2026 Annual Conference & Research Symposium
Join environmental educators from across the globe in Portland, Oregon, for the 2026 North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) Annual Conference and Research Symposium. This premier event offers inspiring keynote speakers, practical workshops, research presentations, networking opportunities, and innovative ideas that participants can bring back to their communities and classrooms.
- Location: Portland, Oregon
- Scholarship Application Deadline: August 7, 2026
- Early Bird Registration Ends: August 21, 2026
- Volunteer discounts are also available.
- Learn more and register: https://conference.naaee.org
Listen to the Latest Episodes of The World We Want Podcast
Looking for inspiration on the go? The World We Want, produced by NAAEE and GLOBIO, shares conversations with environmental educators, community leaders, scientists, and changemakers from around the world who are building a more sustainable future. Recent episodes feature community changemaker Quilen Blackwell and renowned naturalist and nature journalist John “Jack” Muir Laws.
Missouri will soon be in the spotlight as well, with upcoming episodes featuring Roger Still of One Health US and Margie Van Deven of the Missouri Department of Conservation. Be sure to subscribe and listen wherever you get your podcasts.
Equity in Action with JEDIA: Equitable and Just Data Center Development
(Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility)
Picture from Le Chen, Columbia Missourian, of ongoing construction at Google’s Montgomery County data center.
Statewide Risk Map. The nine marked counties have active, approved, or recently-withdrawn projects. Visit https://missouridatacenters.org/ for more information.
News coverage in Missouri and across the United States has been increasingly focused on the issue of data center regulation. As AI use dramatically increases across the world, investment in this sector has led to rapid – and some say unsustainable – growth. The growth of AI data centers in Missouri has already been blessed by Governor Kehoe’s office. The Missouri Governor’s office issued Executive Order 26-02 in January, acknowledging the power demands of AI data centers, the possible power the technology could have for improving efficiency, and tasking the state government with implementing AI into everyday processes as well as planning for sustainable data center development. This stance is in line with the federal government’s “Genesis Mission” platform to expand AI use in research and security.
Advocates against these developments warn of possible environmental, health, and cost impacts of these large scale centers. While the Department of Natural Resources is obligated to investigate the human and animal impacts of developments and determine if infrastructure can support it, specifics of water use and other impacts like noise pollution are not regulated. The health impacts of data centers are unknown, untested, and the locations of these sites are often in rural communities with already poor access to healthcare. Just like past practices of placing dumps, sewage treatment plants, and nuclear waste sites in disenfranchised communities, big tech companies are disproportionately choosing areas for data centers with higher POC populations. The impacts of these developments will be felt by these communities first, who already are losing healthcare coverage because of massive federal funding cuts.
The locations and planning of these sites are also not transparent, according to advocates from Missouri Data Centers, a site built by residents to track the development of proposed and operational data centers, document community feedback, and map impacts. These advocates and others from around Missouri warn that these developments often happen in backdoor meetings or by paying off elected officials. The residents of Festus, after not being included in planning until learning of the proposed site on Facebook and after immense public backlash, voted out four members of city council with plans to sue and outvote the remaining members.
The conversation around what regulation is needed for data centers is ongoing. St. Louis has moved to categorize data centers developments by size, restrict their locations to be away from residential areas, and mandate some energy is offset by renewables. This move is still controversial for data center and AI advocates who say the developments will improve economic security for these underprivileged communities and improve everyday life. Google’s Montgomery County data center, Project Spade, also has commitments to sustainable water use and community transparency. These regulations all fall in line with what environmental advocates say amount to sustainable data center regulations and provide a path towards development with all parties considered. They emphasize the importance of regulating prices amid ongoing energy, fuel, and food cost crises along with equitable placement and development of AI centers to offset waste and possible human health effects.
I Want to Join MEEA's JEDIA Committee
Green Schools Spotlight
Registration Now Open for the 2026–2027 Green Schools Quest
Registration is now open for the 2026–2027 Green Schools Quest, a free school sustainability program for PreK–12 schools across Missouri and Southern Illinois. Each year, students identify and lead a sustainability project on their campus while working alongside an experienced sustainability mentor. Projects help schools reduce environmental impact, improve student health and well-being, conserve resources, and strengthen environmental literacy through hands-on, real-world learning. Students who participated during the 2025–2026 school year reflected that Green Schools Quest helped them better understand how their actions affect the environment, strengthened their communication and teamwork skills, and showed them that even small efforts—like preventing litter from entering storm drains or growing food in a school garden—can make a meaningful difference.
This year’s theme, Systems Thinking, encourages students to explore how individual actions connect to larger environmental systems and how one small initiative can create lasting change. As one student discovered, a single raindrop that falls on their school campus can eventually travel through local waterways to the Mississippi River and ultimately the Gulf of Mexico, illustrating how local actions have far-reaching impacts. Throughout the school year, educators and mentors receive free professional development to support project planning, implementation, and student learning. Schools are welcome to pursue any sustainability project of their choice, with projects connected to the annual theme receiving additional recognition during judging.
MEEA members are encouraged to participate by registering a school or volunteering as a Green Schools Quest Mentor. Mentors contribute just a few hours each month, providing guidance and encouragement as students develop and implement their projects. Registration is open through September 15, 2026, so now is the perfect time to join the growing network of schools creating healthier, more sustainable learning environments. Learn more and register at showmegreenschools.org/gsq.
Changes to Show-Me Green Schools Management
As MEEA goes through a major staff transition, the organization will be zeroing in on providing EE professional development and continuing to cultivate educator engagement in new communities. The Missouri Gateway Green Building Council (MGGBC) will assume sole management of the Show-Me Green Schools program. MEEA will still be integrally involved, serving on the Green Schools Committee, helping with statewide outreach, and providing PD opportunities for Show-Me Green Schools teachers and staff. Effectively nothing will change for our schools, so this should be very seamless for our schools.
Over the last few years, Jamin Bray and the PD Committee have spearheaded major growth in the PD MEEA has on offer. What does this mean for Show-Me Green Schools? First, we now have a variety of “shelf-ready” workshops and eeCourses available to teachers at Show-Me Green Schools, and we will be looking for funding to provide those kinds of opportunities. Second, our workshops and eeCourses are great avenues to find new folks interested in being part of Show-Me Green Schools as a school lead or a green mentor.
We are confident that these changes will position both MEEA and MGGBC to better meet our missions, and put us on the road to having trained environmental educators and active green schools in every county of the state!
