Number: 2009-03
WHEREAS, America faces numerous, profound environmental challenges and U.S. elementary and secondary schools will be called upon to prepare students to become effective stewards of the environment and to participate in a new, clean energy economy that is built upon environmental sustainability; and
WHEREAS, the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) in Denmark, a non-governmental organization (NGO) affiliated with the United Nations Environment Programme, selected the National Wildlife Federation as its U.S. host organization for the International Eco-Schools program, establishing this program in the United States for the first time; and
WHEREAS, Eco-Schools USA will combine effective “green” management of school facilities and grounds with high-quality environmental education and volunteerism, through an organized process of building a team of students, faculty, administrators, parents, and community leaders that will create an action plan to measurably improve their environmental performance and educational effectiveness as a demonstration for future living; and
WHEREAS, Eco-Schools USA will focus on eight primary areas, including energy and water, travel and traffic, sustainable school grounds, sustainable consumption and waste, global dimensions of sustainability, the “Green Hour,” climate change education, and community engagement, to educate students, faculty, and community on these important issues and also develop pathways to becoming more sustainable in school, at home, and in the larger community; and
WHEREAS, there is a solid base of research that demonstrates how environment-based education programs improve student motivation to learn, student behavior, critical analysis skills, and academic performance, including standardized test scores; and
WHEREAS, surveys indicate that schools waste an average of 25 percent of their electricity and water, and American schools spend $6 billion annually on utilities, and Eco-Schools USA will help to address and reduce this waste; and
WHEREAS, schools with environment-based programs present fewer toxic risks to students, lower stress levels, and offer students more opportunities for healthy time outdoors which has positive impacts on students’ physical and mental health;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation, at its annual meeting assembled April 30 – May 2, 2009, in Pittsburgh, PA, hereby urges Congress and the Administration to advance policies and fund programs to support schools throughout our nation to prepare students to become effective stewards of the environment, to make schools more environmentally and energy sustainable, and to educate students, faculty and the community about this sustainability; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation strongly encourages state and local government, including governors, state boards of education, mayors, local school boards, school superintendents, and school principals to support these school initiatives.