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EENC promotes excellence in professional development and facilitates networking opportunities, inspiring educators to create an environmentally literate citizenry.
History
Beginning in late 1987, Triangle area environmental and teaching professionals met often and regularly, at various venues to engage in discussions around the environmental education movement in our state. Members of the focus group included but were by no means limited to UNC and NCSU professors, school teachers of diverse disciplines, museum curators & interpreters, County and State Parks rangers and naturalists, federal, state and county government agency officials, environmental researchers, electric utility professionals and environmental policy-makers.
The meeting hour was always "after school" and meeting rooms were sometimes packed with tired overworked professionals determined to spin a common thread to all of our various smaller efforts to increase the environmental awareness and intelligence among the people of the state of North Carolina. In time and without the aid of 21st century electronic mail, interest grew beyond the geographic confines of the Triangle to the east, west and south. Relationships and networks were built over time and with an entirely volunteer effort in planning and organization at the a momentous first board meeting held at Museum of Life and Science in Durham in October 1990 a state-wide, membership-driven, 501(c)3 education non-profit organization was born called Environmental Educators of North Carolina (EENC). It was then, and continues to be, the premier environmental education professional organization in our great state that connects diverse professionals and organizations to each other through directories, news, regional events, an annual state conference and a coveted awards program.
Early in its history, EENC affiliated with North American Association of Environmental Education (NAAEE). Through an NAAEE affiliates study program and by developing strong partnerships with other North Carolina organizations and agencies, EENC was exceedingly instrumental in the engineering of the NC Environmental Education Certification Program. In November 1995, the combined environmental education community celebrated the first recipients of the state certification program held at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel and Convention Center in Research Triangle Park. The conference event was organized by the fledgling NC Office of Environmental Education (OEE) of what was then the NC Department of Environment, Health and Natural Resources. Since its inception, the certification program has been administered by the OEE and is heralded internationally.
In 1998, EENC was chosen as "Affiliate of the Year" by NAAEE in great part for its crucial role in developing the certification program.
Unlike the OEE which successfully emerged out of an act legislation for which our members are exceedingly grateful, EENC emerged in the late 1980's out the need and desire of individuals to meet, confer and share their experiences, aspirations, and tools so as to bring the most excellent environmental education experiences to the citizens of North Carolina and beyond.
