Leading Organizations Collaborate to Inspire a New Generation to Connect with Nature
Washington, DC (PRWEB) November 18, 2014 -- The Paul F-Brandwein Institute, the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) and State and Federal Public Land Agencies in the U.S. and Canada announce that they will collaborate to host an invitational 2015 Inspiring a New Generation (ING) Summit which will take place November 6–8, 2015 at the National Conservation Training Center, Shepherdstown, WV. The Summit is in response to the call to action that was issued at the 2014 IUCN World Parks Congress in Sydney, Australia on November 18, 2014. During the World Parks Congress, thought leaders from around the world committed to actions to develop and sustain the emerging global movement that connects new generations to nature. The 2015 Summit will convene a diverse group of key stakeholders to develop a strategy that will expand this global call to action throughout North America.
Diane Wood, President of NEEF, said, “Our vision is to engage more people from public and private sectors – including traditionally underrepresented communities, businesses and youth – in actively using environmental knowledge to ensure the well-being of the earth and its people. We think the opportunity to build on the major commitments made at the World Parks Congress is an opportunity that all of us in North America can leverage. We are pleased to be founding co-sponsors of the 2015 ING Summit.”
Keith Wheeler, President of the Brandwein Institute, stressed the urgency stating, “We can’t wait any longer. We need to inspire and implement strategies for change, beginning with the leadership of today’s millennials and those younger. Intergenerational partnerships are the key to a healthy planet, now and in the future.”
The 2015 ING North America Summit builds on U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell’s Executive Order that is focused on a national youth initiative to inspire millions of young people to play, learn, serve, and work in the outdoors. Since the outcome of this meeting will involve the creation of a North American strategy, the founding sponsors request that core work group members have the authority to make decisions around program and/or funding priorities within their respective agencies and organizations. Invitations to the Summit will be issued early next year.
About the Paul F-Brandwein Institute
The Brandwein Institute convenes and catalyzes positive change by supporting teacher field science at the Brandwein Nature Learning Preserve, endowing the Brandwein Lecture at the National Science Teachers Annual Meetings, and convening seminal meetings to further advance excellence in science, education, and conservation. The Institute is headquartered in the Town of Greenville, Orange County, NY with an administrative office in Milford, PA.
About the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF)
NEEF is the nation’s leading organization in lifelong environmental learning, connecting people to knowledge they use to improve the quality of their lives and the health of the planet and providing knowledge to trusted professionals and other leaders who, with their credibility, amplify messages to national audiences to solve everyday environmental problems. NEEF sees a future where by 2022, 300 million Americans are actively using environmental knowledge to ensure the well-being of the earth and its people. NEEF is located in Washington, DC.
David Lanham, National Environmental Education Foundation, http://eeweek.org, +1 2022616483, [email protected]
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