I. Introduction
    Alabama is blessed with an abundance of natural resources and beauty. The conservation and wise use of these natural resources and preservation of our natural wonders is an integral part of the quality of life in our state. Alabama has many programs to encourage individuals to work for the improvement of our environment. These involve both formal education as well as public education.
     The Comprehensive Environmental Education Plan for Alabama is designed to integrate environmental education into the Alabama Course of Study and other areas of public education. A chief aim of this plan is to provide a mechanism to make available existing environmental education resources for teachers to use in supplementing and enriching the teaching of required academic content. This plan also identifies programs for general public education and provides a mechanism to deliver these programs. The plan calls for new programs to be developed only after the need for these have been clearly identified and evaluated.
     The Comprehensive Environmental Education Plan for Alabama recognizes the need for our state to address the fundamental requirements for K–12 education. Therefore, this plan is designed to reinforce those fundamentals without placing additional requirements on our education system. The plan does not seek to establish mandatory requirements for environmental education in our K–12 curriculum unless recommended by the Alabama Department of Education and supported by other appropriate organizations.
     General public education includes many different facets. The business community has certain environmental education needs. Government agencies, at all levels, have education needs. All citizens should be aware of how their specific actions impact the environment. The Comprehensive Environmental Education Plan for Alabama provides a mechanism to identify these needs and focus existing resources to address them.

II. Definition
    Environmental education is defined as the educational process dealing with the scientific, cultural, ecological, and economic relationships of humans to their natural and artificial surroundings. It includes the complex relationships of pollution, resource allocation, conservation, transportation, and technology to the environment.
     Environmental education in Alabama is a process that aims to equip the people of Alabama with a basic understanding of ecological principles, environmental resources, and the environmental sciences so as to enable them to compete economically and make well informed choices concerning the environment.
     To be effective, environmental education programs must be factual, balanced, and focused on helping students and the general public understand the scientific concepts which impact environmental issues. These programs should increase environmental awareness and appreciation of Alabama’s environmental resources, promote knowledge of environmental concepts, develop basic environmental skills, and promote personal responsibility and stewardship.

III. The following are the goals for the Comprehensive Environmental Education Plan:
A. Inclusion of environmental education into the state schools to support the Alabama Course of Study and required performance standards.
B. Implementation of a program for pre-service teacher training in the state’s colleges and universities.
C. Implementation of a program/sequence of teacher training via in-service delivery in Alabama school systems.
D. Establishment of a program for delivering environmental information and education to the public-at-large, business, government agencies, and other groups.
E. Establishment of a program to minimize duplication of environmental education efforts and identify priority needs in an effort to effectively utilize both public and private resources.

IV. The following are suggested ground rules for the actions/strategies of the Comprehensive Environmental Education Plan:
A. All environmental education programs used in the K–12 curriculum should be consistent with the definition of environmental education set forth in this plan.
B. All environmental education programs should be conducted in a balanced manner, based on current scientific information and presented in a fair and accurate manner. (See Alabama Environmental Education Fairness and Accuracy Ground Rules adapted from “Environmental Education Materials Guidelines for Excellence” by NAAEE, November 1996.)
C. School use of environmental education programs should consist of emphasizing concepts, principles, and content appropriate for the selected grade level(s).
D. School programs for environmental education should strive to utilize existing environmental education resources, meet the requirements of the Alabama Course of Study, and reinforce fundamental course requirements.
E. Environmental education programs should focus on providing tools with which responsible decisions can be made. Programs should not direct learners toward any biased or single interest group perspective or action.
F. Environmental education at all levels is encouraged to emphasize opportunities for outdoor education and environmental improvement projects.

V. Actions/Strategies for integration of environmental education into the existing K–12 curriculum.
A. Provide materials suitable for use with the existing Alabama Course of Study and which address the following areas of environmental education:

1. Awareness and Appreciation
2. Ecological Relationships
3. Historic and Cultural Resources
4. Natural Resource Management
5. Responsible Action/Stewardship

VI. Actions/Strategies for a pre-service teacher training program for implementation in the state’s colleges and universities.
A. Interview/survey each university teacher education program to identify current capabilities and demands for environmental topics.
B. Develop a directory of available resources and services which can be used to integrate environmental education into standard curriculum areas (math, science, social studies, etc.).
C. Provide the Alabama Environmental Education Resource Guide to each college of education for use in integrating environmental education into the standard curriculum.
D. Establish, as appropriate, electives in environmental subject areas within university teacher education programs.
E. Introduce, as appropriate, environmental subjects into teacher testing/certification requirements.
F. Provide funding to implement the pre-service teacher training program.
 

VII. Actions/Strategies for a program/sequence of teacher training for implementation via in-service delivery in Alabama school systems.
A. Interview/survey each in-service center to determine programs already in place and the number of teachers involved.
B. Provide the Alabama Environmental Education Resource Guide to each in-service center for use in integrating environmental subjects into the education curriculum.
C. Develop a directory of existing resources and services for in-service training and distribute to all teachers in Alabama.
D. Train an individual in each in-service center as an environmental resource person.
E. Provide funding to implement the in-service delivery program in Alabama school systems.

VIII. Actions/Strategies for utilizing school-based environmental education programs across the state.
A. Identify existing school-based environmental education programs across the state.
B. Determine the need for specific resources to either enhance or support those programs, including possible teacher certification in environmental education.
C. Provide funding to implement the Discovering Our Heritage program and other grade-specific programs/curricula based on a similar approach of integrating environmental education into the curriculum.

IX. Actions/Strategies for a program for delivering environmental information and education to the public-at-large, business, government agencies, and other groups.
A. Identify successful existing public education programs.
B. Catalogue active organizations and existing educational efforts that relate to the strategies called for in the Comprehensive Environmental Education Plan for Alabama.
C. Develop a directory of public education resources/programs and the audiences they are targeting.
D. Develop a mechanism for identifying/prioritizing public education needs.
E. Conduct public meetings at various locations around the state to solicit comments and views on environmental education issues and methods to address those issues.

X. Actions/Strategies for identifying priority needs and minimizing duplication of environmental education efforts so as to effectively utilize both public and private resources.
A. Provide a mechanism for identifying areas not addressed by existing resources in K–12, pre-service, in-service, and public education programs.
B. Establish priorities through public forums for the support of existing resources and the creation of new resources that may be needed.
C. Develop a strategy document that can be utilized by all parties—public and private—for making decisions on allocation of resources to specific programs.
D. Develop a mechanism for continuous review of the needs and priorities for environmental education.