{"id":14883,"date":"2017-07-18T20:00:52","date_gmt":"2017-07-18T20:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/162.217.168.59\/?p=14883"},"modified":"2023-03-22T12:56:37","modified_gmt":"2023-03-22T16:56:37","slug":"project-learning-tree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forests.org\/fr\/project-learning-tree\/","title":{"rendered":"Project Learning Tree and SFI Join Forces to Expand Youth Environmental Educational Programs"},"content":{"rendered":"

AWARD WINNING ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PROGRAM PARTNERS WITH SUSTAINABILITY LEADER TO REACH NEW GEOGRAPHIES AND AUDIENCES ACROSS NORTH AMERICA<\/strong><\/p>\n

WASHINGTON, DC<\/strong> \u2014 The Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc. (SFI) and the American Forest Foundation (AFF) announced today that SFI has become the new home of Project Learning Tree (PLT). PLT is an award-winning environmental education program that uses trees and forests as windows on the world to increase youth understanding of the environment and actions they can take to conserve it. PLT\u2019s integration into SFI provides an opportunity for the program to expand its reach and impact. And SFI\u2019s role as a sustainability leader will be bolstered by PLT\u2019s expertise in education, an increasing focus in SFI\u2019s community engagement work. PLT was previously housed at the American Forest Foundation.<\/p>\n

PLT has consistently received prestigious awards and recognition from leading educational and community organizations. PLT state coordinators, workshop facilitators, and educators have won the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching and the Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators. More than one quarter of U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools are PLT GreenSchools. PLT\u2019s instructional materials are aligned with state and national academic standards and meet or exceed the North American Association for Environmental Education\u2019s Guidelines for Excellence. PLT\u2019s Environmental Experiences for Early Childhood curriculum won a Learning Magazine Teachers\u2019 Choice Award and PLT has also received straight A\u2019s in environmental education from the California Department of Education. More than 20,000 educators attend PLT workshops every year and this partnership between PLT and SFI will help the program grow and reach new audiences across the globe in diverse ways.<\/p>\n

\u201cSFI has enthusiastically supported Project Learning Tree for years. Formally making PLT part of the SFI Program offers an exciting opportunity to strengthen SFI\u2019s growing youth education efforts and to build on PLT\u2019s enormous success. We begin this relationship from a position of strength given SFI\u2019s role as a leading sustainability organization focused on responsible forestry, conservation and community engagement\u201d said Kathy Abusow, President and CEO of SFI Inc. \u201cWe have big plans for the future and are committed to continuing PLT\u2019s work as a high-quality education program. Ultimately, we would like to be able to say that every teacher across North America and beyond recognizes Project Learning Tree as an invaluable resource for professional development, environmental education curriculum, and taking children outdoors to learn.\u201d The benefits of educating youth about responsibly managed forests are not just environmental. Experiencing nature through forests and other means at an early age are important components of a healthy lifestyle. The majority of PLT lessons get teachers and their students outdoors and active. This helps to address common health issues in children today, such as obesity, attention deficit disorder, and depression.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor more than four decades, Project Learning Tree has taught countless students how to think, without telling them what to think. It is the unbiased education that educators demand,\u201d said Tom Martin, President and CEO of the American Forest Foundation. \u201cThe AFF Board approved the transfer of PLT aswell as funding to help ensure the program is maintained for the next five years. We believe this will enable SFI to focus its energy on mechanisms to strengthen and expand the reach of PLT.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGiven Project Learning Tree\u2019s focus on environmental education and SFI\u2019s mission to ensure the future of our forests, bringing the PLT program under SFI\u2019s umbrella will further both SFI\u2019s and PLT\u2019s reach in ensuring today\u2019s youth can be effective future leaders with a strong understanding of the value of well-managed forests,\u201d said Laura Downey, PLT Education Operating Committee Co-Chair and Kansas PLT State Coordinator. \u201cOver the years, we have worked directly with SFI to help youth make a commitment to sustainability, and to give them the skills to make responsible decisions about the environment.\u201d Effective with SFI becoming the new home for PLT, Laura Downey joins the SFI Board of Directors in the social chamber.<\/p>\n

PLT\u2019s network includes state government agencies, forestry associations, non-profits, colleges and universities that deliver PLT programming across the U.S., British Columbia, Mexico, Japan, Brazil, and Uruguay. SFI\u2019s youth network is made up of more than 20 organizations including Boy Scouts of America, Scouts Canada, Earth Rangers, Forest Ontario\u2019s Forestry Connects Program, Envirothon, 4-H, the State University of New York\u2019s Center for Native Peoples and the Environment, and other Indigenous youth programs. This considerable network will enhance PLT\u2019s relevance as a critical element of youth education in support of future forests.
\n\u201cSFI is a recognized leader in sustainability and will introduce PLT across Canada and beyond to reach even more educators and youth about the forests we share,\u201d said Gail Wallin, Co-Chair of the Canadian Council on Invasive Species and SFI Board member in the environmental chamber. \u201cI believe both organizations will benefit through this new relationship given the common interests, expertise, and passion for the environment and education.\u201d<\/p>\n

SFI\u2019s community engagement work includes a long commitment to youth education including previous funding for PLT through SFI Community Partnerships Grants. SFI Implementation Committees also collaborate with PLT to teach kids about trees, forests, and the natural world through hands-on activities that are STEM-focused and inquiry-based.<\/p>\n

\u201cGiven the history of SFI\u2019s coordination with Project Learning Tree on a national scale and the shared commitment to educating youth, bringing PLT into the SFI program is a natural progression of the relationship because both organizations will be strengthened. As a member of the SFI Board of Directors, and a State Forester, I am excited about how this partnership will support educators and develop future conservation and forest leaders,\u201d said Bettina Ring, State Forester with the Virginia Department of Forestry and an SFI Board member in the social chamber.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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