News Releases from Region 02
EPA Provides Environmental Education Grant to Universidad Metropolitana
(New York, N.Y.) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is awarding a $91,000 environmental education grant to the Universidad Metropolitana in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to enhance environmental education for students island-wide.
The Universidad Metropolitana was one of three recipients to receive grants from EPA Region 2, which is responsible for Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, New York, New Jersey, and eight tribal nations. A total of $273,000 was awarded in EPA Region 2 for the three grants, and funding nationwide for this round of grants totaled approximately $3.3 million.
"It is important that we give young people in Puerto Rico the education they need about critical environmental issues facing the Island - particularly climate change," said Judith A. Enck, EPA Regional Administrator. "Environmental education is essential to protecting human health and the environment, and this grant will result in better environmental education for students across Puerto Rico by providing training for teachers and establishing model environmental education programs at several schools."
Specifics of the grant is as follows:
Universidad Metropolitana - San Juan, PR - $91,000
The project will train science teachers to teach junior high school students about climate change and other environmental issues, such as coastal issues and air quality. The Universidad Metropolitana will hold four professional development workshops for educators on topics including climate change impacts on coastal areas and air quality. The workshops will provide information on integrating climate change into class curriculum, and ways to improve student's research and critical thinking. The Universidad Metropolitana will launch model education programs at ten public schools in Puerto Rico. This project will support climate change education for students and encourage them to enter into careers in science and the environment.
Since 1992, EPA has distributed approximately $65.5 million supporting more than 3,600 environmental education projects nationwide.
The grantees were selected from more than 400 applications received in February and March 2015. This longstanding, competitive grants program supports environmental education projects that increase public awareness about environmental issues and provide participants with the skills to take actions to protect the environment. The program provides financial support for projects that design, demonstrate, and/or disseminate environmental education practices, methods or techniques.
For more information on the new awardees and on how to apply for future environmental education grant competitions, please visit: http://www2.epa.gov/education/environmental-education-ee-grants.
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