2015 International Environmental Education Conference Was Started
The 2015 International Environmental Education Conference “Urban Environmental Education International Conference” was held by the Environmental Protection Administration (ROC) and NTNU on Oct. 5th in the Conference Hall of NTNU. Four American and Japanese scholars shared their experience of promoting urban environmental education abroad with participants. Minister without portfolio Yeh, Shin Cheng and the Deputy Director of the Environmental Protection Administration Fu Shu Keung showed up at the open ceremony. The Vice President of NTNU Sung Yao-Ting greeted everyone and said that the key of urban environmental education is to go out of the office and put those ideas into practice.
Department of Earth and Life Science of the University of Taipei and Global Change Research Center of National Taiwan University are also coordinators. The speakers are Professor Harold Glasser, the Executive Director for Campus Sustainability and Professor of Environmental Studies of Western Michigan University, Rick Zenn, Senior Fellow of World Forestry Center from the World Forest Institute in Oregon, Professor Toshihiko Higuchi and Professor Eiichiro Harako from Field Studies Institute for Environmental Education from Tokyo Gakugei University.
Funded by a generous grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Expanding Capacity in Environmental Education Project was led by the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) and the University of Cornell. EECapacity provides a platform for growing the field of environmental education, building on the great work of the past few decades and promoting the efforts of community environmental educators, working to protect the environment and improve community wellness. There are five program areas in EECapacity including Leadership Academy, Building Environmental Education Capacity, Technology to Support the Field, Research and Evaluation and Dissemination Partnerships.
In order to promote environmental education in Taiwan, the Environmental Protection Administration has founded Environment Education Centers in four different areas and establish professionals and local forces like the industry, the officials, scholar and NGOs to make plans and guidelines for different courses, held workshops and build the network of environmental education.
There are several Environment Education Centers, environment education institutes, facilities and universities are included in this conference as well as those who are interested in the development of environment education of Taiwan. It’s hoped that the capacity in Environmental Education will expand after the two-day conference.