• When: Tuesday, August 17, 2021, 10 a.m.–noon EDT (virtual); Wednesday, August 18, 2021, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. (in person); and Thursday, August 19, 2021, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. (in person).
• Where: Online via Zoom video conferencing (August 17) and in person at Kettle Creek Environmental Education Center, 8050 Running Valley Rd, Stroudsburg, PA (August 18) and the Monroe County Municipal Waste Management Authority, 183 Commercial Blvd, Blakeslee, PA 18610 (August 19).
• Audience: Formal educators (classroom teachers, administrators, etc.) and non-formal educators (naturalists, environmental educators, conservation districts, etc.).
• Act 48: Up to 19 hours.
• Cost: FREE. Registration is REQUIRED due to a limited number of seats online and in person.

NOTE: This workshop series was formerly titled “Hybrid MWEE Ambassador Training & Water Education Skill-Building.” Participants may still earn a full certification to become Certified PA MWEE Ambassadors by attending multiple workshop days, completing a prerequisite assignment, and completing a homework assignment. See below for more information.

Calling classroom teachers and non-formal educators looking for new ways to engage Pennsylvania students in water, waste, sustainability, and recycling! Join us on August 17-19, 2021, for Teaching Sustainability: Local Resources and the MWEE Framework, a FREE hybrid (virtual and in-person) workshop series that explores these environmental education topics within the Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE) framework.

Throughout virtual lessons, hands-on stream studies, and immersive tours of a local recycling center and landfill, you’ll learn how to forge place-based connections between your students and watershed stewardship, waste management, aquatic macroinvertebrates, groundwater protection, human impacts on water quality, and so much more!

Participants may attend and complete any or all parts of this multi-day experience. Those wishing to become Certified MWEE Ambassadors will need to complete all parts. Up to 19 hrs Act 48 are available for Pennsylvania certified teachers: 3 hrs via MWEE 101, 2 hrs via Day 1 (Aug 17) on Zoom, 6 hrs via Day 2 (Aug 18) in person, 6 hrs via Day 3 (Aug 19) in person, and 2 hrs via a homework assignment (announced during live workshop days).

Please scroll down for more information on the different components of the workshop series.

Day 1: Intro to the MWEE Framework

(VIRTUAL – TUESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2021, 10 A.M. – NOON EDT)

This virtual session is an introduction to becoming a Certified PA Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE) Ambassador. A MWEE is a powerful learner-centered experience in which students investigate local environmental issues, complete informed action projects, improve standards-based achievement, and grow environmental literacy. Learn how to integrate MWEEs into your current curriculum, use them to spark student stewardship and civic action, and more! 

Act 48: 2 hours

Day 2: Water Education Skill-Building

(IN PERSON – WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2021, 9 A.M. – 3 P.M.)

Meet at: Kettle Creek Environmental Education Center, 8050 Running Valley Rd, Stroudsburg, PA 18360

Join Roger Spotts and staff from the Kettle Creek Environmental Education Center for a full day of water exploration. They will demonstrate different activities focusing on local water resources and how to pique the interests of your students in getting their feet “wet.” Topics will include macroinvertebrates, watersheds, and human impact on water quality. Please bring your own mask, lunch, and means of transportation. Please bring your own lunch, mask, and transportation.

Act 48: 6 hours

Day 3: Sustainability Education Skill-Building

(IN PERSON – THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021, 9 A.M. – 3 P.M. )

Meet at: Monroe County Municipal Waste Management Authority, 183 Commercial Blvd, Blakeslee, PA 18610

Description: Join waste industry experts Jim Lambert and Adrienne Fors as they discuss the do’s and don’ts of recycling while integrating curriculum aligned with the Pennsylvania’s Environment and Ecology Standards. Following a classroom discussion, participants will take a walking tour of the Monroe County Municipal Waste Authority recycling center. During a Grand Central Landfill bus tour, topics including landfill design, groundwater protection, consumer consumption and renewable energy will be presented. Please bring your own mask, lunch, and transportation.

Act 48: 6 hours

Optional: Become a Certified PA MWEE Ambassador

Want to extend your experience, deepen your confidence/comfort in MWEEs, and earn a FREE certification? Complete the following steps to become a Certified PA MWEE Ambassador in a hybrid (virtual and in-person) setting.

STEP 1: Complete the MWEE 101 online course. Earns 3 hrs Act 48. NOTE: This course and related Act 48 processing is coordinated by NOAA rather than this workshop’s internal planning team. Please contact Krysta Hougen (krysta.hougen@noaa.gov) for questions regarding the online course and Tarrea Potter (TPotter@cbf.org) for questions regarding MWEE 101’s Act 48.

STEP 2: Attend the 2-hour Intro to the MWEE Framework workshop on August 17 on Zoom. Earns 2 hrs Act 48.

STEP 3: Attend a water education field experience — the in-person Water Education Skill-Building field experience on August 18, the Sustainability Skill-Building field experience on August 19, or a similar watershed field experience in the recent past (documentation such as a registration copy or certificate of completion required). Each workshop on August 18 and August 19 earns 6 hrs Act 48.

STEP 4: Complete a short homework assignment to deepen your understanding of MWEE implementation in your local watershed (details shared on August 17). Earns 2 hrs Act 48. 

More information on expectations and requirements to become a fully Certified PA MWEE Ambassador will be shared following registration and at the Intro the MWEE Framework workshop on August 17.

Questions? Email gimyers@pa.gov.

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The 3-day workshop is a collaboration among Stroud Water Research Center, Kettle Creek Environmental Education Center, Waste Management, Monroe County Municipal Waste Management Authority, and Department of Environmental Protection.