Mr. Wilkinson Goes to Washington

This past month, FGCU Professor and Center Senior Faculty Advisor Neil Wilkinson represented Florida Gulf Coast University in Washington, D.C. at the first White House Summit on Environmental Education on April 16, 2012.  As an environmental education instructor in the College of Arts and Sciences and Vice-President of the Florida Mosquito Control Association, Neil took the opportunity to highlight Florida Gulf Coast University’s environmental mission and commitment to graduating ecologically literate students and the many partnerships with local agencies that support FGCU’s commitment to environmental stewardship.

The White House Summit on Environmental Education convened a diverse group of stakeholders to discuss the importance of environmental education and the core concepts and principles that best contribute to environmental literacy.  The Summit featured two panels of environmental education leaders, remarks from several Administration officials and a panel on the Federal government's on-going commitment to the field of environmental education.

This Summit included about 100 environmental education leaders and practitioners from around the country for a series of panel discussions and action workshops.  Lisa Jackson, administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Arne Duncan, secretary for the U. S. Department of Education welcomed guests by announcing the reconvening of a federal task force to coordinate environmental education among 15 federal agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency, and Departments of Education, Interior, Health, Transportation, and Labor.  Wilkinson said, “It was exciting to have so many federal agency leaders come together to address the importance of environmental education.”

The importance and role of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education was reinforced and the focus on inclusion of children from low-income families was emphasized.  Formal and informal initiatives were promoted to explore best practices that foster lifelong environmental stewardship and assess environmental education accomplishments. 

If you would like more information on the White House Summit on Environmental Education please visit  http://www.epa.gov/education/eesummit.html.

President Bradshaw Appoints New Members to Center's Board of Advisors

President Wilson G. Bradshaw recently appointed three new Members to the Center for Environmental and Sustainability Education's Board of Advisors. The new appointees are: FGCU Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Professor of Marine Sciences, Dr. Ronald Toll; Vikki Spruill, current President and CEO of the Ocean Conservancy and newly appointed President and CEO of the Council on Foundations; and Akpezi Ogbuigwe, the head of Environmental Education and Training for the United Nations Environment Programme. 

FGCU Provost Dr. Ronald B. Toll holds an A.A. degree in Biology from Union College in Cranford, N.J. and a B.A. in Zoology from Rutgers University. He received his doctoral degree in Biological Oceanography from the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Miami. Following a postdoctoral fellowship at the Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC Dr. Toll began his faculty career at the University of the South in Tennessee. He has held multiple administrative roles and is an accomplished publisher of marine science research.

Spruill brings a blend of expertise in both collaborative leadership and philanthropy with her involvement. She was the fifth person, and the only woman, ever to be the CEO of the Ocean Conservancy’s 40-year history. Prior to her appointment at Ocean Conservancy, Ms. Spruill was president and founder of SeaWeb, a non-profit organization that uses strategic communications techniques to advance ocean conservation.

Akpezi Ogbuigwe is known for her vast experience in the field of environmental education, research and training. Prior to joining UNEP, Akpezi Ogbuigwe was a Professor of Law at the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Nigeria and volunteered her time at ANPEZ Centre for Environment and Development, Port Harcourt , Nigeria where she worked with schools, communities, government and the private sector on issues of environment and development and the running of an environmental library.

The Center’s Board of Advisors includes distinguished scholars, activist, scientist, and educators from the local community and across the world. If you would like to learn more about the Center’s Board of Advisors and their work please visit the Center’s Board of Advisors page.

Routledge Press London Publishes Latest Center Book

The Center for Environmental and Sustainability Education at Florida Gulf Coast University recently revised a book for an international audience about the concept and practice of sustainable development. Center Director Peter Blaze Corcoran and editorial associate, Joseph P. Weakland collaborated with Dutch author Niko Roorda to translate and edit the textbook, Fundamentals of Sustainable Development. London-based publisher, Routledge, recently published the book on March 26, 2012.

Author, Dr. Niko Roorda said, “Thanks to the ideas and contributions of Corcoran and Weakland, the scope of the book has been made fully international, making it suitable for students and scholars in the USA, the UK and everywhere else in the world.”

Fundamentals of Sustainable Development is an interactive and complete educational tool for both teachers and students. The book comes with a website containing exercises, learning goals, and summaries for each chapter as well as over forty video clips. It also offers a ‘lecturer section’, which includes a PowerPoint to accompany every chapter with answers and explanations to the exercises.

Those with no previous knowledge of sustainable development can read the book with ease.  The first part presents an overview of the conceptual and practical challenges in sustainable development stemming from human – environment relations as well as ensuing issues of inequality and insecurity.  The second part explores strategies and solutions for facing these challenges.  It presents a number of case studies drawn from India, China, the European Union, and Africa, and draws on a range of disciplines to investigate topics such as climate change, energy, technology, political and economic instruments, and sustainable business practices.

Center Director Peter Blaze Corcoran said, “It was an honor for the Center to be called upon to assist in this important international book project. We are excited by the extensive online resources that will be available to teachers as part of the book.”

For more details on the book or purchasing information, please click on the following link, "Fundamentals of Sustainable Development."

Rachel Carson Distinguished Lecture Weekend a Great Success!

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Annual Fundraising Celebration Photos Posted 

Please See Photo Gallery on Left

Provost Ron Toll, Erika Boliek, Dean Mitch Cordova, Dean Donna Price Henry, and Center Director Peter Blaze Corcoran

The Rachel Carson Distinguished Lecture Weekend was recently held on Sanibel Island. The Weekend featured a productive Board of Advisors meeting and a successful Eighth Annual Fundraising Celebration for the Center for Environmental and Sustainability Education.

The Board of Advisors met early Saturday at Sanibel’s West Wind Inn to discuss future plans for the Center. The Board includes local, national, and international scholars. At the meeting, members of the Board reviewed and adopted the Center’s new strategic plan for the next five years, 2012-2017. 

Later that evening, approximately two hundred people joined the Center at the beachfront home of Peter and Mallory Haffenreffer to celebrate the most successful year in the Center’s history. At the event, guests enjoyed a dazzling array of hors d'oeuvres, refreshments, and a breathtaking sunset.  The wonderful music of harpist Leslie Gregory and the harp and fiddle duo, Castlebay, was also heard throughout the evening.

As part of the evening's celebrations, Board of Advisors Member Armand Ball presented the Rachel Carson Award to Dr. Louise M. Johnson for her long time service to the Center and the greater community of Sanibel. This is the highest honor given by the Center and took the form of a locally-found lightning whelk.

Co-chairs of the Board of Advisors David Orr and Mary Evelyn Tucker also gave thoughtful reflections on the work of the Center as part of the night’s celebrations. During her stay on Sanibel, Board Member and award-winning poet Alison Hawthorne Deming wrote a poem for Mary Oliver entitled “WHAT CONTINUES.”  She concluded the evening by reading her poem aloud. She then went on to announce the Haffenreffer Challenge. The full poem can be seen below.

In addition to their generosity in hosting the Fundraising Celebration, Peter and Mallory Haffenreffer have continued an annual tradition of energizing donor participation with the Haffenreffer Challenge. They will match any donations to the Center up to a total of $10,000!

Center Director Peter Blaze Corcoran said, “Thanks to Deming’s poem and the Haffenreffer’s creativity, the event was a heartfelt tribute to our seriously ill, beloved poet, Mary Oliver. It was full of spirit and meaning.”

The Center extends its gratitude to all those who contributed to its fundraising efforts.   The Center truly appreciates every contribution and hopes to continue to receive ongoing support from friends, colleagues, and stakeholders.  Such support is vital to the Center's efforts and allows us to continue to “work toward realizing the dream of a sustainable and peaceful future for earth through scholarship, education and action.”

For those who were unable to attend the event, but would still like to make a contribution to help us meet the Haffenreffer Challenge, you may send a check to:

Peter Blaze Corcoran
10501 FGCU Boulevard South
Fort Myers, Florida 33965
Make checks payable to CESE/FGCU

The Center for Environmental and Sustainability Education is a Type Two Research Institute of Florida Gulf Coast University. The Center is comprised of faculty, students and administrators from all Colleges.

The Center for Environmental and Sustainability Education works toward realizing the dream of a sustainable and peaceful future for Earth through scholarship, education, and action. The Center advances understanding and achievement of the goals of environmental and sustainability education through innovative educational research methods, emergent eco-pedagogies, and educational philosophy and practice based on ethics of care and sustainability. The Center seeks to elevate the environmental mission of Florida Gulf Coast University and serve the university community, the local community of the Western Everglades and Barrier Islands, and the wider community of scholars.