- Home
- Government
- Departments H-Z
- Planning & Public Works
- Sustainable Resources
- Environmental Education
- School Programs and Support
Our team of four environmental educators work to cultivate relationships between communities and the environment. We provide knowledge, tools and connections necessary for people to work, play and learn together.
Our Approach
We believe that nurturing curiosity, developing skills to answer questions, a strong sense of self and the ability to lead is critical to creating a vibrant, healthy and engaged community. We want to create lifelong, practical learning skills.
We also believe that the best techniques to make this happen are through integrated, hands-on activities and inquiry-based education.
**Please Note: Our service area covers public and private schools in Pierce County, outside the City of Tacoma**
Register Now - STEAM Education for Climate Literacy (Teacher Workshop Series)
We are happy to announce the third year of an inter-agency partnership to offer professional development and clock hours. The 2023 STEAM Education for Climate Literacy series is from the environmental educators at Pierce Conservation District, Pierce County, City of Tacoma, and Tacoma Public Utilities. We are each offering a class with local ties to Tacoma and Pierce County and our systems in relation to climate change.
Programs are designed with your group of teachers in three main areas of environmental education.
- Composting/Worms/Garden
Ecosystems, life cycles, identifying organisms, composting technology - Resource Conservation/Recycling
Resources and recyclables, Pierce County's solid waste system, landfill technology and design, waste analysis, ecological footprints - Water
Consumption and conservation, healthy habitat, impacts of pollution, water systems, energy sources
**Note: Our service area covers public and private schools in Pierce County, outside the City of Tacoma**
Also known as Service Learning Projects, they are the most important component to the program because they give students the final piece that pulls together what they have learned.
Projects vary, but to be successful they must meet your needs. We will help you plan and can connect you with resources and community partners available to help. Past action projects include school gardens, recycled art exhibits and habitat restoration.
Sign Up Today!
To get started, fill out the form to request a meeting with one of our educators.
Why should your school have a green team?
- Allows for student leadership! Students drive the program, what they do as a club, learn how to reach out to administrators for change, etc.
- Empower students who have passion and drive to create a more sustainable school environment!
- Students can build their portfolios and gain community service type volunteer hours.
We can support green teams in these ways:
- Guidance on how to start a green team, tips on maintaining the team.
- Help with waste sorts. Dive deep into what the school is throwing away (in the garbage and the recycling), learning how to interpret that data, and how to use that data to drive change.
- Provide “technical support” to get the school proper signage and bins, work with haulers and administration to get the right amount or size of bins.
- Be a guest speaker, help with tours of the landfills, share resources and local data, articles, and videos to learn from and grow student passion!
Our team of recycling experts can:
- Assess your school's current recycling program
- Update materials—including stickers, posters and purchasing up to ten recycling bins
- Present recycling information to staff/teacher meetings or student groups (Green Teams, student council, etc.)
- Offer educational programs for classrooms focused on recycling
