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Leigh Cocanougher

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE KAEE 2020 VIRTUAL CONFERENCE


The 2020 Kentucky Association for Environmental Education Conference, held last week, was filled with engaging sessions, interactive events, though-provoking ideas, and lots of laughs. Thank you to everyone who joined us! During our welcome and annual meeting session, we had the opportunity to thank Billie Hardin for her many years on the Board of Directors and who has just completed her term as past-chair. We also recognized and thanked Jennifer Hubbard-Sánchez, who has completed her term as board chair, and welcomed Blair Hecker to the role as chair, Whitney Wurzel to role of vice chair, and Jason Nally to role of secretary. Other announcements included a welcome to our new board members, Meg Gravil, Maddy Heredia, Dan Pascucci, and (returning to the board) Henrietta Sheffel and highlights of our 2020 Excellence in EE Award winners. (Read more about those all-stars here!)


Sessions included

  • EE Activities for Global Citizenship: People, Food, Energy, and Sustainability

  • Social Justice and Equity in EE

  • AmeriCorps, Certification, and GreenSchools: How KEEC Can Help You

  • Easy and Affordable Strategies for Growing Indoors

  • Encouraging Systems-Level Thinking via Ecosystem Games

  • Conservation Education that Works!

  • Centering Race to Advance Environmental Equality (Keynote Address)

  • COVID-19 and Air Quality: What Do the Data Say?

  • Soggy Bottoms: Something Old and Something New for Stream Detectives

  • Using Needs Assessment as a Catalyst for Building EE Networks

  • Virtual Happy Hour

  • Virtual Yoga

  • A Local Community-Based EE Coalition Using the NAAEE Guidelines

  • Cook Wild Kentucky

  • Environmental Education During a Global Pandemic

  • FUNdamentals of EE

  • Making EE Engaging in the Digital World

  • Recycling Early Education Materials with Instruction and Community Support

  • Environmental Outreach and the Community ​

The keynote, by Greenlining's Leslie Aguayo, focused on the intersection of racial equity and environmental issues (and why these are inseparable). Other highlights included regional hikes and meet-ups around the state, a North American Association for Environmental Education Community Engagement Guidelines for Excellence training and a plenary session led by Girls in STEM founder Cagney Coomer. A special thanks goes to Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky, who sponsored our online conference program; the Tennessee Valley Authority, who sponsored conference scholarships; the Kentucky Environmental Education Council, who sponsored our pre-conference workshop; and Far Off Cows Dental Ceramics, who sponsored conference gifts. We can't wait to see you in person for conference next year!

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