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Soiree shines light on environmental education
Last week the spotlights were on environmental education at the Hume Hotel in Nelson.
The Columbia Basin Environmental Education Network (CBEEN) hosted their first ‘Soiree and Expo’ wine and cheese event in Nelson on May 22. This event showcased the amazing environmental education programs on offer in the local area while underlining the incredible value this plays in developing a healthy community.
Local CBEEN director and the host of the evening’s event Dave Hillary commented that, “CBEEN plays such a pivotal role in keeping kids connected with nature that it is vital to both maintain and enhance the delivery of our programming across the entire Columbia Basin. While CBEEN is not a household name, it is having an impact on every household in the Basin by helping to create informed, motivated and engaged constituents.”
Twenty-two local environmental educators were on hand to share their programs with invited guests as part of the Expo trade show style event. Local groups included Wildsafe BC, Wildsight, the Kootenay Community Bat Project, Kootenay Native Plant Society, Friends of Kootenay Lake, Seniors Economic Environment Development Society, Selkirk College, Columbia River Basin Biodiversity Atlas, Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program, Living Lakes Canada, Crawford Bay School, GreenLearning Canada Foundation and the Tipi Camp Nature Retreat.
Environmental Educator Monica Nissen had the opportunity to share her experiences in environmental education in the Nelson region. “The event was a fabulous opportunity to showcase the many faces of environmental education in our area. It was inspiring to see how many committed and passionate individuals and organizations make up this network. Environmental education in our area takes many forms, from school field trips, to community gardens, to citizen science. And it is so valuable, for everything from personal development to building sustainable communities in changing times.”
If you would like to find out more about environmental education and the work of CBEEN you can visit www.cbeen.org or contact [email protected] / 250-341-6141.
Lead image: CBEEN Directors and staff welcomed guests to CBEEN’s first Environmental Education Soiree & Expo event in Nelson.
CBEEN
