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EEAC Meeting May 19, 2021 Wed 5:30 pm – 7 pm Online Zoom Meeting
Committee Reports and Updates
- Approved previous meeting minutes:
- Program Committee (Fran acting program chair)
Proposal for an event addressing lack of diversity and salary in the field of Environmental Education, so low compared to other educational professions. This event would not be just another skill share, but a genuine “special event.” To be held in the Fall of 2021.
In the meantime, we don’t want to stop skillshares
Skill shares have helped us establish partnerships between community based, schools, professional organizations
Expand PD – Stem focused – important last summers massive coalition to provide programming when SYEP funding was cut – how did they do that?
One Billion Oyster Project? – Example of a great partnership or collaboration through the lens of skill share – how they figured out how to work, fund raising, etc.
June Skill Share date June 15
Looking for partnership ideas University AND AN organization – still flexible – most important is successful – High School for Climate Justice – WE ACT
Follow up with Taylor – great if a teacher could present
Topic short list (from Stakeholder interviews during Strategic Planning)
Building partnerships to run EE programs ++++
How to write job descriptions and make low wage jobs learning and growing tools for employees
Advocacy angle: NAAEE working on this – Brock Adler
Building mentorship opportunities for EE professionals ++++
Confronting Lack of diversity in the field and low wages ++++
Mary J Leou to Everyone : I will send you some ideas Sarah …we have had along standing partnership with NYC Audubon
Bonnie Ralston (she/her) to Everyone : My school (Life Sciences Secondary School) is officially becoming the High School for Climate Justice, starting July 1st. We’re located on 96th St. between 1st and 2nd Ave.
Does this sound right?: Poll membership + Eventbrite registrants of last skill share to select next topic> google form?
Let’s keep the momentum going, Yamina would like to help
DOE Virtual STEM Expo Tuesday June 8; through Thursday, June 10 from 2:00pm-5:00pm – deadline Friday, 4/23
STEM Expo: We will host a virtual STEM Partner Expo on June 9th & 10th. The virtual platform offers the opportunity for your organization to have a booth in an expo hall. Each booth can accommodate up to two representatives from your organization. In the application, we ask what materials you will have at your booth (e.g. brochures, video, slide presentation, giveaways, raffle).
River/Bonnie R. can support tabling if it doesn’t conflict with presenting
Potential members: Jody, Karla (Fran will reach out Karla)
- Communications
Reference EEAC Rebranding/Logo Redesign
No SVA student yet but a big group of summer students may prove successful – with Sarah’s husband
No meeting/no updates; Bonnie Mcguire did ask us to talk about blog and website:
Review member engagement strategies:
New Member Packet
Marketing Plan
Shig – working on syllabi bank – will be able to find out who is downloading – statistics shows that some indexing for search engine – we don’t know how many – but still not clear now who is
Updated # of hits – two tabs 2020 tab has data from last year
Looking at new Blog design
Mike noted the opportunity to really expand dramatically – given our way of capturing data and an opportunity to push our EEAC Identity agenda –
The snag of formatting the PDF is eliminated here and this is more accessible.
Awaiting next communications meeting to finalize and assign roles. River will send a link – with updates
The internal section:
SC members still to be given access?
Instructions to using WordPress (WP): How-to screen recording (video) #1 – Login Steps
Next videos will include, navigating in WP, and using Dashboard. Or, set zoom appointment for a hands-on guide.
Website plan – upcoming:
Redesign of the website based on the Adaptive Plan – will follow the rebranding/logo redesign phase.
Membership system – will be tested in our permanent testing site which is now at testsite.eeac-nyc.org.
PUBLICIZING WEBSITE?
Database content status report. MAILING OF PRESS RELEASE?
Followup on 2 requests via the website’s contact form, to subscribe to the listserv.
Attempt/experimenting Newsletter-blog using WordPress.
- EEAC and NYSOEA Partnership
NYSOEA raised a little over $1,000 at our virtual fundraiser! Money is split between camp scholarships and future EAI events and trainings. Info shared on equitable funding will be put on the EAI Committee page. Looking to post old event recordings on youtube page.
2021 Conference, Riding the Wave of Change
November 4-6, 2021
It will be a hybrid of virtual/in-person.
Still accepting workshop proposals, especially for in-person day.
Metro Region host: Jones Beach State Park
Looking for those that can help with carpools
- Projects Forum
Human Right to understand how Nature works
Mike distinguished between Proclamation – holds no real legal power – we could issue Proclamation from individual person, like the Mayor or City Counsel Office –
A resolution, because it is voted on, would be better – In November, If approved, resolution it goes to state senate. Amendment to constitution – 7th state in the country to have something like this
The follow up would be that we need decent (better) environmental education if resolution is passed.
Next Steps- DISTRIBUTION OF MINI-REPORT TO ALL LISTS TO INFORM THEM ABOUT THE FORUM V REPORT ON THE WEBSITE!!
Outreached to 23 colleges – changes made depending on pre existing programs
497 views 255 downloads indicates that the syllabi bank is getting attention.
Shig reiterated that we don’t know whether or how they are using it. But it is encouraging that we are getting responses. Hopefully this trend will continue 6.
Discussion on how to honor Terri Ippolito – EEAC – very active former chair – very active
one tree not a substantial honor – what might be? Parks Dept. has a memorial grove at Alley Pond Park – plaque shaped like a tree –
River agrees that a blog would be best way to promote a tribute –
Mike or Mary – were asked if they could pull together an article – Mary M was happy to help and also mentioned that agencies like EPA where she served benefited from Terri’s work. This will all take time, perhaps some more defined action by the Fall.
REPORT ON SYLLABI BANK and FOLLOWUP ON PROJECT IDEAS FROM FORUM V
Suggestion made that this could be a nation wide, not just statewide initiative and search
Related to forum the issue of developing an Environmental Passport to encourage visits to Environmental Ed spaces and/or community gardens.
There is an East village Community Garden passport – used to be a stamp hanging or in a box nearby – a project put together by Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space – Perhaps now a QR code can be used to issue the “stamp” or provide a means of recording a visit. Thanks River for following up.
- Adaptive Plan Accountability
Bonnie R _ Update on votes for term limits 10 yes, 2 non responses.
Quorum? 1-6 strategic priorities
Last time met in March – makes sense for this group to reconvene to progress on points and revisions – in person meeting – DOE, PARKS, ETC. Smaller group – adaptive plan
10 present – ⅔ for amendment to pass – yes, passed
There has been no contact with Joy – Sarah will reach out – does she want to step down?
Review and approve “New Initiative Considerations” document
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OyLnS1mDpt72f-oNu0-QPSPjbVdsDt_bDY_SZGyadZk/edit?usp=sharing
Next Steps
COOP (Bonnie M.)
Term limits and Steering Committee Service Roadmap (Thank you Mary Most for this idea!): https://docs.google.com/document/d/18nOQXzy69Zt_7rOXDZq3QneBft95FAZVGvVE_H7k8Yo/edit?usp=sharing
(c) Steering Committee members shall hold office for three (3) year terms; provided, however, that any Steering Committee member elected to fill an unexpired term (whether resulting from the death, resignation or removal of Steering Committee members) shall hold office until the next annual meeting at which the election of Steering Committee members is in the regular order of business and until a successor is elected or appointed and qualified. Steering Committee members may be elected to no more than two (2) consecutive terms (six years). A Steering Committee member can, pending nomination, return to the Steering Committee after a one term (3 year) hiatus.
Bylaws in a separate page as a draft with proposed changes/notes.
g. Membership and Finance:
Mary Most –
- Membership: current stats (5/19/2021)
About 50% of members have renewed for 2021; only 24% of our Organizational memberships have renewed.
20 Individual Members, 1 student, 35 Indiv thru 7 orgs, 32 LIfetime
(vs 2019 = 42 Indiv, 12 Student, 79 Indiv thru 29 Org, 30 Lifetime)
1 new organization since March: Rocking the Boat
Note: we keep “expired” members on the roster for a year or two
- EEAC Finances as of Apr 30, 2021
Bank acct: $8,163.57
Paypal balance: $513.67
Eventbrite balance: $135.00
Current Balance: $8,812.24
3. Tasks:
COMPLETED
- Researched and updated membership specifics on Finance google sheet for any sign-ups via Eventbrite and PayPal. Save monthly “report” on Google Drive
- Receipts were handcrafted and emailed to each person and organization who paid 2021 membership, and saved in the GoogleDrive
- Google Group lists: Carol Franken and Mary Most have systematically compared the membership list with the Google Group and added about 60 EEAC members who were NOT on the Google Group.
No membership drive but page is set up wants to just send out
TO DO:
- Mary Most will initiate “2021 Membership Drive” after Skill Share Eventbrite invitation is sent out. Invite all GoogleGroup subscribers and Eventbrite subscribers to join or renew. We’ve held off since the pandemic. Link: https://2021-eeac-membership.eventbrite.com
- Mary Leou recently accessed the EEAC mailbox at NYU and found several checks dating back to November 2019!
Mary Most will contact the senders and make arrangements for replacement payment via PayPal or Eventbrite.
- For the record: Amalgamated Bank still shows Judith Hutton at NYBG as primary contact. Check if they’ve updated signatories to Mary Most, Sarah Pidgeon (remove Jacqueline Pilati, Judith Hutton).
- Eventbrite lists: We need a volunteer to compare and update the Eventbrite lists AGAINST membership list and TEEP lists. There is too much else on my plate for me to do this, too. MM Called out for volunteers- Needs to happen before June – Bonnie R volunteered to help.
Respectfully submitted,
Ray Pultinas
EEAC Secretary
