2023 Conference
Sponsors
Duke Nicholas School of the Environment
Keynote Speaker:
Mallory McDuff
Mallory McDuff has seen the importance of incorporating local communities in conservation through the eyes of a small-town journalist, a Peace Corps volunteer, and an environmental educator with the World Wildlife Fund. McDuff is currently a Professor of Outdoor Leadership, and Environmental Studies Director of Environmental Education at Warren Wilson College. At Warren Wilson, McDuff collaborates with diverse community partners to learn together. As a well known author, McDuff shares her most recent book, Love Your Mother, bringing awareness to the conversations around the climate crisis. McDuff's words will light EENC's Community to engage in collective action toward a more sustainable future.
Theme and Focus Areas
The 2023 conference theme is Unplug and rEEconnect. During the conference, we will delve deeper into what EE looks like in our state, the exciting and surprising places where EE is happening, and take time get outside and reconnect with the natural world.
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rEEconnect to Place:
EE can be facilitated and experienced anywhere! These presentations will focus on how to apply EE in various communities and situations. These presentations will help unlock EE's audience by sharing ways to make EE more inclusive by addressing community and situational barriers.
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rEEconnect to Our Why (Work):
EE is the thread that connects us all! These presentations will focus not on the 'what' or 'how' we implement EE, but the 'why.' The presentations will demonstrate the importance of collaboration with each other and other organizations toward a common purpose. The presentations will 'zoom out' to celebrate the bigger picture of EE's impact.
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rEEconnect to Social Change:
The natural world is always changing, and EE is too! These presentations will focus on big new ideas, hot topics, and ways of doing that address social change.
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Theory to Practice:
These presentations will focus on celebrating research you and/or your organization is doing in the field and the practical application of the research.
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Hands On and Minds On:
These presentations can be field skills, activity demonstrations, walking workshops, etc. that demonstrate the 'what' we do in EE, or the 'how' we do it! These presentations are intended to be interactive.