Theme: Hope through Strength from Mountains to Sea
North Carolina's vast geography, from mountains to coast, highlights the importance of environmental education in uniting communities statewide. The state faces challenges like severe weather impacts, pollution, biodiversity loss, and deforestation, among others, all of which impact daily life across coastal, urban, and rural areas. By fostering education and building connections, we can help strengthen our EE community to inspire action towards a better future.

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Strands:
Strength in Connected Communities: This strand focuses on strengthening statewide collaboration by connecting educators, organizations, and communities. Sessions will explore strategies for building partnerships, fostering individual connections, and sharing successful models of environmental learning and action.

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Inspiring Hope and Action Through Environmental Learning: Confronting critical issues like severe weather impacts, pollution, biodiversity loss, deforestation, and lack of educational opportunities that empower communities to adapt and thrive.

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Strength in Organizational Health: These presentations highlight how strengthening operations, growth, structure, communications, and workflows are key to creating a healthier and more productive organization.

Empowering Educators with Applied Research: These presentations focus on bridging research with practice so that educators—whether they’re in formal classrooms, outdoor education centers, museums, or community spaces—can foster environmental literacy in ways that resonate with all learners. Examples could include evidence-based teaching methods, Community specific education, benefits of interdisciplinary connections, or trauma-informed approaches. By using research-backed, mission-driven, and action-oriented strategies, this category helps educators transform the way environmental education is delivered—making it more open, engaging, and impactful.

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Hands-On Minds-On: These presentations will showcase practical activities, field skills, demonstrations, and walking workshops that exemplify the essence of EE. They are designed to be interactive and demonstrate both the 'what' and 'how' of EE. Examples include activity demonstrations, activity guides, and identification skills workshops.