Environmental Education: Volunteering

This is part one of a series of blogs on environmental education.

If you are passionate about the environment, it’s never too early to get involved. 

Environmental education was something that interested me from a young age. Learning in school about nature, climate change, and the other ways humans have changed the environment was something I knew I wanted to be involved in when I grew up.

But while I was still in middle and high school, I felt like there was nothing I could do. I just had to sit by, learning about the things people were doing that would one day be the burden of my generation.

Now more than ever, environmental education is important. The United Nations Environment Programme has made it a point to note the importance of involving children in issues of the environment and sustainability, and educators are increasingly making it a point to dedicate time in the classroom to exploring environmental issues.

If you love the environment, what can you do while you’re still young?

Volunteering for an environmental program is a great way to get involved with your community and to gain hands-on learning experience (And for all those high school students, it can really boost your college applications). With winter approaching, there may not be as many opportunities for now, but it’s never a bad idea to reach out to organizations ahead of time to see what you might be able to get involved with.

Many towns have some kind of environmentally-oriented organization working to protect the community — and if you get in touch with them, they’d probably love to have volunteers. Volunteer search services, such as VolunteerMatch, can help you find opportunities near you. Also, Eco-USA has a list of environmental organizations in Massachusetts for you to explore.

For more ways to get involved with environmental issues, be on the lookout for the next blog in this series: Environmental Scholarships and Competitions for Youth.

Kale B. Connerty
Boston Tutoring Services