National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF)

Happy New Year from NEEF! From our family to yours we wish you a happy and healthy new year filled with lots of time in nature, exploring your environment, improving your wellbeing and connecting to your local land.

As 2024 comes to an end, NEEF is grateful for our progress in making the environment more accessible, relevant, and connected to people’s daily lives. This year has been remarkable for NEEF, thanks to our incredible partners, grantees, and supporters! Here are just a few highlights: 🏆 Winning an Anthem Award for our iHeartRadio Earth campaign with iHeartMedia—now in its third year—that inspires positive, environmentally sustainable habits in millions of listeners nationwide. 🎖️ Partnering with the USDA Forest Service to award $100,000 for impactful community projects that support veterans’ well-being through the new Veterans and Nature: Enhancing Well-being through Outdoor Experiences grant. 🌎 Collaborating with students at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City to launch the Earth Day Gallery, which showcases original student artwork that promotes sustainability and provides free resources for educators. 🎶 Hosting the Climate Week NYC panel "Harmony for Health," which explored how art and music can become powerful tools for raising awareness, inspiring action, and engaging diverse audiences on climate and health issues. We are excited about what is on the horizon in 2025 and can't wait to share it with you here! #EnvironmentalEducation #EnvironmentalConservation #EnvironmentalHealth

Did you know that children aged 10-16 are disproportionately affected by violence, with over one-third experiencing direct violence and many more facing indirect violence in their communities? Our top story How Greening Communities Can Reduce Violence and Promote Health, dives into recent studies that show how adding green spaces can reduce community violence while supporting public health and environmental justice efforts. Learn how to green your community: https://bit.ly/4gLVzUs #EnvironmentalEducation #EnvironmentalJustice

Hear the incredible story of how a volunteer project—co-sponsored by NEEF and the Department of Defense Legacy Program—helped the Department of the Navy and native Hawaiian communities come together on National Public Lands Day to restore an ancient royal fishpond in Pearl Harbor that had been neglected for hundreds of years. Read more here: https://bit.ly/3P8wgQo

We are counting down to the new year by looking back at our top stories of 2024! First, learn how a NEEF grant kickstarted an Idaho student’s STEM Career. Discover how Abella Cathey's journey from high school to a summer internship with the Idaho Army National Guard was shaped by a NEEF Greening STEM project, community collaboration, and an interest in field biology. Read more here: https://bit.ly/4cgneLz #STEM #STEMcareers #environmentaleducation

From our family to yours—Happy Holidays! Thank you for making 2024 a year of impact, service, and connection. Wishing you a safe and joyful holiday season.

From gift wraps to festive meals, the holidays can generate a lot of waste. When we throw away holiday items like wrapping paper, food, or packaging, they often end up in landfills. They release greenhouse gases like methane, a powerful contributor to climate change. Landfills are the third-largest source of human-related methane emissions in the US! These small changes can make a big difference: ✔️ Give experience-based gifts instead of items. ✔️ Use reusable bags, gift wrap, and LED lights. ✔️ Freeze leftovers or compost uneaten food to keep it out of landfills. ✔️ Recycle your Christmas tree into mulch. What steps will you take to celebrate sustainably this year? #EcoFriendlyHolidays #Sustainability #environmentaleducation

Santa’s flying reindeer may be mythical creatures, but real Arctic reindeer are facing serious environmental pressure. 🦌 Climate change is disrupting the habitat and migration of reindeer and their Arctic cousins, caribou, in Alaska. As Arctic temperatures rise, these animals struggle with environmental changes that threaten their survival. Protecting them means safeguarding the Arctic’s delicate ecosystem. Learn more about how climate change is impacting reindeer and what you can do to help: https://bit.ly/3P5a9uc #ClimateChange #Biodiversity

This year, NEEF reached nearly 70,000 individuals and awarded close to $1 million in grants to communities that need it most. Together, we’re shaping a brighter future. Let’s make an even bigger impact—join us! https://bit.ly/3BaT66I

NEEF is excited to share our recent contribution to Mediaplanet's Homeowners campaign: Five Simple Steps to Creating a Greener Home. Read it in USA Today or online:  https://lnkd.in/dUD2wY4E #sustainability #ecofriendlytips