ABOUT US
CBEEN is the regional network for environmental education in the Columbia Basin.
MISSION
To encourage environmental stewardship and sustainability in the Canadian Columbia Basin by supporting environmental educators.
VISION
People in the Canadian Columbia Basin respect the natural environment and engage in sustainable activities.
GOALS
1. Maintain a vibrant and engaged network of educators in the Canadian Columbia Basin, and provide this network with excellent environmental education professional development resources and opportunities.
2. Facilitate collaboration amongst members, partner organizations, and Basin communities to effectively achieve our shared mandates and vision.
3. Undertake a process to better role model and support diversity, equity, and inclusion in the field of Environmental Education.
4. Expand network to increase engagement with and support for early years educators.
5. Maintain a sustainable organization which has effective and ethical governance in accordance with its non-profit and charitable status.
CBEEN is a Non-Profit Society and Registered Charity.
Over a decade ago, educators from across the Canadian Columbia Basin recognized that they shared geographic and cultural links and also a common interest in environmental education (EE).
The Columbia Basin Environmental Education Network (CBEEN) was born out of this shared sense of identity and from the common desire to support and promote EE on a regional scale. Over the past 10 years CBEEN has grown from a small group of passionate educators to a large and vibrant network of educators from across the Columbia Basin and beyond.
The Canadian Columbia Basin stretches from the Okanagan in the west to the Alberta border in the east and from Valemount in the north to the United States border in the south.
The communities within this region are linked through the water and their citizens’ past and future are intertwined historically, socially, economically, and environmentally. The region is also internationally recognized for its biodiversity values. Networks like CBEEN facilitate connections and information exchange among individuals who share common interests, inspiring innovation and efficiencies at all levels. This is especially important in the largely rural context of the Canadian Columbia Basin where communities are small, geographically dispersed and resources are limited.
Staff & Board of Directors
Awards
In 2018, CBEEN’s Executive Director, Duncan Whittick, won the Canadian Environmental Education ‘Outstanding Individual in an Organization’ award. This national award is presented to an individual associated with an organization who has made a significant contribution to environmental education in Canada.
In 2018, Cheryl Lenardon (CBEEN Director) received a Canadian Award of Excellence on behalf of the Kootenay-Boundary Environmental Education Committee (KBEE), representing school districts 5, 6, 8, 10, 20 and 51. This is an initiative of the Kootenay-Boundary Chapter of the BC School Superintendents Association.
In 2014, CBEEN was successful in nominating the Columbia Basin Trust for a National Award of Excellence, recognizing their outstanding capacity building efforts of environmental education across the Columbia Basin. CBEEN had the privilege of presenting this to CBT on behalf of the Canadian Network for Environmental Education and Communication.
In 2015, CBEEN was the sole recipient of the province-wide BC School Superintendent Association (BCSSA) Community Award of Recognition. This award recognized CBEEN’s “outstanding contributions to support and enhance public school education in the Province of British Columbia”.
In 2015, CBEEN Director Monica Nissen was named ‘Outstanding Environmental Education Non-Profit Individual’ by the Canadian Network for Environmental Education and Communication (EECOM) at its national conference in Canmore.
In 2013, CBEEN was named ‘Outstanding Environmental Education Membership Organization’ by the Canadian Network for Environmental Education and Communication (EECOM) at its national conference for its ongoing successful support of environmental education across the region.
Nous avons des livres en français ! outdoorlearning.com/language/francais/ ... See MoreSee Less
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🥰 This is a wonderful children's book that is now also available in Mi'kmaw! outdoorlearning.com/?s=%22walking+together%22
We have also just confirmed that the authors will be hosting a course on Two-Eyed Seeing for Educators! outdoorlearning.com/.../walking-together-fall-2026/ ... See MoreSee Less
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Last week we had the opportunity to learn from Dr. Leigh Joseph, who is a member of the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) First Nation, and who has authored 2 books & a set of plant knowledge cards: outdoorlearning.com/?s=leigh+joseph
Dr. Joseph's ancestral name is Styawat and she is an ethnobotanist by training. She holds a Masters of Science in Ethnobotany from the University of Victoria and a PhD focused on ethnobotany and Indigenous land-based and community-based research.
She has worked with her home community of Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and other Indigenous communities, on research, teaching, ecological restoration and planting projects connected to Indigenous plant knowledge.
Learn more: outdoorlearning.com/2026/01/27/4-styawat-dr-leigh-joseph/ ... See MoreSee Less
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🥕🌽 Are you looking forward to gardening season?! We've brought on some fantastic resources to support educators in teaching through gardening: outdoorlearning.com/themes/gardening-growing/
🍅🥦🫛 AND, we're hosting a School Gardening 4 x 1 hour course with KidsGardening in March! outdoorlearning.com/event/school-gardening-spring-2026/ ... See MoreSee Less
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💐 Everyone is invited to join these 12 x 1.5hr weekly evening online language classes, starting February 23. They will be recorded in case you can't attend live.
Learn more & sign-up: outdoorlearning.com/event/ktunaxa-spring-2026/
🕸️ Join Alfred Joseph and Mara Nelson to learn the sounds, words and some history of the Ktunaxa Language. This course is designed for you to garner skills that will enable you to carry Ktunaxa Language forward to your communities, classrooms, and on the Land.
☀️ Indigenous languages carry connections to lands, ancestors, traditions, and contain ecological knowledge crucial for sustainable living, medicinal practices, and traditional storytelling, enriching our collective wisdom. By supporting Indigenous language revitalization efforts, we not only preserve linguistic diversity but also uphold Indigenous Peoples’ fundamental rights to their languages and cultures.
🌳 Non-Indigenous participants can take steps towards reconciliation by participating in language courses like these as a way to uplift language revitalization and deepen their own understanding of local place. ... See MoreSee Less
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Ktunaxa Introductory Language Course - Spring 2026 - Outdoor Learning School & Store
outdoorlearning.com
Join Alfred Joseph and Mara Nelson for 12 weeks of Foundational Ktunaxa Language Learning. Learn the sounds, words and some history of the Ktunaxa Language.3 CommentsComment on Facebook
We are SO excited for this (free!) virtual workshop at 4pm Pacific / 7pm Eastern time today. You can still sign-up: outdoorlearning.com/.../supporting-youth-in.../ ... See MoreSee Less
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As a book publisher, we ❤️ building relationships with authors, artists, and the resources they create. Here are a few of the titles that will be featured at a free virtual celebration next month! outdoorlearning.com/event/spring-celebration-2026/ ... See MoreSee Less
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What's up this week ⁉️ outdoorlearning.com/event/
☀ TUESDAY: A virtual workshop on 'Supporting Youth in Learning from the Land' with Rise Up Indigenous Wellness & Reconciliation Education
☀ WEDNESDAY: A Medicine of Stories Session with Carolyn Roberts & Monique Gray Smith
☀ THURSDAY: An Indigenous Learning Presentation with Dr. Leigh Joesph from Sḵwálwen Botanicals
We hope you can join for one or all of these! outdoorlearning.com/event/ 🥰 ... See MoreSee Less
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💚 Another episode of #EarthyChats has dropped, featuring our very own, Jade Berrill! outdoorlearning.com/podcast/
☃️ In Episode 26, Jade, our resident chionophile (look it up), popped over to the other side of the mic for this episode about outdoor learning in places where winter is cold and snowy.
❄ There’s talk of winter mystery bags, using snowflakes as lessons prompts, connections to literacy, and the importance of movement.
🥶 We also get into the nitty gritty of clothing and ways of ensuring that everyone has access to the right gear when temperatures drop below freezing.
🐦⬛ Also, how do chickadees’ brains change in the winter?
Available all major streaming platforms... ... See MoreSee Less
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