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.
☀ As May comes to a close, we wanted to shine some more sunlight on our Author of the Month...Dr. Rachel Tidd of Wild Learning! outdoorlearning.com/product/wild-learning/
🌼Rachel is passionate about using outdoor and place-based learning to enrich literacy and math instruction. A former elementary special education teacher, she earned a Master’s in Elementary and Special Education and a Doctorate in Sustainability Education. Her doctoral research examined how critical literacy can serve as a practical and empowering pathway for integrating sustainability into elementary English Language Arts instruction in Canadian schools.
🌻 She is a leading proponent of integrating the outdoors and natural materials with core academics, including Math, English and Science. She became interested in teaching and learning outside after watching her two children thrive in an outdoor forest preschool. Rachel has written and presented at conferences, on podcasts, and in magazines.
Learn more about her, and her book, Wild Learning! outdoorlearning.com/product/wild-learning/ ... See MoreSee Less
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🦆 Early bird rates end on Sunday for our Summer Courses! outdoorlearning.com/events/category/online-courses/ ... See MoreSee Less
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💚 Sign-up to join us for a ☀ FREE ☀ 1 hour virtual session on June 9 with the authors of Renewal: Indigenous Perspectives on Land-Based Education In and Beyond the Classroom. Sign-up: outdoorlearning.com/events/category/workshops/ ... See MoreSee Less
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📣 Calling all super early birds!
Time to secure your spot at the C2C 2026 Annual Provincial Conference with a 25% discounted super early bird rate. Save your seat now and head into your summer adventures knowing your spot is secured!
Join educators from across the province for two days of place and land-based learning, inspiring workshops, field experiences, and meaningful connections.
🔗 To register, visit the link in @classroomstocommunities bio!
#outdoorlearning #environmentaleducation #placebasedlearning #landbasedlearning #teacherlearning #ProfessionalDevelopment #learningoutdoors #BCeducation ... See MoreSee Less
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📣 C2C Conference Call for Proposals is Closing Soon!
This is a friendly reminder that the call for proposals for the 2026 C2C Conference is closing soon! If you’d like the opportunity to share your work, experiences, and ideas with our community of educators, be sure to submit your proposal before May 31st.
Not sure if your idea is the right fit? We would still love to hear from you and explore it together.
All you need to do is submit a proposal to get started!
🔗 To submit a proposal, visit the link in @classroomstocommunities bio!
#OutdoorLearning #environmentaleducation #placebasedlearning #landbasedlearning #teacherlearning #ProfessionalDevelopment #learningoutdoors #BCeducation ... See MoreSee Less
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🦅 Monday is the beginning of National Indigenous History Month: outdoorlearning.com/indigenous-learning/ ... See MoreSee Less
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🧡 In 2 weeks we will host David A. Robertson, author of these powerful books: outdoorlearning.com/2025/03/06/david-robertson/ ... See MoreSee Less
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💜 Join us this summer for a Secwepemctsín (Shuswap) Introductory Language Course: outdoorlearning.com/event/secwepemctsin-course-summer-2026/ ... See MoreSee Less
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☀ Cadmus Delorme is our featured Indigenous educator this month! outdoorlearning.com/2026/03/06/cadmus-delorme/ ... See MoreSee Less
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