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. Continue to grow an active network of environmental educators.
2. Encourage active collaboration on environmental education initiatives amongst CBEEN members, organizations and communities.
3. Support access to environmental education.
4. Strengthen the capacity of environmental educators throughout the Columbia Basin.
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 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 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 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.
News, opportunities, and upcoming events.
BC Hydro has long been a major supporter of our Wild Voices program: ensuring Basin students the formative experiences that shape them into the future stewards of tomorrow. Thank you, BC Hydro!
We do love our summers at CBEEN, but it's the start of the school year, and all its new beginnings, that we really live for. Our Wild Voices program is back for its 11th year, including new educators, new topics in environmental learning and new...
Each year, our Wild Voices program receives support from Science World Scientists and Innovators in the Schools (SIS), ensuring even remote and rural communities in the Basin access to learning opportunities in environmental science. Thank you, SIS!
Some great professional development opportunities to help educators kick off the new school year offered by our friends at Four Nations Coalition of Indigenous Medicines.
We are so excited to have Juliet Robertson of Creative STAR Learning Ltd in the Columbia Basin today for her Dirty Teaching Workshop! Thanks to Mardelle and the East Kootenay Environmental Educators for hosting this incredible learning opportunity!
Curious how to incorporate Indigenous Ways of Knowing in your classroom, or out-of-classroom, teachings? Our friends at the Four Nations Coalition are hosting a series of great workshops this August, just for the purpose: https://www.fournations.net/events/
Wild Voices for Kids programs in the Columbia Basin are made possible with support from the Hamber Foundation. Thank you, Hamber!
Did your students experience a Wild Voices program in one of our local Provincial Parks this year? These programs are made possible with funding from @YourBCParks Park Enhancement Fund. Thank you to BC Parks for their support again this coming school year!
With the school year coming to an end, have you asked your students why they like outdoor learning?
Thank you to returning funders Kimberley Alpine Resort for their contribution to Wild Voices and environmental learning for local students!
Are you most at home in wild places? Do you have specific knowledge of the local environment, and the communication and interpretive skills to share it with youth? CBEEN is accepting new presentation and field study submissions for the Wild Voices program until July 15th....
Thank you once again to Canfor for choosing to support Wild Voices presentations and field studies in your Kootenay operating areas! With your support, we look forward to mentoring the foresters of tomorrow.
