From April 14 – April 16, seven teams comprised of 40 educator leaders from across the Columbia Basin and beyond gathered to develop plans to support their schools and communities. Climate literacy, place-based learning, Indigenous knowledge and perspectives, reconciliation, mental health, stewardship and sustainability were all central to their discussions and planning. This Leadership Clinic […]

The pandemic highlighted the many benefits of getting outside regularly and connecting with nature.  The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada underlined the need for us to deepen our understanding and knowledge of local Indigenous history, culture, language and land. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently shared that “Education on climate change adaptation […]

Kootenay-Boundary initiative engages 8998 students 2023 is a year of renewal in many respects, and this is certainly the case for teachers as they think outside the four walls of their classrooms. Schools across the Kootenay-Boundary region renewed their support for outdoor and environmental education through the Take Me Outside for Learning School Year Challenge. […]

Taking students outdoors in the winter has so many great benefits, such as fresh air keeping germs at bay and natural light boosting mood. But what about the fact that less daylight means less time for outdoor activities after school? And who doesn’t love trying to solve the mystery of what critter made those snowy […]

The Outdoor Learning Store is pleased to announce the opening of registration for their FREE Winter Outdoor Learning Virtual Workshops! These are hosted in collaboration with the @OutdoorLearningStore and @takemeoutside REGISTER On Tuesdays at 4pm Pacific / 7pm Eastern from Jan-Mar, these 60 min workshops come jam-packed with ideas, inspiration & resources from some of the […]

This year’s C2C conference, “Classrooms to Communities: Reconnecting Ourselves with Landscapes, Waterways and Each Other,” happened in-person on the banks of the Columbia River. With over 300 educators and community members from across B.C. and Canada in attendance, the conference was a huge success. CBEEN was proud to have supported 10 Columbia Basin educators in […]

We are looking for sponsors for outdoor learning classroom kits for local schools/pre-schools that are participating in the Take Me Outside for Learning School Year Challenge. Sponsors can select the school they’d like this to go to, and the sponsored school would get $500 that they could put towards any outdoor learning equipment and resources […]

12 LOCAL EDUCATORS RECOGNIZED After a year hiatus, CBEEN’s Awards of Excellence has returned, and we are excited to celebrate 12 outstanding local educators from across the Columbia Basin region for their efforts in educating students and the public on environmental stewardship and sustainability. “The 2022 award winners include early years, Indigenous, and community educators, […]

The Outdoor Learning Store is pleased to announce the opening of registration for their FREE Fall Outdoor Learning Virtual Workshops! These are hosted in partnership with 50+ Outdoor Learning Partners. REGISTER On Tuesdays at 4pm Pacific / 7pm Eastern from Sept-Nov, these 60 min workshops come jam-packed with ideas, inspiration & resources from some of […]

In late June, CBEEN supported Ben Simoni in attending the “Climate for Change 2022” event offered at the Hollyhock Leadership Institute on Cortes Island. Climate for Change 2022 convened and (re)connected a diverse group of Indigenous, grassroots, and sectoral leaders from across Canada who are committed to going beyond incremental climate action and taking the […]

CBEEN is supporting Kyoko Connie (Nelson) and Victoria Read (Fernie) in completing the “Forest and Nature School Practitioner Course” offered through Child and Nature Alliance of Canada. The year-long online course started with a week-long in-person portion which was held at the Outdoor Connections Forest School in Fernie, BC, this past May. Kyoko had this to say about […]

From April 22 – 24, 2022, forty-five educational leaders from across the Columbia Basin, and around British Columbia, came together for the Environmental Education Leadership Clinic after a 3-year hiatus due to COVID-19. This Leadership Clinic provided representatives from 15 Local Chapters of EEPSA (the BC Environmental Educators Provincial Specialist Association) with the opportunity to […]

From April 22 – 24, 2022, forty-five educational leaders from across the Columbia Basin, and around British Columbia, came together for the Environmental Education Leadership Clinic after a 3-year hiatus due to COVID-19. This Leadership Clinic provided representatives from 15 Local Chapters of EEPSA (the BC Environmental Educators Provincial Specialist Association) with the opportunity to […]

Indigenous Learning Resources Here is a list of resources that have been recommended by our Indigenous advisors, members and partners as a way for you to deepen your understanding and move forward the Calls to Action set out by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Watch this short video of a song which was written, recorded […]

We are excited to share that our Non-profit Outdoor Learning Store is now available Canada-wide! After launching in June in the Columbia Basin, we expanded in September to offer this to the rest of British Columbia. As a result of that success, we are now in a position to offer this to the rest of […]

Six Local Educators Recognized Each year a volunteer team sits down to the task of reviewing nominations to recognize outstanding local educators from across the Columbia Basin region for their efforts in educating their students on environmental stewardship and sustainability. “Our 2020 recipients represent a diversity of communities and backgrounds, and collectively they have made […]

On Friday January 31, CBEEN supported the East Kootenay Local Chapter of Environmental Educators Provincial Specialist Association (EEPSA) (EKEEPSA) in getting 20 totally engaged teachers and outdoor educators from across the East Kootenay out with Dave Quinn at Jim Smith Lake Provincial Park! They explored winter activities and ideas related to place-based, community-centered education, and shared cross-curricular […]

Over 325 educators, including teachers, students and community members from across the province, gathered in Vancouver on October 25-26 to explore inspiring and community-connected strategies for teaching and learning in B.C. schools. “Place-based learning is as core foundation of the renewed K-12 curriculum in B.C.” said Patrick Robertson, Chair of the C2C Education Network, “Our […]

On October 25, 42 educators gathered in Revelstoke for the Coyote Mentoring Workshop. This was hosted by the Revelstoke Local Chapter of EEPSA with support from CBEEN. Despite wet and story weather, educators were filled with smiles and new activities and ideas. This workshop gave educators an excellent framework for teaching environmental education. It showed educators […]

On October 25, CBEEN partnered with the Kootenay Lake Local Chapter of EEPSA to host a workshop entitled ‘Inspiration, Sharing, and Collaborating for Place-based and Environmental Learning’. 43 educators took part, learning from each other by sharing things that they have had success with, such as lessons, resources and ways to manage behavior while teaching students […]