By the Numbers: EGLE’s environmental education continues to grow

Community Outreach

Environmental Education staff participated in or supported EGLE participation in 50 public events in 2024, reaching a total of 12,289 teachers, students, families, and community members, an increase of 33% from 2023.

Professional development training for educators has been a growing area of the Environmental Education team’s work, and in 2024, staff held 19 formal professional learning opportunities, reaching a total of 725 formal and nonformal educators.

Environmental Education Lending Station

The Environmental Education Resource Lending Station was established through funding from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative in 2022. In 2024, Lending Station materials were checked out 47 times, reaching 7,803 youth, families, and professionals across Michigan communities. Since the program began in 2022, the Lending Station has served a total of 16,839 individuals.

In July 2024, EGLE was awarded a $105,325 grant through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to expand the Lending Station by adding three satellite locations in Suttons Bay, Alpena, and Warren. This expansion will provide expanded access to rural northern Michigan as well as Southeast Michigan, where 38% of all requests (representing more than 60% of all program users) come from.

EGLE Classroom continues to support educators in using the Lending Station through a series of instructional videos available on EGLE’s YouTube channel.

Michigan Student Sustainability Summit and Earth Day Celebrations

The first annual Michigan Student Sustainability Summit took place on April 25, 2024, at Michigan State University in partnership with the MI Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, MSU Science Festival, and Grow the Earth. Over 165 students from 21 schools attended the event, which focused on environmental sustainability in PreK-12 schools and awareness of green job pathways. Registration for the 2025 MI Student Sustainability Summit will open soon, and the event is currently accepting sponsors.

At the event, the 2024 Environmental Service Awards were presented to Yale High School, for a project focusing on local, organic food production through aquaponics, and to Upton Middle School for an extensive school sustainability program featuring composting and native plants.

The annual K-5 Earth Day Poster Contest was also a success with 284 entries. First and second place prizes were awarded for each grade level. In celebration of the 50^th anniversary of the Safe Drinking Water Act, EGLE also awarded a first and second place prize in a special Clean Drinking Water category.

Submissions for the 2025 Environmental Service Awards and Earth Day Poster Contest are open now through March 15!