The Maine Environmental Literacy Plan outlines a vision of environmental literacy for our state and a plan for a coordinated statewide effort to strengthen environmental education and outdoor learning as a critical piece of every youth’s educational journey.
The Maine Environmental Literacy Plan was first adopted by the Maine Department of Education in 2010 as a product of a collaborative effort between the Maine Department of Education, Maine Audubon, the Maine Department of Conservation, and the Maine Environmental Education Association. In 2022, those same stakeholders came together to prepare this revised version of Maine’s Environmental Literacy Plan. This revision reflects the immense momentum in Maine in environmental education and outdoor learning both in public education and in communities statewide. The goals and strategies laid out in the revised plan, when implemented, will greatly advance environmental literacy in the state of Maine resulting in increased health and wellness for Maine’s people, lands, and waters.
This updated plan defines environmental literacy, makes the case for why an environmentally literate citizenry is critical for Maine’s community health and well-being, and defines core goal areas and strategies to advance environmental literacy for Maine youth. This plan also suggests approaches to implementation and highlights useful resources and inspiring Maine-based case studies. The plan is designed to be a living document that shares concrete goals and strategies to guide the advancement of environmental literacy for Maine’s youth in the next five years.