Environmental Education Association of Illinois

10/26/2026

We had a great time this weekend at the NINPA Second Nature conference. We shared activities from Trees & Me as well as Growing Up Wild and had a great time connecting with educators from all over northern Illinois!

10/26/2026

Did you know you don't have to wait until spring to get your native plantings started? Our native seeds are used to overwintering in the cold dry winter ground. So let's take advantage of their adaptations and make life a little easier. Join TNI Stewardship Director, Rebekah, for a virtual webinar on how to effectively sow native seeds for your restoration activities and native pollinator gardens. You will gain insight on why this method works, some best practices, and how to care for the plants once they start growing in the spring.

This program is being co-hosted by the Environmental Education Association of Illinois.

10/22/2026

There are so many ways to engage with the EEAI 2027 Annual Conference. Join us next March as a traditional presenter, a poster presenter, an exhibitor, or a sponsor!

Visit https://eeai.net/annual-conference/ to learn more!

10/06/2026

Applications for EEAI's mini-grant program are open!

Apply for up to $350 to build out environmental education programming, curriculum, or experiences at your education site.

Applications are due 11/30 and funds are awarded at the end of January.

Learn more and apply at: https://eeai.net/mini-grants/

09/30/2026

EEAI is excited to announce of Fall round of online, asynchronous eeCourses! Designed to make high-quality professional development available to all Illinois educators no matter where they live, we offer a variety of eeCourses across a breadth of topics.

New for Fall 2026 is Children & Nature, a program that covers the basics of child development, outdoor spaces and accessibility, nature design, nature and wellness, and more for those serving early childhood populations. We're so excited to add this one to our line-up!

Learn more about eeCourses and our other upcoming programming here: https://eeai.net/calendar/

09/28/2026

Join EEAI and the U of I Extension Office in Sparta to grow your skills in building youth-adult partnerships that enact change with the Earth Force process. This training is designed for formal and non-formal educators that want to work with youth on projects that address real environmental issues in their community - we can't wait to dig in with you!

This training includes free lunch, a stipend for participating educators, and ISBE PD credit if needed.

Learn more and join us here: https://eeaoi.wildapricot.org/event-6849616

09/22/2026

Applications are open for the Illinois Green Schools Project! Learn more below from our friends at Illinois Green Alliance 📗✏️🎒

Are you interested in pursuing sustainability at your school?

The Illinois Green Schools Project (IGSP) is an annual sustainability action and recognition program for K-12 schools in Illinois. Illinois Green helps educators engage students and school stakeholders in hands-on projects that improve health, building efficiency, and environmental impact.

If you are a K-12 staff or faculty member with a passion for the environment and student stewardship opportunities, join the cohort of schools who are implementing sustainability projects with educational tools and mentor guidance!

Want to become a green schools mentor? Green Schools Mentors are matched with schools participating in the Illinois Green Schools Project, to help them investigate, plan, and implement a yearlong sustainability initiative. Mentors should have experience in sustainability and/or green building, and typically have professional backgrounds in architecture, engineering, sustainability consulting, design, building, and more.

Learn more here:
https://www.illinoisgreenalliance.org/illinois-green-schools-project-home

09/22/2026

There's still time to join us at Rock Springs for the EEAI Campout. This awesome event includes time enjoying the nature center, archery, a campfire and more. We can't wait to camp out with you!

Learn more and register here: https://eeaoi.wildapricot.org/event-6819091

09/21/2026

We had THE BEST time the with our friends from Environmental Education Association of Indiana Dunes Learning Center and Indiana DNR last week! This marked our third year meeting together as the Calumet Educators Collaborative and it was maybe the best one yet? Can hardly wait to see what’s next for this multi-state group of educators!

Also special thanks to NAAEE 🎓🌎 for helping to make this event possible!