Education and Advocacy
What is it?
Groups that are raising awareness, informing communities, and promoting policies that protect natural resources. Education helps people understand environmental issues and sustainable practices. Advocacy encourages action, policy changes, and community involvement. Together, they drive meaningful progress toward a healthier, more sustainable environment.
Environmental education teaches people about the natural world, the impact of human activities on the environment, and ways to live more sustainably. It raises awareness of local and global challenges, encourages individuals to adopt eco-friendly practices, and strengthens community connections through shared learning. By promoting conservation and responsible resource use, environmental education helps create a more informed and engaged society. In the Tri-Cities, it includes school programs, nature workshops, and community initiatives that support sustainability and environmental stewardship.
Who’s working on it in Tri-Cities?
- Lower Columbia Basin Audubon Society (LCBAS) – A chapter of the National Audubon Society dedicated to birdwatching, habitat conservation, environmental advocacy, education, and community science projects. They also publish a newsletter, The Curlew.
- Friends of Mid-Columbia River Wildlife Refuges – To support the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by providing opportunities for people to connect with nature through projects, programs and events.
- REACH Museum – Shares the history and impact of the Mid-Columbia River Region through exhibits, education programs, and tourism, focusing on the Ice Age Floods, regional history, and the Hanford Reach National Monument.
- Sustainable Tri-Cities and REACH Museum – Provide an annual Teach Workshop. Watch for it in Events.
- Sustainable Living Center – A Walla Walla non-profit that promotes resource conservation through energy efficiency, waste reduction, sustainable agriculture, and environmental education programs.
- Mid-Columbia Basin Old Natural Education Sciences (MCBONES) – A non-profit educational organization providing Tri-Cities students and teachers resources for paleontology, geology, paleoecology, and other natural sciences.
- Runners of the Sage – Encouraging people to live more active, self-sufficient, and more environmentally aware lifestyles. Facebook
- REI Kennewick – A retail store for outdoor goods. Their Cooperative Action Network advocates for policies that protect the outdoors, for everyone.
- Citizens’ Climate Education of Tri-Cities – A group working to pass climate laws by building consensus and engaging elected officials. They foster community discussions, rally support for climate action, and advocate for solutions at all levels.
- Tapteal Greenway – Tapteal Greenway is a non-profit that summarizes its mission as promoting conservation, education, and recreation along the lower Yakima River.
- Washington State University (WSU) Tri-Cities – The Community Classroom Series features multiple presentations on climate justice.
- Columbia Basin College (CBC) Environmental Club – We are a quirky group of individuals who are passionate about environmental issues that surround us.
- WSU Tricities Environmental Club – Students passionate about positively impacting the planet.