Finding Common Ground:  Creating Business and EE Partnerships by Dr. Julian Agyeman, Director, Business and Industry Initiative, PCEE Jeff Smith, Graduate Assistant, Business and Industry Initiative, PCEE  

 The Environmental Education Advocate - Spring 1998

The following information is provided to you as a service of the National Environmental Education Advancement Project (NEEAP). We encourage you to use it and please credit the National Environmental Education
Advancement Project where appropriate.

  Finding Common Ground, a groundbreaking EE Conference was held in Harrisburg, PA on April 7th. The aim of this conference was to find ways for more companies in Pennsylvania to participate in statewide environmental education at three levels:  1) within the business sector, 2) in schools, and 3) in the community. Organized by the Pennsylvania Center for Environmental Education’s Business and Industry Initiative and co-sponsored by some of Pennsylvania’s major companies, the event attracted 85 participants from over 40 companies and trade associations.
  The day began with a panel of speakers, including the Secretaries for Environmental Protection and Community and Economic Development.  These presentations were followed by breakout groups on internal environmental awareness training in businesses, working with communities and working with schools.  These were initiated by short presentations, and then followed by facilitated and documented group discussions.  The key question for each breakout group was ‘what can businesses do?’ and ‘what can PCEE do to help businesses?’.
  A few of the points generated during these discussions include the following:

•  Business should develop environmental awareness training programs.
•  PCEE should serve as a clearinghouse for ideas and programs.
•  Business should meet with local educators to discuss and identify the resources business can bring to bear and needs they wish to address.
•  PCEE should identify available business education and information resources.
•  Business can create and solicit input from community advisory committees.

  A working group, to be chaired by Paul King, PPG Industries, Inc. is in the process of being developed. This group will support the development of the conference’s Priority Action Points, and frame the future work of PCEE’s Business and Industry Initiative. A commemorative conference brochure was funded by The Sun Oil Company.
  For more information contact PCEE at:  724-738-4555, pcee@sru.edu, or www.pcee.state.pa.us.

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