EE Helps Inspire, Engage, and Activate

Posted on by akowalsk@uwsp.edu

2026 Series

By Becca Franzen, Ph.D., Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education, College of Natural Resources, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

Back to Lake Tides article search
Two people stand knee-deep in a lake, using long-handled nets to collect samples from the water. One person wears chest waders and reaches forward with a net, while the other, wearing a dark vest and sunglasses on their head, holds a white-handled net. Trees line the far shore in the background. Overlaid at the top is a graphic of a five-level pyramid labeled from bottom to top: “1 Awareness,” “2 Knowledge,” “3 Values,” “4 Action Skills,” and “5 Action Experiences.”
UW-Stevens Point college students collect aquatic insects as part of an environmental education class for elementary students. Photo by Shannon Kearney

If you care about Wisconsin’s lakes, you’re probably hoping others will feel that same connection. But how do you spark that interest? How do you get people inspired, engaged, and ready to take action for our waters?

That’s where environmental education comes in. It’s all about helping people build a deeper understanding of the environment—what’s happening, why it matters, and how their choices make a difference. One program or activity alone won’t shift attitudes or inspire long-term change. The end goal of environmental education is environmental literacy: giving people the knowledge, context, and motivation to act on the issues they care about. So how do we nurture that kind of literacy across all ages? Environmental educators often follow five core tenets or guiding principles that help shape meaningful, lasting learning experiences.

The Five Tenets of Environmental Education are a great compass as you collaborate with others and explore the possibilities. The Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education can also lend support with resources like hands-on kits that can be checked out for free.

The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point K-12 Aquatic Education Collaborative can connect you with other water education opportunities.
uwsp.edu/wcee/wcee/aquatic-collaborative/

Curious and want to dig deeper into environmental education? Check out the North American Association for Environmental Education website. naaee.org/about/ee

FIVE TENETS OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

1) Raise Awareness (Awareness)
Awareness deepens when people slow down, engage their senses, and experience the environment firsthand. For example, have participants sit along the shoreline and journal about what they see, smell, hear, and touch.

2) Increase Knowledge (Knowledge)
What do participants need to understand about the lake? Invite them to explore food webs, lake ecosystem relationships, and key issues such as native and invasive species, runoff, and shoreline erosion. While building knowledge is essential, it’s only a starting point. It’s important to move beyond information to a deeper understanding and, eventually, action.

3) Identify Values (Values)
Consider your own values related to lakes. What do you value the most? Environmental education supports participants exploring their own values, role playing to learn about the values of others, and listening to others. For example, try a value-continuum activity, where participants respond to statements (from strongly disagree to strongly agree) and discuss why they chose their position (seeking diverse answers). Start with a statement such as, “Water is the most valuable element on the planet.” Then, move to a statement like, “Silent sports are the best way to recreate on the lake.” Keep your audience and learning goals in mind.

4) Develop Skills (Action Skills)
Here’s where you provide experiences to help your audience develop skills. For example, you might teach people to take various measurements of water quality—anything from collecting macroinvertebrates to measuring the clarity of water using a Secchi disk to identifying invasive species.

5) Take Action (Action Experiences)
Provide participants with the opportunity to take action that positively impacts the environment, such as talking to neighbors, giving local presentations, organizing volunteer groups, or developing and implementing a plan to improve water quality. If your lake group is small or you don’t have time to develop a plan, there are several “ready-to-go” programs like Clean Boats, Clean Waters, Citizen Lake Monitoring Network, or Healthy Lakes & Rivers. Find out more about these on the Extension Lakes website.
uwsp.edu/cnr/uwexlakes