Conservative Groups:

The following is a list of the most prominent conservative groups criticizing environmental education.  Included is their Internet address and a description of their policies and activities as taken, usually taken verbatim, from their web site.  Summaries/commentaries of any pertinent information found on the site specifically referring to environmental education are also provided.

 

1.      American Legislative Exchange Council - http://www.alec.org/

·        Nation's largest, bipartisan, individual membership association of state legislators

·        Legislative Network enables lawmakers to meet counterparts in other states and gain knowledge from leading public policy and business leaders

·        Goal is to ensure that members are well armed with accurate information, current research and the innovative ideas that will keep them on the cutting edge of the public policy debate

·        Services to members include:

·        Resource Center for information and networking needs; expert staff providing data, research, analysis, model legislation, scholarly articles, reference lists, and expert testimony on various issues

·        Publications to keep members informed on the ideas, issues, and people setting the terms of debate in the states and nation

·        Two conferences each year with workshops on current issues featuring leading experts, public figures, and elected officials

·        Has written model legislation entitled "The Environmental Literacy Improvement Act" which includes the following information to be used by states to develop their own EE legislation

·        Purpose:  "…enhance and improve the environmental literacy of students and citizens in the state by requiring that all environmental education programs and activities conducted by schools, universities, and agencies shall…." and then goes on to list ten objectives such as "be based on current scientific and economic principles, concepts and facts" and be "presented in language appropriate for education rather than propagandizing"

·        Duties and powers of the "Environmental Education Council" including

·        Advise schools, universities, and agencies conducting EE programs and activities

·        Establish a resource center that lists only those EE materials that conform to the purpose of this act

·        Seek countervailing scientific and economic views on environmental issues and make materials that contain these views available to organizations

·        Issue a report of its findings to the public and the Governor and Legislature each year

·        Establish a process by which parents and citizens will be able to appeal to the Council for a ruling on whether textbooks and curriculum materials are adhering to the purposes of this act

·        Required expertise of the council members in the following areas in the listed proportions:

·        40% natural sciences (not environmental science)

·        40% economic sciences

·        20% educational curriculum

·        Definitions:

·        "Environmental education means educational processes, programs and activities which are specifically designed to enhance student acquisition of knowledge of scientific and economic principles, concepts, and facts as they relate to environmental topics and issues and which are taught in an unbiased, fair, and balanced manner"

·        "current scientific and economic principles, concepts and facts means scientific and economic information that either has been updated within the last five years or has not shown to be out of date

This model legislation from ALEC was referenced in an article from The Heritage Foundation as being recommended by Michael Sanera and CEER as a means for other states to follow in Arizona's footsteps.

 

2.      Arizona Advisory Council on Environmental Education - http://ag.arizona.edu/maricopa/garden/html/funding/aacee.htm

Links to a page which only explains its grant packages but seems to be the only place to find the names, professions, and address/contact information for the members of the council.

 

3.      Arizona State Land Department - http://www.land.state.az.us/

Mission is to manage state trust lands and resources to enhance value and optimize economic return for the Trust beneficiaries, consistent with sound stewardship, conservation and business management principles supporting socio-economic goals for citizens here today and generations yet to come; to manage and provide support for resource conservation programs for the well-being of the public and the state's natural environment.  

 

Administers EE programs/funds & includes info on the Arizona Advisory Council on EE: 

The background information about grants financed by the Arizona Environmental Special Plate Fund including Fast Track Grants, Regular Grants, the Class Environmental Research Contest, and the Arizona Advisory Council on Environmental Education is provided in their grant manuals.

A. History of the Environmental Special Plate Fund

The Environmental Special Plate Fund was established by law in 1990 to be used to support environmental education. Public concern with the implementation of this law caused the Legislature to pass the following statutory changes:

1994:  Language was deleted which required that environmental education curricula “develop positive attitudes and values toward the environment and encourage civic and social responsibility toward environmental issues.” Instead, the Legislature required that all programs must “be designed to help pupils develop an understanding of the scientific and economic concepts which impact on environmental and natural resource issues.”

1995:  The K-12 mandate to teach environmental education was repealed. School districts which opted to teach environmental education were required to base their environmental education program on “current scientific information” and to “include a discussion of economic and social implications” of the environmental and natural resource issues as they relate to this state and its citizens. Furthermore, “environmental education” was defined by statute as the educational process of dealing with “the relationships of humans to their natural and artificial surroundings and included the relation of population, pollution, resource allocation, conservation, transportation, technology and resource production to the environment.”

1996:  “Current scientific information” was defined in the statute as “Scientific information that either has been updated within the past five years or has not been shown to be out of date.”

1997 Language was added which requires that all environmental education projects funded under the AACEE grants program must be “conducted in a balanced manner.” In addition, all grantees must submit a final report to the AACEE “by July 1 of the year following the year in which the grant was made. Any entity that fails to submit this report is not eligible to receive additional grants pursuant to this paragraph until the report is submitted.”  Using this statutory guidance, the AACEE developed the enclosed grant program that seeks to improve the environmental education literacy of Arizona’s students by stressing student knowledge of the science and economics of the environment.

B. Legislative Authority of the AACEE

The AACEE was established to facilitate coordination and planning with public and private agencies and institutions on environmental education goals.  The AACEE is also charged with the development and implementation of an equitable system of evaluating and funding requests from individual public, charter and alternative school districts and natural resource conservation district environmental education centers. Grant requests from non-parochial private organizations that have established joint research ventures with eligible schools to provide instruction in environment education will also be considered. The Arizona State Land Department provides administrative support to the AACEE.

1 Adapted from “Environmental Education Materials ‘ Guidelines for Excellence’” by North American Association for Environmental Education, November 1996, p. 5-6.

Arizona Guidelines for Fairness and Accuracy 1

These guidelines should be consulted by parties preparing grant applications to be submitted to the AACEE. They provide guidance for meeting requirements of the Arizona statute governing AACEE grants which mandate that projects and programs funded by AACEE be “conducted in a balanced manner” and be “based on current scientific information.”

FAIRNESS AND ACCURACY:

Environmental education materials should be fair and accurate in describing environmental problems, issues, and conditions and in reflecting the diversity of perspectives on them.

3. Factual Accuracy

Environmental education materials should reflect recognized theories and established facts about subjects and issues.

What to look for:

a. Sources of factual information are clearly referenced.

b. Data is drawn from current and identified sources of information. (Knowing the

source of information can aid in judging its trustworthiness or identifying possible

bias.)

c. Factual information is presented in language appropriate for education rather than for propagandizing.

d. Information comes from primary sources - which provide context, documentation, and explanation - rather than from reviews or newspaper articles that simply provide bits

and pieces of arguments or evidence.

e. A range of experts from appropriate fields reviewed the materials or participated in heir development in another way. The materials include a list of the people involved in the development and review and also identify their areas of expertise.

4. Balanced Presentation of Differing Viewpoints and Theories

Where there are differences of opinion or competing scientific explanations, the range of perspectives should be presented in a balanced way.

What to look for:

a. Proponents of differing viewpoints reviewed the materials or helped develop them in another way. The materials include a list of the people involved in the development and review and their organizational affiliation.

b. Opinions or policies of an agency or organization are clearly identified.

c. Scientifically credible positions and explanations are covered thoroughly, while other positions are also mentioned. (Balanced presentation does not mean giving equal time and space to every opinion or perspectives, but treating major positions fairly.)

d. Materials communicate areas of consensus among scientists or other experts.

5. Openness to Inquiry

Materials should encourage readers to explore different perspectives and form their own opinions.

What to look for:

a. Educators are given tools to help students form and express opinions about competing t         theories.

b. Exercises are suggested to help readers explore personal and societal values and conflicting points of view within the context of the issue.

c. Materials encourage an atmosphere of respect for different opinions and open-mindedness to new ideas.

d. Exercises encourage readers to understand the opinions of their peers.

e. Materials suggest projects that encourage readers to collect and analyze their own data and to compare that data to similar data from other places.

f. Activities encourage students to become discerning readers and observers of media coverage of environmental matters.

 

4.      Center for Environmental Education Research - http://www.cei.org/ceer/index.html

Mission:  improve the quality of teaching about the environment in K-12th grade schools by ensuring that students:

·        receive unbiased environmental information which is based on sound science and economics.

·        develop the critical thinking skills needed to make informed decisions about complex environmental issues.

Background:  Since the first Earth Day in 1970, children have been taught to believe we are running out of everything and humans are "killing the earth." Young people are largely ignorant of the role that human ingenuity, creativity, technology and the free market play in solving the planet’s environmental problems. In classrooms, children are taught that the only way to solve environmental problems is with top-down, command-and-control government regulation. Instead of inspiring our children to become scientists, inventors and engineers who confront and solve our environmental problems, our schools are busy teaching them to become politicians, bureaucrats, lobbyists and regulators.  CEER believes this one-sided approach produces distorted and dangerous perspectives and encourages public policies that threaten our democracy and free enterprise economy--the best guarantors of human dignity and a clean environment.  Research studies conducted by the Center have reviewed more than 200 environmental books and curriculum materials used in K-12 grades.  The majority of materials teach that our forefathers plundered and raped the environment for personal greed and state that we have cut down our forests, slaughtered our wild animals, and polluted our streams and air. Students are taught that their future holds nothing, but epidemics of skin cancer from ozone depletion and mass starvation due to overpopulation.  These books present such claims as fact, not opinion, and offer little supporting proof. Rarely do the books mention that distinguished scientists often disagree with the claims of imminent catastrophe or acknowledge that the science and economics surrounding environmental issues are often uncertain and open to continual discovery.  Most EE presents students with misleading and one-sided information.  Many of the problems in EE are due, in part, to federal, state and local mandates and policies. At the federal level, Congress, through the National EE Act (1990), gave the EPA authority over teacher training, curriculum research and development and environment-related student internships and fellowships. The EPA spends millions annually to produce EE programs and materials that must "reflect EPA policy on the topics explored."  Thus, students will not learn about problems with Superfund or the EPA’s failures in implementing the Clean Water and Clean Air Acts.  State laws and local school board policies directly govern education in the classroom. Currently, 32 states have laws mandating some form of EE, and 12 states have laws requiring that EE be taught at all grade levels and in most subject areas-- including math, art and even band. The EPA has targeted additional states for "building state capacity"--that is, create political coalitions to lobby state legislatures to pass EPA-sanctioned environmental education requirements.  CEER's director, and CEI senior fellow Dr. Michael Sanera, supported the successful effort to reform EE in Arizona, which now has the most educationally sound law in the nation, requiring balanced teaching about environment based on sound science and economics. He is also lending his expertise to reform efforts in other states including CO, TX and CA.  CEER believes the purpose of EE should be to teach children facts, not fear and is undertaking a nationwide effort to improve the quality of teaching of environmental issues in K-12 schools by ensuring that EE is based on sound science and economics.  The goal is not to substitute "industry propaganda" for "environmentalist propaganda," but to ensure that, when children are presented facts rooted in the latest science and economics and are given unbiased information, they can develop critical thinking skills needed to make informed decisions about complex environmental policy issues

Issue Areas of the Competitive Enterprise Institute

·        Air pollution

·        Chemical and environmental risk

·        Corporate welfare

·        Energy and electricity

·        Federal lands

·        Global warming

·        Private conservation

·        Property rights

·        Solid and hazardous waste

·        Trade and international environment

·        Water and wetlands

·        Wildlife and marine resources

 

5.      Center for the New West - http://www.newwest.org/

Mission is to advance America's enterprise economy and the strength and vitality of its civic organizations.  It seeks market-oriented solutions to public policy problems - in areas including energy, the environment, education, telecommunications and economic and infrastructure development. The Center has confidence in technology, innovation and the can-do spirit of the American people to solve problems and forge new opportunities. Its objectives are to foster balanced economic growth and promote the enterprise economy; to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and information on issues that affect economic and social well-being; to increase awareness of the West among national and international opinion leaders; and to provide a platform and support system, including analytical resources, for Western leaders to address regional, national and global issues.

 

6.      Competitive Enterprise Institute - http://www.cei.org/

Non-profit public policy organization dedicated to the principles of free enterprise and limited government; believe that consumers are best helped not by government regulation but by being allowed to make their own choices in a free marketplace.

 

7.      Environmental Education Resource Guide - http://caplter.asu.edu/res_guide/

A resource guide to EE programs and materials available throughout Arizona, presented by the Arizona Advisory Council on EE

 

8.      Environmental Literacy Council - http://www.enviroliteracy.org/

Non-profit org established to bring together scientists, economists, educators, & other experts to inform environmental studies.  The Council builds on the work of its predecessor organization, the Ind. Commission on EE, and its report, Are We Building Environmental Literacy? This study found EE often fails to introduce students to scientific and economic concepts needed to understand environmental concerns.  Their web site claims to guide students and teachers to the best resources available on the Internet by providing links to sites that have been reviewed, described and evaluated.  They believe 'true environmental education should provide a solid basis in the scientific and economic aspects of environmental issues.'  They provide a teacher survey to find out what teachers need to teach about natural resources and the environment, a reading list suggested by environmental science teachers, reviews of educational materials, a newsletter, guides/summaries of current issues, and an upcoming guide entitled "Making Connections." The members of the council include:

Roger A. Sedjo  President of the Council, Senior Fellow and Director of the Forest Economics and Policy Program, Resources for the Future, Washington, D.C.

Robert L. Sproull  Council Chair, Emeritus President and Professor of Physics, Univ of Rochester

Kathleen Berry  Science Chairperson, Canon-McMillan High School, Canonsburg, PA

John F. Disinger  Professor Emeritus of Natural Resources, Ohio State Univ, and past president of the NAAEE

Nicholas N. Eberstadt  Visiting Fellow, Center for Population Studies, Harvard Univ, and Visiting Scholar, American Enterprise Institute

Michael H. Glantz  Senior Scientist, Environmental and Societal Impacts Group at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, CO

George M. Gray  Deputy Director of the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis and Instructor in Risk Analysis at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Thomas G. Moore  Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, former member of President Reagan's Council of Economic Advisors

Stanford S. Penner  Professor (Emeritus) of Engineering Physics, Director (Emeritus) of the Center for Energy and Combustion Research at the UC, San Diego, Editor-in-Chief, Encyclopedia of Energy

F. James Rutherford  Chief Education Officer at the AAAS & former Director of Project 2061

Frederick Seitz  past President of the National Academy of Sciences, past President of the American Physical Society, and President Emeritus, Rockefeller Univ

Daniel S. Simberloff  Nancy Gore Hunger Professor of Environmental Science, U of TN, and recently Visiting Professor, Tel Aviv Univ

M. Jane Teta  Director of Epidemiology, Health Information, Risk Assessment and TSCA, Union Carbide Corporation, Danbury, CT, & Adjunct Associate Professor of Epidemiology, U of Mass

Alvin W. Trivelpiece  Director, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN & President, Lockheed Martin Energy Research Corporation

Kathleen B. deBettencourt  Executive Director of the Council

Their main report is "Science for Environmental Literacy:  A Review of Advanced Placement Environmental Science Textbooks."  For the review, selected chapters of six of the ten textbooks typically used for upper level environmental science courses.  The chapters were reviewed by members of the council with expertise in the topic covered.  Each chapter was graded for accuracy, completeness, objectivity, and use of citation of data.  The main findings of the review are: 

·        The quality and accuracy of the presentation of environmental topics varied from textbook to textbook and from chapter to chapter

·        The textbook that received the highest score provided a readable, thorough, and generally accurate introduction to environmental science, with thoughtful case studies and even-handed coverage of environmental issues

·        Several of the textbooks focus disproportionately on the social and political aspects of

environmental problems and provide only a limited introduction to the science of the

environment

·        Several textbooks failed to indicate sources, dates, or the context for quantitative data

provided

·        Most of the textbooks included discussions of environmental policy issues but paid

insufficient attention to key economic concepts, environmental and health risk analyses, and tradeoffs that are a necessary part of environmental decision making

·        Environmental science is a complex area of study in which there is ongoing debate and discovery.  It is a challenge to provide an introductory textbook that does justice both to the complex science of Earth’s systems and to the social, economic, and political aspects of environmental issues. Many of the reviewed by the Council devote more attention to the latter than the former, making these textbooks more appropriate for an environmental studies course than an advanced laboratory science course.

 

9.      George C. Marshall Institute - http://www.marshall.org/index.htm

Established in 1984 as a nonprofit corporation to conduct technical assessments of scientific issues with an impact on public policy. In every area of public policy, decisions are shaped by developments in and arguments about science and technology.  However, even purely scientific appraisals are often politicized and misused by interest groups; seeks to counter this trend by providing policymakers with rigorous, clearly written and unbiased technical analyses on a range of public policy issues. Through briefings to the press, publication programs, speaking tours and public forums, the Institute seeks to preserve the integrity of science and promote scientific literacy.

The following quote is taken from Executive Director Jeffrey Salmon's May 1998 response to what he calls The Sierra Club's 'attack on environmental education after they published an article containing a criticism of the Independent Commission on Environmental Education:

"There is a certain push within some circles to use environmental education as a way to change student's behavior so that it conforms to a certain predetermined political course of action.  Both environmental groups and corporations follow this course of action when they produce classroom materials that are poorly disguised propaganda pieces of absolutely no use to a teacher actually interested in educating students about the interesting scientific, economic, political, and social themes that spring from a serious look at the environment.  We therefore share Mr. Selcraig's outrage when corporations use the classroom for their own narrow self-interest.  Unlike Mr. Selcraig, however, we object to replacing one form of propaganda with another.  It's using children we object to, no matter from what source."

In a 1997 article in the Wall Street Journal defending his organization against claims by the Center for Commercial-Free Public Education, Salmon wrote:  "Radical environmentalists have learned that while science and economics are rarely on their side, they can always win publicity points by accusing their opponents of having sold their souls to corporate polluters." 

10.  Heritage Foundation - http://www.heritage.org/

Research and educational institute; a think tank whose mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense.

In a recent article from their web site entitled "Combating the Crime of Environmental Miseducation," praise is given to Facts, Not Fear:  "In Facts, Not Fear, we approach environmental issues the way conservatives should - recognizing that serious environmental problems exist but emphasizing the importance of understanding them rather that leaping to political "solutions."  We stress the value of good science within the framework of limited government and a market economy."

 

11.  Hoover Institute - http://www-hoover.stanford.edu/default.htm

Housed at Stanford University; is a world-renowned library and archives; and a unique center of scholarship and public policy research, committed to generating ideas that define a free society. The defining principles of individual, economic and political freedom, private enterprise, and representative government were fundamental in the vision of the Institution's founder, Herbert Hoover. By advancing these principles through the collection of knowledge and generation of ideas, Herbert Hoover steadfastly described the Institution's mission as contributing to the pursuits of securing and safeguarding peace, improving the human condition, and limiting government intrusion into the lives of individuals.  The Institution’s overarching purposes are to:

n      Collect requisite sources of knowledge pertaining to economic, political, and social changes in societies, as well as understand their causes and consequences

n      Analyze the effects of government actions relating to public policy

n      Generate, publish, and disseminate ideas that encourage positive policy formation using reasoned arguments and intellectual rigor, converting conceptual insights into practical initiatives judged to be beneficial to society

n      Convey to the public, the media, lawmakers, and others an understanding of important public policy issues and promote vigorous dialogue

Hoover analyst Thomas Moore's web page with op-eds on major issues:  http://www.stanford.edu/~moore/index.html

 

12.  Independent Commission on Environmental Education - http://www2.knight-hub.com/marshall/icee.html

Program of the George C. Marshall institute; ICEE brings together a prestigious panel of scientists, economists, and educators to evaluate and report on the current state of EE.  The Commission conducted a content evaluation of EE resources to assess their coverage of science and economics. The group has recently released the results of its evaluation of commonly-used EE materials.  It concluded that, although EE is an important topic for grades K-12, many EE materials used in our nation's schools do not give students enough science and economics to understand the environmental challenges we will face in the next century.  Its report contains detailed reviews of how topics are treated in teacher's guides and textbooks, as well as recommendations for improvements in the field. These findings and recommendations for improving the quality of EE are found in the report, Are We Building Environmental Literacy?

 

13.  John Locke Foundation - http://www.johnlocke.org/

Develops and promotes solutions to NC's most critical challenges; independent think tank based in Raleigh; seeks to transform state and local govt through competition, innovation, freedom and personal responsibility to strike a better balance between the public sector and private institutions of family, faith, community, and enterprise; source of cutting-edge research, publisher of news and commentary, and catalyst for change. 

NC Alliance for Smart Schools:  Foundation's education reform project; second annual Grading Our Schools report, provides letter grades for each school system in the state based on a range of objective outcome measures and provides background info to help better understand how schools are doing and how they compare nationally and internationally; makes recommendations to improve the state's accountability program to measure teacher effectiveness and true student learning.

 

14.  National Environmental Policy Institute - http://www.nepi.org/

Mission is to provide a substantive framework for improving environmental policy and management; dedicated to establishing realistic environmental priorities and helping to focus the national environmental debate.  Through its communications and outreach programs, NEPI has been successful in providing a forum for exchange and understanding among those involved in the environmental policy process as well as facilitating stakeholder dialogue and public education on the major environmental issues of our time.

 

15.  New Environmentalism - http://www.newenvironmentalism.org/

The environmental movement that began in the 1960s started with public outcry to the federal government for action.  At the time, strategy to address these environmental ills seemed straightforward. Problems were viewed as inherently similar, conducive to centralized decision-making and boilerplate answers.  Now it has become clear that environmental problems are complex and unique, requiring a flexible, results-oriented approach.  Nonprofit organizations, businesses, individual citizens, and local governments are playing a crucial role in providing environmental enhancements. Where once environmental policy inherently mistrusted markets and punishment was pursued more vigorously than progress, today this is changing. Private innovation is the wellspring source of progress. We have learned that while environmental enforcement is indeed important, no process should overshadow the ultimate goal of progress toward a clean environment. This is the new environmentalism.
Basic Principles
Local Innovation:  we are facing localized environmental problems which are much more amenable to solutions for specific sites; most states have demonstrated the capacity to implement environmental laws, even some more stringent than federal environmental law.
Flexibility and Progress:  US has some of the best technologies in the world to accomplish its environmental goals. Our states, localities, and businesses need to be freed up to use these technologies and ideas to continue improving our environment. They should be held accountable for achieving environmental results, not simply the extent to which they follow rules and regulations.  Opportunities for environmental improvements should be identified by states and localities, not just by the federal government.
Private Stewardship:  Environmental progress requires self-propelled environmental protection by businesses, farmers, and individual private citizens. Environmental entrepreneurship can't occur unless people have the incentives and ability to act as private stewards of the environment. While punishment is needed for those who callously flout environmental law, a balance should be struck between punishment and incentives that encourage environmental innovation.  Honesty, integrity and balanced environmental policy is a result of good science. As more and more scientific data on environmental ills becomes available, the emphasis is placed on how we use this information. Science is too important to politicize or to ignore. The environment is made up of many competing risks. With that in mind, environmental policy should take all of these goals into consideration, offering holistic rather than piecemeal answers

 

16.  PERC - http://www.perc.org/

Nation's oldest and largest institute dedicated to original research that brings market principles to resolving environmental problems. PERC pioneered the approach known as free market environmentalism.  It is based on the following tenets:  private property rights encourage stewardship of resources; government subsidies often degrade the environment; market incentives spur individuals to conserve resources and protect environmental quality; and polluters should be liable for the harm they cause others.  PERC's activities encompass three areas:  research and policy analysis; outreach through conferences, books and articles; and  EE at all levels.  PERC's EE Programs include teacher workshops which provide teachers with information on specific environmental topics, demonstrate lessons from EcoDetectives, a middle and high school curriculum on economics and the environment developed by PERC and published the National Council on Economic Education; and alert teachers to other educational opportunities in this field of inquiry. The institutes are cosponsored by PERC, the Foundation for Teaching Economics, and local economic education organizations

PERC is actively working to correct these problems:

n      A new book, A Blueprint for Environmental Education, just published by PERC, offers a road map for introducing economics to environmental education. It shows how this controversial field can adopt more realism and foster critical thinking in students. Edited by Jane S. Shaw, the book brings together lively essays by educators and economists who point out current problems with environmental education, introduce economics as a solution, and illustrate the relevance of economics.

n      Regnery Publishing, Inc. has published Facts Not Fear: A Parents' Guide to Teaching Children About the Environment, by Michael Sanera and Jane S. Shaw. This book helps parents provide a more balanced view of many environmental issues. The book is jointly sponsored by the Alabama Family Alliance, the Arizona Institute for Public Policy, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, and PERC.

n      The National Council on Economic Education has published a middle school and high school curriculum developed by PERC. EcoDetectives, by Mark Schug, John Morton, and Donald Wentworth, is suited for social studies, history, and current events classes. This self-contained package of 18 lessons applies basic economic concepts to the study of environmental issues.

n      PERC is preparing Environmental Examiner, a newsletter for high school students, that offers an ongoing way of communicating balanced environmental information. It includes articles and activities dealing with current environmental topics.

n      PERC is working with the Canadian Council on Economic Education to develop materials that will treat environmental issues more objectively.

n      PERC is sponsoring teacher workshops around the country.

n      PERC holds an institute in Montana every summer to introduce teachers to market solutions to environmental protection.

 

17.  The Claremont Institute - http://www.claremont.org/index.cfm

Mission is to restore the principles of the American Founding to their rightful, preeminent authority in our national life.  It finds the answers to America's problems in the principles on which our nation was founded. These principles are expressed most eloquently in the Declaration of Independence, which proclaims that "all men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights..."  To recover the Founding principles in our political life means recovering a limited and accounted government that respects private property, promotes stable family life and maintains a strong defense.  Today, our state and federal governments spend vast and increasing sums of public money for less and less good. The public sector continues to grow at the expense of the private.  Regulations intrude into every corner of our lives. Schools no longer perform. Police and courts no longer protect. Good businesses are being driven to extinction by excessive and discriminatory controls, and as a result good jobs continue to disappear. Dependence grows and opportunity wanes with each passing year.  The Institute believes that informed citizens can and will make the right choices for America's future. Through its books, policy briefings, conferences and seminars, and now through the new electronic media of the WWW, the Institute engages Americans in an informed discussion of the principles and policies necessary to rebuild our civic institutions.  Founded in 1979, the Claremont Institute's work is national in scope, but gives special emphasis to the problems of our country's largest state, where the Institute is based.  The prosperity and freedom of America can only be made secure if they are guided by a return to these basic principles as our country enters the 21st Century.

 

18.  The Heartland Institute - http://www.heartland.org/

Nonprofit public policy research organization dedicated to meeting the information needs of the nation's state and national elected officials, journalists, and its members. It's mission is to be its customers' fastest, most convenient, most comprehensive, and most reliable source of public policy information.  It does not accept government funds and does not conduct "contract" research for special interest groups.  It is a genuinely independent source of research and commentary. It is not affiliated with any political party, business, or foundation.  In 1996 it received an award for its book Eco-Sanity: A Common-Sense Guide to Environmentalism (see web site for downloadable version of this interesting piece of work). 

Excerpts from the book, Eco-Sanity:  A Common-Sense Guide to Environmentalism, by Joseph Bast, Peter Hill, and Richard Rue obtained from the Heartland Institute web site:

Rules for Eco-Sanity

Facts to remember:

·        The environment is cleaner than at any time in the past half-century

·        The environment is safer than at any time in recorded history

·        Predictions of impending global ecological disasters are untrue

·        Most environmental problems have been or are being solved

·        Prosperity is good for the environment

Principles of Political Economy:

·        Pollution problems occur where rights are not defined and enforced

·        Rights to air, water, and wildlife can be defined and enforced

·        Ownership lead to better stewardship

·        Incentives are better than commands

·        Government programs suffer from incentive and knowledge problems

·        Greater efficiency leads to less pollution

Lessons from false alarms:

·        The alarmists can no longer be trusted

·        Some environmental groups profit from false alarms

·        The media gives false alarms extensive publicity

·        Beware of stories with innocent victims and terrible villains

·        Don't react out of fear

Publishes newsletters on the environment and climate change & education reform and has a section of its web site dedicated to keeping the common-sense environmentalist informed: 

Environment & Climate News  24-page monthly newspaper reporting on efforts nationwide to adopt free market, sound science policies for environment reform. The audience includes every state and national elected official in the US, journalists, environment reform activists, and friends and supporters. Current circulation figures stand at approximately 45,000 copies.

School Reform News  24-page monthly newspaper reporting on school reform efforts nationwide. Its audience includes over 33,000 private school principals, administrators, and teachers; every state and national elected official in the US; and education journalists, educational choice activists, and friends and supporters. Current circulation figures stand at approximately 45,000 copies.  It seeks to be the "newspaper of record" for the national school reform movement. Its tone is objective and timely

Common-Sense Environmentalist's Suite:  We have brought together the best research and commentary on sound science and market-based environmental protection from the nation's leading think tanks and advocacy groups. Hundreds of complete documents--even two entire books are available here.  Are you a common-sense environmentalist? Find out by clicking on "Principles of Common-Sense Environmentalism." If you are researching a particular environmental issue, go to "Pick a Topic, Any Topic." And to see The Heartland Institute's own extensive publications on environmental issues, click on "Search Heartland's archives."

Includes links to so-called "Good Guys"