Mr. Gary Swick’s acceptance speech

for the National Environmental Education Foundation's

2008 Richard C. Bartlett Award.

Every day, I spend my day with teenage boys who think they are immortal. Today, I am standing next to a man that is immortal. To have a national – level award named after you, especially while you are still a contributing member of the educational community is almost unbelievable. This is truly an honor to be here with Richard Bartlett, the NEEF family, the NAAEE Conference, and all of you. It too is an honor to be recognized for my efforts to assist children in finding connections to nature, and providing them with experiences that may change their lives & others.

I aspire to provide students with experiences that connect them to the natural world, and for them to realize their impacts upon it. This begins with an awareness that stimulates a desire for better understanding. That in turn, will hopefully foster an appreciation that may inspire an interest in taking personal action. I consider it, “Education for Action.” I believe that it is necessary for us to be the stewards of sustainable systems, and that this is what should drive our educational endeavors.

I have been around for much of Environmental Education’s evolution. I remember the intellectual leap beyond camping skills to a strong emphasis on sensory perceptions, and social impacts. I remember when litter was replaced by endangered whales as the worst of our environmental woes, and when recycling became an extra effort in a growing consumer society. I began my career path when pollution was just becoming something to deal with. My first efforts to connect students with the land, and participate in an action project involved campus tree planting. The students and I have suffered the loss of over 3000 trees to school district mowers, but we keep planting. And now we harvest & sow seed, restore woodlands, monitor water quality, recycle like lunatics, and teach younger students, our peers, and the community about our impacts and the alternatives. We have even appeared on CNN with “Concert in the Creek”, our 160 piece orchestra and chorus performing from in the river to heighten awareness.

But that is not enough. We are a mobile and disconnected culture. We have to recover a lost sense of place, and develop the responsibility that comes with having a place. We need to see our footprint, think cradle to grave, and see ourselves as the stewards. Maybe, we need to circle back to those sensory awareness days.

These are exciting times. Economic woes are forcing many to confront what we many of us have been warning about for 4 decades with environmental woes; that this path is not sustainable. Youth always seeks to change their society. Change now, is an absolute given. Although we face more sophisticated problems than 30 years ago when I began my career, the need remains to foster a connection with the natural environment. Get kids to form a soil ribbon with their fingers, have them collect critters in the stream, and challenge them to see how we can change our relationship with the planet. Take them into their community, and have them teach each other. I have tried to create initiatives through action projects that cross-curricular lines and cultural lines. I am honored to be amongst colleagues that understand the importance to do the same.

Against many challenges, formal & non-formal educators everyday provide children with opportunities to connect with nature. Thank you for honoring my efforts. Keep the faith, and keep fighting to provide children with what we know is really important. Together we will make Richard Bartlett proud, and change our culture’s path.