Pennsylvania Sea Grant Educates and Inspires Students and Adults through the Connect with Your Environment Newspaper Page
The Connect with Your Environment page has featured many coastal environment issues, including how released pets can become invasive species.
Many people read the newspaper to stay connected with local happenings and news, but Pennsylvania residents are also reading the newspaper to connect with their environment.
Pennsylvania Sea Grant, in partnership with the Erie Times News, produces a weekly environmental newspaper page, as part of the national program Newspapers in Education. Stories about local, regional, and global environmental issues, research and educational programs reach students in classrooms throughout the Erie, PA school district each Tuesday during the school year.
Increased community engagement is one benefit of the Connect with Your Environment newspaper page. Photo: Anna McCartney
The Connect with Your Environment page promotes place-based science literacy by highlighting local environmental coastal issues. The page has highlighted a variety of topics, from pets that become invasive species, to local plastic pollution, and environmental science careers.
The pages each include an interactive newspaper or in-class activity. In 2017, 141 teachers in 75 schools used the pages in their classrooms, reaching over 6200 students. Even outside the classroom, the Connect with Your Environment page is motivating Pennsylvania residents to get engaged in exploring and protecting their local environment: Pennsylvania Sea Grant has seen more involvement from citizens in stewardship and volunteer opportunities as a result of the page.
Read past issues of Connect with Your Environment on the Pennsylvania Sea Grant website.