Maryland Governor Wes Moore issues executive order calling for environmental literacy – Baltimore Sun

Gov. Wes Moore on Monday issued an executive order establishing an environmental literacy program in an effort to empower Maryland’s youth to conserve and restore the state’s natural resources in the face of climate change.

“We owe it to the people of Maryland to keep our drinking water clean, our air safe and our national treasures preserved – from the Western Mountains to the Chesapeake Bay,” Moore, a Democrat, said in a statement Monday evening.

Moore announced the creation of the Maryland Outdoor Learning Partnership, which is charged with conducting an assessment of climate change education efforts and providing recommendations to ensure student engagement in the environment and have access to environmental education.

The partnership, which will take over the Project Green Classrooms program, includes a range of executive agencies – including the departments of natural resources, education, health care and transportation – who will work with nonprofits such as the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the National Aquarium and the National Wildlife Federation.

It will be co-chaired by Department of Natural Resources Secretary Josh Kurtz and state Superintendent of Schools Dr. Carey M. Wright, or their designees, and will meet monthly.

Moore signed the Earth Day executive order at the Maryland Department of the Environment headquarters in Baltimore, where he also discussed agency-led efforts to combat climate change and reduce pollution.

He also took part in a tree planting ceremony.

The executive order recognized that communities around the state and its natural resources, such as the Chesapeake Bay, face current challenges that will likely be exacerbated by the impacts of climate change, and that Marylanders must be educated and prepared to create a green jobs economy enter. in order to thrive.

It was also said that students’ involvement outside the home increases achievement, improves their health and encourages them to participate in their communities.

The partnership will hold an annual meeting, where one or more student representatives attending primary and secondary school programs will review the status of their work, which will be collected in an annual report.

“Young people are already our greatest asset in tackling our climate challenges because they understand the threat,” said Serena McIlwain, secretary of the Maryland Department of the Environment. “Now we’re giving them the tools.”