Preparing for Earth Day: Environmental Learning Resources for Lesson Planning

Presented by Callie Bendickson, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility, Itron; Jada Lewis, Vice President for Programs, NEEF; and Joyce Whitby, CEO and Co-Founder, Innovations4Education Sponsored by Discovery Education and the Environmental Education Initiative Learn more about earning a CE certificate and our accessibility features. Get ready to energize your Earth Day instruction with free, high‑impact resources created through the Environmental Education Initiative and powered by Discovery Education’s mission‑aligned partners, Itron and NEEF. This edWebinar brings together corporate partners and an experienced classroom educator for a dynamic conversation about real‑world environmental learning and practical classroom application. Together, the presenters will spotlight Excursion Across America, Generation Innovation, and other free student activities for grades 3–8—each designed to help students explore environmental challenges through authentic stories, multimodal media, and hands‑on problem solving. This session equips educators with ready‑to‑use resources, classroom strategies, and partner‑connected career insights to inspire students to act for Earth—on Earth Day and throughout April and beyond. This edWebinar will be of interest to elementary and middle school teachers, school leaders, district leaders, and education technology leaders. Callie Bendickson has more than 25 years of experience leading corporate and community initiatives related to health care, education, and industry. She is currently the Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at Itron, where she is responsible for facilitating Itron’s ongoing commitment to creating resourceful communities through corporate philanthropy, employee engagement, community partnerships, and educational outreach. Jada Lewis, Vice President for Programs at NEEF, works closely with NEEF program directors to design, implement, and evaluate programs and pilot initiatives, while also exploring new themes and concepts in environmental education. She helps ensure the credibility and effectiveness of NEEF’s work by coordinating evaluation activities, tracking emerging research and trends, and identifying and sharing promising strategies and best practices in lifelong environmental learning. Her previous roles include Senior Vice President and Executive Director of City Year Baton Rouge, Assistant Dean for Diversity at the Louisiana State University College of Engineering, Regional Technical Advisor for the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, and Operations Planning Engineer for Shell’s Convent Refinery. She also served a four‑year term on the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, representing District 8 and helping shape statewide policies for public schools. Joyce Whitby is a lifelong EdTechKnowLedgist who started off as a special education educator in New York City and then taught graduate-level EdTech courses at Long Island University. Since then, Joyce h