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Equitable Pay & Hiring
in Environmental Education

​There are several key areas that employers must change to make environmental education careers more accessible to a broader population, including pay and benefits, position design, recruitment, processes, and practices. The eeGuidance for Equitable Pay and Hiring provides researched explanations of why these areas matter and it outlines specific minimum standards for employers to enact immediately and identifies the target standards that we all must work toward to transform employment in our field.

eeGuidance for Equitable Pay & Hiring

Environmental education, like many other sectors, endeavors to answer the calls to examine its history of institutional racism and discrimination, adopt more inclusive hiring practices and address inequities in compensation and benefits packages to make our field more equitable, welcoming and sustainable.

In 2021 the Southeast Environmental Education Alliance (SEEA) conducted a landscape analysis to understand the current state, ongoing needs, and growth areas for the regional environmental education field. This data confirms that entry-level pay in environmental education is 15-25% lower than in comparable fields such as forestry, tourism, and formal education.

Using the SEEA findings, we make the case for a reimagining of more equitable hiring and pay practices. This report provides recommendations and highlights some best practices for environmental and outdoor education organizations. Once applied, these standards and resources will help improve employee retention, attract more diverse talent, create a sustainable career path, and establish our field as a viable profession.

ENDORSEMENT

Networks, coalitions, and job boards that approve and support this eeGuidance can be recognized as endorsing organizations on our site. See the full list of organizations who have endorsed the eeGuidance for Equitable Pay & Hiring below and become an endorser today.

​This form is not for individual employers. If you are an organization, agency, or employer that meets or exceeds these requirements in your hiring, communicate your support for this eeGuidance by adding the language described under "Next Steps" in future job postings. 

Image by Anna Richmond

Endorsing Organizations

Alliance for New Jersey Environmental Education

Alliance for New Jersey Environmental Education

Association of Nature Center Administrators

Association of Nature Center Administrators

Connecticut Outdoor & Environmental Education Association

Connecticut Outdoor & Environmental Education Association

Environmental Educators of North Carolina

Environmental Educators of North Carolina

Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education

Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education

Maine Environmental Education Association

Maine Environmental Education Association

Missouri Environmental Education Association

Missouri Environmental Education Association

Rhode Island Environmental Education Association

Rhode Island Environmental Education Association

Arkansas Environmental Education Association

Arkansas Environmental Education Association

California Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education

California Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education

Environmental Education Association of Illinois

Environmental Education Association of Illinois

Friends of Outdoor School

Friends of Outdoor School

Kentucky Association for Environmental Education

Kentucky Association for Environmental Education

Massachusetts Environmental Education Society

Massachusetts Environmental Education Society

New Hampshire Environmental Educators

New Hampshire Environmental Educators

Tennessee Environmental Education Association

Tennessee Environmental Education Association

Association for Experiential Education

Association for Experiential Education

Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education

Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education

Environmental Education Association of South Carolina

Environmental Education Association of South Carolina

Granite Outdoor Alliance

Granite Outdoor Alliance

League of Environmental Educators in Florida

League of Environmental Educators in Florida

Mississippi Environmental Education Alliance

Mississippi Environmental Education Alliance

North American Association for Environmental Education

North American Association for Environmental Education

Virginia Association for Environmenal Education

Virginia Association for Environmenal Education

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