ECP in Portland at NAAEE 2026: Imagining What's Possible

21 hours ago

4 min read

Two women at a food education booth with blue tablecloth and banners in a conference hall, smiling beside laptops and flyers. — *Debbie and Casey at ECP's booth at NAAEE 2026*

The Educated Choices Program (ECP) landed in Portland, Oregon, the first week of October for the 55th Annual NAAEE Conference. Chief Operating Officer Casey Clemens and Web Development Manager Debbie Cravey were excited to meet with hundreds of attendees to share stories and to give a peek into the free resources we make available.

NAAEE, the North American Association for Environmental Education, describes its annual gathering as one of the largest professional environmental education events in the world, with more than 1,000 professionals from 50 countries and over 300 sessions and keynotes. This year's theme, "Imagine If...," invited attendees to consider what becomes possible when education drives connection, action, and positive change.

For ECP, it was a chance to put our free, science-based classroom resources in front of teachers, nonprofit leaders, government scientists, and the people who care for our parks and wildlife. We came home thrilled by the level of interest and engagement demonstrated by the people who sought out our booth in the convention hall and our talks in the conference rooms..

“ Every conversation we had in Portland reminded us how much educators want free, trustworthy resources they can use right away.” - Debbie Cravey

Smiling woman with long dark hair, wearing hoop earrings and a beige blazer. Soft lighting, dark background. Blue shirt visible.

Debbie Cravey

Web Development Manager

Educated Choices Program

Booth #1: Free, Science-backed Resources Draws in a Crowd

Two people at an education booth, one using a laptop while the other watches, with flyers and signage in a conference hall. — *Casey showing ECP resources at NAAEE 2026*

Visitors to ECP's Booth #1 in the tradeshow hall responded with real curiosity and engagement. People asked about the reach and effectiveness of our materials, spent time browsing our website and library collections, signed up for our newsletter, followed our social feeds, and asked us to scan their conference badges to exchange information. Some visitors even went to find the colleagues they had traveled with and brought them back to the ECP booth, so their companions could learn about ECP and how to access our resources.

Exhibitor Showcase: Planetary Health and Thoughtful Questions

Woman presenter stands beside a projected slide deck in a hotel conference room, speaking with open hands near a round table. — *Debbie demonstrating ECP's resource library and the new Planetary Health presentation*

On Wednesday afternoon, Debbie presented an Exhibitor Showcase talk to a small gathering of secondary and elementary teachers, Oregon tree farmers, and school administrators. She demonstrated how easy it is to create an account and access all of the free educational materials in ECP's resource library, then screened the video from ECP's newest release, Planetary Health, created in alliance with the Planetary Health Alliance.

The audience's questions showed how carefully educators think about what they put in front of students:

Can the materials be tailored for middle school? Yes. Most of ECP's content is appropriate for ages 12 and up, and our team is happy to help with the needs of a particular audience. Educators can contact us with specific questions any time through the same website.
Is the climate content appropriate for students? One attendee shared that the video's factual discussion of climate change effects was an emotional topic for her, and she wanted to be sure it would be suitable for her students. We talked about how every ECP education package gives participants ideas and positive actions they can take, which helps ease climate fears.
Can teachers see what students will learn? Yes. The library lets teachers and organizers preview every video and education package activity before assigning it. All ECP materials are science-based, documented from well-respected sources, and aligned to academic standards such as the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

Casey's Friday Talk: A Packed House for Food Systems Education

Smiling woman typing on a laptop at a blue table, set against a yellow and gray wall background. Various brochures and a water bottle nearby. — *A packed room for Casey's "Driving Conservation Behavior Through Food Systems Education"*

On Friday morning, Casey presented "Driving Conservation Behavior Through Food Systems Education" to a room filled with interested attendees. The audience was especially struck by ECP's findings from studies and surveys: the majority of students make positive changes to their food choices, even when they don't change how they identify their diet.

One attendee was curious whether the food choices ECP discusses could run counter to a student's cultural upbringing. Casey explained that the role of family and societal expectations around food is addressed in ECP's presentations with sensitivity, and that all of our materials fully respect individuals making informed decisions when taking science, culture, and familial needs into consideration.

A Global Cross-Section of Environmental Educators

The people who stopped by our booth and attended our talks reflected the breadth of NAAEE itself. They came from Oregon, Washington, and California; from Kentucky, as far north as Maine, and from Toronto, Canada; and a few traveled from countries in Africa and Europe. They included students, educators, nonprofit administrators and employees, government scientists, and people who spend their days caring for parks and wildlife.

Our Takeaways

Three themes stood out from our conversations in Portland:

Data from respected sources builds trust and spreads by word of mouth. Visitors asked how we are funded, browsed the library on the spot, and brought their travel companions over to see us. Resources that cost nothing and are easy to teach invite educators in.
Educators want to know exactly what students will see. Questions about age range, sensitive content, and standards alignment all pointed to the same need: transparency. Previewing every video and activity, backed by documented, science-based sources, fulfills that need.
Positive action and cultural respect matter. Educators responded to evidence that students make real changes to their food choices, and they care that lessons honor family and cultural context while giving students constructive steps to take.

An Amazing Week Connecting with New Friends at NAAEE 2026

Our time in beautiful Portland left us grateful to everyone who visited Booth #1, joined our talks, and shared their inspired questions. These connections invigorate us and help us create resources that fit real classrooms and community programs.

If you missed us in Portland, you can create a free account and explore the full ECP resource library any time, including the new Planetary Health presentation.

NAAEE's 2027 conference will take place online, October 18–21.