「2017年臺美生態學校種子人員培訓工作坊」於7月6日及7月7日，假新北市八里區米倉國民小學及新莊區新泰國民小學舉辦，由我國環保署綜計處劉宗勇處長及美國環保署代理助理署長Jane Nishida女士共同於開幕式中致詞，美國執行生態學校之國家野生動物協會Laura Hickey女士亦受邀出席。此次工作坊由米倉國小的小朋友組成的小米蟲解說員帶領貴賓們參訪校園內各項生態成果，並以英文進行導覽解說，場面活潑逗趣。
為幫助臺灣生態學校推動者落實生態學校建構過程與相關輔導經驗分享，並加強執行經驗上的交流與合作，此次工作坊為期2天，邀請美國國家野生動物協會Laura Hickey女士來臺擔任專題式導向單元授課；日本熊本縣立水俣高等學校教師春木誠仁先生及美國Hellgate High School教師Rob Jensen先生亦將全程參與，並分享其生態學校作為；我國高雄師範大學蔡執仲老師將擔任環境路徑教學設計單元講師，並由米倉國小及新泰國小作生態學校環境路徑實踐分享。參與學員包含我國生態學校、環保局人員及其他有興趣之國小、國中、高中之學校教師等，參與人數約60多人。
「臺美生態學校夥伴計畫」自103年由我國環保署與美國環保署共同宣布啟動，執行至今已步入第4年，目前已有225所學校成功註冊、87所學校取得銅牌認證、44所學校取得銀牌認證及3所學校獲得綠旗認證，與美方配對85所學校。未來「臺美生態學校夥伴計畫」將持續朝向國際交流合作機會邁進，與國際上更多學校合作並共同推動環境教育計畫。
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Working Hand-in-Hand for Sustainable Development: the Taiwan-US Eco-Campus Partnership
The 2017 Taiwan-US Eco-Campus Teacher Professional Development Workshop will take place on July 6th and 7th at Micang Elementary School and XinTai Elementary School respectively under the cooperation of the Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration (Taiwan EPA) and the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). The opening ceremony at Micang Elementary School was led by Director General Liu Tsung Yung of the Taiwan EPA’s Department of Comprehensive Planning, and US EPA’s Acting Assistant Administrator Jane Nishida, as well as the American Institute in Taiwan. Students of Micang served as eco-guides for the event, explaining in English to visitors all the environmental progress achieved so far.
In order to help educators build a more sustainable eco-campus, and to enhance cooperation on execution of pathways, this year the Taiwan EPA has organized a two-day Eco-Campus Teacher Professional Development Workshop, with a special speaker from NWF, Ms. Laura Hickey to give a lecture on project-based learning strategies. There is also a representative each from Hellgate High School in the US, Rob Jensen, and Minamata High School in Japan, Haruki Masahito, who will share their experiences on environmental education and join the discussions. The rest of the workshop will be led by Dr. Tsai Chih-Chung from National Kaohsiung Normal University, sharing with attendees how Micang and XinTai became model eco-campuses for developing relevant environmental pathways. More than 60 participants have come from around Taiwan, including representatives of eco-campuses, environmental bureaus, and other interested teachers.
The Taiwan-US Eco-Campus Partnership Program was launched by former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy and Minister Wei Kuo-Yen in 2014. Now in its fourth consecutive year, the number of registered schools in Taiwan reached 225 this June, including 87 schools with Bronze Award, 44 schools with Silver Award, and 3 Green Flag schools. The partnership has also successfully paired 85 Taiwanese schools with US schools. The Partnership Program will continue to strive for diverse international participation and cooperation as it promotes environmental education.