A meeting of the Global Environmental Education Partnership (GEEP) was jointly held by the EPA and the USEPA on 16 and 17 October 2017 in Washington, DC, with 30 participants in attendance, representing governments and NGOs from 15 nations. Echoing to the 40th anniversary of the Tbilisi Declaration on environmental education, attendees of the GEEP meeting planned out global and regional environmental education collaboration, called for global actions and established a network of environmental education for a sustainable future.

The meeting was cohosted by the EPA and the USEPA. Director Tsung-Yung Liu from the EPA’s Department of Comprehensive Planning stated in his opening speech that threats of extreme weather and other challenges due to global climate change can devastate regions and cause major losses of lives and property. Only through swift actions and proactive attitudes in the area of environmental education can a sustainable future be created.

The 2017 GEEP meeting participants included government officials, experts and scholars from 15 nations: Taiwan, Australia, Botswana, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Ghana, India, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, the Netherlands, the UK and the US. Among the participants, 23 were NGO members, and seven were government officials.

2017 is the 40th year since the Tbilisi Declaration on environmental education was issued. The GEEP took the meeting with the theme “Imagine a World” as an opportunity to make a global call for action, consisting of ten initiatives. Through the ActNowForEE.org website, people around the world are encouraged to take action on environmental education to construct a society in harmony with the environment and nature.

The 10 initiatives launched by the meeting are: become influencers in environmental education; widening impact areas; training global citizens; developing global environmental education leadership; conducting research and analysis for better practicality; linking and collaborating to seek changes; extending roles as environmental educators with successful examples; increasing opportunities of environmental education and connection with nature; strengthening the roles in environmental education based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals; and developing global environmental education funds.