Institute for Environmental Learning
Simon Fraser University, Surrey Campus,
5th Floor Galleria, Central City, Rm 5355,
250-13450 102 Avenue, Surrey,
British Columbia, Canada V3T 0A3
The Institute for Environmental Learning (IEL) was created in December 2010 as a governance structure for the UN University Chartered: British Columbia and North Cascades (RCE). We are a research and educational network working towards a sustainable future for the region. In partnership with local researchers, educators, government and community stakeholders, the IEL facilitates educational reform and action-oriented research on environmental learning and methods of teaching about sustainability. The IEL consists of an advisory committee with representatives from member organizations and includes the co-directors, who serve as the advisory committee chairs. Together members manage research and other activities in consultation with the directors in a consensus model. The IEL’s advisory committee includes representatives from a variety of stakeholders across the region.
Our Vision, our RCE
Regional Centers of Expertise (RCEs) are designed to implement Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) initiatives. An RCE is a network of existing formal, non-formal and informal organizations that facilitate learning towards sustainable development in local and regional communities that has been chartered by the United Nations (UN) University. The British Columbia and North Cascades RCE received its charter in January 2010.
A network of RCEs worldwide constitutes the Global Learning Space for Sustainable Development with each RCE translating global objectives into the context of the local communities in which they operate. RCEs think globally but act locally and are the best keepers of knowledge about sustainability challenges in their home regions. The success each RCE achieves on the local level is brought to scale through the global RCE Network. Local knowledge, expertise, and best practices are shared globally through the network and are able to be adapted and applied successfully in other regions.
Milton McClaren (M²) Environmental Library
The IEL office at Surrey also houses the M² reference library and reading room. It includes a collection of archival academic texts, field guides and curriculum resources dating back to the beginning of the environmental movement in the early 1970’s. The library was made possible by a generous donation of resources by the (late) Milton McClaren and the collection is slowly growing with new donations.
