Community-based programs to tackle environmental education and COVID-19: A case study from Millburn, New Jersey

Iyengar, Radhika; Shin, Haein

Contextual and social realities must be built into any educational program for activism to take place. This case study examines an education and environment program which has adapted to the social distancing measures of COVID-19, resulting in an even more community-reliant and community-driven program than the program designers initially intended. The Eco Ambassador Program uses environmental activism within a space that supports mental health during COVID-19 social isolation. While community engagement and action have been elements of the program, the program has transformed to utilize new levels of social capital in the program’s network, to overcome the obstacles presented in regular programming. Many aspects of the critical pedagogy of space are utilized to conceptualize this educational program during the pandemic. The limitations of in-person interactions in defined learning spaces led to more technology-reliant programming, hence broadening the space of place-based learning, while enabling personal spaces and personal environments to become new learning spaces.