Awards
AAEE recognizes its members for their significant efforts in the areas of environmental education and education for sustainability.
We recognise these efforts through the national environmental awards, including the annual Environmental Educator of the Year Award and the biennial Brian Foreman Scholarship and Fellowship of AAEE.
View the Award details and past recipients below.
AAEE Environmental Educator of The Year Award
Each Chapter is encouraged to nominate a member who has achieved significant outcomes within their groups’ work in support of Education for Sustainability.
2022 Recipient
Congratulations to Lisa Siegel from the NSW Chapter for her outstanding contribution to environmental education. Lisa co-founded the not-for-profit, registered charity group CEL (Centre for Ecological Learning). Lisa has always maintained a strong focus on youth-led activism. Whether it was facilitating a meeting between the teens and their hero Bob Brown, arranging for them to take part in youth-led climate action in Sydney, or supporting their campaign fundraising to make Bellingen a plastic-free town. Hundreds of local young people who attended the Youth Experience and CEL’s weekend bush camps continue to reach out and keep in contact with Lisa, years and decades later. Many have written attesting to the critical influence of EYE or CEL’s camps as the force behind their decision to study environmental tertiary degrees or dedicate themselves as activist campaigners on climate and social justice.
Lisa Siegel is now an Associate Lecturer and recently completed her Doctoral Candidate at SCU. She has been instrumental in the move to make environmental education a core subject for all education students at the university, not just an elective. Lisa has been part of the organising committee for two national AAEE Research Symposiums. She also co-facilitated a workshop at the 20th AAEE Research Symposium in 2018, which resulted in a published article in the Australian Journal of Environmental Education. Lisa is in the leadership team of the Sustainability, Environment, and Arts Education (SEAE) Research cluster at SCU, and has presented her academic work nationally and internationally. She was the recipient of the Higher Degree Research award for Best Publication in both 2018 & 2019 for her publications relating to waste education and pro-environmental behaviour.
The EE of the Year award has nominations from Chapters and this year the submissions showcased the amazing members who make up our organisation. Congratulations to all of the nominees.
Please view the Environmental Educator of the Year 2022 - Finalist to see what Lisa is engaged with for her community.
Past Recipients
2021: Bonnie Beal-Richardson, WA
2020: Ingrid Albion, TAS & Jenny Hill, NSW
2019: Lorna Pettifer, VIC
2018: Jenny Dibley, ACT
2017: Associate Professor Jo-Anne Ferreira QLD
2016: Allen Hill, TAS. & Noelene Rowntree QLD
2015: Jem Hansen, NSW
2014: Jane Ryan, VIC
2013: Vanessa Whelan, ACT
2012: Elaine Lewis, WA
2011: Cam Mackenzie, QLD
2010: Grahame Collier, NSW
2009: Jennifer Pearson, WA; Annie Beecroft, TAS
2008: Richard Smith, SA
2007: Frank Fisher, VIC
Brian Foreman Scholarship
The Brian Foreman Scholarship was created to assist a member of the association to travel and attend the biennial conference. Brian Foreman was a founding member of the Association in 1980 and his work in South Australia is legendary. This award is in recognition of Brian’s contribution to environmental education in general and to AAEE in particular. Read Brian’s Story.
Please contact admin@aaee.org.au if you have any questions.
"As an Environmental Educator I am privileged to work in an industry that is committed making changes in a variety of forums. In my day-to-day work I come into contact with academics in the field as well as classroom teachers. There is a natural synergy between the work I do with Deakin University and the work I do with Environmental Education Victoria, as it affords me the ability to see theory and practice combine."
- Jorja McKinnon
Past Recipients
2021: Diedre Knight & Naomi Findlay, SA
2018: Katherine Gaschk, WA & Angela Colliver, ACT
2016: Jorja McKinnon, VIC
2014: Janine Baker, SA
2012: Anne Pettit, WA
2010: Zarin Salter, WA
2008: Amy Krupa, WA
Fellowship of AAEE
After a brief interval, the Fellowship of AAEE was reinstated in 2012 to recognize a member who had made an outstanding contribution to environmental education at a national level over their career. This recognition is the awarded by the Executive Committee. Our past recipients are still very involved in the field of Education for Sustainability.
2021 Recipients
Dr Elaine Lewis and Professor Keith Skamp
At the AAEE 2021 Biennial Conference we recognised Dr Elaine Lewis from Western Australia and Professor Keith Skamp from the Australian Capital Territory as AAEE Fellows.
Dr Elaine Lewis
Dr Elaine Lewis is the Cross Curriculum Leader at an independent public school, Perth, Western Australia. In this role Elaine works collaboratively with school staff to embed the Sustainability Cross Curriculum Priority of the Australian Curriculum across all Learning Areas. She has worked as a teacher K-Year 7, for many years and in 2008 was awarded the de Laeter Medal for “Outstanding Contribution to Science Teaching”. Her research interests focus on Education for Sustainability (EfS), with particular interest in the Sustainable Schools WA initiative.
Elaine completed her doctoral research in this area, con- ducting a longitudinal study of the impact of EfS at a primary school. In 2012 Elaine was presented with the national “Educator of the Year” award by the Australian Association for Environmental Education. Then in 2015 and 2017, the United Nations Association of Australia acknowledged Elaine’s work in school carbon emission reduction action by presentation of the “World Environment Day” Sustainability Awards (Schools category).
Dr Lewis serves on the management committee of the Australian Association for Environmental Education - WA Chapter and is the Convenor of the Education Committee of the One World Centre Inc (WA). In these roles Elaine is involved in many school and community-based EfS initiatives. She also has experience as a unit coordinator and lecturer in environmental and teacher education at Murdoch University and Edith Cowan University Australia.
If you click on her picture you will be able to hear why she has valued her long association with AAEE.
Professor Keith Skamp
Keith Skamp is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Education at Southern Cross University and a member of the Emeritus Faculty. He has held visiting scholar and professorial positions at Teachers College, Columbia University, New York; Durham University, England; University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; University of Lethbridge, Canada; University of Liverpool and Flinders University, South Australia. Keith has been a lecturer in undergraduate and graduate units in science education, environmental/ sustainability education and research methodology for many years, and has led or been involved in professional and curriculum development initiatives in primary science and environmental education/sustainability education at state, national and international levels. His research and consultancy in science, environmental and sustainability education has included major research reports for the Australian Academy of Science's Primary Connections initiative, as well as for state and federal governments, and has resulted in numerous refereed journal articles and other publications. Keith has received distinguished awards for university teaching and service to the Australasian Science Education Research Association and the Australian Science Teachers' Association.
If you click on his picture you will be able to hear why he has valued his long association with AAEE.