Nominate an awesome educator, organization, or youth/youth group for a TEEA Environmental Award.

Categories include:

  • The Mary Ball Environmental Educator of the Year
  • Organization of the Year (Business, Non-Profit, School, or Governmental Agency or Organization)
  • Youth Environmental Steward of the Year (Individual or Group)

Nominate Here!

  Environmental Educator of the Year 2025
David Buckler, Silverdale Baptist Academy
https://www.silverdaleba.org/

David Buckler is a middle school science teacher at Silverdale Baptist Academy and a passionate advocate for careful stewardship of the beloved Friar Branch Creek. He has conducted experiments on water quality, catalogued animal life, and even developed a website on the creek, all with the help of his middle school nature study students. The interactive website, "Friar Finds,” allows PreK-12th grade students to easily and accurately identify the biodiverse organisms in Friar Branch Creek. In addition, David created 'creek viewer' tools for preschoolers and elementary students to use while at the creek. David also orchestrates a yearly campus-wide Trash Pickup Day. He sends promotional materials to teachers and encourages every class to take part.

Organization of the Year 2025
Seedkeepers Forest School, Jonesborough, TN
https://www.seedkeepersforestschool.org/

Seedkeepers Forest School was founded with the purpose of providing nature-based education for the children of East Tennessee. They aim to offer learning experiences that help young children cultivate inner resilience, form a sense of belonging, and lay the foundation for lifelong learning. Seedkeepers has earned several honors, including the Washington County Soil and Water Conservation District Educator of the Year in 2021, the Eastern Regional Educator of the Year in 2022, and the State Conservation Award Educator of the Year in 2023. Seedkeepers currently serves on the Advisory Board with the ETSU Center of Excellence in STEM Education (CESE) & the NE TN STEM Innovation Hub.

Organization of the Year 2025
Ivy Academy, Chattanooga, TN
www.ivyacademychattanooga.com

Ivy Academy is a public environmental school in Chattanooga, Tennessee, providing a rigorous educational program grounded in scholarship, environmental stewardship, and volunteerism. By intentionally connecting students to the natural world through place-based learning, citizen science, and hands-on stewardship, Ivy is helping define the future of education at the intersection of formal academics and experiential learning in the Southeast.

The Tennessee Environmental Education Association is deeply grateful for the leadership Ivy Academy has provided in advancing environmental education across the state. Ivy’s vision and commitment have strengthened TEEA’s organizational capacity, expanded the reach and impact of its annual conference, and elevated TEEA as a statewide leader in environmental education.

Ivy Academy authored and secured Environmental Protection Agency Region 4 grant funding on behalf of TEEA. This investment supports TEEA’s Advisory Group, which is leading the development of a statewide environmental education certification for Tennessee, while also increasing the scale and influence of the TEEA Conference. Ivy Academy proudly served as one of the host sites for the 2025 TEEA Conference, welcoming educators from across the region to its campus.

Through this partnership, Ivy Academy continues to pave the way for innovation in environmental education across Tennessee and the broader Southeast.

Click here for a full list of TEEA awards history

Current nomination criteria:

  • Nominations must be submitted by August 15th for consideration.
  • Board members are not eligible for nomination.
  • Award winners must carry out environmental education or stewardship in Tennessee.
  • Nominees and/or nominators are encouraged to be TEEA members at time of submission, but it is not necessary. 
  • Nominators will be notified regarding status of the nomination after August 15th.
  • Those who nominated the winners will be notified before the winner in effort to coordinate having the winner attend the conference and be awarded in surprise.  If that is not possible, TEEA will then make contact with the winner to coordinate the award process.
  • Winners will be announced publicly at the fall conference and on socials/website after the conference.
  • Award winners and their nominators are encouraged to attend the fall conference to receive the award in person.  If the award winner is unable to attend, a representative may be allowed to deliver the award if possible or the award will be mailed.