Academy for Educational Development

AED has worked on environmental issues since the early 1990s, with projects ranging from promoting environmental education to helping farmers use water more efficiently.

“The environment affects everything on this planet, and the breadth of our environmental efforts has given AED the experience needed to tackle a complex web of issues across many sectors,” said Gregory R. Niblett, senior vice president and director of the AED Social Change Group.

Today, we’ve joined forces with 15 leading conservation and tourism development organizations to create the Global Sustainable Tourism Alliance, which helps developing countries balance the competing demands of attracting tourism dollars and preserving natural resources and local cultures.

We are partnering with divers‚ lobster trappers‚ boat captains‚ NGOs‚ and policymakers in Nicaragua and Honduras to help save jobs, and ensure that a species of lobster is harvested in a sustainable‚ profitable‚ and safe way.

Even in remote, temporary settlements in northern Uganda and Darfur, Sudan, AED has conducted extensive research into how to provide displaced people with fuel-efficient stoves, which help cut carbon emissions.

“We are now becoming more involved with slowing the rapid pace of global climate change,” said Niblett. Both Niblett and Richard Bossi, director of the AED Center for Environmental Strategies, participated in the filming of "One Degree Matters," a documentary that followed social and business leaders as they traveled to Greenland to experience the effects of the melting ice cap.

AED recently hosted Jacqueline McGlade, the head of the European Environmental Agency, and a producer of “One Degree Matters,” as she shared her thoughts on what steps the global community needs to take to address climate change.

This year, AED also hosted the Washington, DC Environmental Film Festival. And to mark the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, AED is partnering with the Washington Film Institute to screen "No Impact Man."

Reducing our own carbon footprint is a priority for AED. Our office supplies are increasingly made from recycled materials, and energy-saving lighting systems are being installed in the Washington, DC office. Employees are encouraged to use public transportation or bike to work. The AED Conference Center is using more organic and locally-grown food, and china, glassware, or biodegradable disposables are used instead of paper or Styrofoam products.

For more information on our environment programs, contact Rick Bossi. To learn more about our energy programs, contact Mary Worzala.