History"Physical America, the land itself, should be as dear to us all as our political heritage and our treasured way of life. Its preservation and the wise conservation of its renewable resources concerns every man, woman, and child whose possession it is." These words, spoken close to forty-five years ago, provide the beacon today for Environmentality, a way of doing business at Disney that means integrating the company's business needs with its environmental values and concerns. In keeping with its environmental stewardships, Disney saw the need for an educational outreach program dedicated to helping future generations understand the complexities of the environment around us and every global citizen's responsibility to take action to protect the Earth. In 1994, Disney developed a "sequel" to their own successful internal Environmentality programs—Disney's Environmentality Challenge. Disney partnered with the California Department of Education, California Environmental Education Interagency Network (CEEIN), the K-12 Alliance, and the California Regional Environmental Education Coordinator (CREEC) Network to blend their expertise with Disney's creativity to promote environmental project based learning. Since its inception, Disney's Environmentality Challenge has launched in three additional regions: Florida (1998), the Cayman Islands (2002), and Hong Kong (2003). These students have taken action to restore, protect, and promote the environment. Students and teachers alike have embraced the concept of Environmentality and have shared it with their family and friends. To date, more than one million students have enrolled in the program that challenges students to think and act responsibly toward the environment. |
