Welcome to Earth Connection 2000!

The Earth Connection is an action conference - a place to

MEET others concerned about the environment
GATHER new skills and strategies
SHARE ideas, opinions, and questions
EXPLORE environmental resources at UMass
ENERGIZE your own action projects

We hope the conference will enhance your connections to your natural surroundings and to your community. We also hope that, by the end of the conference, our worlds will be enlarged by connections with each other.

The Earth Connection is founded on a simple yet powerful idea: Young people can be resources for environmental problem-solving. When youth and adults work together on environmental issues, the result can be an improved environment for the whole community, as well as increased knowledge, skill, vision, energy, and commitment on the part of all participants.

We are glad you could make it! Now in its fifth year, the Earth Connection conference continues to grow in numbers and diversity.
We hope you will have a great experience, and that you will take the new knowledge, skills, connections, and energy you gain and put them to work in your community.

This year's Earth Connection focuses on the question, "What will you do on the day AFTER Earth Day 2000?" Eath Day 2000, April 22, is shaping up to be another big event, as in 1970 and 1990. The Earth Day network has launched an ambitious campaign aimed at global environmental issues. This year's focus is on energy choices. You can use Earth Day in your community to raise awareness and launch projects for the long run.

Earth Connection 2000 is sponsored by International Paper and UMass Extension. Please join us in thanking them for their continuing support.

For the EC 2000 conference steering committee,

Will Snyder

UMass Extension
Environmental Stewardship Initiative

Sarah Spalding

UMass Extension
4-H Youth & Family Development Program