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eeExcellence Awards at the Arizona Association for Environmental Education

Oct. 2, 2025

Three University of Arizona School Garden Workshop team members received eeExcellence Awards at the Arizona Association for Environmental Education annual conference in September 2025. These three award winners constitute three out of the eleven awards given by AAEE this year.

  • Pilar Muller (University of Arizona School Garden Workshop) received the Outstanding Junior/Young Professional in Environmental Education. Pilar coordinates the annual production of the School Gardeners’ Almanac, among other responsibilities. The almanac, now in its fifth year, is a collaboration between SGW and Tucson community members.

  • Brittany Palomarez (University of Arizona School Garden Workshop) received the Outstanding Environmental Educator in Higher Education. Brit is the program-wide coordinator for SGW and the lead support for the Community and School Garden internship course, among a million other things she does to keep SGW running smoothly.

  • The Art & Ecology Program (under the guidance of Maria Celis, University of Arizona School Garden Workshop) received the Outstanding Inclusive Environmental Education Program. Maria works with TUSD teachers through the Green Academy (training them in garden-based teaching). As leader of the Art & Ecology Program, Maria brings ecological science and art into TUSD Title I classrooms where such enrichment programs were eliminated years ago because of annual budget cuts.