(a) For purposes of this part, the following definitions shall apply:

(1) “Department” means the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery.

(2) “Office” means the Office of Education and the Environment of the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, as established pursuant to this section.

(3) “Program” means the statewide environmental education program prescribed in this part.

(b) The Office of Education and the Environment previously established in the California Environmental Protection Agency is hereby established in the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery. The office shall dedicate its effort to implementing the statewide environmental education program prescribed pursuant to this part, including the integrated waste educational requirements specified in paragraph (9) of subdivision (b) of Section 71301. The office, through staffing and resources, shall give a high priority to implementing the statewide environmental education program.

(c) The office, under the direction of the department, in cooperation with the State Department of Education and the State Board of Education, shall develop and implement a unified education strategy on the environment for elementary and secondary schools in the state. The office shall develop a unified education strategy to do all of the following:

(1) Coordinate instructional resources and strategies for providing active pupil participation with onsite conservation efforts.

(2) Promote service-learning opportunities between schools and local communities.

(3) Assess the impact to participating pupils of the unified education strategy on pupil achievement and resource conservation.

(d) The State Department of Education and the State Board of Education, in cooperation with the department, shall develop and implement to the extent feasible, a teacher training and implementation plan, to guide the implementation of the unified education strategy, for the education of pupils, faculty, and administrators on the importance of integrating environmental concepts and programs in schools throughout the state. The strategy shall project the phased implementation of elementary, middle, and high school programs.

(e) In implementing this part, the office may hold public meetings to receive and respond to comments from affected state agencies, stakeholders, and the public regarding the development of resources and materials pursuant to this part.

(f) In implementing this part, the office shall coordinate with other agencies and groups with expertise in education and the environment.

(g) Any instructional materials developed pursuant to this part shall be subject to the requirements of Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 60000) of Part 33 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Education Code, including, but not limited to, reviews for legal and social compliance before the materials may be used in elementary or secondary public schools.

(Amended by Stats. 2013, Ch. 356, Sec. 36. (SB 96) Effective September 26, 2013.)