Educating people about their natural and altered environment is the first step in bringing about any successful change. The teaching and research programs sponsored by the Institute promote interdisciplinary approaches to environmental education. Scholars in physical and social sciences actively seek the latest information, ideas, and innovations for the classroom, constantly adding revisions to instructional material to correspond with the latest findings in the field. AUEI affiliated faculty comes from every college and school on the Auburn University campus. New teaching curricula in environmentally-related areas are also being promoted through the Institute. While building a solid core of understanding on environmental issues is crucial to students, so is creating educational programs to communicate environmental awareness to Alabama citizens. The Institute is committed to serving the educational needs at all levels of instruction.