Art serves as a mirror that helps us understand ourselves, and build connection across differences. Engaging with art helps foster civic engagement, promote healing, and in the words of Brené Brown, “transform despair into hope.” By connecting with nature through art and science discovery, teachers of any subject or grade level can bring place-based Education for Sustainability (EfS) to their teaching practice.

On the beautiful banks of the Hudson River nestled among the meadow and woods, CELF and Strawtown Studio are teaming up for an exciting new professional learning experience: Activating Sustainability through the Arts (July 15).

This is just the latest in a series of CELF in the Field one-day outdoor programs. This week, a cohort of educators from the Houston Summer Institute met at the Jesse Jones Park and Nature Center for a program titled "Know Your Watershed," Participants engaged in place-based learning with tools and lessons that explore air and water quality, as well as local biodiversity and cultural history.

Are you Interested in bringing CELF in the Field to your neighborhood? Contact us!

Highland Fleets, a supplier of electric school bus fleets, has partnered with CELF to create custom curricular resources that can extend learning about air quality and alternative transportation solutions  to the schools it serves. A former CELF intern, now working at Highland, introduced the two organizations recognizing the opportunity for CELF and Highland to benefit students together.

Ken Williams, founder of Ken Empowers Consulting is teaming up with CELF to grow our impact in the Lone Star State. As Outreach Consultant for Texas, Ken will help build the CELF community. We met Ken through his work at Houston Mayor's office. This spring, he was an inspiring Green Careers speaker at Blanson CTE. Ken sits on the board of the Minority Freedom Community Fund and serves as the President of GROW (Green Resources & Opportunities Workforce) both aimed at improving the lives of under-resourced and underserved communities of color. Contact Ken

The State of New Jersey is the first state in the nation to incorporate K-12 climate change education in its learning standards across content areas, with the new standards going into effect in Fall 2022. The New Jersey Climate Change Education Hub is a new online portal created to connect K-12 educators to the resources they need to integrate climate change into their curriculum. The Hub now features CELF as a Professional Learning resource. We are excited to help the Garden State blossom!

CELF's Leadership Circle engages industry leaders at a local and national level in the sustainable growth and impact of our mission and programs. This month we spotlight Noureen Faizee, Global Director, Strategy & Growth, Hydrogen at global engineering company, Worley, a summer institute sponsor. She shared her take CELF's sustainability mission: 

"Walking the talk, Worley Foundation has sponsored 12 projects this year to support our purpose of delivering a more sustainable world. One of those projects is CELF's Summer Institute Program. As a mother of two young children, I feel very connected to this initiative as I believe that along with parents, today’s teachers have a crucial responsibility in terms of educating our kids on sustainable habits, conserving resources, etc. When sustainability starts in the classroom, it becomes a natural part of learning and life."

In "No Sustainability without Safety," CELF Executive Director Tara Stafford Ocansey reflects upon and offers resources for educators and families grappling with gun violence. She begins, "As an organization dedicated to providing professional learning for educators, we often revisit the grounding question, 'What is the purpose of education?' While there are many ways to answer this question, we are convinced that no educational purpose can be served by continually, and increasingly, exposing our children to trauma, violence, and death." Read the full blog here.