Dear friend,

Community is a core tenet of sustainability. In community, as author adrienne maree brown describes, we have the opportunity "to see the truth—we are each tiny fragments of a great whole, and we are each necessary."

We're proud to offer communal spaces for educators to come together in solidarity, where teachers can gather around a shared purpose: to educate for a more sustainable future. These are spaces where hope is restored, joy is kindled, and resilience is built. 

We invite you to join our Institute for Sustainable Schools community in 2025.

Jen Cirillo, Director of Professional Learning

Shelburne Farms Institute for Sustainable Schools

Upcoming Programs

Education for Sustainability Graduate Certificates, multi-year, begins Summer 2025

•

EFS Leadership Academy, year-long, begins July 29–31, 2025

Waitlists are open for other programs. See all professional learning offerings.

What We're Following

On March 7, the USDA abruptly announced the termination of the Local Food for Schools and Child Care program, which was intended to provide $660 million in funding nationwide. The Vermont Farm to School & Early Childhood Network outlines actions you can take to make your voice heard and push back against these cuts.

•

Work on Shelburne Farms' 125-year-old Coach Barn continues. See behind the rehabilitation of this historic building, which will reopen this fall as home of the Institute for Sustainable Schools.

•

It's sugaring season for Vermont and the rest of the "Maple Nation" bioregion. This sweet tradition has a rich Indigenous history; tap into resources for teaching about maple this season via Vermont Harvest of the Month.

•

Hear stories from Vermont school nutrition programs, and the local producers and farmers they source from, captured at Farm to School & Early Childhood Awareness Day.

•

Looking for engaging ways to bring climate education into your classroom for Earth Month? SubjectToClimate, EarthDay.org, NEA, The Nature Conservancy, Stanford Understand Energy, and CFR Education are excited to share a free collection of classroom-ready activities, teacher guides, and resources for K-12 educators.

View as Webpage

Shelburne Farms is an education nonprofit on a mission to inspire and cultivate learning for a sustainable future.

The Shelburne Farms Institute for Sustainable Schools offers professional learning programs and resources for PreK-12 educators. All of our offerings prepare educators to facilitate learning experiences for students using a lens of sustainability. We believe in the power and potential of students to address the world's most pressing issues. We see schooling as a pathway to create healthy and just communities, successful lives, and a more livable world for all. In partnership with students and communities, educators are changemakers.