Fall 2023

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The autumn leaves, milder temperatures, and increase of farmers’ markets and other outdoor events means it’s time for our fall edition of the CELF newsletter. We welcome you to grab a warm drink and read about what we’ve been up to this season.

Inspiring Student Inquiry with Civic Science

Our Civic Science USA program for the '23-'24 academic year is in full swing with educators from six states around the country joining our virtual sessions. Teachers have begun framing their inquiry-to-action projects and are preparing to collect data with their students. As teacher applications for our Civic Science microgrants are rolling in, we're excited to see how these funds can help bring these inquiry projects to life for students through access to resources and immersive experiences in local green spaces. Notify [email protected] if you're a classroom teacher and would like to join in our next session in January.

Houston, TX

Preparing the Next Generation of Sustainability-minded Teachers with the University of Houston-Clear Lake

Our partnership with education faculty from UHCL is continuing for its second year, where we're training pre-service teachers to apply our inquiry-to-action framework in their student teaching as they prepare to launch their careers. We're proud to be supported in this work with grants from the National Academies Gulf Research Program and the US Department of Education Hawkins program.

Reflecting on the Delano Grape Strike and Boycott

Check out our latest blog entry by our educators Rowena Capuno and Adriana Castro. They delve into the Delano grape strike and boycott—an event that took place just under 60 years ago, marking an important moment in Filipino American history and farm workers’ rights, and illustrating the power of coalition building in pursuit of social change.

Houston, TX

Aldine ISD Professional Development

In November, our team visited Aldine High School to offer Aldine ISD educators an overview of our Civic Science program. We worked with teachers to develop their custom journey from inquiry to action focused on topics like food deserts, wildlife displacement, and more.

Sleepy Hollow, NY

Eco club and Field Trip to Peabody Preserve Outdoor Classroom

CELF has continued the partnership with W.L. Morse Elementary School in Tarrytown again this year. At Peabody Preserve, students took on the role of scientists as they observed and explored colors of nature. During the Eco Club session, students learned about the pumpkin life cycle from seed to a slice of pumpkin pie.

Houston, TX

CELF Honored at Impact100 Houston Awards Celebration

At the third annual Impact100 Houston awards ceremony, grants were given to nonprofits in the community focused on the environment, education, and other social issues. We’d like to congratulate winners reVision Houston and RaiseUp Families—we’re honored to be recognized among these important organizations. Thank you to the women leaders of Impact 100 Houston for this honor, and to the educators and partners who've supported our journey.

Meet our Stand-out Interns!

We'd like to shine a spotlight on our talented fall interns. They were brought onboard to help us with marketing and curriculum design and today we'd love to showcase Adriana and Laurel to share a bit about their background.

Adriana Ramirez — Communications and Marketing Intern

As the Communications and Marketing Intern, Adriana assists in designing social media content for CELF, event promotion, and program support for our Texas, California, and New York teams. She is excited to join the team and help spread the word about CELF’s mission. She is currently a rising Junior at Texas State University where she studies Health Science with a focus on Premedical studies. She loves to cook, travel, binge TV shows, and spend time with her two dogs.

Laurel Sheard —

Curriculum and Outreach Intern

Laurel works as the Curriculum and Outreach Intern, assisting in the development of K-2 classroom lessons for the Climate Change and Environmental Justice Program (CCEJP) in California. She's in her third year at the University of California, Santa Barbara, graduating early this spring and looking to pursue a graduate degree in Secondary Education with an English Single Subject Teaching Credential. Having previously worked for groups like The Sierra Club, she is passionate about the outdoors, traveling the country, and backpacking around the world.

Resources and Opportunities

California

Climate Change and Environmental Justice Program with Ten Strands

K-2 teachers at California schools can still join our compensated field test opportunity coming up in the spring. We'll be testing curriculum units in classroom settings as part of the Climate Change and Environmental Justice Program, and need your input!

If you are interested and/or have questions, please email [email protected] for more information.

New Jersey

Funding for NJ high school and college students

If you’re looking to help your high school or college students receive funding for their projects, check out Green Matters. They help financially support students who are helping address the most critical environmental issues. Visit green-matters.org for more information.

NYC and Westchester

Donors Choose match offers are live

Con Edison has announced they will match donations raised for classroom projects in NYC and Westchester public schools focused on Racial Justice and Representation or Climate Science. Visit donorschoose.org/teachers to post a project to connect with a community of donors.

Giving Tuesday

As Giving Tuesday approaches, we'd like to ask you to be part of our mission to bring sustainability education to our schools. Your generosity has always been the driving force behind what we do at CELF, and as we gear up for this global day of giving, you can join us in fostering our next generation of climate leaders. Every contribution, big or small, brings us one step closer to our shared goals and supports our youth.