The Climate Education Policy Toolkit

This toolkit is designed to support anyone advocating for educational policies that emphasize: 

1. Climate Literacy and Action: Preparing students to be informed and engaged citizens in the face of changing climate patterns.
2. Career Readiness & STEM Learning:  Equipping the next generation with the knowledge and skills needed to be successful in green careers, particularly by boosting environmental engineering and applied STEM education to prepare students for high demand green careers in technology and innovation. By training the skilled workforce necessary, the state will better compete for and attract new industries, especially quality green jobs.
3. Skill Development: Providing education that helps students learn soft skills such as collaboration, curiosity, and teamwork.
4. Healthy and Just Learning Environments: Fostering healthy, inclusive, and just learning environments and school safety, and promoting student well-being, ensuring that educational settings are conducive to growth and development.

• Ensuring Equitable Access and Promoting Justice: Climate education policy change can range from updates in academic standards to legislative action at the state level. This toolkit aims to shed light on the broad array of successes in climate education policies within states, counties, and school districts, with a strong focus on ensuring equitable access to climate education resources and leveraging climate education as a tool for promoting justice. 
• Empower Organizations and Advocates: Equip organizations and youth advocates with effective tools and resources to champion and drive climate education policies across all 50 states.
• Comprehensive Database: Serve as a comprehensive repository of openly accessible resources for individuals involved in crafting, advocating for, and implementing state and local climate education policies.
• Catalyzing Impact: Catalyze impactful change at the state and local level by highlighting the evolving landscape of climate education policy and fostering collaboration. 

This toolkit is designed to support anyone advocating for educational policies that emphasize: 

1. Efficiency and Waste Reduction: Prioritizing energy efficiency and the reduction of waste, which not only conserves resources but also saves costs for schools and taxpayers. 
2. Career Readiness & STEM Learning:  Equipping the next generation with the knowledge and skills needed to find careers, particularly by boosting environmental engineering and applied STEM education to prepare students for high demand careers in technology and innovation. By training the skilled workforce necessary, the state will better compete for and attract new industries, especially quality green jobs.
3. Skill Development: Provide education that helps students learn soft skills such as collaboration, curiosity, and teamwork.
4. Healthy Learning Environments: Foster healthy learning environments and school safety, and promoting student well being.

• Showcase Policy Achievements: Highlight notable accomplishments in policies related to outdoor education and school sustainability within states, counties and school districts.
• Promote Fairness and Opportunity: Leverage sustainability to expand educational and professional opportunities for youth.
• Empower Organizations and Advocates: Provide effective tools to empower organizations and youth to champion environment and sustainability education policies in local communities across all 50 states
• Comprehensive Database: Serve as a comprehensive repository of openly accessible resources to support individuals involved in crafting, advocating for, and implementing school sustainability or education policies.
• Catalyzing Impact: Catalyze impactful change at the state and local level by highlighting the evolving landscape of school sustainability and education policy.