Collaborating for Climate Education - A Look at Strategic Partnerships

Abstract:

Collaborating for Climate Education Week

Earth Day Network (EDN) developed Climate Education Week toolkit, a turnkey online resource for grades K-12 that provided teachers with everything they needed to deliver lessons, activities, contests, and service learning projects that related to climate science during Climate Education Week (April 18-25).

EDN assembled an Advisory Group to develop the survey, lesson plans and activities, and resources. The Advisory Group consisted of experts and partners in environmental education, including representatives from other government and non-governmental organizations working with the White House on Climate Education, as well as educators in our Educator’s Network.

EDN’s Climate Education Week Advisory Board brought together top academics and major stakeholders in climate education throughout the development and outreach processes. The Advisory Board included representatives from the Alliance for Climate Education (ACE), The CLEAN Network, NOAA, The Department of Energy, and NASA. The representatives from the board helped to identify and streamline the most effective and necessary lesson plans, strategic themes to maintain throughout the toolkit, and avenues for increased outreach. EDN also partnered with Connect4Climate, PBS’s Plum Landing, Young Voices of Climate Change, FEMA, and The Wild Center to develop content and to broaden the reach of the toolkit.

Each of the seven days had a different theme that addressed a specific climate education topic, with highlighted activities and resources for elementary, middle and high school levels. The toolkit provided educators with a comprehensive view of climate change—beginning with the science, the anthropogenic causes, and societal impacts and then providing solutions, ways to take action, and the green economy transition.

This online resource connected educators to a network of effective resources from our partners, all of which saw a significant uptick in their online viewership. Using the highly recognized Earth Day platform, the high level of involvement from partners and Advisory Board members, and EDN’s ever-growing network, EDN had the ability to reach thousands of educators and students, and further the climate conversation.