Integrating Climate Change Education in Hawai'i

2024 Green Schools Conference

Elemental Excelerator and SubjectToClimate Partner Up on Climate Change Educational Program

Honolulu – Elemental Excelerator and SubjectToClimate seek applicants for their second annual “Root for Innovation” professional learning course for teachers. The program aims to provide a basis for K-12 educators of all subjects to feel comfortable integrating climate change into their everyday lessons.

Deadline to apply is April 26, 2024. The fellowship program will run from June 10 - July 19, 2024. Interested applicants can Apply Here. 

 

The program will be split into three modules: 

  • A broad overview on the science of climate change and basic climate change concepts;
  • An exploration of examples of how to teach climate change in the educator’s specific subject and how to incorporate environmental justice principles; 
  • A guide for educators through the process of developing lesson plans for their classroom that integrate climate change into the curricula that they are already teaching.

 

Preliminary findings based on survey data of the educator participants in this program suggest that these training modules helped educators feel capable of integrating climate change education into their curricula more frequently. Ten Hawai’i educators participated in the hybrid 2023 program, which blended asynchronous online work with in-person training. A full impact case study on this training is available here.

 

“In most districts, learning about climate change is not required; especially not learning about the ways it disproportionately impacts disenfranchised communities,” said Olivia Dulany, former Root for Innovation teacher fellow. “This work is impactful because it represents an effort to increase access to education about things that we don’t traditionally teach in our nation’s public schools.”

 

Through this partnership, Elemental Excelerator and SubjectToClimate produced 31 Hawai'i-centric lesson plans that are both scientifically credible and can be integrated into existing curriculum. While multiple states in the U.S. work on statewide shifts to require climate change education to be taught across all grade levels and subjects, Hawai’i educators have been quick to integrate climate change into their curriculums and are well positioned to implement these lesson plans for K-12 education. 

Elemental Accelerator

Elemental Accelerator

Elemental Excelerator is a nonprofit investor in climate technologies with deep community impact. It brings more than a decade of experience across the climate sector, with an active and maturing portfolio of 150+ companies. Elemental fills two gaps fundamental to addressing climate change: funding projects for climate technologies in communities, and embedding equity and access into climate solutions. 

SubjectToClimate

SubjectToClimate

SubjectToClimate is a nonprofit online connector for K-12 educators of all subjects to find credible and engaging materials on climate change at no cost.


All resources can be used for your educational purposes with proper attribution to the content provider.