Ideas and Inspiration for Sustainability Educators
How to Start a Sit Spot Practice With Your Students (Free Printable Bookmark)
Learn how to lead a sit spot with your students and download a free printable bookmark with sensory prompts for outdoor observation.
Is Recycling Even Worth?
Only 9% of plastic gets recycled. So is it worth the effort? An honest look at where recycling breaks down and why your choices still matter.
In Defense of the Solar Oven (Yes, Really)
Solar ovens: overplayed? Maybe. Outdated? Never. Here’s why this classic lesson still earns a spot in my classroom (and yes, there are s’mores).
When Your Kid Knows Your Worst Nightmare
My son said a Simpsons episode was my “worst nightmare.” He was right, and it started one of our best conversations about plastic.
Human Decisions and Environmental Stewardship: Every Choice Lands Somewhere
Every decision has a consequence. This SustainCEL pillar invites students to see their choices as part of the natural world, and to ask how we make sure we never have to fix what we break.
Why We Have to Talk About Sustainability
Talking about sustainability isn't small talk. It's how we clear up confusion, prove change is real, and give students a bigger voice. This blog discusses how talking about sustainability is the number one thing we need to be doing.
Environmental Literacy: What the System Is Telling You
Environmental literacy isn't about reading books — it's about reading systems. Here's the four-part shift that turns knowing facts into understanding the Earth as one connected whole
The Sustainability Mindset
Sustainability isn't a subject to learn and move past — it's a way of seeing the systems that shape our world. Nature, society, and economy connect like strands in a spider web, each holding up the next. Every pillar of SustainCEL rests on one question: is the system working, for everyone, over time?
You Can’t Teach Sustainability If You Don’t Know What It Means to You
Teaching Sustainability comes with an understanding of what it means to be truly “sustainable”. In this article, the idea of sustainability education is defined from an educator’s point of view.
The Top 3 Things You Can Do to Live More Sustainably
"What actually matters?" That's the question people ask most about sustainability. Cutting through the noise of checklists and guilt-heavy advice, this post breaks it down to three things that drive real impact: food, transportation, and consumption.
Native vs. Invasive Species: A Hands-On Adventure Through Biomes and Adaptations
From "Who Would Win?" animal battles to designing imaginary creatures with their own adaptations, this third-grade unit turns native vs. invasive species into a hands-on adventure through biomes, ecosystems, and creative science.
Sustainability Is More Than Renewable Energy
"I thought you just taught renewable energy." One parent's honest comment at curriculum night became a teaching moment about what sustainability really means: systems thinking, interconnection, and the realization that "away" doesn't really exist.
Sustainable Classroom Holiday Edition: Winter STEM With an Earth-Friendly Twist
From recycled snowflakes to pinecone bird feeders to upcycled winter lanterns, these three K-5 Sustainable STEM activities bring holiday magic into the classroom while keeping environmental stewardship front and center.
Your Three-Step Trail Map to Sustainable Education: Know it, Do it, Lead it.
Integrating sustainability into your curriculum doesn't have to be a burden. This simple three-step framework, Know It, Do It, Lead It, moves students from foundational knowledge to hands-on application to real-world leadership.
The Magic of Miss Makey: Turning Trash into Treasure
Inspired by the book "Miss Makey and the Magic Bin," this multi-day STEM challenge turns recyclables into student inventions. Through the Engineering Design Process, kids learn that yesterday's trash can become tomorrow's treasure.
Ready to Take Your Class Outside?
Nervous about taking your class outside? A simple nature walk is the perfect low-stakes way to set routines, build community, and spark curiosity right from week one, no scavenger hunt or elaborate plan required.
Isn’t Sustainability Education Just Environmental Education?
"Isn't sustainability education just environmental education?" It's a fair question, and the answer isn't a simple yes. This post unpacks where the two overlap, where sustainability education pushes further into systems thinking, and why both matter in the classroom.
Clean Energy Gets a Makeover (And a Personality!)
Renewable energy got a personality makeover! Meet the sunny solar panel, the chill water turbine, and the messy biomass friend, free cartoon characters designed to make clean energy click with kids and spark their curiosity.
The Messy Board Is the Point
Sustainability education can be messy. This article discusses how systems thinking can look unorganized but that is because it is complicated.
Eco-Friendly Hacks for a Healthier and Calmer Classroom
Summer is the perfect time to reimagine your classroom as a healthier, calmer space. From air-purifying plants to natural light and non-toxic cleaners, these simple eco-friendly hacks create a learning environment that supports both student well-being and sustainability.