We will explore activities related to the four themed weeks that engage students to be better stewards of their bodies, their communities, and their planet, as they explore climate-related challenges and solutions.

The four themed weeks are: 

• Energy 

• Food 

• Waste 

• Nature and Wellness 

Let us collectively protect our planet.

• Explore the sources of energy used to power our schools and homes.

• Learn more about renewable energy resources.

• Conduct energy audits at your home and at school.

• Consider best practices for conserving energy in your home and at school.

Resources

• New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

  • Clean Energy

  • Sustainability

  • Climate Change, Clean Energy, and Sustainability

• New Jersey Board of Public Utilities

• Teaching Energy

• Energy Literacy: Essential Principals for Energy Education

This week, we encourage you to:

• Investigate where your food comes from and how it makes its way to you.

• Examine the environmental impacts of how we grow, produce, and transport food.

• Consider how shifts in our food choices might result in better outcomes for our bodies and the environment.

• Explore options to source food locally.

• Start a school garden.

Resources

• New Jersey Department of Agriculture

  • Jersey Fresh: Farm to School

  • School Gardens

  • Food, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Education

• New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station at Rutgers University

• U.S. Department of Agriculture

  • Sustainable Eating

  • School Gardens

• Conduct waste audits to determine how your community, school, and home handles waste.

• Start composting.

• Determine and implement other strategies for reducing waste.

Resources

• New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

  • Recycle Coach

  • Food Waste

• S. Environmental Protection Agency

  • Sustainable Materials Management

  • Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

  • Trash Free Waters

• Get outside and explore the types of plants and animals that are endemic to your area.

• Engage in learning outdoors.

• Explore ways to integrate green spaces into your school grounds.

• Collaborate with community-based organizations like the local Green Team to plan the development of green spaces in your community.

• Investigate strategies for support self-care and healing in nature.

Resources

• 2024 City Nature Challenge

• G3 Program

  
  

***Did you know that you can use Seek to help you identify plants and animals in your neighborhood?

Hashtags:

#ClimateEd #ClimateChangeEducation #ActionforEarthNJ

We can also send photos via email to the Climate Education Unit.