Fall 2025 Offerings

Sustainability in Education PLT Series: Engineering Via Empathy for Every Classroom  (October 28th, November 25th, December 16th 5:30-7:30pm)

The education of children in the 21st century cannot be complete without a considerable exploration of the issue of sustainability as it pertains to the scientific, economic, social, and personal spheres of our lives. Come join us to explore incorporating sustainability into K-12 classrooms using the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the EVE Framework. This professional learning team of teachers across the Hudson Valley will work collaboratively in building standards-based resources. Whether you are new to sustainability-centered curriculum or looking to increase your repertoire of lessons/activities - there will be something for everyone!

Building Sustainability-Centered Learning Communities (October 5th MT Adirondack Weekend 9am-12pm)

Are you concerned about climate change but not sure how to integrate it into your classes? Are you an educator looking to share your experience and increase your repertoire of lessons/activities? Do you want to join a growing community of educators working toward climate solutions?   

Come join this conversation with Samrat Pathania, NY Master Teacher Emeritus and Co-Founder of the Educator Collective for Environmental Justice to learn how you can be part of the movement.  We will begin the session with a short walk/guided meditation. Then we will engage in a journaling/visioning exercise. 

Participants will:

1) learn about climate solutions using card games and playing jeopardy (just the way we would want our students to learn)

2) explore the idea of a digital commons and how to become contributors to the Earthrise Commons project.

3) discuss impediments/challenges to implementation of climate-solutions oriented curriculum in their classes and brainstorm possibilities.

4) share stories of success (projects/units/lessons that work!)

5)     dive into the state of the global renewable energy transition (time-permitting)

Connecting to local biodiversity – a walking conversation in the field (September 23rd 5-6:30pm)

Join us for a field expedition of local flora, fauna, and funga with Laura Wyeth - horticulturist and lecturer of botany at SUNY New Paltz. Her life's mission is to help people connect with and understand plants. Participants will practice close observation of the natural world and experience techniques for engaging the senses in this exploration. (They will then brainstorm how we can offer these experiences to all our students inside and outside of our classrooms.)

We will start at the Pine Road parking lot (right off Butterville Road in New Paltz, NY). Parking is limited. Please carpool if possible. Dress to be comfortable in whatever weather emerges- water, sturdy shoes, layers of clothing, bug spray, and sun protection are recommended.  

Earthrise Commons - Placing Sustainability at the Heart of Education (September 25th 6:30-8pm)

Are you concerned about climate change but not sure how to integrate it into your classes? Are you new to sustainability-centered curriculum and looking to increase your repertoire of lessons/activities? Do you want to join a growing community of educators working toward climate solutions?   

Earthrise Commons is a new community-centered education project based at SUNY New Paltz. The foundation of this project is a forthcoming Open Access book by sustainability educators and community practitioners, Sustainability Learning for Action & Community Engagement, Eds. Wyman & Korenblat (Palgrave / Springer 2025) that describes ways to take action as a sustainability educator. The Earthrise Commons interactive website complements the book with actionable ideas and projects. This curricular hub provides high-quality Creative Commons teaching and learning material to be implemented in the classroom or in the community. 

We believe that educators are the key to moving our society from climate despair to climate repair. We believe the best learning happens when engaged with other people. We believe in connecting teachers and community practitioners across grade levels, subjects, and schools.  

Come join this conversation with Sarah Wyman, Associate Professor of English (SUNY New Paltz), Joshua Korenblat, Associate Professor of Graphic Design (SUNY New Paltz), and Samrat Pathania, NY Master Teacher Emeritus, to learn how you can be part of the movement. Participants will explore resources available through Earthrise Commons, which are free for the global community. They will also brainstorm how to become contributors to this project.  

Summer 2025 Offerings

Meet Your Plant Neighbors- Intro to Botany on the Rail Trail (June 13th 5-7pm)

Out of doors in the northeast US, we are surrounded by a multitude of plants, all the time and everywhere. Even indoors, many people care for and cultivate plants- to feel connection to nature and to enliven the senses. We humans rely totally on plants for our lifeways- for food, shelter, clothing, medicine, art, and more- but how well do we really know these creatures? How can we begin to understand them?

Join us for a botanical exploration of local plant life with Laura Wyeth - horticulturist and lecturer of botany at SUNY New Paltz. Her life's mission is to help people connect with and understand plants. Participants will practice close observation of plants and learn about their anatomy, diversity, reproduction, and life habits. They will then brainstorm how we can offer these experiences to all our students inside and outside of our classrooms.  

We will start at the Rail Trail Cafe in Rosendale (310 River Rd Ext, New Paltz, NY 12561). Please slowly follow the long gravel road and look for the parking signs. Dress to be comfortable in whatever weather emerges- water, sturdy boots, layers of clothing, bug spray, and sun protection are recommended.  

Birds of Any Feather: Using Birds to Teach Any Subject Outdoors (June 15th 8-10am)

Birds can be a source of inspiration for teaching and students learning about any subject. They can also serve as a bridge between subjects. Participants will learn how to find and share birds with their students in a way that meets the standards and engages the students. In this workshop participants will go on a multi-disciplinary, multi-modal bird walk seeing birds through the lens of student AND teacher.                                                                                        

Location: Park in the New Paltz Municipal lot (53 Huguenot St, New Paltz, NY 12561)

What to Bring: Binoculars if possible (but not required); water, snack, pen/paper, phone, bug-spray. 

What to Wear: Weather-appropriate clothes and footwear for sometimes-wet ground. 

Get Out! Escaping Routine and Teaching Outdoors (June 21st 10am-12pm)

 Outdoor education is important because it offers numerous benefits for learning, development, and well-being, including improved academic performance, enhanced physical and mental health, and a deeper connection to nature and the environment. In this workshop participants will go on an outdoor lesson and see schoolyard learning from the perspective of students and educators. Participants will learn how to plan, implement, and evaluate an outdoor lesson. Participants will take away ideas for how to prepare student behaviors, materials, and activities for a safe, fun, and educational experience that augments regular classroom lessons. Location: JFK Elementary School in Kingston - meet at the back of the parking lot near the Forest Sanctuary

ECEJ Biodiversity Summer Institute (July 9th and 10th 10-3pm)

To be healthy, humans need a role in their community and a connection to the environment in which they live. As educators, we know that many of our students struggle with depression, anxiety, and apathy, and we know that aspects of these conditions are related to aspects of modern life- the constant flow of digital media that young people consume, the dispiriting news of climate change and environmental degradation, and the lack of time spent in the natural world, among other stressors. 

In this workshop, we will explore a practical means to address these challenges- by learning to connect to our immediate environments, the places where we live, work, and learn. There is a wealth of biodiversity in the backyard; the ground, waters, and air around us are teeming with life, all the time and everywhere, but we must stop and observe in order to notice and appreciate them. Together, we’ll practice opening our senses and building connections to nature locally, then consider how we can offer these experiences to all of our students. 

Activities include sensory observations skills, nature journaling, a biodiversity tour, introduction to iNaturalist.org, and curriculum development sessions. We will spend more than half of the workshop time outdoors, in rain or shine. Please be prepared to explore in any weather conditions.  

Spring 2025 Offerings

Biodiversity in our Backyards: a Connection to Nature Begins Where You Are (March 11th 6:30-8:30pm)

The loss of biodiversity, like many of our ecological challenges, can sometimes feel too massive to tackle. Though biodiversity loss is now a global problem, biodiversity itself is a local phenomenon; the keys to supporting it are local, too. In this presentation, Laura Wyeth, horticulturist and lecturer in Biology at New Paltz, will discuss five essential ideas to understanding our current crisis of biodiversity loss and how we as teachers might best respond to it. As a proponent of nature-based pedagogy, Laura believes strongly that all students (and teachers!) can benefit greatly from connecting with and understanding the natural world, and that a real connection begins by waking up our animal senses and poking around the backyard (or the schoolyard, as the case may be). Participants will be guided through a tool-kit of sensory-based nature lessons that can be experienced in any outdoor landscape. Participants will be a key part of these discussions and will be expected to ask questions and brainstorm further avenues for exploration.

Maple Sugaring: the Science Surrounding Syrup (K-12) (March 15th 12-2pm)

Sugar Maple trees grow on most school campuses in New York State. The sap run happens annually from Mid-February through Mid-March and it kicks off the start to the agroecological season in the Hudson Valley. Join Farm Based Educators, Creek Iversen and Jasmine Wood at Seed Song Farm (160 Esopus Ave, Kingston, NY 12401 ) for a workshop highlighting both the hands-on process of maple tapping and the science behind the sap flow (parts of the tree in relation to the sap flow). 

During this program we will practice identifying a sugar maple tree, tap a tree, observe sap flow, and sip sap straight from the tree. We will also visit the evaporator and witness sap turning to syrup. Tapping a tree is a simple process which requires minimal materials to get started. We will review the equipment needed to tap a tree and collect sap on your campus with your students.

2nd Annual Spring Conference centering Environmental Justice, Decarbonization, and Biodiversity (May 10th)

Join us for the 2nd Annual Sustainability Conference at SUNY New Paltz, a vibrant showcase of the sustainability efforts of regional educators in K-12 classrooms and higher education. This event offers a valuable chance to enhance our understanding of how to integrate environmental sustainability topics into our classrooms, regardless of student age or subject matter. As part of the Mid-Hudson Sustainability in Education Series, the conference aims to continue fostering a community of K-12 educators dedicated to collaboratively exploring climate solutions and developing curricular resources for themselves and their peers. Feel free to attend any or all of the sessions!

The conference will feature K-12 teachers from the ECEJ-WRI Decarbonization and Environmental Justice Cohort and SUNY New Paltz Sustainability Faculty Fellows.

Winter 2024-2025 Offerings

THE STORY OF PLASTIC - Film Screening and Discussion (January 7th 6-8pm, 8th 4-6pm)

In this screening, teachers will learn how the mass production of single-use plastic has put us in the biggest environmental crisis in history. We will reflect, individually and collectively, on the film and discuss key takeaways and questions. This screening will lay the educational foundation for our future inquiry and development of a plastics curriculum to bring back into the classroom. 

Plastic Crisis Curriculum Development - Secondary (January  14th 6-8pm, 22nd 6-8pm)

The negative impacts of plastic on human health and our ecosystems are increasingly visible and getting costlier by the day. This course focuses on the systemic reasons why millions of tons of plastics enter the ocean each year; how plastic pollution is a climate change issue; how the plastics industry spins the myth that we can recycle our way out of the problem; environmental justice and the health impacts of plastic production and use; alternatives to plastic; and most importantly, what educators can do to begin addressing this growing problem.

Session 1. Diving Into The Plastic Crisis:

Teachers will dig deeper into the nuts and bolts of the plastic crisis through a guided inquiry activity that we can take directly into our classroom. Resources will be provided!

Session 2. Teaching The Plastic Crisis and Curriculum Creation:

Teachers will experience a variety of standards-aligned lessons that incorporate the plastics crisis across disciplines - Health, Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics. Then, we will time to modify those lessons to implement in our own classrooms or create something new. 

Plastic Crisis Curriculum Development - Elementary (January 16th 5:30-7:30pm, 23rd 5:30-7:30pm)

The negative impacts of plastic on human health and our ecosystems are increasingly visible and getting costlier by the day. This course focuses on the systemic reasons why millions of tons of plastics enter the ocean each year; how plastic pollution is a climate change issue; how the plastics industry spins the myth that we can recycle our way out of the problem; environmental justice and the health impacts of plastic production and use; alternatives to plastic; and most importantly, what educators can do to begin addressing this growing problem.

Session 1. Diving Into The Plastic Crisis: Teachers will dig deeper into the nuts and bolts of the plastic crisis through a guided inquiry activity that we can take directly into our classroom. Resources will be provided!

Session 2. Teaching The Plastic Crisis and Curriculum Creation: Teachers will experience a variety of standards-aligned lessons that incorporate the plastics crisis across disciplines - science, social studies, ELA, and the arts. Then, we will modify those lessons to implement in our own classrooms or create something new.

Air Pollution Monitoring 101  (January 27th 4:30-6:30pm)

Air pollution is one of the biggest threats to human health and contributes to one in ten deaths globally. In this workshop, educators will learn the foundational concepts of environmental justice through the lens of air pollution policy and air pollution monitoring. Educators will engage in air pollution monitoring data, data analysis, and data visualization. Through a guided activity using hyperlocal air sensor data, educators will explore how these concepts impact the air quality, and ways in which they can integrate these concepts into their curriculum.

Fall 2024 Offerings

Interpreting Native Ecosystems through Natural History (Seed Song Farm on October 27th)

The fall season is a splendid time to explore our local ecosystems. Join Seed Song educators on the farm nature trail to discuss fun and hands-on strategies to engage students in biology, ecology and natural history. Together we will move through a fall nature scavenger hunt designed for all ages intended to build connections and inspire curiosity toward native plant and animal communities. Discussion topics also include phenology, exploring and saving seeds, and the Three Sisters Garden, a traditional indigenous planting of the Lenape people. Bring your family and join in on our annual Pumpkin Fest and Family Fun Weekend festivities including pumpkin picking, visits with farm animals and live music after the workshop.

This workshop will take place in person at Seed Song Farm 160 Esopus Avenue, Kingston, NY.

Spring 2024 Offerings

Annual Spring Sustainability Conference @ SUNY New Paltz  on May 4

The May 4th Annual Spring Sustainability Conference at SUNY New Paltz is a celebration of the ongoing collaboration between the Mid-Hudson Teacher Center and NY Master Teacher Program. It will provide an opportunity to learn and deepen our understanding of how best we can bring issues regarding environmental sustainability into our classrooms irrespective of the age of our students or our content areas.  It is part of the Mid-Hudson Sustainability In Education Series which aims to bring together a community of K-12 teachers who are committed to exploring climate solutions together and creating/assimilating curricular resources for themselves and other teachers. 

Agenda

Morning Keynote (whole group)  - Climate science within the big picture of sustainability teaching and practice (Eric Keeling, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biology at SUNY New Paltz) 

Afternoon Keynote (whole group) - The body imperiled? Microplastic, pollution, and you (Megan J. Wolff, Ph.D., MPH, Health Policy Director - Beyond Plastics) 

Other Sessions

Meeting the Plants…as the Animal You Are (Laura Wyeth  -  Lecturer, Biology Department, SUNY New Paltz)

Working for Change (New Yorkers for Clean Power)

Climate Change: Cultivating Hope and Motivation with Drawdown Solutions (Megan Ferguson - Ph.D., Associate Professor of Chemistry, SUNY New Paltz)

Creative Sustainability Communication and Education Through the Arts (Andrea Varga, Associate Professor of Theatre Design, SUNY New Paltz)

MHTC 2023 Fall Sustainability Cohort

October Session: Sustainability and Climate Change - The Role of Education (with Scott Beal)

By many measures "environmental education" over the past 30 years has fallen short of its promise. In this session (the first in a series), participants collaboratively take stock of where we've been and where we are going to envision new possibilities for the role of education in the sustainability and climate change effort.  What are the true drivers of behaviors and mental models in society?  How did we get here?  These questions and more are explored through think tank style deep dive reflection, discussion, contemplation, and exploration of eco psychology, cultural history, prevalent mental models, systems thinking, consciousness and spirituality.  From this a true understanding of the sustainability problem and what drives it can emerge, informing more enlightened approaches for education to address it.  In addition, participants can expect to experience a renewed connection, sense of purpose and inspiration for their teaching practice overall. 

November Session: Introducing Climate Change and Sustainability Into Subject area Classrooms (Samrat Pathania, Scott Beal)

This session focuses on the practical realities and challenges of introducing topics of climate change and sustainability within subject area classroom instruction. Through brainstorming, discussion, reflection and collaboration participants consider a set of proven strategies that utilize entry points to dovetail with existing interests of students and aims of subject area content. The session will serve to provide a customized framework for individual participants' teaching context and a beginning draft of concrete curriculum designs.