The purpose of this page is to provide stories from the field of school communities that are integrating environmental and climate action into their campus, curriculum, community and overall school culture.
Green Ribbon Achievement Promising Practice Profiles: The CAELI Green Ribbon Achiever Stories page includes promising practice profiles of districts (and some schools) who have achieved Green Ribbon status. These stories are great case studies of districts that have invested in environmental and climate action using a whole systems approach across the Green Ribbon Pillars: I) Reduce environmental impacts and costs; II) Improve the health and wellness of students and staff; III) Provide effective environmental sustainability education.
Stories of Policy in Action: These stories successfully leverage policy to either catalyze environmental and climate action or to institutionalize work already taking place. These stories from the field point to community support, including the board, district leadership, staff, students, and families, as well as the integration of policies into broader district plans, such as the LCAP and SPSA, play important roles in ensuring implementation of environmental and climate goals.
Pittsburg Unified School District (Contra Costa County): Promising Practice Profile (2024)
Laguna Beach Unified School District (San Diego County): Promising Practice Profile (2024)
Cabrillo Unified School District (San Mateo County): Promising Practice Profile (2024)
You can also check out a video of these three districts being featured as panelists at the 2024 Green California Schools and Higher Education (GHCES) Conference.
County Changemaker Stories
County Initiative Profile Case Studies: The documents in this folder provide a profile of different County Offices of Education, which have launched and sustained a high impact county-wide initiatives focused on environmental and climate action in the region's TK-12 schools. The profile includes information about the initiative, and the investment made in staff to run the initiative.
CAELI’s COE Leadership Case Studies: The California Environmental Literacy Initiative (CAELI) conducted interviews and developed case studies to illustrate how the San Mateo County Office of Education and the Orange County Department of Education each took a unique systems approach to expanding access to environmental literacy and sustainability in their local contexts. Also check out the more details San Mateo County Office of Education Case Study: San Mateo County Office of Education Environmental Literacy and Sustainability Initiative and Regional Transformation Toward Environmental Literacy for All Students.
County Office of Education (COE) Fellow Case Studies: The California Environmental Literacy Initiative's (CAELI) COE Fellowship Program is a nine month fellowship that supports COE employees to launch (or further develop) a robust Environmental Literacy and Sustainability Initiative that drives change across a school or district’s campuses, curriculum, community, and culture. Through a series of workshops and learning activities, fellows are provided with the tools for understanding how to provide county/regional level "backbone support" to key constituents (administrators, teachers, staff, students, community based partners, etc.) in their school communities. Check out case studies from graduates of this program on each cohort page.
Teacher Changemaker Stories
Teacher Changemakers: There are many teachers across the state of California who are integrating environmental and climate literacy into their curriculum and instruction. Check out changemaker stories in the following resources:
California Environmental Literacy Initiative' (CAELI) Teacher Call to Action: This call to action is a three-part publication developed for educators by educators. “Part 2: Voices from the Field” presents case studies of effective environmental and climate literacy integration at every grade level.
California Environmental Literacy Initiative' (CAELI) English Language Arts (ELA) Environmental Superheroes Podcasts: As the state of California deepens efforts to include environmental literacy in all content areas, the California Environmental Literacy Initiative’s English-Language Arts Working Group interviewed passionate language arts teachers. They collected stories of these superheroes who teach reading, writing, listening, and speaking standards through the lens of environmental literacy and justice to highlight what this type of work already looks like in TK–12 classrooms and outdoor spaces.
Solutionary Teacher Leaders: Solutionary teaching and learning involves the process of students analyzing "wicked" problems, identifying the inhumane and unsustainable systems that perpetuate them, and then developing solutions that do the most good and least harm for all. Check out Solutionary Teacher stories and case studies on this Solutionary Teacher page.
Student Changemaker Stories
CA Youth Climate Policy (CYCP) Leadership Program: is a knowledge to action program that supports youth to lead an advocacy campaign to pass policy actions (or builds on existing policies) in their school or district. Students receive mentoring from adult coaches and support in developing a personal leadership plan and advocacy campaign. The program is a partnership between Ten Strands, UndauntedK12, and the Sierra Club.
CYCP Alumni Changemaker Story Series: This collection of stories includes in-depth conversations and video interviews with alumni from the CYCP Leadership Program.
CYCP Graduate Case Studies: You can also check out case studies from all cohort graduates on the individual cohort pages: Cohort 1 (2023-24) and Cohort 2 (2024-25)
Youth-Led Policy Campaign Gallery Walk: The CYCP Program has also curated a a gallery of stories about youth changemakers who led climate policy campaigns in their school districts or state boards of education in California and beyond.
San Mateo County Youth Climate Ambassadors (YCA): This program empowers 9-12th grade students to take climate action into their own hands. During the program, students participate in retreats and workshops to build foundational knowledge and skills related to sustainability and climate action. The program culminates with students applying this knowledge and skills to a number of different projects including an environmental systems research analysis, an environmental justice educational awareness campaign project, and a community impact project. Check out case studies from past alumni on the student's project page.
Stories of Change for Climate Resilience in Schools
Climate Resilience Stories and Toolkit: In Spring 2024, Ten Strands worked with the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE) and UndauntedK12 to support district and county leaders with resources and tools for managing the impacts of our changing climate to adapt and become climate resilient. This partnership highlighted practices and tools for managing climate impacts by leading districts and county offices of education through “Open Door” webinar learning sessions, and “Spotlight Story” articles. The findings and resources from this series are organized into a Climate Resilience and Adaptation Toolkit and a Recommendations Brief that were published in January 2025.
