Get ready for Health, Wellness, and Green Space Climate Action Day!

Left to right: A cleaner by a waste sorting station; hydroponic towers; students throw their food scraps in a brown bin; workers install solar panels on a roof.

Transforming NYC Public Schools into Champions of Sustainability and Climate Resilience

NYC Public Schools Office of Energy & Sustainability

Recent News and Updates

Climate Solutions Start with Schools

Students need schools that prepare them for a rapidly changing environment. Staff must be ready to empower students through action and learning. And schools must be cleaner, greener, more resilient learning spaces.

Learn more about our office goals and achievements, including how we:

Drive City emission reductions and waste diversion to create greener schools
Invest in staff and students as climate leaders to transform instruction and policy
Organize school communities around climate change action and opportunity
Advocate for student well-being in sustainability plans and climate policies

Office of Energy & Sustainability One-Pager.pdf

Climate Education Leadership Team Presents...

Join CELT for an exciting new virtual professional learning series! The Climate Education Leadership Team is here to help you weave climate education into your lessons, activities, and community partnerships. These monthly virtual sessions will have fresh ideas, practical strategies, and inspiring conversations to empower you as a climate education leader.

March 2026

Connecting with Nature Through Outdoor Learning

Thursday, March 26 (4:30-5:30PM)
For elementary educators

April, 2026

Living Evidence of a Changing Climate: Collecting and Using Plant Data in Middle School Science

Tuesday, April 21 (4:30-5:30PM)
For middle school educators

Stories of a Warming World: Climate Change Across the Curriculum Using Personal Narratives and Literature

Thursday, April 23 (5-6PM)
For K-12 educators

See the full calendar of upcoming sessions.

NYC Public Schools Climate Education Leadership Team

In the News

Two superstar members of our Youth Leadership Council joined Michael Hill on WNYC to demystify "sustainability" and "climate action," pointing to the ways most NYC Public School students are already champions of our planet.

With our Education & Training Manager, they discussed the huge success of our student-led Climate Action Planning Event, their hope for students across New York and plans for the future.

Energy Climate Action Day

Thanks for taking action and saving energy on February 4!

Tell us about your Energy Climate Action Day and Check out Climate Action Day resources.

Students connect a small fan to a small solar panel

2026 Mid-Winter Climate Institute

February 18-19, 2026
8:30AM-3:30PM
Teachers College, Columbia University

More than 500 educators attended our two-day professional learning conference, with nearly 50 workshops focusing on how to bring climate to the classroom.

Learn more about the Institute.

Teachers watch a presentation in an auditorium

Climate Education Curriculum Entry Points

Teachers who attended our Midwinter Climate Institute developed entry points to help you bring climate into your classroom. Spanning grade levels and subjects, there are ideas for every educator!

View Climate Education Entry Points in Full Screen.

Entry Points from the NYCPS Mid-Winter Climate Institute

10th Annual sustainability project grant

Congratulations to the record-high 359 winning schools of our 10th Annual Sustainability Project Grant! This grant provides schools with up to $5,000 for sustainability projects, such as gardens, outdoor learning initiatives, environmental justice efforts, and climate education. Check out some of the record numbers from this year: