Climate Action Days
New York City Public Schools are launching Climate Action Days!
On these four days, every school in New York City will engage in climate action to build a better future, for our students and our planet.
Dates and Themes
Wednesday, December 6: Energy
Wednesday, February 7: Waste
Wednesday, April 17: Health, Wellness, and Green Space
Wednesday, June 12: Water
What Are Climate Action Days?
Four days where every NYC Public School will showcase the importance of climate education and sustainability practices. Like Earth Day, these are days to galvanize action, but focused on celebrating solutions and schoolwide action. Everyone will come together to celebrate solutions and show our students that we are committed to building a better future.
What they are:
An easy entry point for ALL schools to take climate action.
A schoolwide effort, led by teachers, students, and administration – you can also include your whole school community, including families!
A chance to activate students and lift their voices.
What they aren’t:
An external event outside your school environment.
Specific to science teachers or Sustainability Coordinators – everyone should take part!
A replacement for your ongoing sustainability efforts. But it’s an opportunity to celebrate them!
How were your climate action days? Show us!
Thank you to everyone who took part in Climate Action Days this year – we are excited to continue this next year!
We want to know about YOUR school's celebrations! Please click here and take a few minutes to share about your Climate Action Day.
Curriculum Resources and Activities
The Climate Education Leadership Team developed lesson and activity ideas for your school to choose from. These are suggestions - you can follow them exactly, or take inspiration to modify them or make your own!
How to use the roadmaps:
Pick a Climate Action Days theme.
Choose a schoolwide action. This is a simple action that your whole school can participate in. To implement it, it's as simple as making morning announcements and emailing your colleagues to let them know!
Next, choose a roadmap with lessons and activities to support your schoolwide action:
Choose based on the time-commitment required: Mild (1-2 hours), Medium (3-5 hours), or Spicy (5+ hours)
Then choose a type of activity: learning, project-based actions, or advocacy
Your roadmap gives you a breakdown of step you can take to plan and implement. Remember, these lessons and activities all lead up to your schoolwide action on Climate Action Day!
Partner Resource Directory
We worked with our partner community-based organizations to create a database of relevant resources for Climate Action Days.
When you open the Partner Resource Directory below, you will see a list of organizations on the left most column. Use the filters at the top of the database to sort through the resources and find the ones that are most relevant to what you need. You can filter by Climate Action Day theme, resource type, grade level, free/paid resources, and more.
Once you have selected filters that match what you’re looking for, click the resource title to learn more about it.
To see all the resources for each partner, click the triangle to the left of the partner organization name.
Click here to view the Partner Resource Directory full-screen.
Lesson Banks
Health, Wellness, and Green Space
Student Engagement Sessions - Water Climate Action Day
Learn about combined sewer overflows and wastewater treatment while exploring NYC’s new environmental justice mapping tool.
NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Resources
NYC DEP has compiled their climate education resources in one place for Water Climate Action Day!
NYC Green Infrastructure Curriculum
From NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), this new module includes seven activities related to green infrastructure: a method of stormwater management with multiple benefits for urban communities like NYC.
Communication Materials to Engage Your School
Climate Action Days Flyers for Families and Students
Climate Action Day Overview - available in all NYC Public Schools covered languages
Water - available in all NYC Public Schools covered languages
Email Templates for your School Community
To use, select "File," then "Download," then "Microsoft Word." Then you'll be able to edit the documents.