• The Environmental Literacy and Sustainability (ELS) standards complement the Earth, life, and physical science standards.  Combine the ELS standards with your other science content to provide real-world investigations in your schoolyard and opportunities for students to engage in stewardship and civic action.

• Use the Schoolyard Learning resources on this site to identify learning opportunities in your schoolyard and read about outdoor learning best practices. 

• Browse the K-12 Investigations developed by the PACE team.  The team developed lesson plans for each grade level that combine the ELS standards with Earth, life, and/or physical sciences.

• Learn more about the Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE) model, an integral part of the ELS standards.

• Connect with a Community Partner to support your student's investigations.

States, regions, and individual school districts can develop environmental literacy plans (ELP) to address the three pillars of green schools (1) reduced environmental impacts and costs, (2) improved health and wellness, and (3) effective environmental and sustainability education. The ELP provides a framework to guide school staff in their efforts to reduce energy and waste consumption, maintain healthy buildings, incorporate strategies for student and staff wellness, and engage K-12 students and teachers in effective environmental and sustainability education and professional learning.

View a PDF of the PACE team's Adams County Environmental Literacy Plan.  Electronic resources and documents referenced in the ELP are located on this Resource Hub.

The goals outlined in the Environmental Literacy Plan (ELP) closely support and enhance each school district’s comprehensive plan by demonstrating how district priorities can be met through strengthened environmental literacy. The ELP emphasizes standards-aligned instruction that incorporates environmental investigations, enabling students to build environmental literacy while engaging with their local communities. This real-world application deepens learning and relevance. Both the ELP and the district plans share a common purpose: preparing students for success in an ever-changing world.

Additionally, the ELP supports several regional strategic plans:

The Chesapeake Bay Watershed Governor’s Agreement, signed by leaders from PA, DE, MD, WV, VA, NY, and DC, aims to create a healthy watershed that safeguards Pennsylvania waters and the Chesapeake Bay. It sets goals related to habitat restoration, water quality, land conservation, climate resilience, public access, and environmental literacy (CBP, 2022).

• Goal: Ensure every K-12 student graduates with the knowledge and skills to protect and restore their local watershed.

• Student Outcome: Increase students’ understanding of watersheds through age-appropriate, inquiry-based instruction and at least one MWEE experience per grade band.

• Sustainable Schools Outcome: Grow the number of schools implementing environmentally responsible practices and student-led protection and restoration projects.

• Planning Outcome: Jurisdictions develop a comprehensive and systemic approach to environmental literacy for all students.

The PA Department of Education Long Term Transfer Goals for Environmental Literacy and Sustainability. Students will be able to independently use their learning to: (PA Department of Education, 2025)

• Be an informed consumer and user of land and water resources and protect biodiversity.

• Understand the relationships between humans and the environment, including solutions and consequences.

• Recognize that human impacts may affect populations and communities differently.

• Engage in conversations about natural resources from a local and global perspective.

• Understand how watersheds function and are impacted by external factors.

• Understand the interconnectedness of local, regional, national, and global environmental issues

The Adams County, PA County Comprehensive Plan - Chapter 3: Growth Management (Adams County, 1991)

• Development Pattern Goals - Preserve and enhance the physical and environmental characteristics that make Adams County a distinct and identifiable place and provide for the needs of existing and prospective residents, and ensure that development occurs in ways that minimize degradation of natural and cultural environments.

• Community Services Goal - Provide public services, facilities, and utilities in the most efficient, cost-effective manner, taking into account community needs and environmental factors.

• Resource Protection Goal - Protect environmentally sensitive areas of the county.

• Agricultural Resources Goals - Maintain agriculture and businesses that support agriculture as primary components of Adams County’s economic base, and preserve highly productive farmland for agricultural use