Report: NOAA Environmental Literacy Program and Science On a Sphere® Collaborative Network Joint Workshop

NOAA opening remarks

The NOAA Office of Education team welcomed the attendees and reviewed the objectives of the joint workshop. Director of NOAA Education, Louisa Koch, thanked The Wild Center for hosting the event and our eeBLUE partners at North American Association of Environmental Education (NAAEE) for their expertise and support in creating a more environmentally literate society. She emphasized the potential in combining Science On a Sphere’s focus on data visualization and effective communication with the Environmental Literacy Program’s emphasis on community engagement for climate solutions at the local level. 

Koch reviewed relevant legislation and resources that could benefit all participants and their education programs. NOAA has received support to help communities and coasts become climate smart and climate ready through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law or the Inflation Reduction Act. Participants should be ready to apply for opportunities through NOAA to support climate resilience work in their communities. She encouraged participants to incorporate aspects of the Fifth National Climate Assessment into their education programs as the report includes art pieces interpreting climate change impacts and solutions in the context of social systems and justice. NOAA publishes the annual Billion Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters Report to increase awareness about the cost of climate and weather disasters, which she said may also be a useful resource for attendees. Finally, Koch drew attention to the Climate Literacy Guide which is being updated under the U.S. Global Change Research Program and serves to inform the public and provide educators with guidance on increasing climate literacy.

The Wild Center opening remarks

Stephanie Ratcliffe (Executive Director, The Wild Center) and  Jen Kretser (Director of Climate Initiatives, The Wild Center) provided an overview of their efforts and initiatives regarding climate solutions. Jen Kretser highlighted the unique characteristics of the Adirondack Park, a six-million-acre region divided equally between private and public lands, encompassing diverse landscapes and communities. She noted the demographic challenge of an aging population with more youth leaving the area over time. Kretser emphasized the Center's commitment to exploring climate solutions, such as green infrastructure and comprehensive staff training, and introduced the Climate Solutions Exhibit. This exhibit aims to elevate stories of changemakers dedicated to climate action, encouraging visitors to find their place in the movement.

Stephanie Ratcliffe discussed the implementation of NOAA’s Science on a Sphere in 2012 at The Wild Center, which served as the museum's pioneering climate change educational tool. She elaborated on the Drawdown-inspired exhibition, which focuses on climate solutions through personal storytelling. Ratcliffe also mentioned theSix Americas Super Short Survey (SASSY!) offsite link conducted at their site in 2020, which revealed that over 84% of visitors were alarmed or concerned about climate change. These findings helped shape the exhibit's narrative, grounding it in public perception and creating a framework for effectively communicating climate issues and solutions.

Neil Patterson, a member of the Haudenosaunee (Tuscarora) and affiliated with the State University of New York (SUNY) Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) Center for Native Peoples and the Environment offsite link, kicked off the workshop with a plenary talk on Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK). He described TEK as a cumulative body of knowledge, practice, and belief that has evolved over millennia and continues to evolve. TEK encompasses observations, oral and written knowledge, practices, and beliefs that promote environmental sustainability and natural resource stewardship. Highlighting recent policy changes, Patterson noted the White House's commitment in November 2021 to incorporate Indigenous Knowledge in federal policy decisions and President Biden’s guidance in November 2022, which calls for acknowledging history, respecting different world views, recognizing challenges, and pursuing cooperation in stewardship.

Patterson emphasized the significance of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples offsite link as the gold standard for engaging with Indigenous communities and protecting their rights. He elaborated on Haudenosaunee teachings, such as the Kayanresti:yu: (The Great Law of Peace), which dates back 2000 years and serves as both a constitution and a map. This law encourages gratitude over demands, and the phrase ‘bury the hatchet’ symbolizes both literal and figurative peace among the five nations. The ‘Dish with One Spoon’ metaphor underscores equity and common resource sharing, reminding people to care for the collective rather than divide resources.

Patterson also touched on language revitalization and the profound loss of Haudenosaunee access to and, therefore, ability to care for their land. He stressed that climate justice is intrinsically linked to land justice, noting that Indigenous Peoples steward 80% of the world's biodiversity on less than half of the world’s land. Initiatives like Native Earth aim to restore access and care, bringing young people to the Adirondacks to reconnect with traditional practices and food systems. Indigenous cartography and the teachings of John Mohawk further illustrate the Indigenous perspective that nature is a guide, and it is humanity's responsibility to read and incorporate nature into their lives.

 

David Hassler (Bob and Walt Wick Executive Director, Wick Poetry Center at Kent State University) and Kate Semmens (Science Director, Nurture Nature Center) discussed the evolution of the Poets for Science initiative offsite link founded by poet and environmental activist Jane Hirshfield in 2017. The initiative explores the intersection of science and art and brings poetry to the most urgent and evolving needs of our climate crisis. Hassler presented several Poets for Science collaborative projects that offer expressive writing interventions, interactive exhibits, and digital platforms and tools for educators. The movement has grown to cover a range of scientific and societal issues such as climate offsite link, vaccines offsite link, and healthcare workers offsite link. He concluded by sharing some community poem videos offsite link and offering an opportunity for participants to share reflections on an interactive online platform and contribute to community poems. Poetry can make us better climate advocates by allowing us to share and work through shared emotions around the difficulties of working on climate issues.

A community poem, “Millions of Voices” was created by the members of the Youth Climate Community that call the Adirondacks their home. The youths performed a live reading offsite link during the workshop.

Millions of Voices

A Youth Climate Community Poem
 

I am an avalanche of a woman

all unpredictability and a natural at disaster.

They should teach classes on how to survive me,

because here I am persuading you to release

your carbon strangle on our winter

with the millions and millions of snowflakes.

 

THIS WINTER THE WARMEST EVER RECORDED IN THE ADIRONDACKS

 

We’ve all heard the saying about biting the hand that feeds.

And yet, still, we are parasites, latching on, piercing skin, imbibing blood.

Like fleas or leeches, we are drunk on life

from our devouring of material stuff.

 

When did the Earth become simultaneously too much and not enough?

 

When did we start praying with hands spread open?

 

The signs of change too quick to adapt to

are beating down the door,

native bees, out too soon,

hungry for pollen that’s not there yet.

 

“Historically, there were fewer ticks in this area,”

I read in the literature.

Now, by the calm waters,

they fill the grasses, waiting.

 

Fear exists where it did not before.

 

The wind toys with reflections 

of trees on the lake.

How ferocious she was

when ice-out came early!

 

The unseasonable warmth broke the spell

like the Person from Porlock.

She irritably rose from her cool winter slumber,

her waters choppy, rolling, violent.

It wasn’t time to wake. 

 

In the Science of Climate Change,

we learned this is the pivotal century.

In this singular lifetime,

our species’ choices will

determine the time scale 

and severity of warming.

 

My generation will shape Earth’s climate 

for thousands of generations to come.

 

The alarm bells have sounded.

The young of our young hang in the balance.

What legacy will we leave?

What future will we grant them?

 

I was born in a land made of beauty.

I was born in a place tough like stone.

I was born on a planet fierce like fire

And the fire bloomed like a rose.

 

I live in an icy dread

frigid drops of melting icicles

quivering above our necks

and dripping

               down 

                       my

                           spine

not knowing if this snowfall

will be

my last.

 

I AM TOO DAMN YOUNG TO BE THINKING 

ABOUT DOING THINGS FOR THE LAST TIME

 

From the Earth we came, to the Earth we will go.

We are one in the same,

Each.

          And.

                 Every.

                           One.

Of us.

 

In the West the mountains tower. 

They protect us, most times. 

But when the valleys fill with fire,

they can’t block the smoke from our eyes.

 

Now my stars are all caught up in

in smoke nets that the sunlight turns all white.

Like the Pope anointing each factory,

all pure, all good, alright. But

when you close your eyes

all you got is a mouth

full of haze.

 

We blame the planet for not being calm,

when we are the ones dropping bombs.

 

We are stuck between grasping at straws and inaction.

 

Now is the time for solution and revolution.

It’s “We the People” in the Constitution.

 

From the fisher to the bee

all our relations need to be free.

We are one in the same.

 

The first time I heard an avalanche

we froze in our snowshoes because we thought a bomb

went off before we realized it was not violence

only the explosion of change.

 

It is hundreds of thousands of snowflakes

that make an avalanche rumble.

 

And here we are –

millions 

and millions

of voices.

 

 

Frank Niepold (Senior Climate Education Coordinator, NOAA’s Climate Program Office) led a panel discussion with Nadia Harvieux (Associate Director for Educational Programs, Finger Lakes Institute), Hannah Barg (Climate Network Manager, The Wild Center), Cedar Young (student, St. Lawrence University and Saranac Lake Climate Strong Community), and Shenequa Perry (Task Force Coordinator, Homer Climate Strong Community) as panelists. The panel introduced Climate Smart Communities (CSC) and discussed how to elevate the role of youth in local government as an effective way to catalyze climate action in local communities. 

Climate Smart Communities is a New York State Program designed to help local governments take steps in their communities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change. The local government makes a climate smart pledge and achieves the certification through planning and actions taken to curb greenhouse gas emissions in their communities. There are now more than 300 certified CSC in New York state. At the national level, the Sustainable States Network offsite link is working to support local governments in the development of climate education and action on climate goals and clean energy.

The panelists shared examples from their own experiences as well as strategies and tools to facilitate partnerships between youth, community leaders, and government to create more resilient and inclusive community climate action. Young and Perry described what it was like to be part of a CSC task force as teenagers and how they took actions through communications and coordination to mitigate their communities’ contribution to climate change. Young worked with Saranac Lake’s local government as the communications member of the CSC task force as a teen and attended the first White House Summit on Building Climate Resilient Communities. Perry led the formation of the CSC task force in Homer while still in high school and helped them achieve certification as a CSC. Both Young and Perry were part of the Youth Climate Program at The Wild Center and used their skills to shape their CSC. 

Barg coordinates Youth Climate Summits across the United States and discussed how the NOAA ELP grant supported the development of the Forces for Change Youth Guide offsite link, a guide to provide young people, their adult allies, and local government with information and skills to build CSC. Harvieux emphasized the importance of allowing young people to have a say in their communities' future and the power that youth can have when given support. As an adult ally, Harvieux made the effort to help the local high school (Honeoye Falls-Lima High School) environmental team convince their mayor to join the CSC movement. It took a year and a half, but the students persevered and made their goals a reality, serving as a resource for other school districts and towns pursuing a CSC certification. Overall, the panel provided useful tools and ideas for promoting youth engagement with local government and climate action projects through their powerful stories and efforts.

 

Garrett Marino and Alicia Lamb from The Wild Center moderated a panel discussion with four local youth leaders on how they turned their climate anxiety into climate action. Zarela Gulli (ClimaTeens Fellow, The Wild Center), Astrid Saint Pierre (co-founder of Placid Earth LLC offsite link), Keeley Jock (Climate Justice Fellow, Adirondack North Country Association offsite link), and Ariah Mitchell (Climate Fellow, Paul Smith’s College Center for Sustainability) provided their perspectives on climate change and how they were inspired to enact change in the Adirondacks. They believe that climate anxiety and fear should be channeled into action with an optimistic outlook. The panelists explained how they overcame imposter syndrome in the environmental action field and are learning to take a step back and look at the bigger picture when they are overwhelmed by the amount of work that needs to be done. 

All of the panelists were from the Adirondacks but came into the climate action field through different paths. Jock grew up in Akwesasne, a Mohawk reservation on the border of New York State and Canada. She uses her belief in the Seven Generations philosophy, which she learned at a young age, to drive her purpose in protecting the natural world. The Seven Generation principle emphasizes that the decisions we make today should result in a sustainable world for the next generations. Being raised to respect the planet has led Jock into the climate action field where she fights for Indigenous land rights. Guilli found herself facing climate anxiety from “end of the world” messaging at school and found her ice climbing seasons with her father getting shorter. She has now stepped out of her comfort zone to advocate for the environment and discuss how we can improve our world through activism. Saint-Pierre became involved in the Youth Climate Program at The Wild Center and knew her place was in the climate movement. She started her own composting company and continues to work towards bridging the gap in advocacy with a focus on climate justice issues. Mitchell grew up in a family that did not believe that human activities contributed to climate change. She became interested in climate change while reading about it in a National Geographic magazine. Since then, she has taken every opportunity to fight climate change and finds power in helping others understand the issues and how they can help.

The young panelists described the apathy and indifference they have faced from others who are not invested in the climate movement. They agreed that you need to find something in common with that audience to connect people back to the Earth. Everyone is affected by the climate crisis, whether they realize it or not. The panelists credit their success to the support and advice they have received from mentors, family members, their roots, and their peers. The advice given for young people interested in getting involved in the climate movement was to step out of your comfort zone, follow your interests, and just start taking action. Every step is a step towards progress and building stronger, more resilient communities.

 

The North American Association for Environmental Education offsite link (NAAEE) has formed multiple partnerships with NOAA over the years and plays an important role in strengthening the field of environmental education. Judy Braus (Executive Director, NAAEE ) and Sarah Bodor (Senior Director of Capacity Building, NAAEE) discussed the relevance of climate change in environmental education and how NAAEE is working to incorporate environmental and climate literacy into curriculum. NAAEE’s mission is to use the power of education to advance environmental literacy and civic engagement to create a more just and sustainable future. They work with partners in North America and around the world, including NOAA, the NAAEE affiliate network, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Climate change education and policy are priorities for NAAEE. Speakers discussed that climate change is the biggest existential threat facing our global society, and its effects are being felt around the world. Educators are being asked to teach about climate without having the support, training, and resources needed. Being an educator today is challenging for many reasons, including the impact that negative news about climate and other issues is having on all ages. 

To get a better understanding of the climate change education landscape, NAAEE has produced reports to better understand what is happening across the United States. One report reviewed state-level policy materials, and looked at more than 800 education policy documents to map the landscape of climate change K-12 education policy in the United States. The analysis found that most school policies do not mention climate change or only mention climate change in science subjects. The social aspects, policies, and actions to take around climate change are often overlooked. NAAEE worked with Edge Research to conduct a survey of administrators and teachers from all disciplines. The results showed that educators are truly invested in climate change and concerned about how it affects them and their students. Nonetheless, many are not teaching about it because they don’t feel informed, don’t have support from school administrators, and don’t have the locally relevant resources. The survey also showed that educators want to see climate change taught across the curriculum, but that’s not happening in most schools. Each report provides recommendations, including that states update their Environmental Literacy plans with a stronger focus on climate justice and action, Indigenous knowledge, and climate mitigation; that schools and universities adopt more policies that support climate change education; and that we provide more support to educators, including professional development and access to high-quality, locally relevant materials.

NAAEE and NOAA are working to address the needs of educators and to advance environmental literacy as part of their eeBLUE offsite link partnership. Through this program, they have supported projects such as the Watershed STEM Education Grant offsite link and Aquaculture Literacy Mini-Grants offsite link, which focus on supporting educators in incorporating relevant environmental topics into their efforts at both formal and informal education venues. 

NAAEE supports young leaders through the CEE-Fellowship Program offsite link, which links environmental education and civic engagement, while promoting climate change action. They also sponsor EE 30 Under 30 offsite link, which recognizes young people under 30 around the world for efforts to address environmental and social challenges in their communities. The NAAEE Coalition for Climate Education Policy Program offsite link is focused on advancing climate change education policy and making the case that education should be recognized as a critical and effective strategy in addressing climate change. 

The NAAEE website includes a number of resources focused on climate change education and policy, including opportunities to advance state and local advocacy efforts. The coalition is also developing a toolkit to help organizations do more to advance climate change education policies at the states and local levels. In addition, the newest module in NAAEE’s “Guidelines for Excellence” series is focused on climate action and climate justice. The guidelines represent the collective wisdom from the field and focus on what effective practices include, with key characteristics and examples to help advance high quality environmental education. The Guidelines are available for download on the NAAEE website offsite link. Educating for Excellence: Educating for Climate Action and Justice should be published in summer of 2024. 

The presentation from the Environmental Literacy Program (ELP) began with an overview of several NOAA-related funding programs of potential interest to ELP grantees. These programs include NOAA's Heat Watch, the NOAA Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) program, the Climate Smart Communities Initiative (CSCI offsite link), and NOAA’s Climate Ready Workforce (CRW). This summer, NOAA, in collaboration with the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Housing and Urban Development (HUD), along with community scientists, will map the hottest neighborhoods, known as urban heat islands, in 14 U.S. communities and four international cities. The NOAA B-WET Program supports Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs) for students and offers related professional development, with regional opportunities currently available. Meanwhile, the Climate Smart Communities Initiative (CSCI) seeks to enhance the capacity of U.S. communities to address climate-related impacts, prioritizing the needs of those on the front lines. Lastly, the Climate-Ready Workforce program focuses on supporting communities disproportionately affected by climate risks and inequities, promoting climate resilience, and developing a climate-literate workforce.

Managing a NOAA award has gotten more difficult recently as we transition to a new grants management system called "eRA Commons." Both grantees and NOAA staff are experiencing difficulties operating this new system. However, the ELP team, along with others at NOAA, are actively working to resolve these issues. If you have any questions about managing your award, you are encouraged to email the ELP team (oed.grants@noaa.gov). NOAA appreciates grantees’ cooperation and understanding as the agency works towards a smoother experience with the new system.

The ELP team is planning to update NOAA's Community Resilience Education Theory of Change, marking the first major revision since 2020. This update will incorporate feedback from past workshops with ELP grantees and insights from a literature review. To facilitate this project, the team will hire a contractor to serve as the project manager and seek a graduate student to conduct the literature review. Interested parties are encouraged to contact the ELP team. The project is set to kick off in January or February 2025, with a target completion date between July and August 2025.

In terms of future competitions offering new funding, the Environmental Literacy Program has been delayed in launching another competition due to the transition to the new grants system. New funding will not be available until fiscal year 2025 and the funding availability is expected to be similar to recent years, with approximately $3 million being made available annually. Recognizing that there is far more work to be done than $3 million can support, the ELP team is attempting to identify co-funders. For example, the Gulf Research Program at the National Academies has been identified as a strong potential co-funder for 2025. The program is also seeking additional co-funders and welcomes interest from other institutions. Due to ongoing concerns about the accessibility of the eRA system for new grantees, the team may only run a competition for Phase 2 projects, though no specific timeframe has been established for these projects yet.

The Science On a Sphere (SOS) program, which moved from NOAA Research to the NOAA Office of Education in 2022, has undergone significant developments, including transitions to cloud-based servers, updates to the Ubuntu operating system, and enhancements to the real-time clouds dataset and iPad controller. As part of a new focus on educators, the team recently released SOS Explorer^® (SOSx), an interactive virtual globe loaded with NOAA’s datasets for use on Windows laptops and desktops. The SOS Explorer Mobile app offers an alternative way to experience SOS on Apple and Android devices, including Chromebooks and Mac Apple Silicon. All you need is an Internet connection to download these free applications.

Educational resources

The monthly SOS Education forum provides fresh content, inspiration, and practical guidance. The NOAA SOS team is also considering creating an SOS education advisory board to help drive the development of content and adaptation of new tools. Contact Hilary Peddicord (hilary.peddicord@noaa.gov) if you are interested in either effort.

The SOS team encourages users to engage with The Nurture Nature Center offsite link on their Education Research grant funded by the National Science Foundation titled, “Building Insights Through Observation offsite link.” This project aims to enhance science teaching by integrating arts-based instructional methods and geospatial data visualizations. 

 

 Due to the unique nature of this workshop, 50 concurrent sessions took place in spaces around the museum, including the Planet Adirondack exhibit, which houses a Science On a Sphere installation. Each session had a unique format engaging the audience in different activities such as climate action board games, nature walks, art activities, and traditional presentations sharing the work done across institutions. Attendees were encouraged to participate in presentations outside their network to learn more about other ways to engage in environmental literacy.

Workshop attendees and NOAA staff displayed their products and resources during the Share-a-thon, providing more detailed information about their projects.

The two Share-a-thon sessions at the ELP-SOS Joint Workshop highlighted innovative strategies and educational tools aimed at empowering communities, educators, and students to address climate change challenges. Attendees shared their projects and findings through presentations and interactive exhibits, which focused on hands-on learning and community engagement. Participants experienced cutting-edge virtual reality, interactive games, and role-play scenarios to understand the impacts of climate change and explore resilience strategies.

Here are brief summaries of the presentations given during the two share-a-thon sessions:

• SOS alignment training: John Marciniak of BWC Visual Technology offered refresher training on aligning Science On a Sphere, covering everything from factory resets to regular touch-ups.
• Planning forward: Engaging communities in values-based climate planning: Gayle Bowness from the Gulf of Maine Research Institute presented a learning experience designed to help communities engage in complex climate planning through values and identity discussions, modeling problem-solving processes for resilient futures.
• Building environmental resilience leaders: Jaymee Nanasi Davis from the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College discussed project-based learning (PBL) for climate action, emphasizing critical thinking, collaboration, and real-world problem-solving skills for students and teachers.
• NOAA SOS virtual reality (VR): Juan Pablo Hurtado Padilla, Sung-Chu Liao, and Eric Hackathorn from the NOAA SOS team showcased various VR experiences, including urban heat islands and 360 videos, inviting feedback and ideas from participants.
• Brockton kids lead the way: Molly Jacobs of Manomet Conservation Science presented on their collaborations with Wildlands Trust and Brockton Public Schools to create outdoor learning spaces and promote climate resilience education through curricular support and co-teaching.
• Community resilience from the youth up: Ethan Lowenstein and Laura Florence from the Southeast Michigan Stewardship Coalition showed how they employ Place-Based Education (PBE) in Detroit and Southeast Michigan high schools, partnering with various stakeholders to develop resilience strategies against climate impacts.
• Dive into Science On a Sphere programming: Bayley McKeon and Alia Payne from the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History showcased how they integrate specimens into Science On a Sphere programming to facilitate deeper public engagement in research and conservation.
• Developing neighborhood climate resilience with climate resilient Flint: Pamela Carralero from Kettering University highlighted the Climate Resilient Flint initiative, which uses forums and community events to foster grassroots climate resilience and urban renewal in Flint, Michigan.
• Community resilience through education, art, technology and engagement (CREATE) connections: Kathryn Semmens of the Nurture Nature Center introduced the CREATE Connections project, which focuses on building community resilience and environmental literacy through collaborative educational programming and public engagement in Easton and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
• Storybooks of community resilience: Rachel Wellman from Florida Atlantic University Pine Jog Environmental Education Center shared lesson plans and student examples from the Climate Resilience Education and Action for Dedicated Youth (Climate READY) project.
• Sea-Level rise pop-ins: Ali Rellinger and Jolie Griffey from Mississippi State University offered interactive games to educate the public about sea-level rise and its impacts.
• Hazard education awareness & resilience task force (HEART): Katya Schloesser from Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado - Boulder, presented scenario-based role-play games that engage students in responding to natural hazards and developing community resilience.
• Interactive climate change activities for aquarium guests: Tom Naiman from the Maritime Aquarium demonstrated interactive stations that educate guests about coastal resilience, ocean acidification, and extreme weather.
• Faunteroy Center Ward 7 resilience hub community coalition: Stacy Lucas discussed the Ward 7 Resilience Hub in Washington, D.C., which supports residents through resource distribution and environmental education.
• Preparing agents of change for tomorrow (PACT) in West Virginia: Megan Kruger from West Virginia University outlined the PACT initiative, which empowers high school students and their communities to develop resilience plans against climate change impacts.
• Science shop for climate resilience: Andrew Kleiner from the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University presented a community-based participatory research approach to climate resilience, emphasizing trust-building and collaboration with environmental justice communities.
• Climate change resilience investigation with middle schoolers: Jennifer Jacques from Ocean Discovery Institute showed how they engage middle school students in hands-on learning about climate change and resilience.
• Climate impacts and adaptations mapping activities: Tiffany Harvey and Kelsey Hawkins-Johnson from Groundwork Ohio River Valley show how they lead a mapping activity to help residents suggest climate adaptation strategies for vulnerable communities.
• SOS Explorer^® now available on your computer: Hilary Peddicord and the NOAA SOS Team introduced SOS Explorer, a free software for displaying Science On a Sphere datasets on any screen.
• Resilient schools and communities (RiSC) program: Emily Fano from the National Wildlife Federation showed how they educate students about climate science, impacts, and resilience solutions through the RiSC program.
• Environmental literacy for Alaskan stewards (ELACS): Sheryl Sotelo from Chugach School District shared the ELACS project, which involves Alaskan students in climate literacy through hands-on environmental monitoring and community resilience planning.
• Community climate education for a resilient Raleigh: Ariel Bushel from the city of Raleigh discussed their efforts to increase community resilience through climate education and collaboration with local partners.
• Artificial intelligence (AI): A new type of team member: Eric Hackathorn and Juan Pablo Hurtado Padilla from NOAA SOS Team introduced "Orbit," an AI guide for NOAA's Science On a Sphere program.
• The Wild Center: Hannah Barg and Elle Eberhardt showcased The Wild Center’s Youth Climate Program resources, including toolkits for planning youth climate summits and climate action.