Education and Climate Campaigns
Explore how California has been driving environmental and climate literacy through legislation, partner-led campaigns, and groundbreaking education initiatives advancing system-wide change—and learn how you can support these efforts!
2025 Campaign Action Items
Sign on to legislation supporting system-wide change in our TK–12 public school system today!
- Sign-On Letter to Governor Newsom requesting $10M for regional support and capacity building to advance climate-resilient, healthy, efficient schools. Sponsored by the Climate Ready Schools Coalition
- SB 341 Sign-On Letter supporting the reestablishment of the instructional school garden program. New deadline: EOD Wednesday, March 12, 2025. Letters submitted after will still be valuable for the next hearing. Sponsored by the School Garden Coalition
2025 Partner-Led Campaigns
Seeds to Solution Budget Request
Sponsors: Ten Strands and San Mateo County Office of Education
To support the widespread use of Seeds to Solutions K–12 climate change and environmental justice curriculum, Ten Strands and SMCOE are requesting $10 million over three years to build upon the state’s initial investment.
Climate-Resilient Schools Budget Request
Sponsors: Climate Ready Schools Coalition
The Coalition is requesting $10M for regional support and capacity building to advance climate-resilient, healthy, efficient schools
Instructional School Gardens Program Reestablishment (SB 341)
Sponsors: School Garden Coalition
SB 341 takes a critical first step in restarting and expanding California’s unused, unfunded Instructional School Garden Program to include instruction and maintenance, so school districts can integrate garden-based learning into the curriculum.
Deadline: Wednesday, March 12, 2025
Proposition 2 Implementation through Office of Public School Construction
Sponsors: Climate Ready Schools Coalition
Proposition 2, the CA School Bond bill passed in the November 2024 election. The Office of Public School Construction (OPSC) is the public agency overseeing the allocation of the bond dollars to districts. The Climate Ready Schools Coalition established a working group to influence the formal OPSC process, ensuring regulations are implemented to hold climate mitigation and resilience as a core principle.
Advocacy Milestones in California’s Education System
California has been a national leader in advancing environmental literacy, climate change education, outdoor learning, sustainable and climate-ready school buildings and grounds, and environmental justice into its education system. Below are the significant milestones that highlight the state’s commitment to empowering students with the knowledge and skills to address environmental challenges. For further exploration, here is a comprehensive overview.
2003–2012: Building a Foundation
- 2003: The Education and the Environment Initiative (EEI) legislation is passed, laying the groundwork for environmental education
- 2004: The Environmental Principles and Concepts (EP&Cs) are approved by multiple state agencies, setting a core framework for environmental literacy
- 2010: The EEI Curriculum, based on the EP&Cs, is formally adopted for use in California schools
2013: Advancing Science Standards
- California adopts the Next Generation Science Standards, embedding environmental concepts into a forward-thinking science curriculum
2014: Vision for Environmental Literacy
- State Superintendent of Public Instruction (SSPI) Tom Torlakson convenes the Environmental Literacy Task Force to craft a comprehensive environmental literacy blueprint
- Assembly Concurrent Resolution 128 (Ting) designated the month of May as Living Schoolyard Month
2015: A Blueprint for Change
- SSPI Torlakson releases A Blueprint for Environmental Literacy, a guiding document outlining strategies to foster environmental understanding across the state’s education system
2016: Strengthening Frameworks and Leadership
- SSPI Torlakson forms the Environmental Literacy Steering Committee to oversee implementation efforts
- The Science and History–Social Science Frameworks are updated by the State Board of Education (SBE), integrating the EP&Cs into core curriculum guidelines
2017–2019: Expanding Instructional Resources
- 2017: Revisions to the Health Education Framework begin, while the SBE approves new history–social science instructional materials featuring the EP&Cs for K–8 students
- 2018: Updated history–social science materials become available, followed by the approval of new science instructional materials for K–8 students
- 2019: New science instructional materials are rolled out in classrooms, and the Health Education Framework is adopted by the SBE
2020–2021: Responding to Challenges and Investing in Justice
- 2020: The COVID-19 pandemic prompts emergency funding to support returning students to on campus instruction, including outdoor learning
- 2021: The state commits $6 million to develop curricular resources focusing on climate and environmental justice, reflecting the urgency of addressing these issues in education
2022–2024: Greening California Schools
- 2022: CAL FIRE initially allocates $117 million to pilot the greening of school campuses
- 2023: An additional $33 million is dedicated to expanding these efforts, bringing the total funding to $150 million to transform schools into more sustainable and environmentally friendly spaces
- 2024: SB 1091 Promote Schoolyard Greening and Shade is passed, improving access for schools to pursue greening projects by addressing one policy barrier to greening school grounds
