CAELI leaders and activators are kicking off the 2025–26 season with an exciting slate of collective action projects that build on the momentum of past years as well as innovate through new ideas and strategies.
The 2025–26 season launched with the third annual CAELI Leadership Retreat in late July. Attendees included a mix of returning and new CAELI collective action project leaders and was co-facilitated by Ten Strands and CAELI co-chairs, Estrella Risinger and Nate Ivy. Similar to past years, the CAELI Leadership Retreat provided time for connecting around our shared sense of purpose and calibrating on the evolution of CAELI’s collective action model.
The retreat also set an important foundation for CAELI leaders to collaborate and put plans in motion for a number of collective action projects, including the following:
- CAELI Webinars: Back by popular demand is another round of CAELI webinars. This year’s themes will include district leadership for environmental and climate action, green career education, and strategies and resources for community-based partners (CBPs). Check out past webinars here, and stay tuned for registration links to upcoming webinars.
- County Office of Education (COE) Engagement Opportunities: CAELI COE leaders will offer a number of pathways to engage with CAELI, including a statewide community of practice (COP), virtual and in-person meet-ups for environmental leaders working in COEs, and stories from the field featuring COE Fellowship alumni.
- Communities of Practice for District and Community-Based Partner Leaders: In addition to the COE COP, CAELI will offer two other statewide communities of practice—one focused on district leadership for environmental literacy and action in schools and another bringing together environmental leaders.
- CAELI Green Ribbon Initiative: CAELI will continue to advance efforts to increase Green Ribbon achievement through quarterly statewide Green Ribbon Network meetings, and supporting school communities with resources to successfully achieve the intended outcomes of the Green Ribbon program: reducing environmental impact and costs, improving health and wellness in schools, and providing effective environmental and sustainability education.
Other efforts that will continue in the 2025–26 season include the ongoing integration of equity principles and practices, the expansion of the CAELI Partner Portal, in-person regional and statewide affinity group meet-ups, and more stories from the field to complement our environmental teacher superhero podcast series.
There is much to look forward to in the 2025–26 season, and we invite leaders from across California to get involved in CAELI by supporting a CAELI Collective Action Project as an activator, attending one of the many CAELI events as a participant, or utilizing resources from our robust library. To learn more about participating in CAELI, check out the “Get Involved” section of our website.
Our CAELI leadership team remains grateful for the ongoing commitment that CAELI members make to work collectively to advance environmental literacy for ALL of California’s TK–12 students.
