Schools

Welcome to Forces for Nature’s

EcoAction Lab!

For educators, curriculum directors, and school districts dedicated to providing impactful climate education, Forces for Nature presents our EcoAction Lab. We understand the pressing need for effective and engaging climate change education. Our program is designed to equip teachers and empower students with the knowledge, tools, and actions to make a real difference. With a focus on practical, evidence-based solutions- that are within reach of students- we go beyond traditional climate education, ensuring that students not only comprehend the challenges we face but also feel confident in their ability to drive positive change. Join us in this transformative journey, where education meets action, and together, we can make a world of difference.

Testimonials

“I was able to get my students involved in addressing human impact in an authentic way, rather than in a hypothetical way. Rather than reading articles and answering questions, having class discussions about media, creating and presenting projects, etc., they actually applied what they were learning to their real life. Not only did it teach them about their human impact, but it also taught them that they can take what they learn from in school and make it genuinely useful outside of school.”        – Melissa Vander-Teems, high school science teacher

“This was a great program as students had the freedom to explore topics that interested them. It was so nice having a person in the field who is so resourceful present to my students. She is knowledgeable and very easy to talk with about all topics.”       -Julia Borawski, High school science teacher

 

FAQs

  • Is this an introduction to climate change program? It is not. Before running this program, it is expected that students have a general understanding of the causes and impacts of climate change. We then focus on what they, as individuals, can do to help mitigate it.
  • What makes this climate program different than others out there? Other climate curricula often focus on solutions that require more community, government, and business-level interventions. Although this is very important, it doesn’t allow students to feel like they, as individuals, can do anything to help stop this threat. Feeling powerless can lead to feelings of eco-anxiety. Forces for Nature’s EcoAction Lab, instead, focuses on empowering students with practical actions they can take right now. Experts have narrowed down the most impactful actions for individuals that have the potential to decrease global emissions by 25-27%! The EcoAction Lab focuses on the ones that students have the capacity to carry out. However, just providing a list of actions won’t guarantee anyone will do them. Therefore, the lessons are rooted in behavior-change science, designed to support the creation of new habits.
  • What standards does it align to? While the program is aligned with NGSS and SEL Competencies for High School, university and middle school students could also find the teachings valuable.
  • Does it need to be done in class? Definitely not! If you have, for example, an eco-club looking for a high-impact project, this could easily work for them too.
  • Climate change has become a political issue. Are politics mentioned in the program? This program is apolitical. Human-caused emissions statistics are mentioned, but so are other social, environmental, and economic benefits that come with making more eco-friendly choices.
  • What is the timing of the program? It is recommended that one action category gets introduced to the students per week (each lesson covers approximately one hour of class time). Therefore, with five categories, and pre- and post-activities, this program could run for almost two months.
  • What is Forces for Nature? Forces for Nature started as a podcast focused on success stories and solutions happening for animals and the environment. It now also encompasses the production of another show, The Healthy Seas Podcast. Most recently though, it has included solutions-focused environmental education programming to help people answer their question, “But what could I possibly do to make a difference for the environment?”
  • What does the program include? Two live, virtual presentations from sustainability expert and podcast host, Crystal DiMiceli; Five core lesson plans, five related podcast episodes with discussion questions, and videos; the Posts of Progress Lesson Plan; Pre- and Post-activities; Bonus resources for you to go deeper into each action category; and Student action tracking sheets.

 

More services coming soon! Until then…

Are you a school district looking for professional development opportunities that prepare your teachers to be climate change literate in order to teach this subject to our future leaders? Let’s chat!

Are you looking for a speaker for your event that can speak to the topics of positive messaging, bringing environmentalism down to earth, or what we, as individuals, can realistically do to help mitigate climate change? Let’s chat!