VEEN is excited to celebrate the incredible accomplishments of this year's Youth Climate Leaders Academy (YCLA) participants! Hosted by our organizational member, the Vermont Energy Education Program, YCLA empowers high school students across Vermont and New Hampshire to design and implement projects that address real-world climate challenges in their schools and communities.

Throughout the year, student teams identified climate-related issues they care about, developed solutions, collaborated with peers and mentors, and turned their ideas into meaningful action. Their creativity, leadership, and commitment to building a more sustainable future are truly inspiring.

We encourage you to explore this year's student projects and celebrate their achievements in the latest YCLA newsletter:

Youth Climate Leaders Academy Newsletter

Interested in getting involved? YCLA is open to students in grades 9–12 and provides educators and youth with the resources, mentorship, and support needed to develop impactful climate action projects. The 2026 Kick-Off Retreat will take place December 4–5, 2026, with registration opening this September.

Learn more about the Youth Climate Leaders Academy and how to participate at:

VEEP Youth Climate Leaders Academy

Are you a young adult passionate about the outdoors, leadership, and building a more inclusive outdoor community?

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is accepting applications for its Emerging Leaders Summit (ELS)—a leadership development and stewardship experience that brings together young adults from across the eastern United States to learn, connect, and give back to the Appalachian Trail.

Who should apply?
Young adults ages 18–30 who:

• Are interested in Appalachian Trail stewardship and conservation
• Want to develop leadership skills and build community
• Are passionate about creating welcoming and inclusive outdoor spaces
• Have any level of outdoor experience (no prior experience required)
• Come from a variety of educational, professional, and volunteer backgrounds

Priority will be given to applicants living in the eastern United States and those received by July 31st.

Participants will engage in hands-on stewardship projects, shared outdoor experiences, leadership development activities, and networking with peers who care about the future of our public lands and outdoor spaces.

Learn more and apply:
Emerging Leaders Summit Application

Questions? Contact: ELS@appalachiantrail.org

This is a great opportunity for college students, recent graduates, early-career professionals, and emerging leaders looking to deepen their connection to conservation, stewardship, and outdoor leadership.

Registration is now open for the NAAEE 2026 Conference (October 6–9) & Research Symposium (October 6–7), hosted by the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) in partnership with the Environmental Education Association of Oregon. In times of change, imagination matters. This year’s theme of “Imagine If…” invites us to pause, look beyond current constraints, and consider what becomes possible when education drives connection, action, and positive change. We’ll explore how we can build on the momentum already underway across our field—and what more becomes possible when environmental education is fully leveraged to shape a more just, resilient, and sustainable world.

The Annual Conference and Research Symposium offer inspiring and thoughtful keynotes, a rich variety of workshops, presentations, symposium panels, discussions, bright spots, and posters, along with great opportunities for networking, growth, and change.

NAAEE is committed to making this in-person experience accessible to all, with financial aid and scholarships available. Check the conference website for information.

To help share this announcement, view the NAAEE 2026 Promo Toolkit. Thank you!

The True Blue Fellowship empowers young people around the world, who are using creativity to drive environmental action. Through funding of up to USD $2,500, peer support, and capacity-building opportunities, Fellows receive the resources they need to grow projects that safeguard the ocean, waterways, and climate.

Eligible applicants:

• Ages 16–24 worldwide

• Individuals, groups, or organizations

• New or emerging projects less than two years old

• Projects addressing ocean, waterway, and/or climate issues through a creative arts lens

Selected Fellows receive funding, access to a global community of peers, and support from the Future Blue Youth Council and Bow Seat staff.

Applications are due by August 30, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET.

Learn more and apply here: https://bowseat.org/programs/true-blue-fellowship/

How is environmental science being taught in high schools today? What resources and support do teachers need most?

To help answer these questions, the North American Association for Environmental Education has partnered with BSCS Science Learning and the FieldScope Project to launch a national survey of high school environmental science teachers.

The survey explores topics including classroom instruction, field experiences, citizen science, curriculum choices, data collection practices, and professional learning needs. Findings will help shape future environmental science curricula, tools, and professional development opportunities.

The survey is open to any high school teacher who teaches environmental science as a dedicated course or as a significant component of a broader science class. It takes approximately 15 minutes to complete.

If you teach high school environmental science—or know someone who does—please consider participating and sharing this opportunity with your network.

Learn more and take the survey:
NAAEE Survey Announcement

The more educators who participate, the stronger and more representative the findings will be.

The Wade Institute for Science Education at Manomet Conservation Sciences

2026 Summer Professional Development Institutes From Waterwheels to Waterways: Engineering Design and Environmental Science in the Lowell Mills A 3-Day Hybrid Professional Development Institute for Grades 6-12 Educators Virtual Dates: Mondays, July 13th and 20th, 2026 (9:30 AM – 1:00 PM ET) In-Person Dates: Thursday and Friday, July 16th and 17th, 2026 (8:30 AM – 3:30 PM ET) Location: 2 half-days online via Zoom (9:30 AM – 1:00 PM ET), and 2 in-person days in Lowell, MA (8:30 AM – 3:30 PM ET) Collaborating Partners: Tsongas Industrial History Center; Lowell National Historical Park Cost: $375 per educator; $325 per educator if attending in a team of 3 or more educators In this 3-day hybrid institute, participants will explore the Lowell and Merrimack River Watershed through hands-on, inquiry-based learning that connects history, engineering, and environmental science. With guidance from local experts and partners, educators will investigate the industrial legacy of Lowell, examine its environmental recovery, and collaborate to design a working model of the city’s historic mill-and-canal system. Awareness Inspires Conservation: From Data to Action A 4-Day Professional Development Institute for Grades 3-8 Educators Dates: Monday, July 20th - Thursday, July 23rd, 2026 (8:30 AM -3:30 PM ET) Location: Cape Cod, MA (Eastham, MA/Chatham, MA) Collaborating Partners: Atlantic White Shark Conservancy; Center for Coastal Studies Cost: $475 per educator; $425 per educator if attending in a team of 3 or more educators This 4-day Summer Institute immerses educators in real-world conservation challenges, from species recovery to human-wildlife interactions, through authentic research, data analysis, and field investigations. In collaboration with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy and the Center for Coastal Studies, participants will engage in hands-on activities such as shark dissection, coastal exploration, and data mapping, with an optional fifth day featuring a “Science in the Harbor” tour in Provincetown, MA. Resilient Coasts: Using Local Phenomena to Understand Climate Solutions A 3-Day Professional Development Institute for Grades 6-12 Educators Dates: Tuesday, July 28th - Thursday, July 30th, 2026 (8:30 AM -3:30 PM ET) Location: Crane Beach, The Trustees of Reservations (Ipswich, MA) Collaborating Partner: The Trustees of Reservations Cost: $375 per educator; $325 per educator if attending in a team of 3 or more educators This multi-day summer Institute offers educators a place-based professional learning experience in coastal science and conservation at Crane Beach, combining hands-on fieldwork with collaboration alongside scientists. Through authentic data analysis and exploration of restoration projects, participants will gain tools and strategies to connect local environmental change to broader science concepts and classroom inquiry. PDPs and Optional Graduate Credit are available for all Institutes. Additional work required for graduate credit. 2026 Late Summer Focus Workshop The Living Storyline: Ecosystems, Inquiry, & Real-World Science A 2-Day Focus Workshop for Grades 3-8 Educators Bring new life to your science curriculum through locally-relevant phenomena! You will explore both coastal and terrestrial ecosystems, including their interactions, biodiversity, and the relationship between change in populations and human impact. (The Lloyd Center’s 82 acres of forest, wetland, salt marsh, and estuary makes for a great location to explore ecosystems!) Participating teachers will explore how to use compelling real-world phenomena to anchor a cohesive storyline unit that builds student understanding over time. You will experience a variety of participatory science projects, including a BioBlitz, and even take canoes out on the Slocums River! Educators will leave with adaptable tools, instructional resources, and confidence to implement storyline teaching and meaningful, nature-based investigations in their own classrooms. Location: Lloyd Center for the Environment (South Dartmouth, MA) Dates: Tuesday, August 11th & Wednesday, August 12th, 2026 (8:30 AM – 3:30 PM ET, in person) Cost: $275 per educator PDPs and Optional Graduate Credit: 14 PDPs are available without graduate credit. 22.5 PDPs and 1 graduate are available for an additional cost. Additional work is required for graduate credit. Educators can learn more about these programs and register online at wadeinstitutema.org!

Vermont school districts have an exciting opportunity to improve indoor air quality, increase energy efficiency, and build staff expertise through the 2026–2027 School Air Quality Fellowship.

The Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council is now accepting applications for the 2026-2027 School Air Quality Fellowship. Running from September 2026 to May 2027, this nine-month program empowers K-12 public school district staff to develop plans for cleaner indoor air and energy efficiency.

Fellowship Benefits:

• Personalized Training and Technical Assistance: Specialized Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and energy management training from industry leaders
• Paid Credentials: Fully paid support for earning credentials like the Building Operator Certification, Registered Environmental Health Specialist/Registered Sanitarian, and LEED Green Associate
• Green Schools Conference Attendance: Travel and attendance to the Green Schools Conference and School Facilities Leadership Summit in Austin, TX (Feb 8-11, 2027).
• Peer Networking: Connection with a cohort of regional and national peers
• Mini-Grant Funding: The opportunity to receive up to $30,000 in mini-grant funds through a collaboration with the American Lung Association 

Monetary Value: The estimated monetary value of the Fellowship is $5,000, with potential for up to $30,000 in mini-grant funding.

Participant Commitments

• Develop or refine district-level written IAQ guidelines with expert guidance
• Select and complete a relevant professional credential
• Attend national conference in Austin, TX February 2027 (travel and attendance included with Fellowship)
• Devote roughly 10 hours per month to Fellowship training, technical assistance, and credential work (may vary depending on credentialing opportunity pursued)

Application Process and Timeline:

• Application open April 24 – July 10, 2026
• Fellows selected by July 31, 2026
• Fellowship runs September 2026 through May 2027

See the Center for Green Schools website for more information including FAQs, and a Justification Letter that applicants can share with their supervisors. 

Questions: contact schools@usgbc.org.

APPLY NOW

New England districts interested in learning more are also encouraged to connect with Medea Villeré, the Northeast regional contact for the program, who can discuss the fellowship, indoor air quality initiatives, and related school sustainability projects. Her email is mvillere@usgbc.org.

Champlain Research Experience for Secondary Teachers (CZ-CREST)

This is the last year of this program. HOUSING FUNDS AVAILABLE FOR QUALIFIED TEACHERS AND EDUCATORS.

 WHEN: Monday, June 22 – Thursday, June 25, 2025, 8:30 - 4:30 p.m. daily

  WHERE: UVM Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory, 3 College St, Burlington, VT (and aboard a research vessel on Lake Champlain!) 

  WHO: Middle and high school educators (all disciplines), including graduate students, classroom teachers, pre-service teachers, place-based environmental educators, naturalists, natural scientists, and anyone interested in STEM or watershed education! (Note that you don’t need to be an active teacher or educator to join the adventure — an interest in doing so someday is plenty!)

  WHAT: Together with UVM scientists, STEM educators, & grad students across the Lake Champlain Basin, participants will:

• Explore unique ecology, geomorphology, and watershed science through hands-on field investigations of the Lake Champlain Basin

• Experience research-based programs led by UVM scientists, STEM educators, & STEM graduate students

• Access STEM resources, project templates, and data applicable to your curriculum and teaching

• Create place-based projects that integrate PBGRs, ELA, social studies, math, and science (or whatever is most meaningful to your day-to-day research and teaching!)

If interested, please complete the online CREST Application by April 15, 2026.

Questions? See attached flyer and contact CZ-CREST Director Regina Toolin (cc-ed, rtoolin@uvm.edu)

The Community Herbalism Apprenticeship Program is back this year and better than ever! This 6-month, hands-on introductory learning opportunity meets for 150 hours, which includes weekly in-person classes, 50 hours of practicum work and independent readings and assignments offered between weeks.

Participants will gain the confidence and skills to identify and make herbal remedies and/or wild foods from the locally and seasonally abundant healing plants of our region.

For 2026, we’ve shifted the hours of our weekly gatherings to accommodate a wider range of work schedules and take advantage of the daylight hours. We will be meeting each Wednesday from 2-6 pm!

In our 10th year of offering this apprenticeship, programming will feature a 4-week rotation of gatherings, which include gardening at Rooted Heart Rising Garden in Burlington, Remedy making, Field trips, and Wildcrafting adventures in our network of community green spaces and food forests.  Each week you can anticipate a variety of guest teachers to join us for lessons in their area of expertise. We are proud to point out that many of them are our talented alumni!

Learn more and apply here: https://www.spoonfulherbals.org/apprenticeship

We’re encouraged to see growing attention on climate education in Vermont schools, highlighted in a recent article by Kate Kampner for Community News Service, published February 19, 2026 in The Charlotte News.

The article covers S.175, a bill introduced by Anne Watson, which would direct the Vermont Secretary of Education to develop a climate change curriculum for elementary and secondary public schools. Grounded in Vermont’s 2025 Climate Action Plan and aligned with findings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the bill is intended to act as a guiding resource for educators, rather than a rigid mandate.

We’re especially glad to see educator voices centered in this reporting. Joan Haley and Meg Lyons—both VEEN board members—are quoted in the article, underscoring the importance of pairing climate education goals with thoughtful implementation and strong professional development, particularly for elementary educators.

As Joan shared: “I’m thrilled to see climate change education on the radar of Vermont legislators. We owe this to our youth.”

VEEN will be tracking S.175 closely and continuing to support efforts that equip educators with the tools, confidence, and support needed to bring meaningful climate learning into classrooms across Vermont.

Read the full article here: https://www.charlottenewsvt.org/2026/02/19/bill-to-mandate-climate-change-education-in-vt-schools/