Ten Strands

10/09/2026

How can educators help students move from climate anxiety to agency and action? 🌎💚

At , educators explored how Seeds to Solutions® brings climate learning to life through real-world phenomena, supports for student well-being, and opportunities for civic engagement.

Today's session, presented by Ten Strands and San Mateo County Office Of Education, centered on the fifth-grade wildfire unit, where participants used the Climate Emotions Wheel from Climate Mental Health Network to check in with their emotions and reflect on their own experiences with wildfires. These personal connections set the stage for exploring the unit’s anchor lesson and how students build understanding through investigation, develop shared explanations, and use their learning to take meaningful action.

We wrapped up by exploring how educators can adapt these free, NGSS-aligned California curriculum resources to connect with the phenomena, priorities, and communities where their students live and learn.

10/08/2026

What if every school district had an environmental education policy? Turns out, more than half of California school districts already do!

At the Research Symposium, Ten Strands’ Andra Yeghoian joined Dr. Carine Verschueren of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to share what we learned from taking a deep dive into these local school board policies.

One of the most interesting findings? Shared policy templates appear to have helped environmental education spread across California—and the policies themselves have evolved over time to include climate change, equity, professional learning, and interdisciplinary approaches.

It raises an exciting question: Could common policy frameworks be one way to help environmental and climate literacy move from individual programs to systems change?

10/08/2026

We kicked off hashtag at the Share Fair and Opening Reception! 🌎

Ten Strands’ Chief Innovation Officer Andra Yeghoian enjoyed connecting with environmental education leaders from across the country, sharing our work in California, and learning about inspiring programs and ideas from other communities. Andra was also joined for part of the evening by CAELI leader Estrella Risinger—making it a great opportunity to uplift and share about the power of collective action in CAELI.

A wonderful start to a week of learning, connection, and collaboration!
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10/07/2026

Ten Strands is in Portland for

This week, Chief Innovation Officer Andra Yeghoian joined climate education leaders from across the country for K–12 Climate Change Education Enactment Across State Settings, exploring what it takes to move climate education from policy and promising practices to implementation at scale.

Andra shared California’s experience building an ecosystem for environmental and climate literacy through policy, curriculum and professional learning, youth leadership, statewide data, and CAELI.

Every state has a different context, but there is so much we can learn from one another about the partnerships, investments, and capacity needed to reach students at scale.

Thank you to Dr. Lauren Madden and fellow panelists for a great conversation!

10/02/2026

For Dr. Laurel Kruke, sustainability is about more than policies and infrastructure—it’s about creating meaningful opportunities for students, educators, and communities to shape a more resilient future. 🌱

As energy and sustainability manager at Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD), Dr. Kruke is helping turn the district’s vision for sustainability and environmental literacy into action across schools and classrooms.

Through a partnership with Ten Strands, LBUSD is building districtwide momentum through its Sustainability and Environmental and Climate Literacy Cohort Professional Learning Community, bringing educators and administrators together to connect sustainability, environmental literacy, and classroom learning.

At the heart of Dr. Kruke's approach is relational leadership: building connections across departments, supporting staff, and helping schools turn ideas into action.

Read the full story to learn more about LBUSD’s sustainability efforts, the power of partnership and professional learning, and her advice for other school sustainability leaders.

🔗 https://tenstrands.org/catalyzing-districtwide-action-how-dr-laurel-kruke-and-ten-strands-are-transforming-school-sustainability-in-long-beach/

09/29/2026

🎉 It's official: the California State Seal of Climate Literacy is now law! 🎉

Earlier today, Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 1048, paving the way for the Seal of Climate Literacy. Once the state finalizes the criteria, this new diploma distinction will recognize students who are ready to live and lead in a changing climate. It will also set up a framework for more hands-on, solutions-oriented, career-connected learning in schools across the state.

For Aahaan Jain a Lynbrook High School student and co-lead of Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action’s State Advocacy team, the Seal is about giving students the knowledge, skills, and opportunities to turn their concern about the climate crisis into action:

“We’re grateful to Gov. Newsom for signing SB 1048 and to Senator Becker for championing this bill and empowering young people across California. Students care deeply about the climate crisis, and we’re hungry for real knowledge and opportunities to apply what we learn in meaningful ways. SB 1048 recognizes that students should understand the challenges we face to be ready to help solve them. The Seal also signals to colleges and future employers that we have valuable skills and real-world experience.”

That’s what this is about: preparing students for the future they will inherit, helping them turn concern into action, and making sure California has the workforce and leaders California needs to keep leading on climate.

This win belongs to you. More than 1,000 students, teachers, parents, and partner organizations made it happen. Whether you emailed the Governor, rallied your classmates, spread the word in your parent group, or brought your school or organization on board, you helped carry this bill across the finish line. Thank you.

We’re also grateful to:
👏 Senator Josh Becker for championing this bill from start to finish
👏 State Superintendent Tony Thurmond, for bringing the California Department of Education on board
👏 Co-authors Senator Lena A. Gonzalez, MBA and Assemblymembers Assemblymember Mia Bonta and Robert Garcia.

In all, 112 legislators from both parties affirmed that climate-literate students are essential to California's future.

In the coming months we’ll share how your school or organization can help bring the Seal of Climate Literacy to life. For today, we hope you’ll take a moment to celebrate what we did together and what it means for future generations. 🌎

🔗 Read our press release: https://tenstrands.org/governor-newsom-signs-bill-establishing-california-state-seal-of-climate-literacy-for-california-students/
🔗 Read the bill: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB1048
🔗 Learn more about the Seal of Climate Literacy: https://sealofclimateliteracy.org/

09/18/2026

What happens when teachers are given the funding, support, and space to explore climate justice with their students? 🌱

Through a partnership between Ten Strands and the California Teachers Association’s Institute for Teaching, Anne Armstrong turned an empty courtyard into a hands-on aquaponics project at ALBA Community Day School.

For Anne, the experience became more than a classroom project. It gave her the opportunity to learn alongside her students, take risks, and rebuild her confidence as an educator.

🎥 Hear more from Anne in this clip, and read her Q&A: https://tenstrands.org/a-conversation-on-climate-justice-in-the-classroom/

09/04/2026

🎧 Worth a listen—and a read!

Scott Shepherd of Wildward Institute recently explored the power of outdoor learning in an episode of Hopeful by Nature, sharing the story of former Ten Strands Director of Equity and Inclusion Celeste Royer and her decades of leadership in outdoor learning and environmental literacy.

Scott also reflects on research showing that California State Parks field trips can do more than inspire environmental awareness—they can motivate students to work harder in school and pay more attention in class.

But how do we turn that motivation into action? Scott highlights efforts like SB 1048, which Ten Strands is proud to co-sponsor alongside the California State PTA, Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action, and UndauntedK12, as part of the growing movement for climate literacy across California.

🎧 Listen to the podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3sJA0GfphLinsinR4UBZzr?si=m9TgHCPLQI67HcM37XN9vQ&utm_source=copy-link&nd=1&dlsi=9beb622890b74777
📖 Read the article: https://www.wildwardinstitute.net/post/retired-twice-and-still-passionate-about-outdoor-learning

Thanks, Scott, for highlighting the power of outdoor learning—and for uplifting Celeste’s incredible contributions to this work! 💡 🌿 💚

Hopeful By Nature · Episode

09/04/2026

“Without accompanying professional learning, educators miss a critical opportunity to build both their confidence and their pedagogical skills,” says Ten Strands’ Director of Professional Learning and Community Building Holly Steele.

California schools have a clear need for climate education—but teachers also need the resources, support, and professional learning to bring it to life.

That’s where the Seeds to Solutions® Cultivator Cooperative comes in.

This new climate education capacity-building series brings together current and aspiring professional learning providers—including county office staff, district, site, and teacher leaders, as well as community-based partners—to:

🌎 Experience Seeds to Solutions’ instructional design approaches
🤝 Connect with local climate literacy leaders from their county and region
🧰 Leave with turnkey professional learning materials
💡 Prepare to support professional learning customized to their local communities as Lead Cultivators
💰 Receive at least $1,000 in funding for local efforts

🔗 Ready to become a Lead Cultivator? Learn more about the Seeds to Solutions Cultivator Cooperative and how to get involved through your county office of education: https://tenstrands.org/introducing-cultivator-cooperative/

08/26/2026

Register for the first CAELI Green Ribbon Network meeting! 🌱

The CA Green Ribbon Schools Achievers and Applicants Network meets quarterly and brings together past, current, and prospective California Green Ribbon Schools applicants committed to advancing sustainable practices and programs in their school communities.

Participants have the opportunity to connect, share best practices, and learn from one another. The network also supports communities through the application process, encourages returning participants to continue working toward Green Achiever recognition, and helps schools that have achieved this highest level identify strategies for continuous improvement and innovation beyond the Green Ribbon framework.

⏰ The first meeting is September 10 at 3:30 PM.

🔗 Register to join the network! https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/dLUfHTqoQAWyNWsEAZdUYg #/registration