Unwrapped Earth

Over the past few months, one of the most meaningful things I’ve been part of has been the Climate & Resilience Education Task Force (CRETF) Youth Steering Committee – or YSC. It’s one thing to care about climate education in theory, but it’s another to actually sit in conversations with scientists, educators, advocates, and other students who are all trying to figure out what meaningful climate learning should look like.

What We Actually Helped Accomplish

In March, the New York State Board of Regents approved a new statewide K–12 climate education learning requirement – which honestly still feels kind of surreal. It means climate education is no longer just something that some teachers choose to bring into classrooms. It’s now something the state is formally recognizing as necessary for all students. The requirement will be phased in across grade bands starting in the 2027–2028 school year for middle and high school, and 2028–2029 for elementary school. That’s real change!

And what makes it even more meaningful is knowing this didn’t just appear out of nowhere. Students, educators, and advocates – including people connected to CRETF and YSC – have spent years pushing for this. Writing comments. Showing up. Meeting with lawmakers. Following up. Doing the kind of work that often feels invisible until something finally shifts.

Being even a small part of that process has made me think differently about what youth involvement can look like. It doesn’t always mean protest signs or speeches. Sometimes it looks like emails, meetings, and persistence.

What I’ve Been Learning

One recent YSC session featured Chris Hilke from the National Wildlife Federation, whose work focuses on coastal resilience – basically, how communities along coasts can better prepare for flooding, storms, and climate impacts by working with natural systems instead of only against them. His work centers on nature-based solutions like wetlands, dunes, and other natural infrastructure that can reduce flood risk while also supporting ecosystems and communities.

That really clicked with me because it connects so directly to things I’ve already been thinking about – flooding, infrastructure, resilience, and how the built environment and the natural environment are never actually separate.

Another session featured Nate Drag from New York Sea Grant, who talked more about water literacy, environmental education, and how place-based learning can make science feel real. I liked that a lot, because it reminded me that environmental education doesn’t have to stay abstract. It can be rooted in the actual places students live near – lakes, wetlands, shorelines, neighborhoods, school grounds.

That idea has stayed with me:
people care more deeply when they can see themselves inside the issue.

Why This Has Meant So Much

I think what I appreciate most about YSC is that it doesn’t just treat climate as a science topic. It treats it as something tied to education, policy, justice, communication, and everyday life. That has helped change the way I think.

It’s made me more aware that climate education isn’t just about learning facts about emissions or sea level rise. It’s about helping students understand the systems shaping their lives and helping them feel capable of participating in those systems, too.

And honestly, being in this space with other young people who care deeply, ask smart questions, and are trying to build something better has been one of the most grounding parts of this year.

More to come.