Coming Together for Climate Action & Environmental Literacy

Executive Director Teresa Barnett welcomed members of the CRS Advisory Council back for our first in-person meeting for several years, on a sunny September morning in the UC Botanical Gardens. Representatives from Bay Area science centers, outdoor education organizations, and East Bay school districts hugged and greeted each other, eager to begin sharing updates and sparking new ideas.

After briefly exploring the grounds, science educators came back together and found another pair to share with, adding to their observations and wonderings: “What ‘math’ could you add into your observation and wondering? What might you measure, count, compare, or quantify?”

This simple activity provided a brief opportunity for introductions and connections, while also illustrating one of the components of the CRS summer 2024 Joyful Math and Science teacher workshops.

Advisory Council Chair Betsy Mitchell invited the representatives to each share about “what’s new” at their science centers or in their classrooms, providing an opportunity for shared understanding of how pandemic disruptions and new innovations are shaping museums and classrooms across the East Bay.

Then the group turned its attention to a shared priority: building climate and environmental literacy. Representatives of the UC Museum of Paleontology, the California Academy of Sciences, and the Bay Area Science Project all shared examples of recent projects, discussing effective strategies and resources for incorporating environmental justice across elementary, middle, and high school grade bands.

Working together, the Advisory Council members identified areas for collaboration over the coming year, in order to provide more opportunities for teacher professional development, scientist role model engagement, and student action projects.