The future is unfolding rapidly, and with it, an undeniable truth: the key to a sustainable tomorrow lies within today’s classrooms. As we navigate a world reshaped by climate change, the conversation is shifting from just understanding the problem to actively cultivating solutions, taking action, and empowering the next generation to lead. It’s about harnessing human ingenuity, empathy, and collective action, supercharged by universal climate education.

The Vision Ahead: Education as Our Driving Force

Imagine a world where every young mind is equipped to innovate, adapt, and build a resilient future. This is the urgent imperative championed by global leaders. A July 2025 UNESCO report warns climate change could cost children up to 1.5 years of schooling, highlighting education’s crucial role in building resilience. This aligns with the UNFCCC’s Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE), emphasizing education, public awareness, and training as vital for our global response. To future-proof our planet, we must first future-proof our education systems.

Untapped Potential: The Proven Power of Informed Action

Comprehensive climate action education is our most potent, cost-effective, and far-reaching solution. At Take Action Global (TAG), we witness this power daily throughout the free, global Climate Action Project program. Our latest impact data from last year’s program reveals transformations already shaping a greener future:

• Action Multiplied: Nearly 5.4 million students and educators across 175+ countries have moved beyond passive learning to actively implement climate solutions.
• Carbon Conscious Communities: Students’ efforts, including planting millions of trees and EarthProject app usage, have contributed to thousands of tons of carbon avoided.
• Homegrown Habits: A remarkable 67% of students sparked climate discussions with parents, leading to immediate positive lifestyle changes in 83% of those homes.
• Confidence Soars: An empowering 92% of student participants feel confident their actions make a difference.
• Teachers as Trailblazers: 92% of educators report professional growth through their involvement, building a robust global network.

These powerful statistics are a blueprint for the expansive impact we can achieve by universalizing climate action education.

Beyond the Classroom: Cultivating a Global Culture of Solutions

Climate education transcends textbooks, sparking curiosity and a deep, empathetic connection to our planet. It ignites intergenerational dialogue, extending into homes and communities.

A May 2025 GlobeScan and BBMG report indicates nearly 4 in 10 Gen Z individuals feel stressed or anxious about climate change—double the rate of older generations. This highlights the critical need to equip young people with agency. As EarthDay.org’s 2025 Climate Education Report states, “Good climate education doesn’t stop at awareness. It creates agency,” easing anxiety and building essential sustainability skills for a future green job market.

The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 4 & SDG 13) are intrinsically linked, with recent reports confirming climate change integration into education is vital for progress. Initiatives like the UNDP’s 2025 Youth4Climate Call for Solutions further invest in this generation’s capacity for innovation.

Pioneering Tomorrow: Our Path to Universal Climate Education

To truly drive change, we must aggressively scale universal climate action education. This involves:

• Transformative Teacher Training: Empowering educators with dynamic curricula and practical tools.
• Interdisciplinary Integration: Weaving climate themes into every subject.
• Experiential Learning: Fostering hands-on projects and real-world problem-solving.
• Global Collaboration: Connecting classrooms across borders to share ideas and co-create solutions.
• Technology for Accessibility: Making climate education accessible to every student, everywhere.

A Call to Build the Future

The horizon of 2025 gleams with unprecedented opportunities. Climate Action Day 2025, culminating the Climate Action Project on November 6, will be a powerful testament to the global community already charting this course.Join us at Take Action Global as we commit to expanding this vital mission. By investing in universal climate action education, we’re not just preparing the next generation for the future; we’re empowering them to actively build it. Let’s collectively drive the change our world so urgently needs.

Interested in joining this year’s Climate Action Project? Sign up here.

Our latest CAS Student Workbook is more than just pages to fill—it’s a dynamic learning companion designed to put students in the driver’s seat. With interactive prompts, creative challenges, and space for real reflection, this workbook transforms passive learning into active exploration.

Empowerment Through Action

Gone are the days of filling in blanks. Instead, students chart their own learning journey—setting personal goals, brainstorming project ideas, tracking progress, and reflecting on their experiences. Every section is crafted to spark curiosity and ownership, helping students turn ideas into actions. It’s all about asking: What matters to me? How will I make an impact?

Creativity Meets Purpose

The workbook blends structured guidance with creative freedom. Students can sketch plans, write narratives, draft project timelines, or design logos—whatever brings their vision to life. These creative outlets foster deeper thinking and reflection, making the CAS experience genuinely personal and meaningful.

Built for Inclusion—Available in Multiple Languages

Understanding that language should never be a barrier to growth, our workbook is fully available in English, Spanish, and Hindi (more coming soon). This multilingual approach ensures that students from diverse backgrounds can access, engage with, and lead their learning in the language they know best.

Practical, Flexible, and Fun

Designed with real classroom use in mind, the workbook includes checklists, calendars, reflection spaces, and project‑planning pages—all with a clean, student‑friendly layout. Whether used in small groups, full classes, or independent study, it adapts easily to different settings and learning styles.

Why We’re Excited

• Student-led learning: The workbook empowers young people to make choices, reflect on their own growth, and take initiative.
• Creative expression: It acknowledges that learning isn’t just logical—it’s artistic, emotional, and deeply personal.

Inclusive access: Multiple languages mean no student is left out.

In short, this workbook is a launchpad—encouraging students not just to participate, but to contribute, reflect, and innovate. It’s a bold step toward modern, equitable, and creative education.

Call to Action:

Are you ready to empower students to become real-world climate champions? Reach out now to discover how your school can join the transformative Climate Action Schools Program:

• Engage students in year-long, hands-on climate projects—from carbon audits and tree planting to community campaigns and school-to-school virtual exchanges.
• Train a dedicated Climate Champion—a certified school leader who guides climate action and connects globally .
• Expand creative and inclusive learning through arts, STEM, data visualization, and reflection.
• Leverage funding support: affordable sliding scales, grants, and scholarships make participation equitable
  

Take the first step! Contact Lindsay at Lindsay@takeactionglobal.org to:

1. Learn about program details and upcoming info sessions
2. Explore funding and scholarship options
3. Prepare your school application and select your Climate Champion

Help your students lead, create, and act—instilling lifelong climate skills and making an impact today. Send an email or schedule a chat now to start your school’s journey toward certification and global collaboration.

Building Connections to the School District

Over the past few years, Take Action Global (TAG) proudly hosted eight distinct LEGO® Build the Change cohorts, bringing together educators from diverse backgrounds—including librarians, technology specialists, middle school educators, art instructors, fifth-grade teachers, and STEAM coordinators.

Among our early participants was Wendy Johnston, the STEAM teacher at Stillwater Elementary School. Wendy approached the program with enthusiasm and curiosity, eager to explore its potential across various grade levels.

Upon completing the program, Wendy shared that it was exceptionally well-organized and clearly explained. As the STEAM coordinator, she implemented a diverse range of lessons spanning first through fifth grades. This approach allowed her to observe firsthand how students at different developmental stages engaged with the STEAM activities.

Inspired by Wendy’s experience, we reached out to her principal, Ms. Rebecca Toleman, to arrange a visit to Stillwater. We were fortunate to coordinate a two-day engagement: on the first day, we conducted a one-hour professional learning session with the school’s educators; on the second day, we interacted with nearly 500 students during their inaugural STEAM Symposium.

Our theme for both experiences was “playful learning.” We believe that play is just as important for adult learners as it is for students. Play is a powerful learning strategy that allows both students and educators to develop critical skills for learning. For students, engaging in playful activities enhances problem-solving abilities, fosters creativity, and supports emotional regulation. Educators, too, benefit from playful learning experiences as it encourages innovative teaching approaches and strengthens collaborative skills. Research indicates that playful learning environments promote cognitive flexibility and resilience, essential traits for navigating the evolving educational landscape.

The LEGO® Build the Change program, supported by the LEGO Foundation, empowers children to address real-world sustainability challenges through creative play. By engaging in activities that promote environmental awareness and problem-solving, students develop a sense of agency and hope for the future.

Our collaboration with Stillwater School exemplifies the transformative impact of integrating playful learning into education. We look forward to continuing our partnership and supporting educators in fostering creativity and sustainability awareness among students.

Setting the Stage

When we arrived at Stillwater Elementary, we were met with a beautiful school and kind teachers and staff helping us with whatever we needed. Even though the school was huge, it wasn’t a problem because of staff members like, and including Wendy. As we arrived at the cafeteria, we were able to set up at the round tables filling the room. They had a nice open space for us in the middle and a great tech team helping us with a smartboard. We set up carts including LEGO bricks, pipe cleaners, pom-pom’s, playdough, and more for the school to keep the activities for their students so they can experience them too. Throughout the session the teachers also used these carts to express their creativity more within the activities. 

The Power of Play

Play isn’t just fun—it’s fundamental. In the classroom, play becomes a powerful strategy for teaching and learning, helping students build essential skills through experiences that are joyful, actively engaging, meaningful, iterative, and socially interactive. At Stillwater, these principles came to life through a series of playful learning activities that were both creative and educational.

1. Free Play: Free play gives students the freedom to explore their ideas without strict guidelines. Whether building imaginative creations with LEGO® bricks, sketching designs, or crafting their own stories, students tapped into their creativity, problem-solving, and emotional expression. This unstructured time nurtured autonomy and encouraged them to follow their curiosity—sparking deep learning in the process.
2. Structured Play: Structured play offers a balance between guidance and exploration. During our sessions, educators and students engaged in goal-oriented building challenges designed to solve real-world problems like ocean pollution and bee habitats in cities. These activities were scaffolded by clear instructions but allowed room for personal expression and group collaboration.
3. Role Play: One of the most powerful ways to support empathy and communication is through role play. While we didn’t do a traditional role play session, many of the builds and group discussions encouraged participants to take on different perspectives—thinking like engineers, city planners, or environmentalists. This type of play helps students develop social-emotional skills and understand complex, real-world scenarios.
4. Game-Based Learning: From the LEGO® Duck Challenge to build-a-solution tasks, participants experienced learning through games. These playful, low-stakes activities were designed to activate over 24 cognitive, emotional, and motor skills, including working memory, imagination, perspective-taking, and fine motor coordination (as highlighted in the LEGO Foundation’s research).

In every form, play fuels development—not only in young learners but also in adults. Educators at Stillwater embraced play as a dynamic teaching tool, reinforcing that structured learning can still be fun, and that joyful learning environments spark engagement, curiosity, and collaboration.

Engaging Activities

When the educators entered, they sat at tables in groups of approximately four. Each table had a printed mini mission, LEGO base plate, a pile of various LEGO bricks and two or three bags with yellow and orange bricks in them. To start, educators were asked to use the yellow and orange bricks to assemble a duck. Each group had the exact same pieces, the same directives, the same amount of time to build. Once we had assembled our ducks, teachers were asked to walk around the room and observe the different creations. We then asked them to reflect on what they noticed or observed. They shared that, while each of the ducks looked different, they all accomplished the same goal of building a duck. While the goal was clear, we allowed the learners to have the autonomy to design the path to get there. This activity showed how different people can think and encouraged them to bring a different approach to their lessons. Instead of showing them the way, we should consider giving our students an answer and looking at the different possibilities of problems instead of one problem and a fixed solution.

In the next activity, educators engaged in a hands-on, collaborative project designed to mirror student-centered, problem-solving experiences. Each table group was presented with two distinct “mini missions”—real-world climate challenges such as ocean pollution, humidity in caves, or urban bee habitats. Teams selected one mission to focus on, encouraging them to think critically and creatively without limitations. Using LEGO bricks, they worked together to devise and construct innovative solutions to their chosen environmental issue.

This exercise exemplified the principles of the LEGO® Build the Change program, which empowers students to tackle environmental challenges through creative design and problem-solving. The activity not only fostered teamwork and ingenuity among educators but also served as a model for engaging students in meaningful, playful learning experiences that address pressing global issues.

Playful learning is a way to bring engaging experiences for students while still teaching them and giving them structure. The power of play can result in a healthier classroom environment and help spark creativity in students. This concept is not only proven through research but heavily encouraged by specialists. The playful nature of these activities sparked new, more creative ideas, and overall so fun. This led to engaged participants and a good time for all.

Key Takeaways

The Build the Change experience—comprising the stages of immerse, create, and share—demonstrates a versatile framework that can be seamlessly integrated across all grade levels and subject areas. This approach fosters an environment where students are encouraged to engage deeply with real-world challenges, promoting active learning through hands-on activities.

• Empowering Student Voice: By tackling authentic environmental and societal issues, students develop a sense of agency, realizing that their ideas can contribute to meaningful change.
• Fostering Creativity and Critical Thinking: The open-ended nature of the challenges encourages students to think innovatively and critically, skills that are essential for problem-solving in various contexts.
• Enhancing Collaboration and Communication: Working in teams to design and build solutions cultivates collaborative skills and effective communication, preparing students for future academic and professional endeavors.
• Integrating Playful Learning: The use of LEGO bricks and other creative materials makes learning engaging and enjoyable, which can lead to increased motivation and retention of knowledge.

Educators observed that implementing the Build the Change methodology not only aligns with curriculum standards but also enriches the learning experience by making it more dynamic and student-centered. The adaptability of this approach allows for its application in diverse educational settings, making it a valuable tool for fostering holistic student development. In addition, they recognized the importance of integrating play into their own process as well. In short, they had fun and truly found this playful experience as a valuable one.

Day 2: Student Engagement at the STEAM Symposium

Overview

On Thursday, May 29, 2025, Stillwater Elementary proudly hosted its inaugural STEAM Symposium, marking a significant milestone in the school’s commitment to Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) education. The event brought together educators, students, and community partners to celebrate and explore the multifaceted world of STEAM.

Event Highlights:

• Interactive Exhibits: Participants engaged with a variety of hands-on exhibits and demonstrations, showcasing the practical applications of STEAM concepts in everyday life.
• Student Engagement: Approximately 480 students, from kindergarten through fifth grade, rotated through the symposium in scheduled intervals, allowing them to experience diverse STEAM activities tailored to their grade levels.
• Community Collaboration: Local organizations and professionals contributed to the symposium by sharing insights into their STEAM-related fields, providing students with real-world connections to their classroom learning.

TAG’s Interactive Table Stations

At the 2025 Stillwater Elementary STEAM Symposium, Take Action Global (TAG) hosted two engaging and creative table stations designed to inspire students through hands-on, playful learning experiences.
Engineering Challenges: Our station at the STEAM Symposium was split between two tables. At the first table, we had LEGO’s set up with base plates and gave the students the mission to create their perfect classroom. There were no rules around what they could and couldn’t build and not much of a structured time other than the allotted time to go back to class and the other groups to come in. The students had an amazing time creating anything and everything they put their minds to. We saw students build things from rollercoasters to a garden and animal center, one student saying he loved the activity because, “It lets me use my very own imagination.” There was no pressure and it was wonderful to see the students’ creativity and teambuilding flourish.

• Artistic Explorations: The second table set up was a coloring station where students were given a piece of paper with the outline of a LEGO mini figure and drew themselves as a mini fig. They were encouraged to include things that they did to help their community, their environment, and the world. They included things like a bike to ride instead of a car, recycling, and helping animals. This was a great experience for the less outgoing and more artsy students who prefer a less extreme environment. It also provided them with something to take home and a reminder of the importance of fun, creativity, and our world around us.

Impact and Reflections

Facilitating these stations taught me the importance of creating an inclusive and supportive environment. By actively engaging with students, asking open-ended questions, and encouraging them to share their ideas, I observed increased participation and deeper thinking. This experience highlighted how facilitation strategies that prioritize student voice and choice can lead to more meaningful learning experiences .

Overall, being both a facilitator and observer at the station was incredibly rewarding. It reinforced my belief in the power of interactive, playful learning to inspire creativity and develop a sense of responsibility towards our planet. It also demonstrated the power of play. Every student who came to our table could participate. The LEGO bricks made the learning more engaging and accessible. All students and ideas were welcomed and celebrated.

Call To Action

Our recent trip to Stillwater Elementary and the STEAM Symposium highlighted the transformative power of play in education. As educators, it’s essential to recognize that play isn’t just for students—it’s a vital component of our own learning and growth.

Why Integrate Play into Education?

Research underscores the benefits of playful learning across all age groups. Incorporating play into professional development can lead to deeper engagement, enhanced creativity, and stronger collaboration among educators. For instance, using manipulatives like wooden cubes to generate project-based learning questions has been shown to produce higher-quality outcomes compared to traditional methods.

Action Steps for Educators:

1. Incorporate Play into Lessons: Design activities that allow students to explore concepts through games, role-play, or creative projects.
2. Embrace Play in Professional Development: Participate in workshops that use playful methods to explore teaching strategies, fostering a deeper understanding and retention of new concepts.
3. Foster a Playful Culture: Encourage a school environment where experimentation and creativity are valued, allowing both students and teachers to take risks and learn from failures.

By embracing play, we not only enrich our students’ learning experiences but also rejuvenate our passion for teaching. Let’s commit to making play an integral part of our educational journey!

Action Steps for Students:

1. Engage in Creative Problem-Solving: Participate in activities that challenge you to think critically and creatively. 
2. Reflect Through Artistic Expression: Use art to express your understanding of big concepts. 
3. Take Ownership of Your Learning: Look for ways to guide your own learning experiences. 
4. Advocate for Playful Learning: Encourage teachers and school administrators to incorporate more playful learning opportunities into the curriculum. 

Don’t be afraid to share your positive experiences and suggest activities that have helped you learn in enjoyable and meaningful ways. Learning should be fun. If it isn’t, then it is up to you to take action!

By: Lindsay and Riley Zilly

On May 8, 2025, Heritage Middle School in Berwyn, Illinois, celebrated a significant milestone by achieving Level 1 Arboretum status through the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program. This accomplishment was the result of a collaborative tree planting event involving students, staff, and partners from The Morton Arboretum.

The school’s Climate Action School champions, alongside 7th-grade students from Rachel Belkov’s class, actively participated in planting a diverse array of trees, contributing to the development of the school’s Food Forest. This initiative not only enhanced the school’s green space but also provided students with hands-on experience in environmental stewardship.

Achieving Level 1 Arboretum status signifies that Heritage Middle School has met essential criteria, including maintaining a collection of at least 25 different species of woody plants, having a governing body, a strategic plan for the arboretum, dedicated staff or volunteers, and providing public access or educational programs .

During the planting event, students learned best practices for tree planting, such as:

• Planting Hole: Digging a hole 2–3 times the width of the root ball but only as deep as the root ball itself to ensure the root flare is at or slightly above ground level .
• Root Flare: Ensuring the root flare (where the trunk widens at the base) is visible above the soil line to prevent rot and encourage healthy growth.
• Backfilling: Using the original soil to backfill, gently tamping it down to eliminate air pockets without compacting it excessively.
• Mulching: Applying a 2–4 inch layer of organic mulch in a donut shape around the base of the tree, keeping it a few inches away from the trunk to prevent moisture buildup and potential rot .
• Watering: Providing consistent watering, especially during the first two years, to establish a robust root system.

During our visit to Heritage Middle School, TAG team members had the rewarding opportunity to assist in planting a Shagbark Hickory, a Magnolia, and a Fir tree. This hands-on experience not only contributed to the school’s green initiative but also provided valuable insights into tree planting best practices.

One particularly enlightening moment was working with the Shagbark Hickory. Upon inspection, we noticed the presence of girdling roots—roots that encircle the trunk, potentially restricting the tree’s growth and nutrient uptake. Recognizing the importance of addressing this issue early, we carefully pruned the circling roots, ensuring not to disturb the tree excessively during its critical transplanting phase. Properly managing girdling roots at planting time is essential, as they can lead to long-term health problems for the tree if left uncorrected .

The next three years are vital for the establishment and growth of these newly planted trees. Consistent care, including appropriate watering, mulching, and monitoring for any signs of stress or disease, will be crucial during this period. Given the enthusiasm and dedication displayed by the students at Heritage Middle School, we are confident that these trees will thrive under their stewardship.

This experience not only enhanced the school’s landscape but also served as an educational platform, fostering environmental awareness and responsibility among the students. We are proud to have been a part of this initiative and look forward to seeing the continued growth and success of Heritage Middle School’s arboretum.

This event not only enhanced the school’s landscape but also served as an educational experience, fostering environmental stewardship among students. Congratulations to Heritage Middle School on this remarkable achievement!

At Take Action Global (TAG), we believe that empowering young people with the skills to address climate change is paramount. That’s why our ongoing collaboration with Black Girls Code (BGC) is so vital. This April, we’ve had the privilege of authoring engaging “Coding for Climate” courses for their incredible community, witnessing firsthand the ingenuity and passion these young leaders are bringing to environmental solutions through code.

Imagine the power of combining coding skills with a deep understanding of our planet’s challenges. Through these specialized sessions, BGC participants are diving into real-world climate issues and leveraging their coding abilities to create tangible solutions. From designing interactive simulations of renewable energy systems to developing data visualizations that highlight the impact of pollution, the girls are not just learning to code – they’re learning to be environmental problem-solvers.

We’ve been so inspired by the innovative solutions emerging from these April courses. For instance, one group of young coders is developing a web application to track local food waste and connect it with composting initiatives. Another team is designing a game that educates players about the importance of biodiversity and the impact of habitat loss. These projects showcase not only their technical prowess but also their commitment to creating a more sustainable future.

As one participant shared, “Learning to code with a focus on climate change makes it feel like I can actually do something real to help the planet.” This sentiment echoes the core of our mission at TAG – to equip young people with the agency and skills to become climate leaders.

Another student highlighted the connection between technology and environmental action: “It’s cool to see how something like coding can be used to understand and solve big problems like climate change. It makes it less scary and more like something we can actually work on.”

You can explore some of the amazing solutions created by these talented young women on the Coding for Climate platform. Their creativity and dedication are truly inspiring!

Building on this exciting momentum, Black Girls Code is offering AI Unlocked: Summer Tech Camps across the United States for learners aged 10-18. These immersive camps will provide another incredible opportunity to explore the world of technology, including AI and coding, and empower them to innovate and create solutions for a better future. With hands-on projects, mentorship, and a supportive community, these camps are designed to spark a lifelong passion for STEAM. Check them out or sign up here: www.wearebgc.org/camps.

Let’s continue to cultivate the next generation of climate leaders, one line of code and one innovative solution at a time!