Field Chats: Environmental Applied Civics Essentials

We're in the field for an update on a crowd favorite Environmental Applied Civics legacy project at Katherine Johnson Middle School! Young people set up a closed-loop food system - reducing landfill trash from school lunches by 75% thanks to chickens. Tune in to hear directly from young people and their teacher Ms. Alam on how they intend to ensure project sustainability, what they've lear...

In this episode, Earth Force CEO Vince Meldrum talks with Leia Lowery, Founder and CEO of The Climate Initiative (TCI). Leia shares how TCI grounds massive global climate issues at the local level to give students direct access to community action. They discuss the power of place-based education, how environmental action combats loneliness, and why students who struggle in traditional classrooms o...

This episode explores the  Water Education Exemplars Project , a Colorado initiative bridging the gap between state water policy and youth engagement. Earth Force's Alyssa McConkey speaks with veteran environmental educator  Donny Roush  and CSU student  Maya about the urgent need to meet the 2050 Colorado Water Plan goals. By training and compensating young people to serve as professional eva...

What happens when students stop just memorizing the three branches of government and start actually influencing them? In this episode of Field Chats, the Earth Force team discusses why "content knowledge" isn't enough to solve the climate crisis or rebuild civic trust. From stories of middle-school campaigning to the power of "agency as collectivity," the team explores how...

How do we move education beyond the four walls of the classroom? Vince Meldrum discusses this with Ace Parsi, formerly with iCivics, now a candidate for the U.S. House to represent West Virginia's 2nd Congressional District. They talk about public education as a public benefit and the necessity of transfer of learning - taking a concept from a textbook and applying it to a local bridge or a ne...

We see you, social studies educators! Earth Force program staff Krysten, SJ, and Taylor discuss how Environmental Action Civics (EAC) bridges science and social studies. They highlight how science and social studies come with different lenses, both offering an ideal learning space for young people to understand and address local environmental issues. Listen in for district examples in Denver and D...

In this episode of Field Chats: Environmental Action Civics Essentials , Alyssa McConkey talks with Dr. Antonio Gonzales of Albuquerque Public Schools and Erin Blaz and Theresa Aragon from the Ciudad Soil and Water Conservation District about what authentic student learning looks like in New Mexico. They share how place-based experiences help students connect classroom learning to their own commun...

What does it take to move from youth interest in climate to state-level policy change? In this episode of Field Chats: Environmental Action Civics Essentials , we sit down with Mary Seawell, CEO of Lyra Colorado, to unpack the story behind Colorado’s Seal of Climate Literacy — a high school diploma endorsement created through Senate Bill 24-014. Mary shares how a small team, strong relationships w...

Earth Force CEO Vince Meldrum talks with NYLC CEO Amy Meuers about reimagining service learning as a pathway to democracy. They unpack NYLC’s new Ignite framework, explore the deep connections between service learning and Environmental Action Civics, and share how youth-led, community-centered action builds real impact—and belief in democracy. Learn more NYLC here: https://nylc.org/ Listen to the...

Hosted by Vince Meldrum, President/CEO of Earth Force, this episode is a replay of a 2025 EAC Week event. It features Cory Manning, previously at the City of Denver’s Office of Climate Action, Sustainability, and Resiliency and Kelly Moses from Denver Public Schools’ Sustainability Office. Together, they unpack a youth-led climate grant program funded through Denver’s Climate Protection Fund and d...

In this episode, Dr. Jennifer Earl of the University of Delaware shares research that reframes how we understand youth participation in civic life. Drawing her research and others, she highlights the many ways young people are already engaging—through advocacy, community action, and organizing—often while navigating constraints created by adult systems and expectations.  The conversation explores...

In this end-of-year roundtable episode, the Earth Force team reflects on the people, books, and ideas that continue to shape Environmental Action Civics. Program staff and special guest CEO Vince Meldrum share influential people and ideas—from youth–adult partnerships and problem-posing education to data equity and organizational focus—and discuss how these ideas show up in our trainings, partners...

Earth Force Program Manager Taylor Ruffin and Chief Program Officer Alyssa McConkey dig into how Environmental Action Civics creates joyful, inquiry-driven learning experiences that strengthen youth–adult partnerships and deepen student agency. They highlight the often-unseen moments that make the EAC process meaningful and fun for both students and educators. Grounded in the 2025 Colorado Science...

This episode features Rachel Arbor, founder of Gaia Scholastic and a recent Presidential Innovation Award winner. Krysten, SJ, and Rachel dig into what interdisciplinary learning really looks like, why it matters for environmental literacy, and how Rachel’s journey—from informal ed to district-wide environmental leadership—inspired the creation of Gaia Scholastic. Tune in for a conversation about...

Today, we’re dropping into a recent Community of Practice gathering all about getting started — Step 1 of the Earth Force Process: inventories. You’ll hear how educators guide students to look closer at their communities and uncover the stories behind local environmental issues. To learn more and get connected to the free Community of Practice visit earthforce.org !

Tune in for a thoughtful and energizing look at how early civic experiences can spark lifelong leadership. Alyssa McConkey talks with Amelia and Bridget—college students who first experienced the EAC education method as seventh graders and now serve on the Earth Force Board of Directors. They share stories from their early projects, how those experiences shaped who they are today, and the lasting...

In this episode, we talk with Brekke Bounds, Executive Director of the Environmental Education Association of Illinois (EEAI), about how environmental action civics sparks change that extends beyond the classroom. Brekke shares the story of a water monitoring project at Libertyville High School, where students combined science and civic action to address local water issues.  In this episode, we us...

Tune in to our interview with 7th grade science teacher Carrie Lankford at Red Lion Area Junior High School in Red Lion, PA. She's entering her second year of teaching with Environmental Action Civics and shares her insights along the way! Part 2/2

Tune in to our interview with 7th grade science teacher Carrie Lankford at Red Lion Area Junior High School in Red Lion, PA. She's entering her second year of teaching with Environmental Action Civics and shares her insights along the way! Part 1 of 2.

Today we’re talking about why problem-finding should be the first step in project-based learning like environmental action civics (EAC). We’ll cover the research, how it is critical to project-based learning, how to do it, and why you should! 1:30 - WHY Problem-Finding Comes First 2:35 - Project-Based Learning and problem-finding should go hand-in-hand 5:15 - Two examples of what problem-finding d...

We're closing out Season 2 with a deep dive into one of our most popular resources for educators: " Defining a Course of Action " This resource helps young people to understand the connection between their issue and the strategies, developing a course for action. Enjoy!

This episode features Kathryn Wagner of Inside Education talking about how they have incorporated EAC into their programming, specifically their youth summit! Recorded as part of the EAC Lightning Talks during the 2025 EAC Week.

This week on  Field Chats: Environmental Action Civics , we're celebrating student innovation with the 2024–2025 winners of the Caring for Our Watersheds Chesapeake Bay Challenge! Join us as we head to Katherine Johnson Middle School in Fairfax, Virginia, where students took action with their project  Raise and Grow Locally. By connecting local food production to carbon footprint reduction, th...

Whew, EAC Week 2025 is officially over! Listen to this chat with our Program Team to recap all the amazing events and celebrations! Watch replays at earthforce.org/eacweek!

Young people doing Environmental Action Civics work really hard - talking to adults in new ways, asking for change, and more! Today we’re talking about how to help young people celebrate their work and creative ways to share it with their peers and community. 00:51 Ask youth how they would celebrate! 1:17 Get published 2:07 Share at events (tons of examples given!) 7:39 Share forward and teach oth...