Angelo State University (ASU), in partnership with Texas borderlands school districts and the National Weather Service Office in San Angelo, Texas, are recipients of a NOAA Environmental Literacy Grant Priority 1 grant titled "Earth System Sciences for Elementary Teachers" (ESSET). This project will: 1) Increase the knowledge and skills level of 25 elementary in-service teachers regarding best practices for teaching integrated Earth System Science concepts in a learner-centered, outdoor environment; 2) Increase teachers' ability to align integrated science content with Texas standards-based curriculum and NOAA's Education Strategic Plan; and 3) Integrate concepts of environmental stewardship with teachers' newly acquired pedagogy and science content. Participants will receive nine semester-hours of ASU graduate credit, and a variety of tools and equipment for their classrooms following successful completion of this 18-month project. Anticipated results include increases in overall integrated science content knowledge, best practices, and self-efficacy for participating teachers. Scaling-up this proof-of-concept project to catalyze change across Texas will occur near the end of ESSET.

To promote ocean and climate change literacy that addresses the needs of our region, six aquariums based on the Gulf of Mexico will partner to educate our communities on both our risks and ways to contribute locally to sustainability. The aquariums will combine community outreach programs, stewardship promotion, social networking and workshops for non-formal educators to reach broad audiences throughout the Gulf in Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas and Mexico. Each partner will develop content that emphasizes local ecosystems and consequences of climate change, tailoring stewardship activities to address them. Over five years, the aquariums will reach out to diverse audiences in their communities, which have populations that total over five million people.

A consortium of Alaska SeaLife Center, Florida Aquarium and Monterey Bay Aquarium with their partner National Association for Interpretation will increase the effectiveness of informal science educators (ISE) to promote public understanding of three complex topics that impact the ocean (oil spills, ocean acidification, and energy literacy) and encourage stewardship of ocean and coastal resources. This project will have a direct impact on 252 interpreters in and around Alaska, California, and Florida through 12 weeklong trainings. Groups of interpreters will develop, assemble and produce online training toolkits, all of which will be widely disseminated to the ISE community. Each toolkit will utilize NOAA multimedia content, data visualization products, expertise and other relevant resources. Project participants – who interact with a diverse mix of local, regional, national and international visitors (including underserved local populations) – will provide enhanced training content for their colleagues through professional trainings, presentations, and online networks.

The North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher, along with the North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences, has created a comprehensive, innovative, and engaging approach to inspire ocean stewardship among young people. Through professional development, integration of advanced technology, and targeted presentations to underserved audiences, this project serves to build connections between marine mammals, ocean health, climate change, and people. The project offers an innovative and engaging professional development opportunity, the Marine Mammal Institute (MMI), for 32 grassroots educators in North Carolina, with priority given to representatives from economically depressed areas. Participating educators gather information and gain experience to develop interactive marine mammal activities related to climate and ocean literacy. Upon returning to their home institutions, participants engage teenagers in climate and ocean literacy programming using innovative technology to illustrate climate change impacts on marine mammals.

WE STAY/Nos Quedamos, Inc. (NQ) is a leader in community-driven, sustainable development in Melrose Commons, a historically marginalized and disinvested community in the South Bronx, NY. Building on our 30-year history of organizing and advocacy for the preservation of open space, environmental health, and social justice, NQ’s NOAA Environmental Literacy Program will empower local youth leaders and organizers to educate and engage their peers, family members, and neighbors in preparation for the effective activation of three Climate Resiliency Hubs (blue/green infrastructure projects currently in development at local Melrose community garden sites). During disturbances, these Hubs will act as community-led crisis coordinating centers, providing access to freshwater and resources such as food, charging stations, and other necessities. In non-crisis times, the Hubs will be centers for community power-building, where residents gain the tools to advocate for long-term climate justice goals. This NOAA-funded program will develop the data, knowledge, talking points, and civic engagement roadmaps required to increase resident involvement in the effective implementation of the Climate Resiliency Hubs and, with support from our project partners at the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance, strengthen community activism and advocacy to ensure that the Hubs provide the greatest possible impact for the community. Our first objective is to increase NQ’s capacity through research and analysis. An Environmental Literacy Program Manager, Climate Resiliency Research Fellow, and 2 Environmental Literacy Youth Leaders will gather and analyze data to support the development and sustainability of NQ’s Climate Resiliency Hubs, to be used for city- and state-level advocacy around climate preparedness policy changes and climate-resilience related funding allocations. The program’s second objective is to improve environmental literacy in the South Bronx community and strengthen organizing and advocacy efforts. Through deep training, the Environmental Literacy Youth Leaders and NQ’s larger cohort of youth organizers will be prepared to conduct community education activities for Melrose residents on key environmental justice indicators and data points. The education content will be integrated into NQ’s roster of public events, such as garden walking tours, festivals, community discussions, etc. The program will conclude with a South Bronx Climate Resiliency Symposium to further galvanize residents and lay the groundwork for continued resilience planning and policy advocacy in the South Bronx. As a result of this program, NQ will build a more confident, engaged, and environmentally literate Melrose Commons that will champion climate resilience throughout the South Bronx.