There’s a lot of good curriculum out there that shows students what climate change is, but sometimes it’s hard for schools to put this knowledge into action. Sometimes we don’t acknowledge that our school communities have their own climate impacts. Sometimes, we launch good events that inadvertently become token efforts — like one-off Earth Day assemblies or “Bike to Work” weeks — that don’t move the needle, nor create year-over-year improvement.

The project MakeKnowledge has created helps schools own their own impacts, by designing sustained, collaborative action projects. Schools that participate make both ambitious climate goals, and steady year-over-year progress. Student agency is key to this project, as students are empowered to work with data about their own schools, and imagine and design improvements. At the same time, school staff, faculty, and leaders are not abdicating their roles in helping to make collective change. The Schools and Climate Transformation Project helps the entire school community to own the issues and make change.