Making climate a priority for the Department of Education

Today, we asked Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to name climate and environmental justice as priority areas for the Department and to create a new position reporting directly to him with a mandate to lead and coordinate the Department’s climate work.

We organized a group letter to Secretary Cardona calling on him to name climate and environmental justice as priority areas for the Department of Education and to create a new position reporting directly to him with a mandate to lead and coordinate the Department’s climate work.

The letter is signed by a powerful and diverse group that includes youth and school district leaders, the American Federation of Teachers, organizations focused on green schools and healthy buildings like Center for Green Schools at the US Green Building Council, New Buildings Institute, and International WELL Building Institute, private sector partners like CMTA and Green Generation, networks like Alliance for Climate Education, National Parent Teacher Association, and Green Schools National Network, nonprofits like EcoRise, Project Drawdown, Ten Strands, Strategic Energy Innovations, and Inclusive Prosperity Capital, health experts such as Dr. Erika Eitland and Dr. Aaron Bernstein, and environmental organizations such as Sierra Club, Chispa-LCV, Earthday, and National Wildlife Federation.

We, and other allies around the nation, see naming a climate leader within the Department of Education as a powerful rallying step for all stakeholders to organize and embrace the work we must do together to address the climate emergency.

The power of the message will grow as we add supporters. Although the letter has already been shared with Secretary Cardona, we would be honored to have you add your signature calling on the Secretary to name a Climate Leader for the Department of Education.