EcoRise

This spring, students from Sacramento to New York City spent an evening doing something most adults rarely get the chance to do: presenting their real work to a real audience. 🌱

3rd graders presented their work to get more kids on bikes. Transitional kindergarteners in Sacramento gave a tour of the learning garden they built. A student in New York City wrote a guidebook so future green teams could follow in her footsteps. 5th graders in DC presented their home-to-school composting program. In San Antonio, Youth Climate Council members handed out seeds and walked community members through how to build an emergency preparedness kit.

This school year, EcoRise awarded $87,397 in Student Innovation Grants to 120 student teams across the country. Read about their work in our showcase season recap 👉 https://www.ecorise.org/events/2026-showcases/.

What was your favorite moment? Together, !

We're looking for a skilled grant writer to support our work. This contract role supports research, writing, and proposal development across our programs in New York, Texas, Oklahoma, California, and DC. It's remote, 15–20 hours/week, and runs July through January with potential to extend. Rate is $40-$75/hr depending on experience. 🌱

If you or someone you know has 5+ years of nonprofit grant writing experience and a passion for youth-centered climate and sustainability education, we'd love to connect. Learn more 👉 https://ecorise.careerplug.com/jobs/3470278. Together, .

Grant Writer Contract Position Benefits: Flexible schedule EcoRise mobilizes a new generation of leaders to design healthy, thriving communities for all. We work at the intersection of environmental education, youth leadership, and workforce development to elevate youth voices and advance student-led solutions to real-world chall...

The deadline for proposals has been extended to Monday, June 29th. We'd love to hear your insights on healthy schools and student leadership in Austin in February, 2027. Submit your proposal to today 👉 https://www.abstractscorecard.com/cfp/submit/login.asp?EventKey=MVTPCGYZ

Together, !

The 2027 Green Schools Conference is coming to Austin, TX, in February, and we're proud to be a partner helping bring it here.

The conference is seeking interdisciplinary sessions that explore the intersection of education, sustainability, and innovation: from healthy schools and climate action to student leadership and district-wide impact.

Submit your proposal for by June 22 and help shape the future of green schools 👉 https://bit.ly/GSC27CFP

Together, !

There used to be a native plant garden at Caleb Greenwood Elementary that no longer exists today. Erin Marmion's 3rd Grade Class got curious about how they could harness the space for public good. They surveyed the whole school about what would help them feel happier in that space. Most students said they wanted a calm place to relax. So the class designed a peace path with a native tree, creating a healing outdoor space for everyone to use.

But they didn't stop at designing. They created campaign posters to help the whole school understand why public spaces matter. They presented their complete plan to Principal Trent and got approval. Now, with their $1,200 Student Innovation Grant, they will bring the peace path to life!

Congratulations to Erin and her 3rd graders for for turning observation into action in Sacramento City Unified School District. Together, . 🌱

“They’re treating us like adults!” One elementary student said this to his teacher, beaming, after presenting his sustainability project to a room full of real questions and genuine curiosity at the Inaugural NYC Student Innovation Showcase.

Fifteen students from across New York City brought their best on Wednesday evening. One student built a guidebook so future green teams at her school and beyond can launch their own sustainability projects. Two students shared what they learned interning with The Black Feminist Project at an urban farm. Others tackled composting, plastic bottle reduction, campus litter cleanups, and educating peers how to sort their waste. Every table had something to interact with, and every student was ready to share their work.

What made last night extra special: EcoRise has been working in New York City since 2018 and has invested nearly $59,000 in student-designed sustainability projects across the city since then. What was new was this stage, and the students stepping into the community spotlight.

We’re grateful to the partners who invested in this milestone: BNY, MetLife Foundation (whose volunteers showed up for students on the night), Office of Energy and Sustainability - NYC Public Schools, The Pinkerton Foundation, and Southwest Airlines. Thank you to Math for America for hosting. And to Meredith McDermott, Chief Sustainability and Decarbonization Officer for New York City Public Schools, who reminded us that interest in climate change starts in schools, and these students are already showing the path forward.

To the students and teachers who were there last night: you are the trailblazers. Together, !