Become A Leader

Become a Certified Climate Leader!

Anyone can make a difference! While climate change can seem overwhelming, even small actions can collectively create a huge impact. Join us in leading the charge for a sustainable future.

Youth interested in achieving a Climate Leadership Certification are encouraged to participate in one of our workshops.

Choose your leadership level. You'll learn more about each option during the workshop.

After completing a workshop, you'll be prepared to embark on your leadership journey. Along the way, you can share your progress, ask questions, and receive feedback.

EarthXplorers:
- At least 1 activity
- CPJ Journal photo entry
Climate Champion:
- At least 2 activities
- Submit photos or a written description of your activities to CPJ Journal
Climate Ambassador:
- At least 2 activites, complete the climate action quiz, and create your Climate Action Plan.
- Submit photos or a written description of your Climate Action Project to CPJ Journal

Examples of Climate Leadership Certification activities
These activities help you achieve EarthXplorer and Climate Champion leadership levels. The certification process is designed to be flexible. Feel free to develop your own activity. Share your ideas with us to get feedback. To become a Climate Ambassador, select activities and use our tools to develop your Climate Action Plan.

Climate Art Project

Create artwork that portrays the impacts of climate change and share it with others to raise awareness.

Grow A Row

Select easy-to-grow vegetables like tomatoes, carrots, or beans, and plant seeds or small plants in designated rows. Learn how proper care, like watering and weeding, helps the vegetables grow. Discuss how growing their food can be a sustainable way to reduce carbon footprint and contribute to a healthier planet.

Build a Worm Bin

Find a container with a lid, like a plastic tub. Drill holes on top for air. Fill it with moist shredded newspaper. Add some vegetable food scraps, and then place red wigglers inside. Keep the bedding damp and the bin in a shady spot, and your worms will turn the scraps into rich compost for your plants!

Nature Scavenger Hunt

Go on a nature walk to find and identify different aspects of the environment (check out the iNaturalist app to identify unfamiliar species with your iPhone camera!) Discuss how climate change can impact this ecosystem.

Window Market

Grow a lima bean in a clear plastic bag and tape it to your windowsill. Watch it grow! Or, plant some herbs in a small pot in your window. Discuss the importance of healthy soil and how climate affects plant growth.

Farm Visit

Visit a local farm or farmers market to see where food comes from, meet farmers, and discuss sustainable farming practices.

Carbon FOODprint

Calculate your carbon FOODprint carbon footprint and discuss how dietary choices impact climate change. Then, create a climate-friendly menu for the week.

Community Garden Volunteering

Volunteer at a local community garden, learning about sustainable agriculture and food access issues.

Tomato Seed Saving

Learn how to ferment and save leftover tomato seeds for future planting. Explore food preservation techniques like canning, drying, or fermenting, emphasizing reducing food waste.

Energy Audit

Start by going through your home and identifying all sources of energy consumption, such as appliances, lights, and electronics. Then, make a list and assess how you can reduce energy use by implementing changes like switching to LED bulbs, unplugging devices when not in use, and sealing drafts around doors and windows.

DIY Solar Oven

Build a simple solar oven to demonstrate renewable energy concepts and cook food using solar power.

Policy Change (not climate change)

Research a climate issue in your community. Then, write to your local representive or start a petition to make a positive change.

Rain Garden

To design and cultivate a climate-friendly rain garden, select a low-lying area in your yard to capture rainwater runoff. Choose native, water-absorbing plants, like sedges and native shrubs, and create a shallow depression to collect rainwater, allowing it to slowly infiltrate the soil, reducing flooding and supporting local biodiversity.

Community Environmental Mapping

Hold a meeting for members of your neighborhood or community. Distribute maps of your area. Work together to identify areas with pollution, lack of green spaces, or any other environmental issues, as well as areas in which individuals are experiencing homeless or food insecurity. Consider how climate change and extreme temperatures may impact these individuals, and develop a plan to reach out to and provide support to these community members.

Ocean Acidification Experiment

Conduct a simple experiment to demonstrate the effects of carbon dioxide emissions on ocean acidity. Add increasing amounts of vinegar to containers of water to simulate varying levels of acidity. Observe the effects on shells or coral samples. This activity illustrates the impact of carbon emissions on marine ecosystems.

Pollinator Garden

Plant a garden to provide a continuous food source for native pollinators, bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, while also enhancing biodiversity in your local ecosystem. Plant ideas include wildflowers like milkweed, herbs like mint, and annuals like sunflowers.

CO2 Absorption Experiment

Fill two clear containers with water. Add an Alka-Seltzer tablet to one container and observe the release of carbon dioxide bubbles. Place a pH indicator (e.g., bromothymol blue) in both containers and observe the color change as CO2 is absorbed by the water. Discuss the role of carbon dioxide in the greenhouse effect and its impact on global warming.

Plant a Three Sisters Garden

The Three Sisters--corn, beans and squash--are known for their symbiotic relationship. Indigenous communities were the first to discover that the three crops grow best when planted alongside one another.

Become a Certified Climate Leader!

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