Project Grant 00E03686

This $100,000 Project Grant awarded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Environmental Education Grants Program (CFDA 66.951) supports Openlands, a non-profit organization, to implement an environmental education initiative in Chicago, Illinois. The project will train over 30 educators to integrate outdoor learning and hands-on environmental stewardship activities into their lesson plans, empowering them to become teacher leaders who inspire other educators to adapt these practices. Additionally, the project will engage over 1,000 students in a student-led environmental stewardship project that aims to increase climate resiliency by planting trees to expand the urban canopy and educate the surrounding community about birds and trees. As part of this effort, Openlands will partner with eligible sub-awardees to provide hands-on learning experiences for both educators and students, as well as implement the community tree planting and environmental education activities.