About Us

The New Jersey Climate Change Education Initiative was formed to ensure all NJ public school teachers are prepared to integrate climate change across all grade levels and content areas based on the official New Jersey Climate Change Education Student Learning Standards. This initiative will act according to the recommendations outlined by the New Jersey Thought Leadership Committee and support the existing resources provided by the New Jersey Department of Education.

A timeline of events. June 2020: Announcement. March 2021: Committee Formation. February 2022, Initiative Formation. March 2022, Budget and Office Formation. June 2022, Platform Launch.
  • Supporting NJ DOE’s Climate Change Education Student Learning Standards

    In June 2020, New Jersey became the first state in the U.S. to incorporate K-12 climate change education across content areas when the State Board of Education adopted the 2020 New Jersey Student Learning Standards. New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy was a strong supporter of this initiative and praised the State Board for its action.

    “The adoption of these standards is much more than an added educational requirement; it is a symbol of a partnership between generations,” - First Lady Tammy Murphy.

    In response to the state’s ambitious and forward-thinking action to address climate change through teaching and learning, the Climate Change Education Thought Leader Committee was convened to determine an appropriate plan for implementing these standards statewide. The resulting recommendation report guides the New Jersey Climate Change Initiative’s strategy. In addition, this initiative also supports the resources and guidance provided by the New Jersey Department of Education.

  • Our Resource
    Selection Criteria

    • All our resources are aligned to New Jersey Student Learning Standards
    • Our resources are vetted by a scientist and teacher review team. A rubric revision focus group, consisting of educators and leaders in New Jersey, was convened in Jan 2022 to finalize the resource selection rubric utilized to vet all resources in the database.
    • In addition, a lesson plan rubric was also developed. Dr. Lauren Madden from The College of New Jersey also conducted an inter-reliability study to validate the rubric.
  • Our Impact

    After one semester of integrating climate change education standards into state curricula, New Jersey educators still lacked sufficient professional development resources and faced uncertainty when teaching climate change in subjects other than science. However, educators who used the New Jersey Climate Education Hub reported higher levels of confidence in their preparedness to implement the new standards and were more familiar with the resources available to them.

    nj implemintation paper cover image

    Discover through our "NJ Implementation Paper"

New Jersey State Lead

Elaine Makarevich

Elaine Makarevich

Elaine is a New Jersey educator with 30 years of teaching experience in grades K-6. The earth and the natural world have always been a focus of her life and throughout her career as her students learned critical lessons about their planet when visiting her indoor and outdoor classrooms.

Media & Press

Teachers Are Introducing Young Learners to Climate Consciousness. Hope Is Key, They Say.

Learn how educators like Elaine Makarevich are grounding climate education in local examples to help young learners understand and address the impacts of climate change.

Murphy Administration Launches Resource To Help Teachers Incorporate Climate Change Into Lesson Plans

NJ DEP announces the release of the Summary of Climate Change in New Jersey, highlighting how this resource can be used in conjunction with New Jersey Climate Education Hub and Climate Teaching Mentorship Program to help teachers apply NJ SLS. 

New Jersey requires climate change education. A year in, here's how it's going

New Jersey students engage in climate education, intertwining art and multiple subjects to understand climate realities. State standards drive empowerment despite opposition, fostering advocacy for inclusive climate curriculum.

Teaching Climate Change in Every Subject

Read about how teachers in New Jersey are integrating climate change education across various subjects, such as math, physical education, and English, to provide students with a sense of hope and agency in addressing climate challenges.





From air quality to elephants, how teachers in New Jersey are personalizing climate change education

Boston NPR's Here & Now show hosts two New Jersey teachers to talk about their approaches to climate change education.

Climate Change Education in Every Subject

The National Education Association highlights two New Jersey teachers who have pioneered climate change education in their Art and Science classes.

Educators integrate climate change instruction into the classroom

Learn about the outstanding teachers behind the New Jersey Climate Change Education Hub.

This is the first state to have climate change curriculum

ABC 7 reports on First Lady Tammy Murphy's program that is revamping New Jersey's K-12 climate change learning standards.

‘Face it head on’: Connecticut makes climate change studies compulsory

Connecticut responds to insufficient climate change education by adopting new K-12 climate change inclusive learning standards for science.

In one state, every class teaches climate change — even P.E.

The Washington Post reports on how New Jersey is pioneering climate change education across every subject and grade level, and the importance of doing so.

Addressing climate anxiety in New Jersey

Scripps National News has Margaret Wang and Lauren Madden, Ph. D. show how the New Jersey Climate Change Education Hub is addressing climate anxiety through education.

Climate change must now be taught to N.J. students. What will new curriculum look like?

NJ Advance Media reports on what it will take to successfully implement the New Jersey Climate Change Education Standards in schools, and what is already being done.

Scaling Climate Change Education: A Case Study in New Jersey

Rethink Outside publishes a case study showcasing the efforts the New Jersey Climate Change Education Initiative in expanding climate change education in New Jersey.

New Jersey Prioritizes Implementation of K-12 Climate Change Education Standards

The New Jersey School Boards Association discusses the New Jersey Climate Change Education Initiative's response to the growing need for climate change education resources.

Education Community Celebrates the Launch of the New Jersey Climate Change Education Hub

The New Jersey School Boards Association highlights key topics from the New Jersey Climate Change Education Hub live launch event.


All resources can be used for your educational purposes with proper attribution to the content provider.