At Hanover High School's Science Symposium this spring, one freshman summed up what she'd learned about the fashion industry in a single number: there's already enough clothing on Earth to clothe the next six generations, all at once. Ninety-two million tons of it gets wasted every year, worldwide. "It's just kind of sickening," she said. That reaction is what drove a small group of ninth-grade girls in the school's Environmental Club to spend the spring semester turning a ha

By Lauren Edward, Kindergarten Teacher, Cornish Elementary School Last spring one of my kindergartners walked past me in the school garden chewing on something. I asked her what she was eating. "A flower," she said. Where did you get it? "The garden." What do you think? "Yummy." That is pretty much the whole argument for a school garden, and it took her about four seconds to make it. These are the same kids who will push a vegetable to the far edge of the plate at home. Out i

By Devin Burkhart and Chrissy Morley, Grade 5, Marion Cross School, Norwich, Vermont One of our students told an interviewer this spring that she had discovered she has a passion for composting. Her evidence: when she sees somebody throwing a banana peel in the trash, she said, what goes through her head is "no, no, no, no, no." That is a fair picture of where our fifth graders started this year. It is not where they ended up. Chrissy: It is worth saying that this program did

By Janis Boulbol and Abbie Castriotta, Woodstock Middle/High School There was a morning in the middle of winter when we looked at the weather and decided it was not a great day to go up to the King Farm. Our students thought we were crazy. “What?! We're not going up?” They had been on that land every school day since September, and by then the trip up the hill was not something we did to them. It belonged to them. The King Farm is a Vermont Land Trust property across the stre

By Leslie Connolly, Kindergarten Teacher, Bernice Ray School For years, our school composted the right way. Food scraps went to a local farm, became nutrient-rich soil, and students and staff had agency in doing something good for the environment. Then our ECAP team of Sophie Doiron, Lynn Cutting, Michelle Landry, and I (in kindergarten), Angela Hotvet (in first grade), and Bob Stone (in fifth grade), found out that our school's hauling contract had quietly changed, and our c

By Sandy Bailey and Erika Breton, Preschool Teachers, Hampshire Cooperative Nursery School and StoneLedge Stables Every morning starts the same way. We stand in a circle and sing the same five lines: the earth is our mother, the sky is our father, the trees are our sisters, the rivers are our brothers and the animals are our spirit guides. Twelve children, ages three, four, and five, most mornings a little off-key, all of them meaning it. We've been teaching preschool for ma

By Tiffany Bates, Third Grade Teacher, South Royalton School My grandfather taught me to fish in Orange, Vermont. We went almost every day. Trout fishing outdoors was basically the whole of my childhood, and I never really thought about it as anything other than what summer was for. So when I started raising trout in my classroom, the purpose wasn't really about the fish. It was about giving my students the same thing I had as a kid: family, time outside, a reason to pay atte

We’re excited to celebrate one of UVTPC’s organizational partners, rePlay Arts, whose community-created artwork Fabric of Community has been selected for a national exhibition in Washington, D.C.! The mixed-media piece grew out of a simple but powerful invitation: create a quilt square in response to the prompt “My Hope for America is…” Throughout the spring and summer, members of Zack’s Place, local artists, rePlay Arts visitors, and other community members contributed squar

By Alyssa Castellini, 3rd Grade/STEM Teacher, and Jacquelyn Thomason, Pre-K Teacher, Woodstock Elementary School We teach at opposite ends of the building, one of us with three- and four-year-olds, the other with third graders, but this year our two classes ended up sharing one story. It starts on a hillside on Mount Peg, where our preschoolers hike every Friday for what they call Forest Fridays. Their favorite thing to do up there, without question, is slide down the hill on

The 2026 New Hampshire Environmental Literacy Plan (NHELP) provides a shared vision for ensuring every learner has opportunities to connect with the natural world through meaningful, place-based experiences. Developed with input from educators, nonprofits, state agencies, community organizations, and other partners, the plan serves as a roadmap for expanding access to high-quality environmental learning across New Hampshire. For the Upper Valley Teaching Place Collaborative (

What does it mean to help students explore history not as something frozen in the past, but as a living story of resilience, adaptation, and community? The new American Abenaki Curriculum: A Journey of History and Resilience offers educators a powerful opportunity to do just that through inquiry-based learning grounded in authentic Abenaki voices, histories, and experiences. Centered around the compelling question: How have the Abenaki people survived and adapted to their env

The Grafton County Conservation District (GCCD) is hoping to connect with young people interested in conservation, environmental stewardship, and making a difference in their communities. In response to conversations with local organizations about the challenges of engaging youth, GCCD has created a survey to better understand the interests of young people across Grafton County and to help connect them with existing projects, programs, and volunteer opportunities. The goal is

Have you ever wanted to involve community members in meaningful scientific research? Whether you're an educator, scientist, conservation professional, nonprofit leader, or engaged volunteer, citizen and community science can be a powerful way to connect people with real-world research while generating valuable data and community impact. This summer, the University of New Hampshire is offering a unique professional development opportunity designed to help participants build th

As educators across New Hampshire and Vermont continue to explore ways to engage students in meaningful climate action, finding a supportive community can make all the difference. That’s where BASEcamp comes in. The Vermont Energy Education Program / New Hampshire Energy Education Program (VEEP/NHEEP) BASEcamp Network (Building Action Support for Educators) is more than just a Google Group — it’s a growing community of educators, environmental professionals, and changemakers

This April, place-based ecology education providers from across the Upper Valley gathered at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) for another inspiring UVTPC Community of Practice. The day was full of collaboration, creativity, and connection—with plenty of time outdoors enjoying the beautiful spring weather and the incredible work happening at VINS. We were also excited to welcome two new members to the Community of Practice: Madeline Ferland, Sustainability Educa

Hands-on Beekeeping - ALE 2990- Z2 June 15-July 10 Tuesdays 4:30-7:30 Saturdays 9 am - 3 pm Course Description: This introductory beekeeping course offers a combination of classroom lectures and hands-on field experience. Topics include bee biology and natural history, choosing and purchasing equipment and bees, integrated pest management, seasonal colony management, and queen grafting. Class will be held at the UVM horticulture farm and Meach Cove in Shelburne where student

We’re excited to share a sneak peek of the incredible student projects that will be showcased at the upcoming Equitable Climate Action Partnership (ECAP) Symposium on Friday, May 8, 2026 at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science. This inspiring day (9:00 AM – 1:30 PM) will highlight student-driven climate action from across the Upper Valley , with projects that tackle local environmental challenges, strengthen community resilience, and imagine bold, creative solutions for

We’re excited to share an upcoming professional development opportunity from our partners at the Four Winds Nature Institute —designed specifically for educators working with PreK through Grade 3 students in the Upper Valley. This three-day, hands-on learning experience invites educators to explore how place-based practices can spark curiosity, deepen observation, and support meaningful science learning across the year. Program Overview Framing Inquiry and Wonder in Place and

Across New Hampshire and Vermont, educators are continually exploring ways to make learning more meaningful, relevant, and connected to place. An upcoming PBS documentary, Schools That Change Communities , shines a light on schools across the country that are doing just that. 🎬 Airing on NH PBS (WORLD Channel): April 6 at 7:00 PM April 7 at 12:00 AM (midnight) April 7 at 8:00 AM 👉 View the NH PBS schedule Reimagining Where Learning Happens While traditional classroom instru

Funded effort for one Upper Valley middle or high school, fall 2026 semester Problem: Harm and Waste of Unnecessary Idling Many vehicles idle while waiting through the dismissal period Solution: Student-Led Effort to Mitigate the Issue Schools Are Not Drive-Thrus project: a four-step idle-free study/campaign over six to 10 weeks in a school semester Step 1: Presentation/Training Session in the Classroom Step 2: Measure Amount of Idling Occurring at Dismissal For three afte