100 Essential Resources for Teaching Sustainability Now and in 2025

Oct 26 2024 By Admin Ecology 0 Comments

Teaching about sustainability and environmental stewardship are critical topics, especially as young people face pressing ecological challenges. Via this article we offer teachers 100 resources to empower students to understand complex environmental issues, explore innovative solutions, and build skills that contribute to a more sustainable future. Each resource is chosen for its credibility, relevance, and accessibility, ensuring that students can gain practical insights and hands-on experience in environmental education.

How Teachers Can Use This List

These versatile resources adapt seamlessly across subjects, from science and geography to social studies and civic education. Teachers can choose materials tailored to specific learning goals and age groups, ensuring each resource is both age-appropriate and aligned with curriculum standards.

Organized into 14 distinct categories, this collection offers educators a strategic path to explore a wide range of sustainability topics. Whether you’re introducing core concepts, fostering critical thinking, or inspiring students to take meaningful action, this toolkit empowers you to nurture informed, engaged, and environmentally conscious learners.

1. Educational Websites: This group includes foundational websites like National Geographic Education and Eco Schools, offering structured lesson plans and background on environmental science. These websites are ideal starting points for any classroom discussion on sustainability.
2. Interactive Learning Platforms: Platforms such as Eco Challenge and The GLOBE Program provide immersive experiences and challenge students to think critically. These resources are perfect for sparking discussions on real-world environmental issues and helping students apply their knowledge through simulations and interactive content.
3. Curriculum Guides and Lesson Plans: Comprehensive lesson plans from UNESCO, TeachUNICEF, and others in this group give teachers ready-to-use materials aligned with educational standards, making it easier to integrate sustainability topics into everyday teaching.
4. Videos and Documentaries: Visual learners benefit from engaging documentaries like Our Planet and Story of Stuff, which bring complex environmental issues to life. These resources make abstract topics like climate change and biodiversity more tangible and relatable.
5. Interactive Apps and Games: Learning apps like WWF Together and Recycle Roundup transform eco-friendly practices into interactive games, offering a hands-on way for students to learn about topics like wildlife conservation and waste management.
6. Project-Based Learning Resources: This group, including Project Drawdown and Roots & Shoots, provides guides and tools for real-world projects that students can lead. These resources encourage students to take ownership of local sustainability projects, fostering leadership and teamwork.
7. Science and Data Collection Tools: Resources such as National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) and Data Nuggets focus on data-driven learning, offering authentic scientific data that students can analyze to understand environmental patterns and trends.
8. Teacher and Educator Tools: Designed to support teachers, resources like The Nature Conservancy – Educator Hub provide background knowledge, teaching tools, and frameworks that make teaching sustainability easier and more effective.
9. Podcasts and Audio Resources: Sustainable World Radio and Climate One allow students to engage with audio resources on climate science and sustainability, perfect for auditory learners and easy to integrate into class discussions or listening assignments.
10. Climate and Environmental Organizations with Educational Content: Organizations such as World Resources Institute and Friends of the Earth offer credible and research-backed resources, useful for teaching about global environmental policies and sustainability efforts.
11. Youth Engagement and Leadership: This category, including Youth Climate Leaders and Power Shift Network, provides students with tools and inspiration for becoming active leaders in climate advocacy, creating a bridge between learning and real-world impact.
12. Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems: With resources from Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE) and The Edible Schoolyard Project, teachers can educate students about sustainable food systems, from growing practices to food security.
13. Local and Community-Based Environmental Education: Resources like Earthforce and Keep America Beautiful focus on local community engagement, helping students understand how they can create change in their immediate surroundings.
14. Climate Data and Visualization Tools: Finally, tools like Carbon Brief and World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal provide students with access to climate data and visualization tools, allowing them to analyze real-world data and develop analytical skills.

100 Essential Resources for Teaching Sustainability

1. Educational Websites

1. National Geographic Education – Lesson plans and resources for environmental education.
2. Eco Schools – Programs and ideas for integrating sustainability into school environments.
3. WWF Wild Classroom – Curriculum resources on biodiversity and conservation.
4. Project Learning Tree – Hands-on activities focusing on forests, wildlife, and green technology.
5. Khan Academy – Environmental Science – Free sustainability lessons and videos.
6. Earth School by TED-Ed – Interactive lessons focused on the environment.
7. Ellen MacArthur Foundation – Resources on circular economy and sustainability.
8. NRDC Kids – Environmental science resources for all ages.
9. NASA Climate Kids – Engaging climate change resources.
10. Green Schools Project – Guides and resources to create eco-friendly schools.

2. Interactive Learning Platforms

11. Eco Challenge – Real-world eco challenges and sustainable solutions.
12. Climate Action Simulation Game – Engage students in climate policy scenarios.
13. The GLOBE Program – Data collection activities in climate, hydrology, and ecosystems.
14. SimCity EDU – City planning simulation teaching sustainability.
15. EcoRise – Project-based learning activities on environmental literacy.
16. Energy Kids – Energy science resources for elementary students.
17. Virtual Field Trips by Discovery Education – Virtual field trips on ecosystems and conservation.
18. Zooniverse – Citizen science platform for environmental projects.
19. Ocean School – Interactive lessons on marine conservation.
20. Mystery Science – Environmental science lessons for younger students.

3. Curriculum Guides and Lesson Plans

21. UNESCO Education for Sustainable Development – Resources for sustainable development education.
22. TeachUNICEF – Lesson plans on global water, food security, and climate justice.
23. Facing the Future – Curriculum resources focused on global sustainability.
24. Edutopia – Lesson ideas on eco-literacy and sustainability in education.
25. Cool Australia – Australian curriculum-aligned sustainability lessons.
26. Green Teacher – Environmental teaching resources.
27. UN Sustainable Development Goals – Resources on each SDG.
28. Earth Day Network – Lesson plans and activities on Earth Day topics.
29. Green Schools Alliance – Resources for promoting sustainability in schools.
30. World Wildlife Fund’s Wild Classroom – Lessons on biodiversity and conservation.

4. Videos and Documentaries

31. Our Planet on Netflix – Documentaries with educational resources.
32. Story of Stuff – Short, engaging videos on sustainability and consumerism.
33. TED Talks on Sustainability – Talks on innovative environmental solutions.
34. National Geographic’s One Strange Rock – Shows focusing on Earth’s biodiversity.
35. Years of Living Dangerously – Documentaries covering climate impacts.
36. BBC’s Planet Earth – Ecosystem-focused documentaries.
37. PBS LearningMedia – Science videos and activities on environmental issues.
38. Kiss the Ground – Documentary on regenerative agriculture.
39. A Plastic Ocean – Documentary on plastic pollution.
40. Waterkeeper Alliance – Documentaries and resources on water conservation.

5. Interactive Apps and Games

41. WWF Together – Interactive games about conservation.
42. EcoVille – Sustainable city-building game.
43. Earth Rangers – Educational missions and challenges.
44. Footprint Calculator – Carbon footprint assessment.
45. Pollution Solution by PBS Kids – Pollution-focused game.
46. JouleBug – Gamified app to encourage eco-friendly practices.
47. NASA Climate Kids Games – Climate science games for students.
48. Recycle Roundup – Interactive recycling game.
49. iNaturalist – App that encourages exploration and biodiversity documentation.
50. My Little Plastic Footprint – Educational app on plastic reduction.

6. Project-Based Learning Resources

51. Project Drawdown – Ideas for sustainability and climate action projects.
52. Global Oneness Project – Films and stories on cultural and environmental themes.
53. Kids Against Plastic – Resources for student-led plastic-free initiatives.
54. Envirolution’s Project ReCharge – STEM-based lessons on energy use.
55. Farm to School Network – Projects connecting schools with local food systems.
56. FEE Network – Resources for eco-friendly school projects.
57. Roots & Shoots – Student-led environmental initiatives.
58. Foodspan – Free curriculum on food sustainability.
59. LEAF – Learning About Forests – Environmental education on forest ecosystems.
60. Carbon Footprint Project – Tools for tracking and reducing carbon footprints.

7. Science and Data Collection Tools

61. National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) – Biodiversity and climate data collection.
62. Data Nuggets – Datasets and teaching resources.
63. EcoCiv – Resources on eco-citizenship.
64. Earthwatch Institute – Environmental science research and education.
65. Community Science by Audubon – Bird tracking and climate science data.

8. Teacher and Educator Tools

66. The Nature Conservancy – Educator Hub – Lessons on conservation and biodiversity.
67. NOAA Climate.gov – Climate and ocean science data.
68. Science Journal by Google – App for scientific observations and data recording.
69. Yale Program on Climate Change Communication – Research and communication resources.
70. Next Generation Science Standards – Curriculum standards with environmental topics.

9. Podcasts and Audio Resources

71. Sustainable World Radio – Discussions on permaculture and sustainability.
72. Overheard at National Geographic – Insights into biodiversity and environmental issues.
73. A Matter of Degrees – Climate change solutions and research.
74. Living Planet by Deutsche Welle – Global environmental stories.
75. Climate One – Interviews on climate science and policy.

10. Climate and Environmental Organizations with Educational Content

76. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Resources for Educators – Environmental education resources.
77. World Resources Institute – Research on sustainable development.
78. Friends of the Earth – Environmental justice and sustainable policy resources.
79. Union of Concerned Scientists – Research and tools on climate solutions.
80. Greenpeace – Resources on conservation and sustainability.

11. Youth Engagement and Leadership

81. Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots – Community-driven conservation.
82. Youth Climate Leaders – Educational resources for youth climate advocacy.
83. Climate Reality Project – Youth-focused climate action resources.
84. Power Shift Network – Resources on climate activism.
85. 350.org Youth Campaigns – Climate change awareness projects.

12. Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems

86. Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE) – Resources on sustainable farming.
87. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Education – Resources on food systems.
88. Slow Food International – Curriculum on sustainable food.
89. Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) – Resources on sustainable agriculture.
90. The Edible Schoolyard Project – Curriculum and resources for school gardens.

13. Local and Community-Based Environmental Education

91. Earthforce – Guides for youth-driven environmental action.
92. Keep America Beautiful – Resources for community clean-up and recycling.
93. The Trust for Public Land – Education on public lands and parks.
94. Action for Nature – Youth-focused conservation initiatives.
95. EcoWatch – News and educational articles on environmental topics.

14. Climate Data and Visualization Tools

96. Carbon Brief – Climate science explained with data.
97. Climate Central – Data on climate change impacts.
98. Our World in Data – Data visualizations on global issues, including climate.
99. CO2.Earth – Real-time data on carbon dioxide levels.
100. World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal – Climate data resources.

We hope this list of sustainability resources provides you, the teacher, with abundant inspiration to creatively enhance sustainability goals within your curriculum.