Field Chats: Environmental Action Civics Essentials
Listen and Learn!
Are you seeking ways to engage and empower young people but you’re not sure where to start?
Every other week, our program team breaks down Environmental Action Civics – the research-based approach to build youth-adult partnerships, help young people be environmental decision-makers, and improve your enjoyment of teaching!
Join Earth Force, the original integrator of civics and environmental education, as we share tips and tricks and interviews with the educators, young people, and funders doing Environmental Action Civics. Episodes are under 20 minutes and full of actionable tips!
Episode 41: What Sets EAC Apart: Why Problem-Finding Comes First
Today we’re talking about why problem-finding should be the first step in project-based learning like environmental action civics (EAC). We’ll cover the research, how it is critical to project-based learning, how to do it, and why you should! Link: The Importance of Problem-Finding in Climate Change Education
Episode 40: Help Young People Develop a Course for Action
We’re closing out Season 2 with a deep dive into one of our most popular resources for educators: “Defining a Course of Action” This resource helps young people to understand the connection between their issue and the strategies, developing a course for action. Enjoy!
Episode 39: EAC with Inside Education!
This episode features Kathryn Wagner of Inside Education talking about how they have incorporated EAC into their programming, specifically their youth summit! Recorded as part of the EAC Lightning Talks during the 2025 EAC Week.
Episode 38: We did it! Live with Katherine Johnson Middle School!
This week on Field Chats: Environmental Action Civics, we’re celebrating student innovation with the 2024–2025 winners of the Caring for Our Watersheds Chesapeake Bay Challenge! Join us as we head to Katherine Johnson Middle School in Fairfax, Virginia, where students took action with their project Raise and Grow Locally. By connecting local food production to carbon footprint […]
Episode 37: Recapping EAC Week 2025
Whew, EAC Week 2025 is officially over! Listen to this chat with our Program Team to recap all the amazing events and celebrations! Watch replays at earthforce.org/eacweek!
Episode 36: Ways to Celebrate Youth Action
Young people doing Environmental Action Civics work really hard – talking to adults in new ways, asking for change, and more! Today we’re talking about how to help young people celebrate their work and creative ways to share it with their peers and community. 00:51 Ask youth how they would celebrate! 1:17 Get published 2:07 […]
Episode 35: Elevating Civics in Action Projects
Today we’re talking about how to bring EAC projects to the next level and incorporate larger civic change. If you’d like to help your students become more comfortable with asking for systemic change, this is the episode for you! 3:20 – Engage with partners to make a project more focused on systemic change 4:55 – […]
Episode 34: What Justice Means in Environmental Action Civics
We’re talking about how environmental justice is one of the roots of Environmental Action Civics! We believe that everyone has the right to live in a safe environment and deserves to be included in the decision making that affects their community. In this episode, we talk through the ways justice shows up in the EAC […]
Episode 33: Listen to this when EAC feels hard
Today we’re giving you a pep talk with practical tips for when implementing Environmental Action Civics feels hard! Remember, you are doing important work. Even when it’s hard, even when it feels invisible—your efforts are planting seeds that will grow. What’s one thing you can do today to move forward? Share your struggles or wins […]
Episode 32: We did it Series: EAC and the Power of Authenticity in Scientific Observation
“Let’s make it authentic then students will care”. – Join in this conversation with veteran environmental educator Trisha Smrecak! We talk about authenticity in learning and helping young people be present in their local environment.