About Us

We envision a world where everyone feels empowered to take action in solving climate change. To create this future, climate action begins in the classroom.

Our Story

In June 2022, SubjectToClimate was introduced to the New York chapter of the National Wildlife Federation through their existing partnership for the New Jersey Climate Education Hub. By February 2023, NWF's Climate and Resilience Education Taskforce (CRETF) proposed a budget to the Governor and State, including a resource hub developed by SubjectToClimate. In October 2023, CRETF organized an event where the success of the New Jersey Climate Education Hub was presented, generating support. SubjectToClimate also began building ties with NYC Public Schools, leading to the official partnership between SubjectToClimate and NWF to establish the New York Climate Education Hub.

OUR SUPPORTING ORGANIZATION

The National Wildlife Federation (NWF), America's largest and most trusted conservation organization, works across the country to confront the interrelated crises of rapid biodiversity loss, accelerating climate change, and pervasive environmental injustice. NWF is committed to providing youth, educators and communities with the knowledge and skills they need to understand the climate crisis and take action to protect our common future.
NYC Parks’ vision is to equitably strengthen our city’s health, environment, and communities through our parks.​ ​We are committed to growing, maintaining, and programming a world-class park system that provides all New Yorkers with vital access to green spaces that are clean and safe; alive with nature, people, and community; and resilient to climate change.
STEMteachersNYC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting a community of STEM teachers across the NYC region and beyond. Since 2011 our mission has been to cultivate excellence in STEM teaching and to promote deep understanding and success for students through innovative, teacher-led professional development workshops, working groups, events and partnership opportunities for current and preservice teachers in the community. Our workshops are offered throughout the school year and summer, are led by master teacher teams, and focus on topics meant to address immediate needs of teachers, as well as topics meant to inspire. Building on past Climate Change focused workshops and current Teaching Urban Climate Change microcredential offered in collaboration with the City College of New York, CUNY, STEMteachersNYC looks forward to supporting the work of Subject to Climate' NY Climate Education Hub!

Our State Lead: Rachel Arbor

Rachel Arbor is a Presidential Award winner whose work has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, the EPA, and the White House. She is the CEO and Founder of Gaia Scholastic and the NY State Lead for SubjectToClimate. For both of these roles, her mission is to cultivate a generation of environmentally-literate global citizens by integrating nature and environmental concepts into the learning experiences of students of all ages and abilities. With a Masters in Education, she builds interdisciplinary content in a way that challenges students to make connections: with themselves, with each other, and with nature, across content areas. She trains teachers across the country on how to re-shape their curriculum through an environmental lens, coaches students on how to turn their climate anxiety into climate action, and fosters environmental connection in and out of the classroom.

Working Committee

Alexa Schindel, University at Buffalo, SUNY

Colby Zentner, NYC Public Schools - Climate Education Leadership Team

David Sczesnak, NYC Public Schools - Climate Education Leadership Team

Elissa Teles Muñoz, Climate and Resilience Education Task Force, EarthMinds Consulting LLC

Emily Fano, National Wildlife Federation; Climate and Resilience Education Task Force

Emily Stutts, NYC Public Schools

Kelli Grabowski, Cattaraugus-Allegany BOCES

Rachel Arbor, Gaia Scholastic, Garrison School District

Advisory Committee