Sustainability in K-12 education: how can schools support students to address challenges of environmental sustainability?

This Action Research study aimed to determine how to promote awareness of and to share successful sustainability practices in public education. Cycle 1 research was to investigate school districts that have successfully implemented sustainability practices to reduce their school carbon footprint. The Cycle 2 Action Step was designed to address the need for conscious awareness of sustainability and how schools assist and support students in addressing environmental sustainability issues. And what is the impact on the students? The aim was to identify other programs addressing environmental sustainability issues, conduct Zoom interviews with educators on the design and impact of their program, develop a website to house the interviews and organize and facilitate discussions for other interested educators on these programs. Eight participants were invited to participate in a sixty-minute interview and a sixty-minute follow-up interview for data collection. The online website was used for video interviews, and associated resources were made available for anyone seeking information on the design and impact of environmentally sustainable practices. The findings show an unconscious awareness of single-use plastic (waste) in elementary school. A website housing interviews and resources around environmental sustainability can profoundly impact students and educators interested in environmental sustainability in public K-12 education. --Author's abstract