More than 1,200 high school students across Colorado have earned a statewide climate seal, a credential that combines climate-focused coursework with community service and is now spreading to other states. The initiative, which operates across the state, requires students to complete academic work on climate topics alongside hands-on projects that address environmental issues in their own communities.
One of those students is Anthony Muñoz, who attends Vista Academy, a charter school not far from Denver's main airport. An avid gardener, Muñoz wondered whether jet fuel from airplanes flying over his campus was harming living things. He partnered with a local university to build a garden at his school, filling it with native plants capable of detecting ground-level ozone pollution.
Muñoz also worked with climate scientists from the National Center for Atmospheric Research, a federal office in nearby Boulder. The scientists directed him on what data to collect, what the condition of leaves reveals about air quality, and why milkweed matters for monarch butterfly migration. His project illustrates how the seal program connects classroom learning with field research and community service.
The initiative reflects a growing push to give students practical experience with climate science at a time when the subject remains politically contested in many parts of the country. By pairing coursework with service, the program allows students to engage directly with environmental conditions in their own neighborhoods, from air quality to habitat restoration.
Students involved in the program describe their work as a response to the world they are inheriting. «We're the ones growing up in this world,» one participant said, a sentiment that captures the motivation behind the effort. The seal is intended to recognize students who have gone beyond standard coursework to apply climate science in their communities.
The program's expansion to other states suggests that the model is drawing interest beyond Colorado. While details of the expansion have not been fully outlined, the initiative's combination of academic requirements and community projects offers a template that other states may adapt to their own educational and environmental priorities.
For students like Muñoz, the work has been both scientific and personal. His garden project required him to learn how plants respond to pollution, how to collect and interpret data, and how to collaborate with researchers at a federal laboratory. The experience gave him a direct role in monitoring the air quality around his school.
The climate seal program arrives as schools across the country grapple with how to teach climate science amid shifting political pressures. By focusing on local projects and partnerships with universities and research institutions, the initiative sidesteps some of the broader debates by grounding the work in measurable, community-level outcomes.
More than 1,200 students have now earned the seal, a figure that program organizers say reflects sustained interest among high schoolers. The credential is designed to signal to colleges and employers that a student has completed rigorous climate-related work, including service that benefits their community.
As the program spreads to other states, its organizers will face the challenge of maintaining the quality and consistency of projects across different educational systems. For now, the Colorado model stands as one of the more concrete examples of how climate education can be tied to local action and scientific mentorship.