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PODCAST

Field Chats: Environmental Applied Civics Essentials

In Field Chats, the Earth Force team breaks down Environmental Applied Civics - the research-based approach to build youth-adult partnerships, help young people be environmental decision-makers, and improve your enjoyment of teaching! Whether you’re just getting started or deep in implementation, Field Chats serves as a living library of best practices, insights, and stories shaping the future of how young people learn best. Episodes are under 20 minutes and full of actionable tips!

education

All Episodes

00:15:57

Episode 65: What is Environmental Applied Civics?...

Field Chats: Environmental Applied Civics Essentials ·

2026/10/07

What is Environmental Applied Civics—and what isn’t it? In this episode, members of Earth Force's Program Team SJ, Taylor, and Alyssa explain what EAC is, how it works, and what sets it apart. Listeners will learn how young people investigate local environmental issues, work with community members and decision-makers, and use science, civic skills, and lived experience to create change. They also share real examples and do a rapid-fire myth busting of common misconceptions about EAC.0:00:

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00:22:53

Episode 64: All About Youth Climate Summits with...

Field Chats: Environmental Applied Civics Essentials ·

2026/09/21

Krysten Dorfman and Taylor Ruffin welcome back Cedar Barg of The Wild Center to talk about the evolution of Climate Action Planning (CAP) resources and their collaboration with Earth Force. They explore how Earth Force tools—including community inventories, root cause analysis, and power mapping—have been integrated into Youth Climate Summits, how facilitators are adapting the process for different settings, and what happens when young people take on leadership roles themselves. The conversation

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00:27:51

Episode 63: What 20 years of Environmental Applied...

Field Chats: Environmental Applied Civics Essentials ·

2026/09/08

In this episode of Field Chats, Alyssa McConkey and Vince Meldrum dig into what the data reveals about changes in educators, student confidence and skills, and young people’s ability to participate in local environmental decision-making. They also share a powerful story about fourth graders who helped their community identify a problem adults had overlooked—and sparked action to address it.00:00 — Welcome to Field Chats02:50 — What 20+ Years of Evaluation Data Reveals05:50 — How Environmental

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00:16:50

Episode 62: Community Inventories: A Practical Guide...

Field Chats: Environmental Applied Civics Essentials ·

2026/08/25

How can educators use community inventories to help students investigate local environmental issues? In this episode of Field Chats: Environmental Applied Civics Essentials, the Earth Force Program Team explores practical ways to use inventories as part of Environmental Applied Civics (EAC) and project-based learning.Learn how students can use data collection, surveys, interviews, maps, nature journaling, and appreciative inquiry to investigate their communities, identify environmental strengths and

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00:10:47

Episode 61: New Environmental Applied Civics Educator...

Field Chats: Environmental Applied Civics Essentials ·

2026/08/11

Explore Earth Force’s new Environmental Applied Civics (EAC) Educator Guide in this visual walkthrough. The guide is a comprehensive resource for educators who want to engage young people in authentic, community-based learning through youth-adult partnerships and environmental civic action.In this episode of Field Chats, we walk through the updated guide and highlight its new EAC roadmap, three essential experiences, four practitioner competencies, pacing guide, step-by-step resources, script

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00:24:28

Episode 60: One Year Later: Chickens & Civic Change...

Field Chats: Environmental Applied Civics Essentials ·

2026/06/16

We're in the field for an update on a crowd favorite Environmental Applied Civics legacy project at Katherine Johnson Middle School! Young people set up a closed-loop food system - reducing landfill trash from school lunches by 75% thanks to chickens. Tune in to hear directly from young people and their teacher Ms. Alam on how they intend to ensure project sustainability, what they've learned, and how this work has affected their community.

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00:26:14

Episode 59: Building Resilient Communities with Leia...

Field Chats: Environmental Applied Civics Essentials ·

2026/05/19

In this episode, Earth Force CEO Vince Meldrum talks with Leia Lowery, Founder and CEO of The Climate Initiative (TCI). Leia shares how TCI grounds massive global climate issues at the local level to give students direct access to community action. They discuss the power of place-based education, how environmental action combats loneliness, and why students who struggle in traditional classrooms often shine the brightest when taking action.

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00:23:06

Episode 58: Empowering the Next Generation of Water...

Field Chats: Environmental Applied Civics Essentials ·

2026/05/10

This episode explores the Water Education Exemplars Project, a Colorado initiative bridging the gap between state water policy and youth engagement. Earth Force's Alyssa McConkey speaks with veteran environmental educator Donny Roush and CSU student Maya about the urgent need to meet the 2050 Colorado Water Plan goals. By training and compensating young people to serve as professional evaluators, the project ensures that environmental education in Colorado is both high-quality and impactful

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00:21:43

Episode 57: 250 Years In: The Future of Civic Education

Field Chats: Environmental Applied Civics Essentials ·

2026/04/21

What happens when students stop just memorizing the three branches of government and start actually influencing them? In this episode of Field Chats, the Earth Force team discusses why "content knowledge" isn't enough to solve the climate crisis or rebuild civic trust. From stories of middle-school campaigning to the power of "agency as collectivity," the team explores how we can provide young people with the toolkit they need to recognize power, address inequity, and drive

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00:14:07

Episode 56: Levers of Civic Change: A Conversation...

Field Chats: Environmental Applied Civics Essentials ·

2026/04/13

How do we move education beyond the four walls of the classroom? Vince Meldrum discusses this with Ace Parsi, formerly with iCivics, now a candidate for the U.S. House to represent West Virginia's 2nd Congressional District. They talk about public education as a public benefit and the necessity of transfer of learning - taking a concept from a textbook and applying it to a local bridge or a neighbor’s problem. Environmental Action Civics is an effective model for this type of community-based

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00:18:06

Episode 55: EAC in the Social Studies Classroom

Field Chats: Environmental Applied Civics Essentials ·

2026/03/25

We see you, social studies educators! Earth Force program staff Krysten, SJ, and Taylor discuss how Environmental Action Civics (EAC) bridges science and social studies. They highlight how science and social studies come with different lenses, both offering an ideal learning space for young people to understand and address local environmental issues.Listen in for district examples in Denver and DC that demonstrate how EAC can be integrated into existing curricula by supporting civic action projects,

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00:30:17

Episode 54: Place and Community: Authentic Youth...

Field Chats: Environmental Applied Civics Essentials ·

2026/03/16

In this episode of Field Chats: Environmental Action Civics Essentials, Alyssa McConkey talks with Dr. Antonio Gonzales of Albuquerque Public Schools and Erin Blaz and Theresa Aragon from the Ciudad Soil and Water Conservation District about what authentic student learning looks like in New Mexico.They share how place-based experiences help students connect classroom learning to their own communities and see themselves as environmental stewards.The conversation highlights how EAC moves beyond

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00:19:14

Episode 53: Climate Literacy + Civic Action: How...

Field Chats: Environmental Applied Civics Essentials ·

2026/02/24

What does it take to move from youth interest in climate to state-level policy change?In this episode of Field Chats: Environmental Action Civics Essentials, we sit down with Mary Seawell, CEO of Lyra Colorado, to unpack the story behind Colorado’s Seal of Climate Literacy — a high school diploma endorsement created through Senate Bill 24-014.Mary shares how a small team, strong relationships with educators, and youth-led testimony helped pass statewide legislation without a lobbyist — and why

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00:25:25

Episode 52: Learning Democracy by Doing It (A...

Field Chats: Environmental Applied Civics Essentials ·

2026/02/10

Earth Force CEO Vince Meldrum talks with NYLC CEO Amy Meuers about reimagining service learning as a pathway to democracy. They unpack NYLC’s new Ignite framework, explore the deep connections between service learning and Environmental Action Civics, and share how youth-led, community-centered action builds real impact—and belief in democracy.Learn more NYLC here: https://nylc.org/Listen to the NYLC podcast: https://nylc.org/power-of-young-people-podcast/

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00:23:26

Episode 51: Designing Climate Solutions With (Not...

Field Chats: Environmental Applied Civics Essentials ·

2026/01/28

Hosted by Vince Meldrum, President/CEO of Earth Force, this episode is a replay of a 2025 EAC Week event. It features Cory Manning, previously at the City of Denver’s Office of Climate Action, Sustainability, and Resiliency and Kelly Moses from Denver Public Schools’ Sustainability Office. Together, they unpack a youth-led climate grant program funded through Denver’s Climate Protection Fund and designed in partnership with Earth Force. The conversation explores how students—many at the elementary

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00:10:48

Episode 50: From Assumptions to Evidence in Youth...

Field Chats: Environmental Applied Civics Essentials ·

2026/01/13

In this episode, Dr. Jennifer Earl of the University of Delaware shares research that reframes how we understand youth participation in civic life. Drawing her research and others, she highlights the many ways young people are already engaging—through advocacy, community action, and organizing—often while navigating constraints created by adult systems and expectations. The conversation explores how common assumptions about young people can shape program design and decision-making, and why

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00:15:50

Episode 49: Reflecting on the People & Ideas That...

Field Chats: Environmental Applied Civics Essentials ·

2025/12/16

In this end-of-year roundtable episode, the Earth Force team reflects on the people, books, and ideas that continue to shape Environmental Action Civics. Program staff and special guest CEO Vince Meldrum share influential people and ideas—from youth–adult partnerships and problem-posing education to data equity and organizational focus—and discuss how these ideas show up in our trainings, partnerships, and community of practice.This conversation highlights the power of collective learning, the

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00:11:05

Episode 48: Making Space for Fun in Civic Action

Field Chats: Environmental Applied Civics Essentials ·

2025/12/02

Earth Force Program Manager Taylor Ruffin and Chief Program Officer Alyssa McConkey dig into how Environmental Action Civics creates joyful, inquiry-driven learning experiences that strengthen youth–adult partnerships and deepen student agency. They highlight the often-unseen moments that make the EAC process meaningful and fun for both students and educators. Grounded in the 2025 Colorado Science Conference theme of “joy in science,” this episode celebrates how centering fun and authentic

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00:24:03

Episode 47: A Convo with Rachel Arbor: Bringing...

Field Chats: Environmental Applied Civics Essentials ·

2025/11/18

This episode features Rachel Arbor, founder of Gaia Scholastic and a recent Presidential Innovation Award winner. Krysten, SJ, and Rachel dig into what interdisciplinary learning really looks like, why it matters for environmental literacy, and how Rachel’s journey—from informal ed to district-wide environmental leadership—inspired the creation of Gaia Scholastic. Tune in for a conversation about creativity, climate anxiety, and bringing environmental learning into every classroom.Show links:Gaia

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00:15:19

Episode 46: All About Community Inventories

Field Chats: Environmental Applied Civics Essentials ·

2025/11/04

Today, we’re dropping into a recent Community of Practice gathering all about getting started — Step 1 of the Earth Force Process: inventories. You’ll hear how educators guide students to look closer at their communities and uncover the stories behind local environmental issues. To learn more and get connected to the free Community of Practice visit earthforce.org!

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