With a school named "Channelview," you'd expect these students to be more familiar than most with the Houston Ship Channel ... and they certainly are!

During a day of making direct observations from aboard a boat, these high schoolers got a much closer look at Port Houston and gained a deeper understanding of the energy and shipping industries that drive the local economy, as well as the environmental challenges their community faces.

As part of the CELF Civic Science: Inquiry to Action program, Channelview High School students made direct observations and gathered data about air quality for analysis back in the classroom. This purposeful research is funded in part with the support of a grant from Port Houston.

Are you interested in linking student-driven science inquiry to local community and civic engagement at your school or district?

Water is life! The need for clean drinking water and water to irrigate crops is universal and global. When two groups of female high school students got together for a virtual student exchange this month, they learned from each other about how local geography, economy and culture can shape resource use and environmenal priorities.

Students at Krobo Girls Presbyterian Senior High School in Odumasi, Ghana, worked on redirecting and purifying water resources for use in a campus garden through better treatment of kitchen waste. New York students were intrigued to learn about high levels of student participation in the campus environment.

At The Hewitt School in New York City, students described a strikingly different approach to water. New York City's water is tunneled 125 miles into the city from the Catskill Mountains. Learning about the watershed has inspired these Hewitt students to both conserve water and to support local farmers from the Catskills region at farmers' markets. The Ghanaian students asked their stateside peers about the lack of a local water sources for the city.

The exchange of ideas and ideals will continue! Students are already planning their next collaboration.

This month and always, our CELF team looks to Black leaders in the Environmental Justice movement to inform our work exploring EJ issues with teachers and students. We encourage you to learn more about Black-led grassroots community leaders and organizations working to combat environmental racism issues, such as food deserts, and enhance climate activism within the Black community.

Communications and Development Manager

CELF is seeking a Communications and Development Manager who has 3+ years of communications experience, ideally in an in-house leadership role within a fast-growing nonprofit, and covering areas such as event marketing, donor communications, social media, website content, and newsletters.

At CELF, we are grateful for the dedication, resourcefulness, and guidance of our Board of Directors, which has undergone some important changes in 2023.

Maureen Brady-Atinsky has passed the role of Board Chair to Evan Matzen. Evan is the Director of Sustainable Finance at PNC, where he is responsible for working externally and internally to support the transition to an inclusive, low-carbon economy. Maureen will remain an active member of the CELF board as Vice Chair.

Several long serving members have recently retired from board service. Please join us in thanking Nick Gutfreund, Charlie Kimball, and Jessica Mendelowitz for their many years of commitment and hard work advancing CELF's mission.