The Seal of Climate Literacy would encourage Colorado high school students to take courses on the subject of environmental awareness and to complete a sustainability project in their community. Environmental science classes, biology classes, and electives could count toward a students’ coursework to receive their Seal of Climate Literacy. The bill compels the education provider to decide which courses qualify.
Aisha O’Neil is a senior at Durango High School. She gives some examples of courses and projects that could fulfill the requirements to receive the Seal of Climate Literacy.
“We recently did a recycling sorting game at Earth Day, and we did a parade on Earth Day, which taught community members about the ways that environmental advocacy can be fun. That could absolutely count,” said O’Neil.
O’Neil started the Green Team, a club at Durango High School, in her sophomore year. The Green Team leads sustainability projects and trash cleanups around Durango, and they helped advocate to state legislators for the Seal of Climate Literacy.
“We created an Instagram campaign. We had students hold up posters with why they support the climate literacy bill. And we recently led a letter-writing campaign. Our letters definitely had an impact,” said O’Neil.
In addition to writing to the lawmakers, students testified during a legislative committee hearing. O’Neil spoke over Zoom.
“We live in a world where disastrous global events are reported hourly,” said O’Neil. “Terrible news stories about the severe snowstorm last week, or the hurricanes from last month, or the 95,000 people who died in environmental disasters last year… it becomes difficult to find reasons to be optimistic. And that is the main reason I support SB 24-014. A marginal level of understanding about politics and law can breed despair. But a broader comprehension brought about by education creates optimism.”
After hearing from the students, a few Republican legislators have voted in favor of the bill.
SB 24-014 wasn’t the first time that high school students from Durango had testified to the state legislature. Earlier in the session, students advocated for a bill that would allow Narcan, an opioid overdose reversal nasal spray, into the hands of students on school campuses statewide – and that bill passed.
With the success of the climate literacy bill, O’Neil, who’s graduating this year, is excited to see the seal on her diploma - the first Seal of Climate Literacy will go out in the coming weeks.
O’Neil says she’s looking forward to including her seal of literacy on her resume to prove her knowledge to future employers.
“I'm working at this summer camp. I feel like having the seal when I applied for that job would have made me a much more qualified applicant,” said O’Neil.
The bill that would create the Seal of Climate Literacy will head to the Governor’s desk for signing in the coming weeks.
