The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.

—Rachel Carson, marine biologist, author, and conservationist whose influential book Silent Spring and other writings are credited with advancing the global environmental movement.

Environmental education connects us to the world—teaching about both natural and built environments. It raises awareness of issues impacting the environment and actions we can take to improve and sustain it.

Connecting students to nature is foundational to environmental education and, at Harley, we strive to both utilize our outdoor spaces such as the nature center, microfarm, playground, and creek, as well to bring it into the classroom. Traditional projects like the creek walk and investigation in Grade 2, Harlic Garlic in Grade 3, and planting potatoes to imagine historical eras in Upper School history are where the intersection of nature and education thrives. In the classroom, students examine data, express their feelings about nature in art classes, and engage in multimodal research to learn about the wonders of nature. 

At Harley, we approach environmental education as a holistic, lifelong-learning process with the goal of creating well-informed, action-oriented citizens. We believe the strength of this academic experience balances embracing a sense of wonder, investigating questions, formulating arguments, and communicating what our students learn.

Here are just a few highlights in this issue:

• • • An alum who is deeply involved in climate change adaptation, coastal zone management, and coastal flood forecasting around the world. 
    • What is happening in our new Middle School bee club.
    • An alum who helped create the Empire State Trail and Empire State Water Trail, which runs across New York state.
    • An update on our Climate Curriculum work, funded in part by a grant from the E. E. Ford Foundation.

Beth Bailey, P ’23, ’26

Director of Marketing and Communications