Sustainability & Stewardship

Caring for the Earth and its resources, and acting so that all life — present and future — can flourish.

K–12 objective ladder

• K D10.S4.K.01 Do one small act of care for the environment and say why it helps.
• 1 D10.S4.01.01 Name one way to waste less, such as turning off water or reusing a bag, and do it.
• 1 D10.S4.01.02 Help care for a plant or animal and say what it needs each day.
• 2 D10.S4.02.01 Name one way people use water or energy and one way to save some of it.
• 2 D10.S4.02.02 Follow what happens to a piece of litter and explain why putting it in the right place matters.
• 3 D10.S4.03.01 Tell the difference between a natural resource that can run out and one that comes back, such as sunlight, with an example of each.
• 3 D10.S4.03.02 Name one resource people use every day, where it comes from, and one way to use less of it.
• 4 D10.S4.04.01 Explain what happens to trash after it is thrown away and name "reduce, reuse, recycle" in order of what is best to do first.
• 4 D10.S4.04.02 Investigate how one human action, such as littering or planting, can help or harm a local place.
• 5 D10.S4.05.01 Describe a form of pollution or habitat loss and one thing people can do to reduce it.
• 5 D10.S4.05.02 Explain what it means to use a resource carefully so it lasts, and give one example from their own life.
• 6 D10.S4.06.01 Explain what a footprint (the resources a person or place uses) is and compare the footprints of two different lifestyles.
• 6 D10.S4.06.02 Evaluate a simple everyday choice, such as walking versus riding, for its effect on people and the planet, and explain the trade-offs.
• 7 D10.S4.07.01 Explain the basic science of climate change (greenhouse gases trapping heat) and the main human activities that add to it.
• 7 D10.S4.07.02 Compare individual actions and collective actions for caring for the environment, and explain why both matter.
• 8 D10.S4.08.01 Explain what sustainability means (meeting today's needs without robbing the future) and apply it to one resource.
• 8 D10.S4.08.02 Analyze a community's practice for caring for land or water, from any culture, and what makes it work.
• 9 D10.S4.09.01 Compare fossil fuels and renewable energy sources in how they work, their limits, and their effects on people and the planet.
• 9 D10.S4.09.02 Analyze how the burdens and benefits of environmental change fall unevenly on different people (environmental justice).
• 10 D10.S4.10.01 Evaluate a real sustainability solution, such as a circular economy or a restoration project, for its benefits, limits, and fairness.
• 10 D10.S4.10.02 Explain the idea of a circular economy (designing out waste) and compare it with a "take, make, waste" linear economy.
• 11 D10.S4.11.01 Analyze global environmental policy, such as a climate agreement, and the coordination and justice questions it raises.
• 11 D10.S4.11.02 Compare indigenous and other place-based stewardship practices with industrial resource use, and what each teaches about sustainability.
• 12 D10.S4.12.01 Design and defend a stewardship plan for a real place or resource, weighing fairness to present and future generations.
• 12 D10.S4.12.02 Reflect on their own responsibility as a steward of the Earth and how they will act — individually and with others — for all life.

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