The mission of The Cloud Institute is to ensure the viability of sustainable communities by leveraging changes in K-12 school systems to prepare young people for the shift toward a sustainable future. The organization monitors the evolving thinking and skills of the most important champions of sustainability, and attempts to transform them into educational materials and a pedagogical system that inspires young people to think about the world, their relationships to it, and their ability to influence it in an entirely new way.

We believe that K-12 education can substantially influence beliefs, attitudes, values and behaviors related to sustainability. This is the most fertile ground for helping to shape a society committed to sustainable development. The goal of sustainability education is to develop in young people and their teachers new knowledge and new ways of thinking needed to achieve economic prosperity, participate democratically, secure justice and equity, and all the while regenerate the health of the ecosystems, the gift upon which all life and all production depend.

Cloud Institute Products and Services

The Cloud Institute offers a variety of products and services to help public and independent schools, school systems, and their communities teach and learn for a sustainable future. Its programs and materials are used nationally and internationally in a variety of settings – from New York City to Brazil. Examples include:

• Professional Development programs designed for teachers, administrators, and community leaders to help build the awareness, skills, and leadership abilities necessary to educate for a sustainable future.

• All-inclusive curricula packages consisting of four days professional development for educators and administrators with courses like business and entrepreneurship as well as participation in government.

• Supplementary units / courses easily integrated into a variety of in-school, after-school, and non-formal settings on topics such as sustainable food systems, ecological economics, and changing consumption patterns.

• Consultations, professional development, curriculum development and assessment dependent upon the goals and needs of a school — from one day to three years and beyond.

Sessions can be delivered on school sites, at teacher centers, at educational association conference/workshop sites, or in the Institute’s “green” office/workshop space in the Chelsea district of New York City.

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