"Going through the institute last month was a game changer for me personally. We had two weeks off and my goal was to go hiking everyday. Going to the trails … something bit me. I was trying to listen to nature because nature is speaking to you, you just have to listen." - Michelle Shampoe, Literacy Lead, Spring ISD, TX

"What an awesome opportunity to learn from one of the best in local environmental science!" - Amanda Brann, Science teacher, Humble Middle School, TX

"Our partnership with CELF allowed us to take the smallest seed of an idea and transform it into a meaningful, authentic learning opportunity for students in the City of Hamtramck. We could not have had the engaging, well researched, or organized program that we had without CELF’s expert services. Thanks CELF!" - Julie Lockhart, GHD Technical Services

"I want to talk a bit about 'sustainability' and how much I appreciate that your work with CELF is focused on this. In particular the links between environment, economy, and social justice which, as you know, are the foundations of sustainability." - Jay Burney, Presenter and Community Partner, Pollinator Conservation Association, Buffalo, NY

"I had the opportunity to participate in one of the unique outdoor workshops on Education for Sustainability on the banks of the Hudson River. The cross-curricular connection with nature, place-based education through sustainability, engagement in nature, and creative art expression were so pleasant and exciting that they raised my environmental awareness as an educator." - Banani Chowdhury, English teacher, Institute of Applied Technology, Dubai

"I’ve been passing here all these years, but…if not because of this program…I would never have become conscious of it...After coming to observe the place where kitchen liquid waste was draining onto the land...that is what motivated the students to come up with ideas to solve this problem. One said data must be collected...Another mentioned filtration experiments so that we can get fine water that can even serve as a source of irrigation for pineapple cultivation." - Stephen Tetteh, Geography Teacher, Krobo Girls Senior High School, Ghana

"On top of civic engagement, I also wanted to emphasize the importance of accessibility within the climate justice and environmental justice community. The reason that I emphasize this so much is because I come from an underpriveleged community that is mostly black and brown. When I first got into the environmental justice community, I noticed that many of the solutions that I was being offered were not accessible to me." - Student panelist Jaysa M.,12th  grade, Bridgeport, CT

To kick off our 3rd year collaborating with Lantrip Elementary School, CELF facilitated a professional development program focused on creating gifted and talented (G/T) projects. Each grade level will focus on a different theme including energy, agriculture, and water.

"Attending CELF's Summer Institute at Lone Star College Kingwood was unlike any professional development I’ve ever experienced. We, as teachers, learned to understand what sustainability is, drawing from and connecting to personal and professional experiences." - Adriana Castro, CELF Educator

"Our goal is to empower teachers so they can fit this program in a way that makes sense for them. Students are really engaged in the process, and students actually have a voice in the process. That's a really exciting part of CELF." - Lisa Mechaley, CELF Educator

Linde PLC is a significant multi-year supporter of CELF. Linde’s Global Giving Program sponsors CELF Summer Institutes and serves as a community partner and source of field experts.

At the CELF Summer Institute in Buffalo last month, Brad Damstedt, a Senior Technology Expert in Combustion R&D, demonstrated the impact of sound waves on combustion rates. He tied his visually exciting demonstration to the development of technology enabling the world's first commercial scale plant producing sustainable aviation fuel from renewable sources.

You can learn more about Linde's support of CELF - part of their commitment to sustainable development and community engagement, in their 2021 Sustainable Development Report.