The Climate and Resilience Education Task Force (CRETF), comprised of NGOs, educators, policymakers, and community members was launched on May 31, 2018 - a day when many out-of-town guests were convening in New York City to attend the first RiSC Summit on June 1st at Brooklyn College. Managed by the National Wildlife Federation and WE ACT for Environmental Justice, CRETF is dedicated to expanding access to interdisciplinary, justice-centered climate and resilience education in New York's P-12 schools,

CRETF began convening a Youth Steering Committee (YSC) in 2020 to provide New York high school students with the tools to advocate for their own climate education in their communities and at the state level. The YSC emphasizes the importance of youth-led, solutions-based projects and activities that promote civic engagement. 

Together, since 2020, the CRETF and YSC have:

• Successfully lobbied for the inclusion of climate education in NYC's strategic plan, PlaNYC: Getting Sustainability Done (2023);

• Successfully advocated for the inclusion of climate education in the Climate Act's final scoping plan;

• Organized student-led roundtables, listening sessions and meetings with NYC teachers, staff from the NY State Governor’s office, Mayor’s Office, NYSED and Board of Regents;

• Submitted the first climate education budget proposals to the Governor and the NY State legislature;

• Created the first New York State climate education platform;

• Drafted language for a City Council resolution on climate education;

• Analyzed and edited existing state climate education bills;

• Launched the first comprehensive climate education survey of NYC teachers, in 2021, in partnership with the teacher's union, which garnered over 1,500 responses;

• Created a toolkit with curated K-12 climate education curriculum resources for students and educators.