Healthy Earth

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How Can We Contribute to a Healthy Earth?

As part of National PTA’s Healthy Lifestyles initiative, we are committed to helping families and PTAs make a Healthy Earth a top priority.

It can be difficult to sort through all of the information about climate change and what each of us can be doing with our families and within our communities to play our part. National PTA has pulled together some resources that you can use with your school community.

Earth Day celebration

What Can Your PTA Do?

PTAs are perfectly positioned to help families understand the truth about the climate crisis and to also know what they can do in their daily lives and as part of a broader community to be part of the solution. We encourage you to share these resources via your communication channels with families in your community!

Your PTA can also create family engagement opportunities in your community by starting a community compost program or community garden or by educating families and your school administration on how to lessen food waste. Find ideas to make your PTA program events more sustainable:
- How to Make Your PTA Program Events More Sustainable (en español)

You can be advocates in your communities to make sure environmental considerations are kept front of mind in key decisions within your district such as infrastructure and transportation. In fact, National PTA joined the call for investments in school infrastructure and transportation that advance equity and protect the environment. You can find additional guidance in the K-12 Climate Advocacy Toolkit for Parents.

Share the report, Schools, Climate and Health: Responding to Extreme Heat with your district leaders better understand the effects of heat on students and educators and recommendations for schools, school districts and administrators to strength their districts' heat planning.

Advocacy in Action

Check out our letter to policymakers about safe drinking water and our position statement about clean water for students in schools:

September 18, 2023 - PTA Joins Letter to the EPA on Ensuring Safe Drinking Water for All Children through the Lead and Copper Rule

August 24, 2023 - National PTA Submits Letter on Ensuring Safe Drinking Water at School through the Lead and Copper Rule

Position Statement - Clean Water

Position Statement - Environmental Health, Remediation, Sustainability and Climate Change

Family Activities

Get Outside

Take a family walk outdoors or create your own nature scavenger hunt. Make a checklist of items to spot—or encourage kids to document what they find with a camera. Check out additional ideas from the Child Mind Institute.

Start or Join a Garden

Gardening is a great hands-on way for families to spend time outside while learning how plants grow. Whether you’re joining a community garden or starting one at home, kids can experience the full lifecycle of a plant and, in vegetable gardens, discover where their food comes from.

Try a No‑Waste Challenge

Work together to reduce waste by bringing your own water bottle, planning meals thoughtfully, buy used items, and choosing reusable containers for packing food. Make it a fun family challenge!

Join a Community Clean-Up

Participate in a local neighborhood clean-up—or organize your own. It’s a meaningful way to care for your community while spending time outdoors.

Practice New Environmentally Friendly Habits

Start a family conversation about small actions that make a big difference, such as taking shorter showers, turning off lights when leaving a room and experiment in the kitchen by preparing a plant-based meal as a family.

Host a Nature-Themed Movie or Reading Night

Turn family night into the opportunity learn something new by watching a nature documentary like Planet Earth or choose an environmentally themed book to read as a family. For inspiration, explore reading lists for all ages at Earthday.org or the Sierra Club.