Seeking Sustainability
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Learners explore the concept of sustainability by examining the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals, while also taking a look at some jobs involved in ensuring forest sustainability.
To get PLT’s Green Jobs: Exploring Forest Careers unit, purchase a copy from Shop.PLT.org or find information about an in-person workshop in your area.
Supporting resources for this activity include the Worksheets from the guide (also known as Student Pages).
Green Jobs: Exploring Forest Careers is a supplementary curriculum that is multi-disciplinary, with an emphasis on science, reading, writing, mathematics, and social studies.
Each activity displays explicit connections to practices and concepts expected by the following national academic standards so teachers can easily see where the materials will fit into their lesson plans:
- Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
- Common Core Toolkit, includes
- English Language Arts (CCSS.ELA)
- Mathematics (CCSS.MATH)
- College, Career, and Civic Life Framework for Social Studies (C3)
Our professional development further demonstrates these connections, as well as to state and local standards, contact your state coordinator.
EE Resources
NGSS Toolkit for Green Jobs: Exploring Forest Careers
Download this PLT Green Jobs NGSS Correlations Toolkit. The Toolkit includes guiding questions, a list of science connections, and explicit NGSS correlations for each activity. Each is organized around the three dimensions of science, making it useful for educators even if their state has not adopted NGSS.
The State of the World’s Forests 2020
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has monitored the world’s forests at 5 to 10-year intervals since 1946. The State of the World’s Forests 2020–Forests, Biodiversity and People, examines the contributions of forests, and of the people who use and manage them, to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. For the first... Read more »
Career Profile Cards
Explore jobs in the environment, natural resource, outdoor recreation, and renewable energy sectors with these Career Profile Cards, developed by the Pacific Education Institute. The cards highlight voices of individuals in those careers. Learn about the day-to-day, career pathway, and tips and tools of the trade from an Assistant Forester, Salmon Habitat Restoration Manager, Water Quality... Read more »
PLT Green Jobs Youth Personality Quiz
Project Learning Tree has launched an interactive quiz that allows youth to answer a few simple questions online and receive recommendations for a rewarding green career path that suits their personality. It’s fast, easy, and fun to do! — perfect for youth ages 12-25 looking to learn about what it takes to perform jobs in sustainability,... Read more »
PLT’s 12 Green Job Fact Sheets
Learn more about the wide array of jobs related to forests with PLT’s 12 Green Jobs Fact Sheets, which highlights the following green jobs: Forester, Environmental Educator, GIS Specialist, Indigenous Relations Specialist, Forestry Technician, Park Ranger, Hydrologist, Silviculture Technician, Urban Forester, Machine Operator, Wildlife Biologist, and Sustainability Manager. Green jobs offer opportunities for people with... Read more »
Podcast Series: Global GoalsCast
Learn more about the current progress of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in this episode from the podcast series Global GoalsCast. UN Foundation discusses how countries and cities – from Uganda to New York – are measuring their SDG progress with the help of policymakers, entrepreneurs, and individuals. This podcast shares the stories of individuals, companies,... Read more »
Podcast Series: Center for Global Development
Learn more about the book “Why Forests? Why Now? The Science, Economics and Politics of Climate Change” in this episode from a podcast series created by the Center for Global Development (CGD). CGD Senior Fellow, Frances Seymour, discusses forests, the Paris climate agreement, and the sustainable development goals – indicating the importance of protecting tropical... Read more »
Forest Sustainability Reporting in the United States
Read how the United States Forest Service tracks domestic and international forest sustainability goals through the Service’s Sustainability Assessment Program. Using an internationally agreed-upon set of 54 forest sustainability indicators known as the Montreal Process Criteria and Indicators, USFS has created reports for each indicator, with topics including biodiversity conservation, forest fires, and the many benefits derived... Read more »
iNaturalist
iNaturalist is a species identification app that allows users to record their observations of living things by way of taking photos and appending GPS coordinates to their discoveries. Each user has their own profile and can follow others to keep a tab of what others are posting, or share what they have photographed. The app... Read more »
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Monitoring Forest Health
Through a variety of health indicators, learners assess the health of a forest area and see how soil scientists, wildlife biologists, arborists, and other forest professionals monitor forests.
If You Were the Boss
Acting as foresters, learners grapple with decisions about how to manage a forest sustainably while serving different needs.
Who Works in this Forest?
As an introduction to some of the people who work in and on behalf of forests, learners research different forest sector careers to learn what it takes to perform these jobs.
Forest Biotechnology
Students learn how traditional methods of artificial selection and modern methods of bioengineering have been used to improve the quality of forests products worldwide. Students investigate both the risks and benefits of genetically modifying trees.