By Rocco Saracina, Director, Strategic Partnerships, Project Learning Tree
When I was a young boy, nature only ever brought me one thing: a sense of wonder. Wonder stomping through cold streams with reckless abandon. Wonder in overturning a rock to reveal the ever-so-rare salamander in the woods near my home.
Wonder chasing fireflies as they flicker through the hot summer night’s air.
Today, many youth face a different reality—a growing disconnect from nature in favor of time spent indoors and behind screens. With that disconnect comes a growing misunderstanding of the science tied to nature, leading to a phenomenon experts have termed “eco-anxiety.” It’s no surprise—in an era marked by climate change, biodiversity loss, and environm
The Author, Rocco Saracina and his son enjoying the chill dusk breeze in the mountains overlooking Luray, Virginia.
ental degradation, headlines around nature seem bleak at best. But that is exactly why there has never been a greater need for comprehensive environmental education. Having kids of my own, I’ve seen firsthand how nature- and forest-focused education and experiences can change everything for young people. That is why I’ve dedicated my career to advancing Project Learning Tree (PLT).
PLT, an educational initiative of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, is a nonprofit organization committed to advancing environmental education (EE), forest literacy, and green career pathways. PLT offers award-winning instructional materials for grades PreK–12, professional development (PD) training resources, and an extensive and dedicated international network of PD providers. Since its inception in 1998, PLT has reached more than 125 million students through over 700,000 trained educators. This work doesn’t happen alone; we need support and collaboration to provide these opportunities to educators—and ultimately, students. That’s why we’re absolutely thrilled to have the Drax Foundation’s continued financial and collaborative support. Recently, the Drax Foundation committed $100,000 to PLT to expand access to nature-based PD for educators. This builds on a $60,000 award made in 2024.
The Power of Forest Literacy: Wonder, Stewardship, and Career Exploration Start with Education
At the heart of our work is forest literacy—helping young people understand the ecological, social, and economic roles forests play in our world. Forests are not just scenic outdoor playgrounds. They are dynamic ecosystems that clean our air and water, store carbon, create habitat and support biodiversity, and contribute to local and global economies. They’re also deeply embedded in the cultural fabric of many communities.
Preservice Education Students from Auburn University participating in a PLT Activity as part of a Drax Foundation sponsored PD event in Alabama.
When students learn to see forests through this lens, they begin to understand the full picture—why forests matter, how they contribute to nearly every facet of society, and that with understanding and science, we can care for forests and utilize their vast renewable resources simultaneously. In doing so, they can begin to see forests as solutions to our most pressing global challenges. And forests again become a source of wonder and hope for the future.
Thanks to the Drax Foundation’s continued investment, we’re able to bring this message to life for more educators and their students. With the new $100,000 award, PLT will deliver up to 20 PD workshops across Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi—communities where Drax operates and where forest literacy can have lasting impact. These workshops will support more than 300 educators, reaching an estimated 33,000 students. And they’re not just one-off trainings—each workshop equips educators with hands-on tools and the confidence to bring nature-based learning, forest-focused education, and green career exploration into the classroom.
What does that look like in practice? Educators from diverse backgrounds are given the chance to participate in PLT activities with a seasoned trainer. The trainer reviews learning objectives, walks through ways to adapt the content to local needs and ecology, explores career connections, and much more. These events provide hands-on materials and experiences that build confidence to deliver nature-based education in and out of the classroom. Ultimately, the training helps educators see that EE is more than a nice-to-have add-on—it is a method for instruction that can teach any subject, with the added social, emotional, and physical benefits of using nature and forests as a guide.
Formal and nonformal educators and outreach focused natural resource professionals attending a forest focused and Drax Foundation sponsored PLT PD event in Arkansas.
Our partnership with the Drax Foundation started strong. In 2023, their initial $60,000 investment helped us exceed outreach goals—training 256 educators through 16 workshops, well above our target of 180. We distributed over $13,000 in high-quality PLT materials, including to schools in underserved areas. That same year, Drax supported our 2024 PLT Annual Conference, bringing together more than 200 attendees from across the U.S. and around the world.
This expanded support from Drax couldn’t come at a better time. As we implement SFI’s evolving education strategy, we’re focused on growing the forest and conservation workforce by embedding forest literacy and career exploration across the education landscape. The work we’re doing with Drax is a clear model for how that vision takes shape—through strong partnerships, rooted in shared values and a commitment to the next generation.
Nature-based education is a necessity. And when we invest in it—together—we give young people the knowledge, skills, and sense of wonder they need to build a more sustainable future.
