"It’s the seventh state to pass a law requiring climate education in public schools. The requirement will kick in next fall."

"Last year, Laura Stamp asked her eighth-grade students a thought-provoking question: If they could redesign their city, how would they make it more sustainable?

Stamp, who teaches science at Brooks Middle School in Oak Park — a suburb of Chicago — wanted her students to take a closer look at how they could mitigate carbon emissions from industries contributing to global climate change: food waste, fast fashion and transportation.

Over the course of three weeks, her students proposed more bike lanes, bus lanes and trolleys, evaluating their recommendations against Oak Park’s existing climate action plan. Stamp’s class also identified how equity and sustainability can work hand in hand. For example, students recommended that Oak Park invest more in housing and healthcare in order to increase safety on public transportation, encouraging its use.

“They could see [that] some of the changes are big and systemic, and some of the changes can be really made at a community level,” she said."

Amber X. Chen reports for Inside Climate News October 20, 2025. [2]