Colorado's seal of climate literacy, a statewide initiative that combines climate-focused coursework with community service, has been adopted by 26 of the state's 179 school districts since its approval by lawmakers in 2024. To earn the seal, which is an endorsement on high school diplomas and transcripts, students must complete at least two advanced courses covering Earth's climate systems and an approved project addressing a climate issue in their community.
An estimated 1,200 students have received the seal so far, according to Lyra Colorado, an education non-profit that advocates for the programme. The initiative is now expanding to other states, with Maine adopting its own climate seal earlier this year and California signing a bill into law to establish the seal for its graduates.
Anthony Muñoz, a student at Vista Academy, built an "ozone garden" for his capstone project as part of the seal programme. He partnered with a local university and climate scientists to create a garden with native plants capable of detecting ground-level ozone pollution.