Field Chats Podcast
Real field conversations.
Proven best practices. Under 20 minutes.
Whether you’re just getting started or deep in implementation, Field Chats serves as a living library of best practices, insights, and stories shaping the future of how young people learn best.
This Week: Episode 63 - September 8, 2026
What 20 years of Environmental Applied Civics evaluation tells us
27 Mins
How do you measure something as complex as confidence, voice, and participation?
In this episode of Field Chats, Alyssa McConkey and Vince Meldrum dig into what the data reveals about changes in educators, student confidence and skills, and young people’s ability to participate in local environmental decision-making. They also share a powerful story about fourth graders who helped their community identify a problem adults had overlooked—and sparked action to address it.
Previous Episode
Community Inventories: A Practical Guide to Environmental Applied Civics
How can educators use community inventories to help students investigate local environmental issues? In this episode of Field Chats: Environmental Applied Civics Essentials, the Earth Force Program Team explores practical ways to use inventories as part of Environmental Applied Civics (EAC) and project-based learning.
Learn how students can use data collection, surveys, interviews, maps, nature journaling, and appreciative inquiry to investigate their communities, identify environmental strengths and concerns, and develop meaningful questions for further inquiry.
Previous Episodes
New Environmental Applied Civics Educator Guide: A Walkthrough!
What does Environmental Applied Civics look like in practice? We're kicking off Season 4 of Field Chats with a behind-the-scenes look at the brand-new Environmental Applied Civics Educator Guide.
From the six-step EAC process and practitioner competencies to pacing tools, reflection prompts, accessibility features, and classroom-ready resources, we’re highlighting what’s new and how it can support educators in creating meaningful, youth-led learning experiences.
Building Resilient Communities with Leia Lowery
In this episode, Earth Force CEO Vince Meldrum talks with Leia Lowery, Founder and CEO of The Climate Initiative (TCI). Leia shares how TCI grounds massive global climate issues at the local level to give students direct access to community action. They discuss the power of place-based education, how environmental action combats loneliness, and why students who struggle in traditional classrooms often shine the brightest when taking action.
Episode 60 - June 16, 2026
One Year Later: Chickens & Civic Change
We're in the field for an update on a crowd favorite Environmental Applied Civics legacy project at Katherine Johnson Middle School! Young people set up a closed-loop food system - reducing landfill trash from school lunches by 75% thanks to chickens. Tune in to hear directly from young people and their teacher Ms. Alam on how they intend to ensure project sustainability, what they've learned, and how this work has affected their community.
Be a guest on the Field Chats Podcast! Share your EAC story or your expertise in authentic youth-led learning and education ecosystems.
Featured Playlists
We curated themed playlists from the archives of 60+ podcast episodes. Dig in and start learning!
Capsule 1: Environmental Applied Civics Fundamentals
Delve into practical tips and deep dives into the key parts of Environmental Applied Civics
We gather insights and tips from diverse leaders supporting authentic youth-led learning with real civic engagement
Capsule 3: Field Leader Interviews
Tune into interviews with leaders in the EAC field and beyond
We gather insights and tips from diverse leaders supporting authentic youth-led learning with real civic engagement
Capsule 2: Environmental Applied Civics in Social Studies
Learn best practices for bringing student-led learning into your social studies curriculum.
It’s a natural fit - explore the alignment of Environmental Applied Civics, Social Studies, and the C3 Framework.
Get answers to the most commonly asked questions about Environmental Applied Civics
The Earth Force team answers your questions about EAC - from facilitation strategies to climate seal integrations.
Join the conversation. Subscribe to our Podcast
JOIN OUR MISSION
