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Colorado's climate literacy seal, a diploma endorsement requiring two advanced courses and a community climate project, has been adopted by 26 of the state's 179 school districts and earned by an estimated 1,200 students since its 2024 launch, and is now being replicated in Maine, California, Hawaii, and Minnesota.

What is a key fact in this story? (1)

**Colorado's seal of climate literacy**, approved by state lawmakers in 2024, has been adopted by 26 of the state's 179 school districts, with an estimated 1,200 students earning it so far, according to Lyra Colorado CEO Mary Seawell.

What is a key fact in this story? (2)

**Anthony Muñoz**, a Vista Academy graduate now at the Colorado School of Mines, built an "ozone garden" of native plants to detect ground-level ozone pollution, working with scientists from the National Center for Atmospheric Research on his seal capstone project.

Colorado's Climate Seal Reaches 1,200 Students, Spreads — SkimNews

By The Guardian Environment · Summarized & edited by Kapil Samant · 2026-10-04

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Colorado's seal of climate literacy, approved by state lawmakers in 2024, has been adopted by 26 of the state's 179 school districts, with an estimated 1,200 students earning it so far, according to Lyra Colorado CEO Mary Seawell.
Anthony Muñoz, a Vista Academy graduate now at the Colorado School of Mines, built an "ozone garden" of native plants to detect ground-level ozone pollution, working with scientists from the National Center for Atmospheric Research on his seal capstone project.
Maine, California, Hawaii, and Minnesota are pursuing their own versions: Maine adopted the seal directly, California signed it into law, and youth coalitions are pushing in Hawaii and Minnesota; in Maine's spring pilot across nine high schools, nearly 57 seniors applied versus an expected dozen.
State funding for Colorado's rollout totaled less than $20,000, forcing students to self-fund or chase grants; Muñoz co-wrote a $1 million grant proposal to the city for his school's gardens, while Lyra Colorado runs its own grant program for teacher time and graduation cords.
The Trump administration has called the climate crisis a "hoax," attempted to cut funding to NCAR, and is working with congressional Republicans to target the tax-exempt status of climate-focused nonprofits, which Seawell said created a "chilling effect" on donors.
Lyra Colorado is partnering with Colorado Mountain College to align the seal with skilled-trades certifications including heat pump installation, solar grid maintenance, and sustainable agriculture, with hopes that universities will offer course credit to incoming seal holders.

Why it matters: For the roughly 1,200 Colorado students who've earned the seal, it offers a diploma-recognized credential tied directly to a growing green workforce — but the program's expansion now collides with federal attacks on the climate science institutions, like NCAR, that mentor these students. Donors are already pulling back, and the Trump administration's push against climate nonprofits' tax-exempt status threatens the small-dollar infrastructure underwriting the seal in underfunded school districts.