As educators, you inspire your students to change the world. Now, you can give them the tools they need to make a difference.
The Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability Teachers Academy provides educators with the knowledge and resources needed to bring the science of sustainability into any preK-12 classroom. Our approach leverages the expertise of education professionals from across the nation to cultivate a community of sustainability changemakers. Together, we work to develop innovative strategies to address economic, social and environmental challenges we face.
Our professional development opportunities incorporate contemporary research by professionals, scientists and scholars from Arizona State University’s College of Global Futures. We aim to translate this research into effective practices that you can use to evaluate and address the complex problems facing your school and community. We promote researcher-practitioner partnerships, learning communities and project-based learning to position teachers, students and others as change agents to create a more sustainable future.
The Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability Teachers Academy was established thanks to an investment by the Rob and Melani Walton Foundation.
Sustainability Teachers Academy
Since its inception in 2015, The Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability Teachers Academy (STA) has provided professional development opportunities to more than 3,000 teachers across the United States. WSTA has established more than 50 partnerships with school districts, nonprofit organizations and local governments to support projects that seek to improve local sustainability efforts. WSTA has grown to include three main programs:
The Walton Sustainability Teachers Academy (WSTA)
Our flagship program, the Walton Sustainability Teachers Academy (WSTA), has long served as a foundational professional development opportunity for teachers eager to weave sustainability concepts into their curricula.
Traditionally held as a one-week immersive experience, WSTA shifted to meet the needs of a changing world in 2020. From 2020 to 2023, professional development opportunities were offered in a virtual format and ran for two weeks each summer, welcoming between 20 and 30 dedicated educators for each cohort. Through these programs, participants collaborated with our knowledgeable staff to integrate sustainability science into their teaching plans and develop student-led sustainability projects.
In 2025, WSTA was converted to an online, asynchronous professional development opportunity. This change allows a greater number of educators to participate in WSTA at any time and in any location, while still providing free, high quality experiences for teachers.
Sustainability Learning Labs
Our Sustainability Learning Labs were created as an innovative platform for local educators to engage in the creation and implementation of hands-on professional development that promotes sustainable practices in classrooms and communities. Classroom activities are enriched through partnerships with local community organizations such as museums, small businesses and nonprofits. Community and local educators share in students’ work investigating the sustainability problems that are most important to their lives, crafting solutions that are attainable, relevant and consequential. These combined efforts help students see sustainability as a way of life, not just a subject learned in school.
These learning labs have been established on a national scale, fostering collaborations with local partners through our various programs. One standout example is the Storm Smart Schools Learning Lab for water education, made possible through funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife and State Farm. Originating January 2023, this collaborative effort between STA, Watershed Management Group, EcoRise and five schools in the greater Phoenix area has been instrumental in advancing urban forestry and sustainability education.
The Sustainability Learning Labs program officially launched in 2021. Since its inception, we have established eight Learning Labs throughout the United States, including one Learning Lab on food waste prevention that has become a national initiative. Our Sustainability Learning Labs seek to address local sustainability concerns through an integrated and interdisciplinary approach, where program staff collaborate with community partners and regionally focused educators to identify issues and develop educational solutions to create a more sustainable and equitable society.
Fellowship programs
The WSTA Fellowship Programs first started in 2022 with the Futures Fellowship and offer educators funded opportunities to enhance their skills, expand their personal and professional networks, and contribute to the sustainability field.
One Fellowship highlight is the Engineering for One Planet (EOP) Faculty Fellowship program. Supported by the Lemelson Foundation, 22 ASU engineering faculty participated in a year-long Fellowship that supported their implementation of sustainability in the classroom through the use of the EOP Framework. The highlights of this workshop are outlined in the Guide for Institutional Capacity Building Using the EOP Framework.
These fellowships not only provide valuable opportunities for educators, but also contribute to the broader mission of advancing education for a just, sustainable future and fostering leadership in this field.
Getting in touch
Interested in exploring future opportunities with the Walton Sustainability Teachers Academies? Please fill out the contact form below to subscribe to our biannual newsletter, where we share professional development workshops, new educational resources and other teacher opportunities!
Teacher Resources
The Walton Sustainability Teachers Academy is committed to creating and providing curricular resources that span a diverse range of topics—including food systems sustainability, quality of life and well-being, decision-making for sustainability, and much more. Our lessons are applicable for grades 6-9 with variations presented that will enable you to tailor the activity for a younger or older audience. Because sustainability is an interdisciplinary topic, these lessons are relevant across all class subjects.
Research and Reports
In alignment with ASU’s efforts to conduct use-inspired research, we build our programs based on research in the fields of sustainability education and effective professional development strategies and seek to contribute to them in kind. You can explore research and reports that have been conducted on our programs below.
News
Walton sustainability program empowers K–12 educators to combat food waste
Food waste is one of the most pressing issues of our time, affecting the environment and economies worldwide.
Water Literacy in the Desert: Aligning education with Arizona’s water future
Every drop of water holds immense value in Arizona, and the need for increasing water literacy continues to grow.
Sustainability Teachers Academy Staff
The ASU Sustainability Teachers Academies were founded through a generous investment from the Rob Walton Foundation.