Shelburne Farms Institute for Sustainable Schools wordmark

Partners

A five-day immersive introduction to Education for Sustainability

July 7–11, 2025

Part conference, part workshop, and part retreat, this informative and restorative experience is designed to deepen your understanding and practice of Education for Sustainability. Education for Sustainability (EFS) is an approach that links wonder, knowledge, inquiry, and collective action to make positive change—change that will help create dynamic and sustainable communities.

Foundations offers you the time and space to develop meaningful projects and curricula while learning from colleagues and other leaders in the field of EFS. Dynamic, democratic, and interactive, Foundations features a blend of learning journeys around Shelburne Farms; workshops by EFS educators and partners; hands-on learning experiences; large and small group discussions; individual work time; and peer-to-peer feedback.

This program is best suited for preK–12 practicing educators, though all types of educators are welcome.

Offered with the University of Vermont.

How to Register

Foundations is typically offered once each summer at Shelburne Farms in Shelburne, Vermont. Save the date for the next offering of Foundations July 7–11, 2025. Join our mailing list to hear when registration opens.

Join Our Mailing List
  • Participant fee: $750. Includes course fee plus daily light breakfast and lunch. Scholarships may be available for this fee on a need-based scale. Fee does not include accommodations, travel, and graduate credit.
  • Optional accommodation fee: $75.00 per night double occupancy room (+10% tax on lodging). $125.00 per night single occupancy room (+10% tax on lodging). Accommodations are on a first come, first served basis.
  • Optional 3 graduate credits for an additional fee: $705 for Vermont residents, $900 out-of-state residents. Contact hours: 34. Additional course hours are required for graduate credit and will take place online July 2, 14, 16, and 18, 2025.
  • Note that due to ongoing renovations at the Coach Barn, this program will be offered in the Farm Barn in 2025. Space is limited; early registration is recommended!

What You'll Learn

We design the program’s agenda to align with your specific learning goals and teaching contexts. Together, we’ll focus on foundational experiences such as:

  • Applying Education for Sustainability as a unifying framework for curriculum, campus ecology, community partnerships, and collaboration.
  • Understanding the Big Ideas of Sustainability and applying those ideas in formal and non-formal education settings to help students address social, environmental, and economic issues.
  • Exploring complex systems in social and ecological contexts.
  • Uncovering and lifting up promising strategies and pedagogies for inquiry, systems-thinking, and collective action.
  • Building knowledge about sustainability efforts, resources, and opportunities in order to integrate them into your curriculum.
See a Sample Agenda

In Your Words

Aerial view of the University of Vermont campus in springtime. Large towering buildings stand in foreground with grassy school green in middleground. Rolling hills stand in background.
UVM Spatial Analysis Lab

Our Partnership with the University of Vermont

Shelburne Farms Institute for Sustainable Schools and the University of Vermont share a belief in the transformative power of education to shape a healthier, more sustainable future. Our programs combine the Institute’s international reputation for EFS professional learning and unique campus with UVM’s research capacity, land-grant mission, and track record of high-quality teacher education. As a student, you’ll have the opportunity to tap into the resources, support, and knowledge of both institutions.

Create Your Learning Pathway

Foundations is designed to be an introductory course to Education for Sustainability. To grow your knowledge, we recommend following this sequence of EFS-focused courses:

  1. First, Foundations in EFS;
  2. Second, Immersion in EFS; and
  3. Third, EFS Leadership Academy.

Interested in graduate credit? Take all of these classes within the Education for Sustainability Graduate Certificate.

Request Information

Start a conversation with Director of Professional Learning Jen Cirillo at jcirillo@shelburnefarms.org or 802-985-0315 to talk about our programs and available graduate credits. Or, complete our request for information form and someone will be in touch.

Request Info
Shelburne Farms Institute for Sustainable Schools wordmark

Partners