Christine Palm

STATE REPRESENTATIVE CHRISTINE PALM HONORED BY STONE SOUP LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE WITH THE NATIONAL WALTER CRONKITE AWARD FOR CLIMATE EDUCATION 

Connecticut representative is one of five honorees in 2023

The Stone Soup Leadership Institute has announced Connecticut State Representative Christine Palm as one of the recipients of the Walter Cronkite Award for Climate Education. With this award, the Institute is honoring leaders who have led visionary legislation to integrate climate education into their state’s schools. Palm worked for four legislative sessions to enact a mandate that the science of climate change be part of every public school curriculum.

 

"It is both a surprise and an honor to have been chosen for this award. I grew up listening to Walter Cronkite deliver the news with unwavering accuracy and fairness. But it doesn't take a journalist of Cronkite's stature to educate us about the clear and present dangers of climate chaos," said State Representative Christine Palm (D-Chester). "It is my generation's responsibility to help younger generations be part of the solution to a problem they had no hand in creating. With this award, I redouble my efforts to do that."

 

Palm credits State Representative Geraldo Reyes (D-Waterbury), a General Assembly colleague, with co-sponsoring her bill and shepherding it through the legislative process. Reyes praised Rep. Palm for receiving this honor.

 

"Congratulations Rep. Palm and continued success! This is such a prestigious award, and it’s well deserved. The reality is our climate change is very different by region, and we’ve certainly had abnormal conditions throughout our state, nation, and world." 

 

Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz, whose office helped coordinate the live portion of the event in Connecticut, credits Representative Palm for helping Connecticut become a national leader in climate change education.

 

“Congratulations to Rep. Palm on this fantastic recognition, it is so well deserved. Rep. Palm has earned a reputation as a fierce advocate and powerful voice in our fight to address climate change,” said Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz. “Beyond her work to increase sustainability or advance environmental justice, Rep. Palm made it her mission to properly educate our future generation of leaders. Through her advocacy, Connecticut became the second state in the country to mandate climate education, empowering the younger generation with the knowledge needed to be a part of the solution.”

 

Other recipients of the award include Hawaii State Representative Nicole E. Lowen, Massachusetts Climate Chief Melissa Hoffer, Massachusetts State Senator Marc Pancheo, and New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy.

 

The Cronkite Awards were presented at an official Earth Week event on April 20. Actor Ed Begley, Jr. honored this year's award recipients at the hybrid live and virtual event in multiple locations. Global youth leaders will premiere a Call-to-Action video with an online pledge, inviting everyone to take action and bring climate education to schools.

 

About the Cronkite Awards for Climate Education. Widely recognized as “the most trusted man in America,” Walter Cronkite believed that journalism was a higher calling. He felt a personal responsibility to use his platform as the anchor of CBS Nightly News to inform and educate ordinary people so they could make wise decisions about their future. Over 50 years ago he boldly covered the first Earth Day with the same passion he had for covering the moon landing, rallying more than 20 million Americans to join the emerging green movement. Mr. Cronkite served as The Institute’s honorary chairperson for over a decade. His wisdom, leadership, and vision of preparing youth as future leaders in their communities have inspired the Stone Soup Leadership Institute’s Cronkite Awards. 

 

About Representative Christine Palm

State Representative Christine Palm represents the 36th General Assembly district, covering the Connecticut River towns of Chester, Deep River, Essex, and Haddam. In her third term at the Connecticut General Assembly, Palm serves as vice-chair of the Environment Committee. She has been a champion of numerous environmental initiatives, including environmental justice reform, climate change curriculum, invasive species legislation, green burial, and more. Rep. Palm has been a journalist, high school teacher, communications manager, and small business owner.

 

In 2018, Rep. Palm launched her first legislative efforts to pass a climate education mandate in Connecticut. It was successfully passed as a state law in 2022, making Connecticut the second state in the country to have such legislation.  

  

Why Climate Education? Scientists, universities, nonprofits, NGOs, concerned parents, and youth environmental leaders across the nation agree that the next generation deserves the best educational tools to prepare them for their future – and to offset the impacts of the climate crisis. See IPCC Report. 

 

Climate education affects us all: Business leaders of sustainability-oriented companies need help recruiting a trained sustainable workforce. Educators need educational tools and resources to train students for the transition to this sustainable economy. Young people want climate education in their schools so they can learn about how they can get green jobs to build a sustainable world.  Media can educate ordinary citizens by spotlighting climate change and actions they can take in their communities. 

 

About the Stone Soup Leadership Institute: The Institute has been a leader in developing climate education tools, trainings, and initiatives to build a sustainable world for over 25 years (See Case Studies.) The Institute’s Stone Soup Climate Education Curriculum brings to life the 100 stories in the book, Stone Soup for a Sustainable World: Life-Changing Stories of Young Heroes. It is aligned with NGSS and state standards.  It is distributed directly to schools nationwide in partnership with Barnes & Noble. 

 

To learn more about the Stone Soup Leadership Institute, visit: www.stonesoupleadership.org and www.CronkiteAwards.com

 

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