Teacher Resources

Here in SoCal, multiple organizations and municipalities offer a wide array of storm water pollution prevention educational information for all audiences. This includes resources to help educate school-aged children how to be good stewards of the earth and about the importance of keeping pollutants out of our rivers and oceans.

School Assemblies


Learn important environmental lessons with the Environmental Defenders! This 30-minute, high-energy assembly is free to all elementary schools in L.A. County. It encourages kids to identify environmental problems and learn about solutions. Interested? Follow this link to book or call Emily Jerome at (310) 552-4173.

Interested in inspiring children to care about local beaches, oceans and neighborhoods? Check out the Malibu Foundation for Environmental Education. This foundation offers a limited number of school assemblies in Los Angeles. In addition, this year-round assembly program gives students a chance to participate in the annual Kids Ocean Day, a massive beach clean up in Los Angeles. Contact Michael Klubock at happyfish@kidsoceanday.org for more information.

Field trip opportunities

Visiting one of our local aquariums provides hands-on education where students can see the impact of their actions on the ocean.

Learning centers provide interactive experiences where children can learn lessons about waste and sustainability.

Keeping in touch with nature

Students better appreciate the need to care for nature when they get to see it up close.
At the Ballona Wetlands, students see different species of birds, can count butterflies and learn about animals that exist in the wetlands.

Docent-led tours at The Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden at UCLA provide students with insight to more than 5,000 species of plants from all over the world.

San Gabriel Mountains Heritage Association in the Angeles National Forest offers a variety of environmental educational programs that include water ecology, native plants and animals.

TreePeople offers numerous environmental education programs for schools and teachers. With the goal to help young people grow into lifelong caretakers of the environment, kids can “dig in” with hands-on activities. These include opportunities to plant and care for trees at urban sites and participate in restoration activities in the mountains.

At the Audubon Center at Debs Park works to inspire people to experience, understand and care for the local natural world. The center offers environmental education and conservation programs for the communities of northeast Los Angeles.

Clean up projects


Throughout Los Angeles, there are a number of organizations that welcome those wishing to get more involved in cleaning up the river and ocean and creating a more sustainable city. A cleanup is a powerful way to show kids that small actions make a big difference in keeping our waterways pollution-free.

In addition to clean up days, Heal the Bay provides information on field trips, classroom presentations and even professional development opportunities for teachers.

Friends of the Los Angeles River (FOLAR) creates engaging learning experiences through school programs for Grade 2-12 teachers and their students. The annual Great Los Angeles River Clean Up happens over the course of three weekends every spring.
Every year, the California Coastal Commission organizes California Coastal Cleanup Day in September. Organizations throughout California take part in this annual cleanup event.

Other organizations providing resources related to cleanups in Los Angeles include: