Promoting Climate Literacy: How the Gulf of Maine Research Institute Is Making Waves

Supporting organizations that promote climate literacy is a priority at Tom's of Maine. After all, understanding the complex relationship between humans and the environment is the first step to developing climate change solutions.

In 2022, Tom's of Maine supported the Gulf of Maine Research Institute's (GMRI) LabVenture program. GMRI develops and delivers collaborative solutions to global ocean challenges. LabVenture is a hands-on, interactive, authentic investigation of the changing Gulf of Maine ecosystem for Maine’s middle schoolers. Read on to learn more about how LabVenture inspires and educates the next generation of climate leaders.

LabVenture and Climate Literacy

GMRI's LabVenture program builds climate and data literacy for nearly 10,000 middle-grade Maine students each year, offering a hands-on investigation of the Gulf of Maine's ecosystem.

As GMRI's bedrock education program, LabVenture's goals include:

• To provide an accessible, interactive science learning experience to thousands of Maine middle schoolers every year
• To offer students opportunities to gather and analyze data and understand scientific practices they can apply in the real world
• To generate spaces where students can build collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills

LabVenture is provided to fifth and sixth graders at Maine schools from all 16 counties at no cost, including free transportation to and from the lab. This has allowed the program to engage nearly 150,000 students in interactive learning since it launched in 2005.

Inspiring Work for a Better Future

GMRI is committed to making its LabVenture program accessible to build widespread confidence in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and cultivate the next generation of scientists. Nearly 70 percent of fifth and sixth graders in the state of Maine attend LabVenture each year.

These students work with the same tools that GMRI scientists use to develop solutions to environmental issues. LabVenture understands that middle-grade students are at a critical stage of learning and that hands-on educational experience can spark interest to last a lifetime.

The realities of climate change can feel overwhelming, but organizations like these are taking action to promote climate health across the globe. Tom's of Maine supports LabVenture and celebrates the work it's doing to improve the ecological health of the ocean ecosystem, including the Gulf of Maine.

Learn more about some of the other organizations Tom's of Maine stands behind and the amazing work they're doing to create a healthier future for all.

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