Education Into Action
Education into Action re-imagines the role of higher education in addressing real-world environmental challenges—and demonstrates how colleges and universities can serve as catalysts for regional resilience.
Developed by the Center for Environmental Inquiry (CEI) in collaboration with North Bay partners, this initiative transforms local sustainability issues into shared platforms for learning, discovery, and action.
Through co-identification, co-design, co-research and co-implementation, students, faculty, and community leaders work together to generate practical, community-rooted solutions.
As a demonstration model, Education into Action shows how place-based, interdisciplinary partnerships can deliver measurable impact—on campus, in the region, and in other communities seeking to replicate this work.
Partner with Us: Transforming Challenges into Collaborative Action
Education into Action currently addresses challenges in water (Rising Waters), fire (Fire Up), forests (Forest Futures), and land management (Eco Edge). CEI provides structured, hands-on support to help faculty and community partners engage in meaningful, high-impact work:
Challenge Identification – We convene faculty, students, and community leaders to identify emerging regional challenges. CEI staff facilitate workshops and planning sessions, and work with partners to pursue funding that supports collaborative work.
Project Development – We help translate large, real-world problems into focused, discipline-aligned projects that fit into academic calendars and course structures, ensuring feasibility for both faculty and students.
Support for Research and Learning – We recruit student-faculty teams, host coordination meetings, and provide logistical and administrative support to ensure that investigations produce timely, actionable results.
Results Sharing – We coordinate presentations, reports, and web-based archives to make project outcomes accessible to partners, stakeholders, and the broader public.
Integration and Implementation – We helps synthesize findings across multiple projects and supports the design and implementation of pilot projects in community settings—moving from research to action.
CEI provides the structure, support, and collaborative environment needed to move from ideas to impact, whether you are a student seeking meaningful impact beyond your coursework, a faculty looking to embed real-world inquiry into your teaching, or a community partner envisioning innovative, research-based solutions.
CEI Education into Action programs are made possible through contracts and donations.
Please consider a donation to support this effort.