Environmental Education Leaders

Kupu participants walking along the coastline, actively searching for invasive species.

"It was an opportunity I will cherish for a lifetime and that I believe has given me a whole new skill set that will set me apart in the professional field.” —Luna, Hawai’i Tech Academy EEL

Kupu participants sharing smiles and hugs while hiking along a scenic trail.

Environmental Education Leaders serve through Kupu’s Conservation Leadership Development Program

Environmental Education Leaders (EELs) are a specialized position within Kupu’s Conservation Leadership Development Program (CLDP). Through this role, EELs are selected to serve K-12 schools across Hawaiʻi, providing hands-on, ʻāina-based learning experiences. EELs aim to inspire and prepare the next generation of local environmental and cultural stewards for careers in natural resources and sustainable agriculture.

The CLDP Environmental Education Leader application is now closed.

Please reach out to info@kupuhawaii.org if you have any questions.

Five Kupu participants standing in a stream, holding a bamboo and netting contraption for fish capture.

The CLDP Environmental Education Leaders (EELs) position was created to meet the growing demand for environmental education in Hawaiʻi schools. As part of this program, EELs become the catalyst for natural resource education, Hawaiian studies, conservation and agriculture in schools.
EELs Apply Here!
Availability:
- Positions are available across Hawai’i Island, Kaua’i, Maui, Moloka’i, and O’ahu
- 40 hours per week, for a Seasonal (6-month) or Yearlong (11-month term)
Program Dates:
JULY 2025:
- EEL Application Deadline: June 6, 2025
- Program Start Date: July 28, 2025
- Program End Date: June 13, 2026
AUGUST 2025:
- EEL Application Deadline: July 4, 2025
- Program Start Date: August 25, 2025
- Program End Date: July 11, 2026
Qualifications:
- EELs must be at least 21 years of age
- Pass a criminal history check/driving history check/drug test
- Driver’s license and willingness to drive students in 15-passenger vehicles or mini-buses
- Have own housing and transportation
- Excellent interpersonal skills to effectively communicate with varied audiences
- Related work experience in education, natural resource management, Hawaiian studies or other similar fields
- Ability to manage and mentor groups of students
Benefits:
- Earn Living Stipend equivalent to $17-$18 per hour
- Earn AmeriCorps Living Stipend
  - Seasonal, 6-month term: $3,697.50
  - Yearlong, 11-month term: $7,395.00
- Health care and childcare benefits (if eligible)
- Receive hands-on environmental education, leadership, and other valuable professional development trainings
- Network with mentors in the conservation, sustainable agricultural, and education fields
- Make a positive and lasting impact in your community!
EELs Apply Here!
Email education@kupuhawaii.com for more information.
Kupu's Conservation Leadership Development Program (CLDP) partners with Hawaiʻi K-12 schools on a school-need basis. Kupu CLDP provides direct support to teachers and students through the placement of Environmental Education Leaders (EELs) who will serve in the classroom providing presentations, activities, field trip coordination, farm to school initiatives, and sustainable agricultural/gardening activities.
Host Schools Apply Here!
https://kupuhawaii.tfaforms.net/329
Availability:
- Kupu partners with K-12 schools across Hawai’i Island, Kaua’i, Maui, Moloka’i, and O’ahu
Program Dates:
- Host School Application Deadline: May 23, 2025
- Program Start Date: July 28, 2025
- Program End Date: June 13, 2026
Eligibility:
- Have a Project Team: 1+ dedicated supervisor(s) responsible for working consistently with, mentoring, and supervising the Environmental Education Leader, able to attend mandatory supervisor training, and periodic check-ins with Kupu staff.
Benefits:
- Supplement your school’s environmental, sustainability, and sustainable agricultural goals/curriculum with ʻāina-based and work-based learning opportunities
- Increase capacity through in-class support and mentorship of students
- Connect with Kupuʻs extensive network and expose students to a variety of natural resource professionals and organizations that inspire career aspirations in students
- Receive strategies and accompanying resources to use in curriculum building
- Promote enrollment in NR and Sustainable Agricultural pathways by students with varying interests and skillsets
- Build alignment opportunities between feeder schools
Previous Achievements in Host Schools: building natural resource and sustainable agricultural career pathways, supporting teachers in delivering environmental and cultural education, coordinating outdoor field trips and in-classroom guest speakers, creating curricula and projects to increase scientific exploration and environmental literacy, and mentoring youth in capstone and sustainability projects.
Current and Past Partner Schools: Hawaiʻi Technology Academy, Kailua Intermediate School, Kalāheo High School, Kapolei High School, Nānākuli High & Intermediate School, Radford High School, Waipahu High School, Waiʻanae High School, Pāhoa High & Intermediate School
Host Schools Apply Here!
Email education@kupuhawaii.org for more information.
Since Launching in the 2013-2014 School Year
- 31 schools served
- 45 Environmental Education Leaders
- 12 cohorts