Sammamish student ambassadors outline school-focused climate curriculum; commission approves routine business

At a recent meeting of the Sammamish Sustainability Commission, the city-contracted Sustainability Ambassadors presented program results and a plan for a July curriculum design lab aimed at linking the city’s climate action plan to classroom projects, while commissioners completed routine business including approving the agenda and minutes and naming an acting chair for the July meeting.

The Ambassadors’ presentation emphasized youth leadership, in-class projects and measurement. “Our mission is to rapidly advance the sustainable future,” Peter Donaldson, director of Sustainability Ambassadors, told the commission, describing a program the director said supports teachers, develops student project managers and connects students to local climate-action goals. Peter said the group runs a regional network and that the Sammamish cluster is one part of a larger 60–70 person ambassador effort.

The commission’s sustainability coordinator, Rose Weicker, described the city contract and deliverables that led to the Ambassadors’ work in Sammamish, including school presentations, social media campaigns and a curriculum design lab scheduled for late July. “As part of the SNAP program at Sammamish, we have a scope of work with particular deliverables,” Weicker said, and noted the team has already engaged students in presentations and planned pilot activities for fall 2025.

Why it matters: Commissioners framed the Ambassadors’ work as a way to advance the city’s climate action plan by bringing measurable, school‑based projects into classrooms and by building relationships with teachers and school administrators. Commissioners and staff said those connections could help the city track student participation, collect…