Our History
One lesson on a hot June day in 2011 and just $70 in supplies led to many new adventures and growth each year. Read some highlights below:
2011: Change is Simple is founded with a single lesson in a Beverly, MA classroom.
2012: Former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick participates in and endorses the program.
2013: Change is Simple receives a $100K Cummings Foundation grant and hires its first two employees.
2014: Change is Simple is awarded Excellence in Environmental Education from the MA Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.
2015: Change is Simple reaches 250+ participating classrooms. Students make 11 million changes to lower their carbon footprint.
2016: Change is Simple is ranked the #2 Co-Op site, worldwide, for Northeastern University students.
2017: National Green Schools awards Change is Simple with the Sustainability Award for Outstanding Education Program with Proven Track Record.
2018: Change is Simple reaches its 20,000th student and receives a $100K grant from the Woodard and Curran Foundation to build SCiLL.
2019: Change is Simple designs and begins building SCiLL, the Northeastern University longitudinal study begins, and Fidelity designs the Change is Simple Web Platform to track its actions around sustainability.
2020: Northeastern and Change is Simple’s initial study results reveal a strong impact in the classroom. Change is Simple launches an online learning platform in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2021: Change is Simple celebrates its 10th year and wins generous grants from the Cummings Foundation, Project Innovation, and Braitmeyer Foundation.
2022: SCiLL shell is delivered, built out, branded and launched into schools in May and June; almost 500 students visit SCiLL within the first half of the year.
2023: Change is Simple hosts its fall gala It All Adds Up, raising $150k, and is featured on Good Morning America by meteorologist Ginger Zee in a national piece investigating the status of environmental education across the country.
2024: Change is Simple adds 8 new staff members to expand education and leadership team; starts exciting new speaker series, Coffee & Climate, to welcome community conversation around the changing climate.
2025: Change is Simple receives national recognition as first place recipients for ecoAmerica's American Climate Leadership Awards, acquires a fully electric Rivian to tow SCiLL, and completes alumni study examining the long-term impact of Change is Simple alumni.
