Doris Duke FoundationDuke FarmsDDF Center | Nature

Duke Farms × The Climate Toolkit

Engagement

Duke Farms connects climate action with hands-on learning through school partnerships, organic gardening education, an employee Green Team, and public interpretation. Program records show where these activities are established and where further evidence is needed to demonstrate a Toolkit goal in full.

Alignment reviewed

Toolkit goals
8
Documented achieved
2 of 8
In progress or planned
5

Goal by goal

Our alignment & progress

“Achieved” is supported by Duke Farms program records or explicit completion reported by the Climate Toolkit’s Duke Farms profile, as explained for each goal. Source dates identify the period covered; they do not imply a new audit. “Not yet verified” means the reviewed evidence does not establish achievement; it does not mean no work is happening.

01 / Toolkit goal

In progress

Integrate climate education and action into exhibits and interpretation

How Duke Farms aligns
Connect visible operations with interpretive signage, public charging, and sustainability learning.
Progress & evidence
The campus sustainability model documents visitor learning. A 2021 materials management record describes signage about waste streams, wastewater treatment, and the permaculture garden. These support environmental interpretation, but a current inventory explicitly connecting climate education with visitor action was not verified.
Sources

02 / Toolkit goal

In progress

Engage young people in climate advocacy and action

How Duke Farms aligns
Work with downstream school districts to connect students with restoration, watershed health, climate resilience, and hands-on research and monitoring.
Progress & evidence
The October 2025 education update reports 33 school partnership visits involving 2,200 students and identifies Manville, Somerville, Bound Brook, and South Bound Brook partnerships. This demonstrates youth climate-resilience learning and participation; specific youth-led climate advocacy outcomes were not established.
Sources
  • Duke Farms education program update, October 2025Program update dated October 2025; day not specified.

03 / Toolkit goal

Not yet verified

Help visitors switch to household renewable energy

How Duke Farms aligns
Demonstrate clean energy on campus and support community access to renewable power.
Progress & evidence
A February 2021 letter supports Somerville's proposed community solar project, including access for low- and moderate-income households. It is evidence of support, not confirmation that Duke Farms operates a visitor enrollment or household switching assistance program.
Sources

04 / Toolkit goal

In progress

Teach sustainable, fossil-free horticulture

How Duke Farms aligns
Offer gardening and stewardship education that develops practical sustainable land-care skills.
Progress & evidence
Program records show Community Garden education and hands-on invasive plant management instruction. The 2021 materials management profile documents electric equipment practices. A visitor curriculum specifically teaching the full fossil-free horticulture approach was not verified; sustainable gardening instruction alone does not establish this goal in full.
Sources
  • Duke Farms Community Garden participation agreement, 2026 seasonSource dated
  • Spring Stewardship Workshop syllabus, April 25, 2025Source dated
  • Duke Farms materials management garden profile, 2021Source dated

05 / Toolkit goal

Achieved

Teach visitors to grow organic food

How Duke Farms aligns
Make organic growing instruction part of Community Garden membership and support ongoing environmental education.
Documented achievement
The participation agreement for the 2026 season requires first-year gardeners to complete orientation, Intro to Organic Gardening online, and one elective. All gardeners must complete an environmental course and attend the preseason meeting. The October 2025 education update reports 14 Community Garden classes.
Sources
  • Duke Farms Community Garden participation agreement, 2026 seasonSource dated
  • Duke Farms education program update, October 2025Program update dated October 2025; day not specified.

06 / Toolkit goal

In progress

Teach the climate impacts of food choices and waste

How Duke Farms aligns
Connect food production, nutrient cycling, and waste reduction with practical sustainability learning.
Progress & evidence
June 2026 agroecology education notes describe rotational grazing, soil health, circular nutrient movement, and a climate-resilient food system. Earlier materials management records describe food-waste signage and growing education. A current visitor lesson explicitly addressing the climate impacts of both food choices and food waste was not verified.
Sources
  • Agroecology at Duke Farms education notesSource dated
  • Duke Farms materials management garden profile, 2021Source dated

07 / Toolkit goal

Achieved

Establish an employee green team for climate action

How Duke Farms aligns
Bring staff across departments together to identify improvements, research practices, implement solutions, and educate colleagues.
Documented achievement
The May 2025 Green Team charter establishes a cross-department employee team with a monthly meeting structure. A May 14, 2025 agenda documents work on recycling collection. These records support establishment of the team; they do not independently verify every proposed project outcome or its current meeting schedule.
Sources
  • Duke Farms Green Team charter and meeting agendaSource dated

08 / Toolkit goal

In progress

Teach climate facts and effective mitigation practices

How Duke Farms aligns
Share practical lessons through school partnerships, agroecology education, the sustainability overview, the energy plan, and peer convenings.
Progress & evidence
The October 2025 school partnership update explicitly connects restoration with watershed health and climate resilience. June 2026 agroecology notes connect soil, nutrient cycling, and adaptive management with a climate-resilient food system. Public resources explain clean electricity and electrification; the upcoming 2026 symposium extends peer learning. Full coverage of climate facts and mitigation practices remains to be verified.
Documented next step
Share the documented campus examples with symposium attendees.
Sources

Keep exploring

Climate action across Duke Farms

All focus areas