Generation Earth was founded on the principles of service learning, an approach that integrates community service with academic study to enrich learning, teach civic responsibility and strengthen communities. Service learning can be implemented across all geographic and socioeconomic settings, with all students (regardless of academic or developmental standing) and across all subjects. Environmental service learning takes place in the context of the environment, using the surrounding community and campus space as a lab, where students make observations, ask questions, collect data and analyze results to generate ideas and put those ideas into action.