Volume 2, Issue 1 | January 2025
Welcome to our first Climate and Equity Newsletter of the new year!
Share this newsletter with colleagues, students, and friends — and tell us how it could be more useful for you!
Updates from Climate and Equity Fellows
From Carl Armstrong (’22)
Next month (2/28) I’ll be presenting at “Earth in Focus: Igniting Curiosity in Earth Science.” This is a county-wide institute day offering at a neighboring high school just up the road from us. My presentation is similar to the one I gave at NABT and that some of you saw during our last Zoom session. The audience will be other local high school/middle school science teachers. On a related note, we’ve been able to get Dalea foliosa to germinate successfully in our greenhouse and we’re hoping it thrives enough to be able to plant outside this upcoming May. D. foliosa is on the federal endangered species list. It’s a bit finicky and our greenhouse is not exactly state of the art, so we’ll see how it goes, but it’s been alive in there for about 6 weeks now.
From Victoria Bampoh (’24)
My climate change class and I presented at the AGU conference. I am sharing some of the photos here.
From Kirstin Milks (’22)
I am presenting on place-based science teaching – a project that, for me, directly emerged from my experience with the Climate & Equity program, at:
- National Science Education Leadership Association (March)
- National Science Teachers Association (March)
- International Society for Technology in Education (June)
Exciting times!
From Claire Monk (’24)
Quick update from Ohio – I requested a professional development to work with the Education Outreach Coordinator at The Byrd Polar Climate and Research Center (Ohio State) to continue curriculum development for Honors Climate Change. It was great! Curriculum is coming along! Also, audited our AP English 11 here as they cover the Unit 5 Environment non-fiction curriculum. My goal is to integrate more opportunities to increase scientific literacy in the Honors Climate Change curriculum. In AP English 11, students read classic essays by Rachel Carson, speculative analysis articles by Bill McKibben, and poems by Ralph Waldo Emerson. They even discuss “how to talk about climate change” referencing Katherine Hayhoe and cultivating hope in a state of constant climate crisis (i.e. wildfires in LA, polar vortex, etc.).
From Cedric Williams (’22)
My students and I started “Trout in the Classroom” this month. More than 50 eggs are developing right in front of my students’ eyes! I’m continuing my work with APES teacher development for the school district; l accepted a consultant position with College Board supporting APES teacher development.I’m working to incorporate more climate anxiety and environmental justice into the curriculum. Tried to start a club but it did not hold together due to scheduling conflicts.
Resources
From the Climate Literacy Network
Hello, I’m thrilled to share and promote a CAEE eeCourse I have developed and written for people like you. It is offered 3 times a year with the winter/spring term starting this month. This new course is a foundational intro/survey to what climate literacy is as defined by the brand new federal 2024 Climate Literacy guide. I want to recommend it as a prerequisite for anyone who educates, communicates, or makes decisions about climate in their civic or work contexts across North America (and beyond perhaps). It’s not a ‘how to teach’ climate literacy course; that’s the focus of the Educating for Climate Action and Justice: Guidelines for Excellence training on August 22 in Denver Colorado hosted by CAEE and many other upcoming trainings from EE affiliates around the country. Please register today and expand your understanding of Climate Literacy Essential Principles: how we know, climate change, causes, impacts, equity, adaptation, mitigation, hope and urgency.
–Sarah R. Johnson, MAEd
Environmental Education Specialist
Carbondale, Colorado, USA
Article About the Climate and Equity Institute
Written by Gilly Puttick and Brian Drayton this article about the Climate and Equity Institute is suitable for sharing!
Now’s your chance! Deadline for next newsletter
Send us your ideas, your news items, or resource reviews by Feb. 21st for next month’s newsletter
Call-backs: Feel free to suggest topics for future call back sessions
Contact Brian at climateandequity@terc.edu with ideas and proposals!
The Climate and Equity project is funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.