CLEAN Network Teleconferences

Presentation: Liza Rodler/Rachel Renbarger, FHI360 (Acrobat (PDF) 649kB May15 23)

Abstract: As the existential threat from climate change grows, we know that education systems must equip students and teachers with the knowledge and skills they need to prevent and mitigate the long-term effects of climate change. This presentation outlines a recent white paper that offers a review of current research to offer four strategic recommendations to help schools, policymakers, foundations, and community organizations develop and strengthen climate change education programs for K–12 students.

Bios:

Liza Rodler, MPP, is an education research associate at FHI 360. Her work includes mixed-methods research, program evaluations, and technical assistance for K-12 education programs, with a focus on support for marginalized populations, education policy, and equity. Her projects currently include reviewing recent research on climate change education and creating resources to support family and community collaboration with schools. She holds a bachelor's degree from Yale University and a master's in public policy from Duke University. Liza lives in Durham, North Carolina.

Rachel Renbarger, Ph.D., is an Educational Researcher with FHI360, a nonprofit focused on improving well-being globally. As a rural, first-generation, and low-income student and former secondary teacher, her research interests include utilizing best practices in research methods along with increasing educational access and equity for marginalized populations in K-12 and postsecondary settings. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and two kitties. She can be reached at rrenbarger@fhi360.org.

Abstract: As with the original book, Andreas Malm's best seller, How To Blow Up A Pipeline, there is nothing in our book about how to blow up a pipeline– rather, it is intended to spark conversation and action around the need to commit deeply to fighting climate catastrophe.

The book offers a look at how historic movements have been successful, and how to bring those lessons into the climate movement. We hope it can offer activists an injection of hope, and introduce both young people and people new to climate organizing to the movement's history and potential.

What kinds of drastic steps are needed? What kind of bold actions can the climate justice movement begin using to bring a stop to climate destruction, and that can be employed alongside existing strategies of mass protest, awareness-building, and legal appeals? Why does our society consider profit for oil companies more important than the future of young people and the health of our shared environment?

Bio: Jimmy is a lifetime resident of Portland, Oregon. He is enjoying a 20-plus-year career in education, primarily as a middle school social sciences teacher. He has been involved in a variety of actions, marches, and protests. Fighting In A World On Fire is his first book adaptation.

Abstract: We know that meeting our ambitious climate targets will require us to create many new jobs. Some of these jobs are already well known - such as electricians to install EV charging stations, or ship captains to help transport offshore wind turbines. Other careers we will need in the coming years haven't been invented yet. How do we align schools, industry, government, nonprofits, philanthropy, and other partners to build the robust pathways to these jobs we need to address the climate crisis? And how can we do this without falling into various traps along the way?  This CLEAN talk will propose a framework for collaboration, design, and wide participation. 

Bio: Mark Basnage began his career leading the children's education programming at a natural history museum in Philadelphia, helping to develop and scale a science teaching- and learning-improvement project throughout the public elementary schools in North Philadelphia.

Since then, he has worked in and with public, private, and charter schools on both coasts, leading innovation efforts, developing strategic plans, and designing programs and professional development experiences.  

MakeKnowledge, the nonprofit Mark founded, works to create "ecosystems of opportunity" in education.  This includes significant work at the crossroads of climate, and career, helping schools and districts engage with the climate crisis with the level of innovation, equity, and collaboration the moment requires.  

Mark has received fellowships from the Orion Society and The Fulbright Memorial Fund and was among the first recipients of Philadelphia's Great Friends To Kids award.

Mark currently splits his time between the San Francisco Bay Area and the Philadelphia area.

Presentation: Wells Brown, Rising Sun Opportunities (Acrobat (PDF) 1.2MB May9 23)

Abstract: (15 min.) Wells Brown, Director of Youth Programs for Rising Sun Center for Opportunity, will discuss the programming that Rising Sun operates throughout 10 counties within the state of California. Working at the intersection of economic equity and climate resilience, Rising Sun offers two separate workforce development programs specializing in preparing youth, women, and individuals in reentry for high-road careers and green pathways that offer family-sustaining wages. Since its founding in 1994, Rising Sun has served more than 3,000 youth and adults while helping over 52,000 households reduce their carbon footprint. Wells' presentation will include a concise overview of the programs they operate, the audiences they serve, the opportunities/ courses they offer, the skills and competencies they focus on, and the funding sources that have enabled them to expand their reach.

(30 min.) Open discussion to follow up on the January 24, 2023 CLEAN call and address questions about what it will take to create the workforce we need to implement climate solutions in the U.S.  For example,  what strategies are important for creating these kinds of programs nationwide, what kinds of professional support/networking/coaching are needed to initiate and sustain such a push, who/what organizations and institutions need to be engaged...

Bio: Wells Brown is the Director of Youth Programs at Rising Sun Center for Opportunity, a premier workforce development organization headquartered in Oakland, California. In his role, he oversees the Climate Careers program, an employment social enterprise working at the intersection of economic equity, climate resilience, and workforce development. During his time at Rising Sun, and under Wells' management and leadership, the program has more than doubled in scope and size and now serves all 9 Bay Area Counties and San Joaquin County.

Before joining Rising Sun in 2012, Wells served as an Environmental and Natural Resource Management Specialist with the United States Peace Corps. It was during this time that Wells found his passion for grassroots projects, community-centered models, and mission-driven work. While with the Peace Corps, Wells worked on a myriad of different initiatives ranging from health awareness to community education, and sustainable agricultural practices.

Wells is a deep advocate of the equitable greening of our future and advocates for the inclusion of disconnected and underserved communities throughout the process.

Abstract: Yuraq is a way to tell stories of the past and provide direction for the future demonstrated as dancing and singing and is an integral part of Yup'ik/Sup'ik culture. In this session, you'll be introduced to Yuraq as a way of embodying the importance of energy and life in balance. Culturally relevant Alaska energy curriculum will also be shared and ways in which Yup'ik/Sup'ik Traditional Knowledge and Wisdom has been braided into lessons.

Bios:

Mayaq Irussaar Qip'arluk Kagganaq Maangyaar (Valerie Tony) is the latest representation of her Yup'ik and Sup'ik ancestry of the Kuigpak Tradition, geographically the Lower Yukon Delta. She is an interpreter of the Kuigpak oral history and strives to help others interpret and understand Yup'ik/Sup'ik spirituality. She brings this interpretation to her work as a researcher at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) and to her studies as a University of Alaska Anchorage Anthropology student. Using what she learned from her family in Alakanuk, she leads a traditional Yup'ik/Sup'ik dance group in Anchorage, the Yurapik Dancers. For the past two years, she has consulted for REAP to incorporate Yup'ik/Sup'ik Indigenous Knowledge and Wisdom into their curricula.

Colleen Fisk is the Education Director for the nonprofit Renewable Energy Alaska Project (REAP). She grew up outside Benteh (Wasilla) with teachings of honoring the land and environment. She moved back to the area in 2020. Since 2016 she has delivered K-12 lessons and teacher trainings around clean energy (renewable energy and energy efficiency). For the past two years, she has worked to decolonize and indigenize the AK EnergySmart curriculum and outreach.

Presentation: Damico 4/4/2023 (Acrobat (PDF) 12.4MB Apr4 23)

Abstract: This presentation explores a process for identifying different forms of climate denial and advancing ecological justice. Through inquiry-based teaching and learning, educators can engage learners across academic disciplines and subject matter areas to investigate how climate denial works and what can be done about it.

Bio: James Damico, PhD. is a former elementary and middle school teacher from New Jersey. He is currently a Professor of Literacy, Culture & Language Education in the Curriculum & Instruction Department at Indiana University, Bloomington. He is an author of many publications that emphasize critical literacies and inquiry-based teaching and learning. Since 2008 he has been teaching and researching global climate change and exploring ways to challenge climate denial and advance ecological justice. His most recent book is titled, How to Confront Climate Denial: Literacy, Social Studies, and Climate Change published by Teachers College Press. As a songwriter and musician, James is also finishing a new album of climate-related songs to be released in Fall 2023.

Presentation: NAAEE Climate Guidelines (Acrobat (PDF) 2MB Mar21 23)

Abstract: NAAEE is in the early stages of developing a set of guidelines focusing on climate change education and climate justice as part of the Guidelines for Excellence series. We envision that this set of guidelines will provide recommendations for developing and implementing community-driven, climate education that is centered on climate justice and empowers climate action. We hope that when they are completed, these guidelines will serve a broad range of individuals and organizations interested in using education, in its different forms and varying settings, as a tool for working with communities to find climate solutions. As with all the other sets of guidelines, these are being developed using a public participatory process involving opportunities to review and provide input. Come to this session, get a sneak peek at our progress, and provide your input!

Bio: Bora Simmons has been actively involved in environmental education research, evaluation, and professional development for over forty years. She serves as the founding director of the National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education. The Project, initiated by NAAEE, helps educators design and deliver effective environmental education programs. After 20 years as a professor of environmental education at Northern Illinois University where she taught graduate and undergraduate students, Bora moved the Project to the Institute for a Sustainable Environment at the University of Oregon. Bora is a member of numerous advisory boards, served as executive editor of the Journal of Environmental Education for 10 years, was a founding editor of the International Journal of Early Childhood Environmental Education, served as president of NAAEE, and is currently a co-chair of NAAEE's Advisory Council. She earned her B.A. in Anthropology from the University of California at Berkeley, her M.S. in Natural Resources from Humboldt State University, and her Ph.D. in Natural Resources Management from the University of Michigan. She served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Dae Cheon, South Korea.

Presentation: 3/7/23 telecon (Acrobat (PDF) 1.8MB Mar8 23)

Abstract: In a world where attention spans are dwindling to an average of 8 seconds and Roblox and Tiktok are king, teachers, and students deserve instructional tools that are designed to work with them instead of against them. Backed by the research conducted at Georgia Tech and Stanford University, Inspirit developed an immersive learning platform that combines the best of both 3D and VR instruction in a meaningful way. VR has been proven to improve student engagement, memory retention, & learning outcomes.

Bio: Aditya is an education technology researcher and entrepreneur. He is the co-founder and CEO of Inspirit, where he builds immersive 3D & VR tools for STEM education. He's also a doctoral researcher at Stanford University and works at the intersection of the learning sciences, media, and design. He has been awarded the Stanford Knight-Hennessy scholarship, the Georgia Tech 40 Under 40 award, the SXSW EDU launch award, and was recently nominated to the 2022 Forbes Technology Council and the 2022 Forbes 30 Under 30 list in Education. Aditya is also a social entrepreneur and co-founded MakerGhat, a maker space, and incubator for youth from low-income communities in India, which now has a presence in over 6000 schools across the country. Previously, he worked with the Google Education team where he explored strategies to integrate low-cost virtual reality toolkits into the curriculum. Aditya aspires to continue to nurture a career designing education technology for diverse learning environments around the world.

Presentation: 2/21/23 Telecon (Acrobat (PDF) 19.2MB Feb21 23)

Abstract: Please welcome a panel of 4 South Florida professionals from Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach counties that represent a hard-working community aimed at educating residents about climate change, and adaptation and mitigation strategies. With an emphasis on youth voice and leadership, Lisa and Rachel are using their skills in formal education and backgrounds in chemistry and biogeochemistry to encourage and highlight the importance of climate literacy and action. Lisa will share her work with the Broward Youth Climate Summit and Rachel will share her work with the FAU Climate READY Program. Megan and Kim both represent the county and regional approach to understanding community vulnerabilities to climate change and their efforts to create adaptation and mitigation strategies for our area. Megan and Kim are also key players in the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact which involves students and provides educational opportunities to the community. Please see each panelist bio's below for more information on each speaker. They will spend 7-10 minutes of the CLEAN Network call on their climate literacy initiatives in South Florida and allow time for discussion and questions this coming Tuesday, January 21, 2023, starting at 1 pm Eastern Time. Please reach out to the panel organizer, Rachel Wellman at wellmanr@fau.edu for additional information.

Bios:

Rachel Wellman holds a Ph.D. in Ecosystem Science and Management from Texas A&M University (TAMU) with a concentration in Biogeochemistry and Global Change (LinkedIn) and 7 years of experience working and researching in the Biosphere Science Laboratory. Teaching quickly became her passion during and after graduate school, so she pursued a career in STEM and environmental education in 2007 at TAMU where she taught many laboratory hours in ecology, dendrology, and watershed management. In 2015 she began a position at Galaxy E3 Elementary School in Boynton Beach, FL as STEM Coordinator and specialized in the use of NOAA's Science on a Sphere in a formal classroom setting. Staying with the Palm Beach School District, Rachel began teaching at Boca Raton Community High School (BRCHS) in 2016 where she taught Chemistry, Biology, Environmental Science, AICE Environmental Management, and AICE Marine Science. Her passion for climate literacy and action led her to collaborate with the Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Pine Jog Environmental Center in West Palm Beach, FL by co-developing (as a CO-PI of) the Climate READY (Resilience Education and Action for Dedicated Youth) Program thanks to a generous grant from the NOAA Environmental Literacy Program. In June 2022, Rachel accepted a full-time position with FAU Pine Jog as Coordinator of Education and Training Programs and the program lead for Climate READY.

Lisa Milenkovic's work in the field of K-12 education has a unique perspective resulting from a Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry (Northeastern University, Boston, MA) and over 20 years of environmental, instrumental analysis, and laboratory management experience. Her dissertation research was conducted at the New England Aquarium in Boston. While the research related to freshwater (humic materials and metals in the environment), she had several unique opportunities to participate in other projects, including the rehabilitation and release of newborn harbor seals (featured in a children's book) and the rescue and tracking the subsequent release of pilot whales using the internet in its infancy (featured in a Nova television special, Reading Rainbow episode and a children's book). Work also included experience in the environmental arena on the Boston Harbor cleanup project at the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. The diversity of experiences continued with research at the Rosenstiel School at the University of Miami investigating shellfish poisons, teaching college-level chemistry at Barry University, and consulting on laboratory automation to several pharmaceutical corporations and government agencies. One major environmental project involved updating the laboratory computer system at the South Florida Water Management District in support of the Everglades restoration plan. She spent many years as a volunteer science educator and science fair judge before becoming an elementary school science teacher, teacher staff developer, and curriculum supervisor. She is currently a STEM and Computer Science Supervisor with Broward County Schools. Her office has led the Annual Broward Youth Climate Summit since 2019. Lisa's goal is to engage and excite teachers, students, and the public in STEM content and applications, not only to train the young student to become a scientist but more importantly to teach the non-scientific student critical thinking skills and content knowledge to become part of the scientifically literate public.

Megan Houston is an experienced leader committed to implementing resilient policies, programs, and practices in Palm Beach County. As the Director of the County's Office of Resilience, Megan oversees the County's climate mitigation, climate adaptation, and sustainable development strategies. She has a broad background in energy efficiency, environmental law, and community development. She is also a key player in the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact involving the counties of Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe, and Palm Beach. Before her role with the County, Megan was a Program Manager for the non-profit Institute for Market Transformation in Washington, DC, where she developed the organization's multifamily buildings program to remove market barriers to energy efficiency. In addition, Megan has worked as a Legal Intern with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the New York City Department of Environmental Protection. Megan started her career as a Project Manager and Designer for commercial interiors at Idea| Span in Atlanta, Georgia. Megan holds a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School, a Master of Science degree in Urban Environmental Systems Management from Pratt Institute, and a Bachelor of Design degree from the University of Florida. Megan is a South Florida native, having been born and raised in Palm Beach Gardens, FL.

Kimberly Brown serves as Director of Resilience Planning and Implementation in the Miami-Dade County Office of Resilience. Her experience has spanned both private and public sector work including over thirteen years with Miami-Dade County. During that time, she has worked on a variety of land use and environmental efforts including facilitation of the seven-year review and update of the County's Comprehensive Plan. Currently, her work focuses on the advancement of resilience initiatives that allow the County to adapt and thrive in the face of climate-related threats. Ms. Brown also serves as Miami-Dade County's representative on the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact Leadership Committee. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Florida and professional certification from the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).

Presentation: Patrick Freeland BuildingAFire.org.pdf (Acrobat (PDF) 4.6MB Jan31 23)

Bio: Honor, Pride, and Respect. These values serve as the foundation for a worldview of knowledge in the plural – transdisciplinary understanding and holistic experience – to promote proactive change through community-based collaboration. Patrick Austin Freeland, Hotvltvlke Mvskoke (Wind Clan, Muscogee Creek Nation of Oklahoma) is a graduate of Haskell Indian Nations University and Purdue University, with a focus on American Indian, Alaska Native, and Indigenous Peoples' adaptation to climate change and preservation of tribal and cultural sovereignty. Through a commitment to action, Patrick centers his work ethic and civic engagement through intergenerational knowledge-sharing and the utilization of interdisciplinary sciences, arts, and engineering, as a means to improve human and environmental health, social advancement, and intercultural understanding through reconciliation. Patrick's research and professional development have centered on climate change adaptation and mitigation, noncognitive development in education, and the advancement of plural knowledge and conscientiousness.

Abstract: This is a story about creating open-access tools, content, and collaboration to advance preK-16 Indigenous climate education. "Being a Good Relative" is the driving principle for this Work; relationships are the greatest source of anti-fragility/resiliency in adapting to climate change, educating our Youth, and building lasting partnerships. The Core Values of Sovereignty, Relationality, and Responsibility, are central to the efficacy of the whole of a knowledge-sharing network which centers partnerships within ecoregional representation. To ensure integrity and sustainable action, the direction must be guided by Vision, executed by power in balance, and guided by wisdom. Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) are not static; they are – by nature –  dynamic... alive and living. Extracting knowledge(s) and repurposing it without the context of the Peoples and Places in which it emerges is not only unethical but potentially harmful. Supporting Indigenous knowledge-keepers and traditional lifeways is paramount in advancing IKS/TEK as a climate-education curriculum, thus distributing "support" requires developing an intertribal/interinstitutional relational network. This presentation will showcase the BuildingAFire.org website, including an open-access Indigenous Climate Education Bibliography, and an interactive ArcGIS map that can be used to explore Indigenous Nations and Peoples, Ecoregions, and National Risk Index in the United States.

Presentation: 1/17/23 Telecon (PowerPoint 2007 (.pptx) 13.8MB Jan20 23)

Bio: Mike Hoffmann is dedicating his life to confronting the grand challenge of climate change and helping people understand and appreciate what is happening through the foods we all love and need. He has published climate change articles in the popular press - The Hill, Fortune, Medium, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, and USA Today and is the lead author of Our changing menu: Climate Change and the foods we love and Need (Cornell Press 2021). Mike's life experiences include growing up on a one-cow dairy farm, serving in the Marines during the Vietnam War, and being a father and someone's partner for 51 years. He held multiple leadership roles in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences including Executive Director of the Cornell Institute for Climate Change Solutions, Director of the Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station, associate dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, associate director of Cornell Cooperative Extension, and director of the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program. He received his BS Degree from the University of Wisconsin, MS from the University of Arizona, and Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis. He now holds the title of Professor Emeritus. He will tell the climate change story until he no longer can.

Abstract: We published Our Changing Menu: Climate Change and the Food We Love and Need ­(Cornell Press) and created a companion website in 2021 and have received nothing but positive feedback on how we tell the climate change story using food. We encounter food daily; it is embedded in family histories and cultures, and it is emotive. At the same time, just about everything on the menu is changing. This gives us unlimited ways to educate others about climate change through food as well as share the many ways we can confront the grand challenge we face to keep the menu stocked. This webinar will cover the progress being made with the Our changing menu initiative and the results of our national survey that showed that people are concerned about climate change's impacts on their food choices and that they want to learn more about how climate change is affecting their food. It will also cover a food and climate change experiential learning activity we plan to do in a Cornell Dining hall. And since we all eat, including those in grades K-12, can food be used to enhance climate literacy more widely?  Feedback will be sought as well as interest in collaboration.