Kathy Gray (California State University, Chico)
Abstract
Education is a key component to climate change mitigation and adaptation. As educators, we have an untapped opportunity to contribute to a more sustainable world. During this session, I will introduce participants to the climate-focused statistics class that I currently teach. In this class, students calculate their ecological footprint and imagine themselves living on an island. Due to climate change, islanders must agree on strategies to reduce the island’s ecological footprint. Throughout the course students are encouraged to be problem solvers, community builders, and engaged citizens. Students have a clear connection between the content of the course and their ecological footprint. The data that they analyze originate from their own lifestyle habits. They gain an understanding of the impact of climate change and acquire the tools and knowledge necessary to advocate for societal change. At the end of the semester, students communicate their findings at a campus symposium. In the symposium, students engage in dialogue with a public audience about an issue of concern, in this case climate change. This helps students connect their classroom learning to the greater community. In this session, participants will compute their ecological footprints and will work through a subset of the activities that have been developed for the course. Discussion will focus on ideas for integrating climate change education into their classes.