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Understanding Food and Climate Change: An Interactive Guide

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Understanding Food and Climate Change: An Interactive Guide

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Understanding Food and Climate Change: An Interactive Guide uses video, photography, text, and interactive experiences to help educators, students, and advocates learn how food and climate systems interact and how personal choices can make a difference. Ideal for grades 6-12 and general audiences, with connections to Next Generation Science Standards and the National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies themes, the guide offers activities for student research and resources for further investigation. The guide is also designed to support self-guided and independent study, and is a boon for advocates seeking hopeful strategies and creative responses.

Available as a free iBook for Mac and iPad users.

A web version is available for all computers and tablets:
Understanding Food and Climate Change: An Interactive Guide

What's Inside: A Sample page

What people are saying

"The food and wellness movement and the movement to foster awareness and understanding of climate change are among the most powerful social movements in today's global civil society. And yet, there is hardly any connection between the two, either conceptually or organizationally, even though a thorough understanding of the multiple links between agriculture and climate change seems critical for the survival and well-being of humanity. This interactive guide promotes such understanding in a lively, multicultural way. It will be an invaluable tool for food and climate educators and change advocates, and I highly recommend it."

Fritjof Capra, PhD
Physicist, Systems Theorist, and Author

"I have spent the last year educating myself about the critical and complex connections between agriculture and climate change. How I wish I had started with this guide!"

Whitney Cohen
Education Director, Life Lab and Lecturer, UC Santa Cruz

"At a time when the science of climate change is being questioned by policy makers in the halls of government, it is essential we educate students about the challenges now facing the natural world and humanity. The Center for Ecoliteracy has developed an extraordinary new online tool-a creative and interactive guide-that will help teachers and organizers engage students in developing their understanding of the relationship of today's global food system and its contribution to climate change."

Matthew Derr
President and Faculty, Sterling College

" Understanding Food and Climate Change is a much-needed resource for educators everywhere that brings the food system "home" in a lucid and informed publication. The food sector, which includes farming, silvopasture, agroforestry, grazing, food waste, and dietary choices-is one of the two largest contributors to global warming, the other being transport. As a solution, it has the potential to be the largest sector in terms of its contribution. It can not only reduce and stop emissions, but it can also bring carbon back home through regenerative land use practices."

Paul Hawken
Editor of Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming

"Climate change and its relationship to food and agriculture are among the most critical issues we face today. Yet, these connections can seem daunting topics to teach and inform the general public about, much less get them engaged in addressing. Well, no more. Educators and advocacy groups have reason to rejoice as the Center for Ecoliteracy now offers an accessible, engaging, and comprehensive interactive online guide called Understanding Food and Climate Change. It more than lives up to its title. No classroom or environmental group should be without it."

Andrew Kimbrell
Executive Director, Center for Food Safety

"Engaging. Smart. Comprehensive. Understanding Food and Climate Change is what our nation's youth need to face the challenges of our changing planet."

Pam Koch, EdD, RD
Executive Director, Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food, Education & Policy, Teachers College, Columbia University

"Agriculture has a huge impact on the environment-greenhouse gases as well as pollution of air, water, and soil. The Center for Ecoliteracy's Understanding Food and Climate Change is essential for finding out how this happens and what we can do about it."

Marion Nestle, PhD, MPH
Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health, emerita, New York University

"To foster ecological intelligence, educators help students experience and understand how they are connected to the natural world. The Center for Ecoliteracy's new suite of resources, Understanding Food and Climate Change, provides helpful tools for visualizing and deepening knowledge of these connections, and a hopeful frame for taking action."

David Orr
Paul Sears Distinguished Professor Emeritus and Counselor to the President, Oberlin College

"The Center for Ecoliteracy's Understanding Food and Climate Change is innovative, engaging, and thought-provoking. It provides a very comprehensive picture of the many ways our food system is influencing and influenced by climate change, exploring complex concepts in practical terms. I highly recommend the Guide to any educator teaching climate change. Beyond the classroom, the messages presented by these attractively packaged resources are important for all citizens in our global society to think about and I would nominate them to be added to life's required reading list."

Sarah Pounders
Senior Education Specialist, KidsGardening

"We have an obligation to lead by example as well as give our best effort toward restoring the health of our planet for the next generations who inherit the earth. That's why I enthusiastically support the work of the Center of Ecoliteracy, whose new suite of resources, Understanding Food and Climate Change, provides insight into how we, as stewards of our environment, young and old, can align our actions with our values."

Kat Taylor
CEO, Beneficial State Bank
Board Chair, TomKat Ranch Educational Foundation

"Teaching children how climate change impacts the food we grow and eat has never been more important. The Center for Ecoliteracy has done a wonderful job of synthesizing many critical issues into this highly useable teaching tool, and they have made it available for free! I hope Understanding Food and Climate Change will be used in classrooms across the country. A sustainable future for the planet depends upon the edible and environmental education of every child."

Alice Waters
Founder, The Edible Schoolyard Project

About the Suite

This publication is part of a suite of resources from the Center for Ecoliteracy that explore the connections between food systems and climate change. Learn about our companion resource.

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Understanding Food and Climate Change: An Interactive Guide

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Understanding Food and Climate Change: An Interactive Guide uses video, photography, text, and interactive experiences to help educators, students, and advocates learn how food and climate systems interact and how personal choices can make a difference.

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Friends of the Rouge have agreed to partner with us to explore how we can take action to restore and protect our watershed.

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Fall Monitoring 2018

9 Schools

Birmingham Covington School, Bloomfield Hills
Chandler Park Academy High School, Harper Woods
Crestwood High School, Dearborn Heights
Inter-City Baptist School, Allen Park
Power Middle School, Farmington Hills
Steppingstone School, Farmington Hills
Thurston High School, Redford
Tonda Elementary School, Canton
Troy High School, Troy

Spring Monitoring 2019

23 Schools

Academy of the Americas High School, Detroit
Achieve Charter Academy, Canton
Birmingham Covington School, Bloomfield Hills
Chandler Park Academy High School, Harper Woods
Clippert Multicultural Honors Academy, Detroit
Crescent Academy International, Canton
Crestwood High School, Dearborn Heights
Detroit Country Day Middle School, Beverly Hills
Emerson Middle School, Livonia
Garden City High School, Garden City
Huron Valley Lutheran High School, Westland
Lincoln Senior High School, Warren
MacArthur K-8 University Academy, Lathrup Village
Pierce Middle School, Redford
Plymouth High School, Canton
Ronald Brown Academy, Detroit
Roosevelt High School, Wyandotte
Salem Elementary School, Salem Twp
Steppingstone School, Farmington Hills
Tawheed Center School, Detroit
Thurston High School, Redford
Troy College & Career High School, Troy
Troy High School, Troy
*new school

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The Rouge Education Project (REP) is school-based environmental education program involving elementary, middle, and high schools from across southeastern Michigan. Students learn about the Rouge River in their classroom, and then perform hands-on scientific exploration of the river on a field trip t

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A six step framework for  environmental awareness, scientific inquiry, and civic action for sustainable change.

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Welcome to Earth Force Home of Environmental Action Civics Do you recycle? Do you avoid littering? Way to go! But . . . we need to talk. Each person “doing their part” for the environment will not be enough to address the challenges we face. Let’s face it, we are all more comfortable deciding to […]

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"Start the conversation about education for sustainability w/ students and stakeholders. The simulation invites us to 'go fishing' and the object of each game is to “have as many fish as possible by the end of 10 rounds”. The game teaches system dynamics, ecological principles, responsible citizenship and more!"

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"Inspiring young people to think about the world, their relationship to it, and their ability to influence it in an entirely new way."

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US Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development National Education for Sustainability K-12 Student Learning Standards

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US Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development National Education for Sustainability K-12 Student Learning Standards

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This is primarily a guidance document for integrating sustainability concepts into K-12 teaching and learning. The EfS standards can be used to help direct a course of study related to sustainability education.

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The Food Project: French Fries in the Food System

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The Food Project: French Fries in the Food System

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"This agricultural curriculum features powerful, original lessons written and developed by The Food Project’s growers and educators. Organized by season, the materials teach youth how to develop a deep understanding of and appreciation for the land and local food systems. Lessons can be done both indoors and outdoors and can be easily adapted by instructors working in school-based plots, urban food lots, and environmental education programs."

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781-259-8621 Ext. 190
she/her/hers

Anne joined The Food Project in 2019 as our Executive Director. Prior to joining us, Anne was the Chief Operating Officer at Trinity Boston Foundation, a non-profit with a mission to unlock opportunity and change the odds for youth of color in Boston. Over the course of her four years there, Anne supervised all aspects of the organization from youth development programs to organizational consulting, from finance and operations to development and communications. In addition, she developed a new outcomes evaluation tool, led the process to develop the 2016-2020 strategic plan, and was the Interim Executive Director in the summer of 2018.

Anne's engagement with The Food Project goes back to 2009, when she led the first of two pro bono consulting projects focused on marketing to youth and financial sustainability. She is also the parent of an alumna of our youth programs who worked with us from 2011 to 2015.

Anne received her BA from Dartmouth College and her MBA from Harvard Business School. In her spare time, Anne loves to garden and cook, and is looking forward to cooking with her first CSA share this summer.

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781-259-8621 Ext. 190 she/her/hers Anne joined The Food Project in 2019 as our Executive Director. Prior to joining us, Anne was the Chief Operating Officer at Trinity Boston Foundation, a non-profit with a mission to unlock opportunity and change the odds for youth of color in Boston.

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Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program 

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Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program 

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"A worldwide community of students, teachers, scientists, and citizens working together to better understand, sustain, and improve Earth's environment at local, regional, and global scales."

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About GLOBE

Your browser doesn't support video.
Please download the file: video/mp4

Since our founding on Earth Day 1994, the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program has been providing students and the public worldwide with the opportunity to meaningfully contribute to our understanding of the Earth system and global environment. As an international science and education program, GLOBE is dedicated to supplying the STEM professionals of tomorrow with the scientific knowledge necessary to tackle Earth's biggest mysteries.

Our Vision
"A worldwide community of students, teachers, scientists, and citizens working together to better understand, sustain, and improve Earth's environment at local, regional, and global scales."
Our Mission

"To promote the teaching and learning of science, enhance environmental literacy and stewardship, and promote scientific discovery."

What We Do

Through interdisciplinary activities and inquiries into the various Earth spheres, GLOBE gives students a hands-on approach to the scientific method. Our protocols are developed by the scientific community and validated by teachers, so you can be sure our lesson objectives are scientifically verified.

GLOBE also works to build a collaborative, worldwide community of students, teachers, scientists, and citizens to conduct real-world research. Through the data collected by our community members, researchers gain invaluable insight into local environments around the globe and more of the world is able to significantly contribute to scientific discovery.

Our Sponsors

The GLOBE program is made possible through the support of various U.S. governmental agencies. In particular, our sponsors include:

The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

The U.S. Department of State (DoS)

The National Science Foundation (NSF)

Given GLOBE's international reach, our partner countries around the world are crucial to the successful employment of our protocols. These protocols are implemented via bi-lateral agreements between the U.S. government and the governments of each partner nation.

As the lead agency for GLOBE in the U.S., NASA is primarily responsible for administering these agreements while the information systems, data management, and global support of the program is carried out by the GLOBE Implementation Office (GIO). The GIO then implements GLOBE's protocols into local communities by collaborating with Common Element Working Groups (WGs) and the U.S. Partners Forum. The active participation and contribution from these partners is essential to the continued success of GLOBE.

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Your browser doesn't support video.Please download the file: video/mp4 Since our founding on Earth Day 1994, the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program has been providing students and the public worldwide with the opportunity to meaningfully contribute to our understanding of the Earth system and global environment.

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Examples of how we can engage our natural intelligence and awaken our innate abilities to perceive and connect with the world around us.

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$2975
Payment Plans Available

"We have a lot of fun in nature, a refreshing change from regular life where you can just let go of whatever else is going on and just relax and have a good time... and be aware and connected with the earth, I feel comfortable there." - Rutah, age 14

" Thank you for all you do for our children. It is a blessing to have adults who care deeply about our children and who are passing on their love for the world and people around us. "
- Dawn Behm, Parent

Wilderness Awareness Community School is a weekly program that helps teenagers to engage their natural intelligence and awaken their innate abilities to perceive and connect with the world around them. Our students immerse themselves in intensive, experiential studies of nature from both scientific and traditional perspectives. While the program was designed to meet the needs of homeschooled children, it is open to any teen with an interest in nature. Our approach to studying nature combines modern scientific understanding with ancestral ways of connecting with the natural world.

This course focuses on many topics, including:

Wilderness survival skills

Mammals and tracking

Birds and their languages

Plants and their uses (edible, medicinal, utilitarian)

Aidless navigation

Trees and primitive living skills

Ecology and community

Specialized skills such as harvesting and preparing medicinal plants, preparing fleece and making felt blankets, carving, and basketry

We explore these topics using a powerful, comprehensive curriculum. We begin our inquiries experientially, taking students into the natural world where they can see, smell, hear and feel the subject matter. To this experiential understanding, we add a cognitive component as our students research the current topic through books, field guides, lectures and other resources.

Our educational philosophy focuses on:

Creating centered, healthy, self-motivated young adults who are able to think critically for themselves

Developing in those teens the confidence and inspiration to dream a vivid vision of their own future and the skills and enthusiasm to pursue that vision

Teaching a comprehensive naturalist curriculum

Encouraging students to identify their unique gifts and passions, and to explore them with confidence

Mentoring delivered by experienced wilderness and naturalist instructors who have a deep understanding of the unique needs of teens

Using our widely-respected educational philosophy, we encourage creative thinking rather than simply providing answers. Our goal is to help students develop problem-solving skills and self-sufficiency, fostering a deeper level of learning and connection.

Our instructional staff includes:

Experienced instructors

Apprentices who offer additional instructor support

A larger community of amateur and professional naturalists, artists, crafters, teachers, elders, and young people

A targeted 1:10 adult to student ratio

Staff trained as Coyote Mentors

Compassionate educators who encourage each child's respect for self, others, and nature

Experienced Wilderness First Aid and CPR certified professionals

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Community School " Wilderness Awareness School

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"We have a lot of fun in nature, a refreshing change from regular life where you can just let go of whatever else is going on and just relax and have a good time... and be aware and connected with the earth, I feel comfortable there."

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A framework for service-learning, student leadership, civic engagement, and community collaboration for K-12 grade levels as well as community settings.

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The Healthy Neighborhoods/ Healthy Kids (HN/HK) Project is a service-learning/civic engagement and project-based learning framework for students designed by Shelburne Farms' Sustainable Schools Project in collaboration with Smart Growth Vermont.

Initially envisioned as a tool for service-learning focused on neighborhood revitalization and community planning, Healthy Neighborhoods/Healthy Kids was first piloted in several Burlington, Vermont elementary schools. It has since evolved into a framework for service-learning, student leadership, civic engagement, and community collaboration has been applied across K-12 grade levels as well as community settings, and is now implemented both nationally and internationally. (Read the article in the National Youth Leadership Coalition, Generator Newsletter, 2008)

Healthy Neighborhoods/Healthy Kids (HN/HK) endeavors to engage students in meaningful exploration of their community, and to provide teachers, students, and communities with opportunities for student-led community change. By providing structure and support for work deeply rooted in both student interest and community need, HN/HK is a vital example of Education for Sustainability, Place-Based Education, and Service-Learning, as well as a tool for developing students' literacy, analytical, and communication skills in a relevant way.

Based on the belief that students have the capacity to be leaders now and not just in the future, we are eager to share this tool with anyone who works with students or is interested in supporting engaged leadership for community change.

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Healthy Neighborhoods/ Healthy Kids | Sustainable Schools Project

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The Healthy Neighborhoods/ Healthy Kids (HN/HK) Project is a service-learning/civic engagement and project-based learning framework for students designed by Shelburne Farms' Sustainable Schools Project in collaboration with Smart Growth Vermont. Initially envisioned as a tool for service-learning focused on neighborhood revitalization and community planning, Healthy Neighborhoods/Healthy Kids was first piloted in several Burlington, Vermont elementary schools.

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Education for a Sustainable Future: Benchmarks for Individual and Social Learning

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Education for a Sustainable Future: Benchmarks for Individual and Social Learning

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Current benchmarks of forty-two scholars and practitioners which  embody the consensus that our field needs to demonstrate the impact of EfS and to catalyze wide spread implementation.

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The EfS Collective is a group of scholars, researchers and practitioners who are interested in advancing Education for Sustainability (EfS) by providing teachers with exemplary content and tools that reflect and are aligned to the EfS Benchmarks.

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The EfS Collective is a group of scholars, researchers and practitioners who are interested in advancing Education for Sustainability (EfS). We believe that in order to accelerate and scale EfS in formal education we need to provide educators with exemplary content and tools that reflect and are aligned to the EfS Benchmarks.

We want to increase the quantity of high quality EfS curricula and learning experiences, designed, delivered and assessed in schools and universities.

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The EfS Collective is a group of scholars, researchers and practitioners who are interested in advancing Education for Sustainability (EfS). We believe that in order to accelerate and scale EfS in formal education we need to provide educators with exemplary content and tools that reflect and are aligned to the EfS Benchmarks.

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Michigan Natural Features Inventory and the Michigan Conservation Stewards

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Michigan Natural Features Inventory and the Michigan Conservation Stewards

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MNFI has agreed to support SSLI with mentors and adult partners for our teen stewards from the ranks of MNFI educators and Michigan Conservation Stewards!

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Our Public Impact

We discover new knowledge. We define and organize it in the Natural Heritage Database. We interpret and deliver it to governmental agencies, NGOs, industry, researchers, and the public.

Services

MNFI scientists conduct a wide variety of fee-for-service and grant-funded projects for public, non-profit and private clients. Services include information requests, field inventories, site ecological summaries/assessments, green infrastructure planning, conservation planning, research, and more.

A FIELD GUILD TO THE NATURAL COMMUNITIES OF MICHIGAN

This indispensable guide provides detailed information, descriptions, and photos for scientists and nature lovers alike.

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We discover new knowledge. We define and organize it in the Natural Heritage Database. We interpret and deliver it to governmental agencies, NGOs, industry, researchers, and the public. MNFI scientists conduct a wide variety of fee-for-service and grant-funded projects for public, non-profit and private clients.

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This website shares ideas for working towards racial equity including how to plan, act, evaluate, connect.

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Racial Equity Tools offers tools, research, tips, curricula, and ideas for people who want to increase their own understanding and to help those working for racial justice at every level –in systems, organizations, communities, and the culture at large.

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Weather or climate? Differentiating the two can be confusing. Climate is the long term average of the weather over the years. This is a great explanation by Neil De Grasse Tyson.

Today the weather may be warm and dry where you live; tomorrow it might rain- that's weather. Thinking of the U.S. as a whole, we know the south generally has warmer weather than in the northeast and Alaska-- that's climate.
Long-Term Perspective Matters Most
It's the long-term average of the entire planet that really matters when we talk about the changes in the weather due to climate change. Today the planet is "running a fever" as Dr. Katherine Hayhoe explains. Over the second half of the 20 th and the first decades of the 21 st centuries the climate has warmed. The map below shows Earth's average global temperature from 2013 to 2017 as compared to a baseline global average temperature from 1951 to 1980. Yellows, oranges and reds show regions with a warmer climate than the earlier baseline.

Credit: NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio. https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2671/long-term-warming-trend-continued-in-2017-nasa-noaa/

The warming of the earth's climate means more intense weather. In a study released in March 2020, Stanford researchers found that climate change is intensifying heat waves and heavy rainfall events faster than scientists had predicted. One explanation for this: the Arctic is warming faster than the rest of the planet, which affects the weather patterns in the northern hemisphere, causing persistent weather extremes like heat waves, drought, floods, and wildfires.
https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2605/arctic-winter-warming-events-becoming...
The decade 2010-2019 saw so much damage from extreme weather events in the U.S. that 258 of them reached one billion dollars in costs. And, in every year between 2015-2019, ten or more separate billion-dollar disaster events impacted the U.S.

As the map below shows, some parts of the world will have a wetter climate, some a drier one by the end of the century if emissions aren't reduced.

Projected change in annual average precipitation by the end of the 21st century, based on a medium emissions scenario (SRES A1B) (NOAA GFDL, 2008).

If you want to see where extreme weather events that can be attributed to climate change occurred around the globe, this interactive map shows you. Those events include: extreme heat, drought, more intense storms, and wildfires.

There were big devasting wildfires in Australia in December-February 2019/2020, but the country has seen a long-term increase in the risk of fires and a lengthening bushfire season due to climate change. Drought and more extreme heat waves have created ideal conditions for bushfires. Climate modelers confirmed that, " Climate change played a major role, making the hazardous conditions that led to Australia's monstrous blazes at least 30 percent more likely than they would have been without human-caused global warming." Read our blog about the fires.

The Camp Fire as seen from Landsat satellite. By NASA, Joshua Stevens - https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/144225/camp-fire-rages-in-california

Devastating wildfires are occurring in other places: in California, where we live, wildfires have increased in frequency and severity. California's wildfire activity has increased for five decades with five of the state's largest fires occurring since 2006. A Columbia University study found that climate change is the leading driver of that increase.

It's not only wildfires that have caused more destruction, it's also hurricanes. Climate change is making hurricanes more dangerous with increased rain and storm surge height, and increased wind speeds. A new study found that Hurricane Florence (2018) delivered more precipitation and was spatially larger definitely due to climate change. The increase in precipitation hurricanes deliver is due to the combination of warmer air over warmer ocean water where the hurricanes form and grow. In 2017 Hurricane Harvey dumped a "biblical" 60 inches of rain on southeast Texas. Also in 2017, Hurricane Maria delivered more rain on average than any of the 129 storms that struck the Puerto Rico in the last 60 years. Research found that this increase was " due largely to the effects of human-induced warming."

Hurricane Harvey from the Terra satellite. https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/satellite-image-intensifying-storm-now-hurricane-harvey

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the Shape of Life | The Story of the Animal Kingdom

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Weather or climate? Differentiating the two can be confusing. Climate is the long term average of the weather over the years. This is a great explanation by Neil De Grasse Tyson. Today the weather may be warm and dry where you live; tomorrow it might rain- that's weather. Thinking of the U.S.

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Powerful Change Begins When We Work Together

Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice -or DWEJ for short -is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the environmental and economic health of our community. We champion a healthy environment for all people through innovative, thoughtful community and policy actions that put people first. We have grown from a group of grassroots activists that formed in 1991 and went on to become a major voice recognized locally, statewide, and nationally, for our visionary programs and projects that stimulate economic growth, while also creating sustainable, livable communities.

As Michigan's first environmental justice organization, our work is woven into the fabric of every Detroit neighborhood. Our far-reaching initiatives, programs, and collaborations touch the lives of all Detroit residents and provide lasting benefits to our communities, improving quality of life now and for generations to come.

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Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice | Protecting Detroiters' Right to Clean Air, Safe Water and Healthy Neighborhoods

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Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice -or DWEJ for short -is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the environmental and economic health of our community. We champion a healthy environment for all people through innovative, thoughtful community and policy actions that put people first.

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Weather Versus Climate Change | Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey

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To me sustainability means to have the ability to last a long time. (So if the example was earth, then sustainability to me would mean to find a way to reuse our resources so we would never run out, and to keep everything in working order. [like maintaining the ozone layer.])

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Ethan - What I liked about this resource is that they are working worldwide, and not just in the United States.

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OUR PUBLICATIONS

Project WET has been researching, writing and publishing water education materials since 1984. The result is the most comprehensive collection of award-winning water education books, guides, maps, posters and downloadable resources you'll find anywhere. Our water education publications cover topics such as climate change, watersheds, groundwater, water quality, water conservation, wetlands, waters of your state, WASH (water and sanitation), stormwater, water in cities, pollution prevention, and many more.

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Project WET has been researching, writing and publishing water education materials since 1984. The result is the most comprehensive collection of award-winning water education books, guides, maps, posters and downloadable resources you'll find anywhere.

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Ethan - What I liked about this is that it has a decent amount of details and I think it is easy to follow.

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SSLI  10/28 Definition 1 - 5 reds, 1 blue

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SSLI  10/28 Definition 1 - 5 reds, 1 blue

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Meeting our own needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs.

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Communities for Clean Water: Intro to Watersheds and Water Pollution

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You are using a browser that is not supported. How's My Waterway works best on the latest versions of Chrome, Safari, Edge, or Firefox.
How's My Waterway utilizes Esri's ArcGIS JavaScript API for advanced mapping features, which are not supported by this browser. For more information visit the following links: ArcGIS API for JavaScript System Requirements and So Long Internet Explorer. EXIT

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Youngest White House advisor in US history speaks at COP26

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Kevin Patel started One Up Action International after smog pollution sent him to the hospital

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Young climate hero Shreya Ramachandran believes clean water plays a key role in the future of our planet. She's made it her driving focus to help waves of future generations.

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Our Mission:

Michigan Climate Action Network connects and amplifies individuals, communities, and organizations confronting the climate crisis in Michigan and supports them in advancing equitable climate solutions with the urgency science demands for the environment and all that live in it.

Our Vision:

We envision a state with equitable climate solutions and 100% clean, affordable energy for all; where communities are prepared for and resilient to the climate impacts we cannot avoid; where everyone has access to good, family-sustaining jobs; where frontline and fenceline populations, along with local and indigenous communities, are centered in authentic engagement and decision making; where investments in the most impacted and vulnerable communities are prioritized; and where all Michiganders live in pollution-free communities, thereby preserving the health, safety, and quality of life that makes Michigan the exceptional place we all call our home.

Meet the MICAN Staff

Kate Madigan, Executive Director

Kate has led the Michigan Climate Action Network since 2015, and has worked for climate, health, and the environment for two decades. Kate's work has included co-founding the Oil & Water Don't Mix coalition to shut down Line 5 and getting Traverse City to set the first community-wide 100% renewable energy goal in Michigan. Kate previously was the Deputy Policy Director for the Michigan Environmental Council in Lansing, and led a national safe food campaign based in Los Angeles for Environment America. She holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan School of Environment and Sustainability and a master's degree from the School for International Training in Vermont. She has ties across the Michigan - her family is from Detroit and Flint, and she lived in Lansing before moving to Traverse City with her husband and two children 10 years ago.

Jamie Simmons, Engagement Director

Jamie is a macro social worker and organizer who has worked within reentry job retention and succession planning, social justice advocacy and education dialogues, and helped establish the UM Social Work-Engage program. Jamie has spent the majority of her career helping people, organizations, and higher education institutions center equity and authentic engagement. She holds a bachelor's degree from Michigan State University School of Social Science and a master's degree from the University of Michigan School of Social Work.

Emmy Schneider-Green, Digital Media Manager

Emmy has a background in online and print journalism, social media management, and digital communication and marketing, particularly around pro-health and environmental behavior change. She's managed the social media presences for a variety of brands and organizations, has been a regular contributor to several health and wellness publications, and was previously a bill editor for the Florida Senate. She holds a bachelor's degree from the Florida State University in Editing, Writing, and Media and a master's degree, also from Florida State University, in Communication and Media Studies.

The MiCAN Steering Committee

We appreciate the contributions and experience of the following individuals who are moving our Mission and Vision forward.

Missy Stults, Ph.D., Sustainability and Innovations Manager, City of Ann Arbor City of Ann Arbor

Justin Onwenu, Healthy Communities and Environmental Justice Organizer, Sierra Club

Frank Houston, Regional Program Manager, BlueGreen Alliance

Bentley Johnson, Senior Partnerships Manager, Michigan LCV

Conan Smith, President & CEO, Michigan Environmental Council

Catherine Garten, recent U/M graduate and Citizens' Climate Lobby volunteer

Bill Wood, Executive Director, West Michigan Environmental Action Council

Jim Lively, Director of Program Strategy, Groundwork Center

Bill Latka, TC350 and Oil & Water Don't Mix

Kate Madigan, Director, Michigan Climate Action Network

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Our Work

BUILD AND MOBILIZE A STRONGER CLIMATE MOVEMENT

We have grown our network to over 70 organizations and 30,000 individuals, and we partner with many coalitions and campaigns working for climate solutions and justice. We create opportunities for network members to share information and work together.

MiCAN organizes events, like the annual Michigan Climate Action Summit, the first statewide public gathering focused on climate action. We also support dozens of events each year happening around the state, from conferences to rallies and marches.

MAKE CLIMATE A TOP ISSUE IN MICHIGAN

Climate in the Media - MiCAN generates dozens of stories on climate and solutions each year in newspapers, television news, and radio programs.

Building the Biggest Social Media Platform - We have used cutting-edge strategies to build our social media presence to have one of the largest social media audiences of any group in Michigan, and we reach over 100,000 people each month.

The Climate Solutions Podcast - MiCAN partners with the Groundwork Center to host the Speaking of Resilience Podcast where we interview thought leaders on climate and justice in Michigan and the Midwest, and reach tens of thousands of people with our content.

Climate Candidate Education - We meet with, and we use surveys and videos to educate candidates about priority climate, health, and clean energy policies.

ADVANCE EQUITABLE CLIMATE SOLUTIONS FOR 100% CLEAN ENERGY

Supporting Local Climate Work - MiCAN led the effort that passed the first community-wide 100% clean energy goal in Michigan. We are supporting partners who are leading efforts in Ann Arbor, Detroit, Oakland County, Grand Rapids, Petoskey, and communities around the state.

Supporting Climate Policies in Lansing - Using phone banking, email, and social media, we let network members know about opportunities to help move forward new policies in the legislature, and have generated 5000 comments on climate-related policy in a matter of weeks.

Shutting Down Line 5 - We are a leading group in the Oil & Water Don't Mix Campaign and we are formal interveners with the Environmental Law & Policy Center (ELPC) working to prevent the Michigan Public Service Commission to deny a permit for a Line 5 oil tunnel.

Many citizens and groups in Michigan want action on climate change. The Michigan Climate Action Network is working to bring everyone together to make sure our state acts for solutions to climate change with the urgency the crisis requires.

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Michigan Climate Action Network connects and amplifies individuals, communities, and organizations confronting the climate crisis in Michigan and supports them in advancing equitable climate solutions with the urgency science demands for the environment and all that live in it.

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The capacity for earth's biosphere and human civilization to co-exist.

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Avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain ecological balance.

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When sustainability practices support ecological, human, and economic health and vitality.

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Sustainability is the process by which natural resourcs are kept in ecological balance.

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Resource for ideas for short and long term environmental service projects

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Resource for ideas for short and long term environmental service projects

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Some ideas other youth gathered for possible capstone projects. 

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Some ideas other youth gathered for possible capstone projects. 

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sustainability means to us, when we respect our natural resources, maintain an ecological balance, and reuse resources whenever we can.

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To me, sustainability is the practice of "meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs." (Investopedia). It entails identifying what impact people have on planet Earth, and securing methods to improve the positive impact while limiting environmental harm.

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What Effect Does Climate Change Have on a Pond?

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What Effect Does Climate Change Have on a Pond?

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What Affect Does Climate Change Have On A Pond?

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Climate change poses many new challenges and the planet’s future is uncertain. Problem-solve to understand how renewable energy could impact the environment.

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Media Credits

The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited.

Last Updated

June 25, 2020

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Teaching Idea: Human Impacts on the Environment

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Media Credits The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited. Last Updated June 25, 2020

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These are some of the games that we use with youth and adults on our farms and in our communities. Use these games and activities to stimulate your group, build trust, foster teamwork, develop stronger communication, get to know each other, and have fun!

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Our goal is a delightfully diverse, safe, healthy, and just world, with clean air, water, soil and power – economically, equitably, ecologically and elegantly enjoyed. William McDonough

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Our goal is a delightfully diverse, safe, healthy, and just world, with clean air, water, soil and power – economically, equitably, ecologically and elegantly enjoyed. William McDonough

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The Earthshot Prize
Almost everything we do has a carbon footprint, and that carbon is destabilizing our planet. The three Fix Our Climate finalists for The Earthshot Prize 2022 have developed groundbreaking solutions to repair the damage created by carbon.

Airing: 12/05/22

Rating: NR

Problems Playing Video? Report a Problem |

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The Earthshot Prize | Fix Our Climate | PBS

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The Earthshot Prize Almost everything we do has a carbon footprint, and that carbon is destabilizing our planet. The three Fix Our Climate finalists for The Earthshot Prize 2022 have developed groundbreaking solutions to repair the damage created by carbon. Airing: 12/05/22 Rating: NR Problems Playing Video?

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The US Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development

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The US Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development

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A network of formal K-12 educators who are engaged in sustainability-related education, and who share the goal of preparing students to be informed participants in the development of sustainable communities.

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The K-12 and Teacher Education Sector Team of the US Partnership includes experienced educators who help guide the development of a national ESD networking and outreach effort.

K-12 and Teacher Education Sector Team aims to:

Develop a network of formal K-12 educators who are engaged in sustainability-related education, and who share the goal of preparing students to be informed participants in the development of sustainable communities.

Promote the teaching of sustainability-related skills, knowledge and experiences through publications, professional associations, policy, and events.

To get the latest in our work, join the national listserv for k-12 educators focused specifically on the topic of education for sustainability. There are two ways to join the listserv: 1) Go to https://listserver.itd.umich.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=sustaink12 and join; or 2) Send an email message to " sustaink12-request@umich.edu" with the word "subscribe" in the Subject line of your message."
Intent & Priorities
The intent of the K-12 and Teacher Education Sector is to focus on promoting ESD and its network as a whole, not to provide ESD services directly. By working together, ESD educators can better find niches for publicity and promotion, nourish these niches with ongoing stories of success, and foster synergy among US educators so we can better participate with and learn from international networks during the UN Decade.

Priorities for Promoting ESD in K-12 and Teacher Education:

Develop K-12 learning standards that define what students should know and be able to do to be responsible citizens for a more sustainable world.

Develop and maintain web-based tools for educators including a clearinghouse of K-12 ESD resources and a national ESD listserv.

Promote ESD activities among K-12 and Teacher Education national associations by building ongoing relationships and providing support as needed (eg. national calls, webinar, articles, etc.).

Provide EfS speakers for national organizations and Colleges of Education.

Publish a white paper defining ESD in the formal K-12 sector.

Represent formal K-12 interests with regards to ESD in policy arenas.

Promote ESD among Colleges of Education.

Represent K-12 interests and initiatives within the larger US Partnership.

Leaders
Contact

Jen Cirillo

Steering Committee Members (not active at this time)

Kim Corrigan (Co-Chair), Partnerships and Professional Development Director, Facing the Future

Jefferson Burnett, VP, Government and Community Relations, National Association of Independent Schools

Wynn Calder, Director, University Leaders for a Sustainable Future; Consultant, Education for Sustainable Development; Chair, NAIS Institute for Leadership in Sustainability

Jen Cirillo (Co-Chair), Director of Professional Development, Shelburne Farms

James Cole, Assistant Principal, Middle School 328, NY, NY

Madelyn Colon, Connecticut Partnership for Sustainability Education

Susan Gentile, Professor of Environmental Studies, Urban Sustainability, and Education at Antioch University.

June Gorman, Education Chair, United Nations Association of the USA (UnitedNationsAssoc.) Board Faculty Representative, International Model United Nations Assoc. (imuna.org)

Leah Mayor, The Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education

Sherie McClam PhD, Manhattanville College

Victor Nolet, Professor, Secondary Education, Western Washington University

Debra Rowe, President, U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development; Co-Chair, Higher Education Associations Sustainability Consortium; Senior Advisor, Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education; Senior Fellow, Association of University Leaders for a Sustainable Future; Professor, Sustainable Energies and Behavioral Sciences

Lori Stole, Sustainable Oregon Schools Initiative

Gilda Wheeler, Environmental and Sustainability Program Coordinator at the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

Melinda Salazar, Professor/ MAT - Elementary/ Secondary Gallup Graduate Studies Center Western New Mexico University

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About the K-12 & Teacher Education Sector | US Partnership - K-12 & Teacher Education

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The K-12 and Teacher Education Sector Team of the US Partnership includes experienced educators who help guide the development of a national ESD networking and outreach effort. K-12 and Teacher Education Sector Team aims to: Develop a network of formal K-12 educators who are engaged in sustainability-related education, and who share the goal of preparing students to be informed participants in the development of sustainable communities.

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David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet