Science, Technology, and Society Program, Psychology Program, Office of Sustainability, Human Rights Program, Historical Studies Program, Experimental Humanities Program, Environmental and Urban Studies Program, Division of Social Studies, Division of Science, Mathematics, and Computing, Center for Civic Engagement, Bard Office of Sustainability, Bard MBA in Sustainability, and Bard Center for Environmental Policy present
2019 Drawdown Learn Conference Live Online
Connect, learn, and help chart a path forward for solutions-based climate change education and action in your school or community.
Saturday, October 19, 2019
Conference Program
9:00–10:10 a.m. From Anxiety to Action: Psychology for Climate Work with Renee Lertzman, PhD. Overview & Updates on the Drawdown Research with Chad Frischmann
10:30–11:20 a.m. Unpacking the Green New Deal: The Critical Importance of Equity
Description: The Green New Deal outlines the most ambitious and transformative national goals since Franklin D. Roosevelt’s original New Deal and the World War II economic mobilizations. A national mobilization of this size and scale presents an unprecedented opportunity not only to combat the climate crisis, but also to eliminate poverty in the United States and to make wealth, prosperity, and security available to every person who participates in the transition. In this session, discover how equity across all sectors must be at the center of, and integrated with, all our climate work. Gain a deep understanding of the strategies and tools that ensure climate solutions benefit all—because the only way forward is to leave no one behind.
Rhiana Gunn-Wright, policy lead, Green New Deal
Andrew Revkin, journalist & founding director of the new Initiative on Communication and Sustainability at Columbia University's Earth Institute.
11:35 a.m. – 12:25 p.m. The Paris Agreement and You: The Critical Role of Education and Public Engagement
Description: The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) international environmental treaty of 1992 has the goal to "stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. A crucial part of the treaty includes the role of education and public engagement. The UNFCCC Charter and the 2015 Paris Agreement recognized six elements of this work, now collectively referred to as Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE). In this session, explore how ACE is and could further support the implementation of subnational, national, and global climate education strategy and strengthening of the Paris Agreement.
What does this mean for our work on a local level? What is a Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement, and why is it critical that we learn about this? What role can students and teachers play? This session is especially aimed at those working or interested in a field related to ACE, and to anyone who would like to incorporate Drawdown into climate change education, engagement, and/or outreach.
1:45–2:35 p.m. Cultivating Drawdown Scholars: An Overview of Penn State’s Landmark Program with Project Drawdown
Description: Penn State partnered with Project Drawdown to hold the inaugural Drawdown Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) and the first International Science Conference on Drawdown. During the eight-week REU program this summer, 55 undergraduate students from across the United States were mentored by Penn State faculty and Project Drawdown's research team to study the Drawdown models and examine the feasibility of scaling them down locally as well as communicating findings. The students also developed curricular models and teaching tools for drawdown under the mentorship of Penn State faculty and Drawdown Education Fellows of the National Council for Science and the Environment. Students, faculty, and staff created materials that they shared at the end of the experience and were featured at the first Drawdown Scientific Conference at Penn State University Park in mid-September. During the conference, "Research to Action: The Science of Drawdown," Project Drawdown's research team and scientific experts and researchers from around the world met and had critical discussions about advancing and communicating the science of Drawdown. A platform for community engagement was also created through a theatrical performance involving the arts and sciences. In this session, discover how the programs were put together, accomplishments, and implications and explore some of the teaching tools, curricula concepts, and other resources.
3:05–3:55 p.m. Climate Learning at Scale: Washington State’s Story Applied to Your Reality
Description: Washington State is coherently building solutions-oriented climate science literacy across its preK–12 school system. It is doing so with a commitment to changing structures and partnering with tribal educators in a way that demonstrates climate literacy and action that is place-based and equitable. The ClimeTime initiative supports science teacher training linking Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and climate science. In addition to teacher professional development, the project supports the development of instructional materials, design-related assessment tasks and evaluation strategies, and facilitated student events. In one of these projects, educators from the Spokane and Karuk tribes and others set out to design “locally relevant, three-dimensional solutions oriented learning storylines (SOLS)” in order to strengthen teachers’ climate science education instruction. To date, 100 percent of teachers who have participated report they are more prepared to make learning experiences inclusive for Native American students and have increased their ability to implement research-based instructional practices. Session participants will learn from project leaders and researchers about what was learned in the program’s first year. Participants will have a chance to engage with speakers for application to their own work. Additionally, participants will be introduced to the resource portal for the entire ClimeTime initiative and have the opportunity to consider use of the open source materials for their own purposes, including teacher trainings, curriculum, formative assessment resources and STEM Teaching Tools.
4:25–5:15 p.m. Crowd-Sourced Learning and Action: How a GIS-Powered Tool Can Activate Community Climate Solutions
Description: What would happen if a critical mass of people across the planet could learn and act on the range of truly impactful climate solutions and resiliency measures that they could take individually and/or together with others? Leaders of this session have conceptually designed the tool to support this outcome and have begun prototyping the first elements with students and educators in Olympia, Washington, and Toronto, Canada. Join this session to advance this crowd-sourced, digital, and social technology that builds awareness, appreciation, community building, and action at the local to planetary scales.
For more information, call 845-464-8025, e-mail [email protected],
or visit https://www.eomega.org/online-workshops/2019-drawdown-learn-conference-live-online.
Time: 9:00 am – 5:30 pm EDT/GMT-4
Location: Preston