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Addressing Climate Change Through Innovative Thinking

CLAS 3000-004
Closed
UNC Charlotte
UNC Charlotte
Charlotte, North Carolina, United States
Jennifer Warner
Jennifer Warner
Teaching Professor and Director, LEADS
1
Timeline
  • February 7, 2022
    Experience start
  • October 13, 2020
    Project Scope Meeting
  • October 27, 2020
    Student mid-project update with company and instructor
  • April 9, 2022
    Experience end
Experience
5/5 project matches
Dates set by experience
Preferred companies
Anywhere
Non profit, Any
Government, Education, Environment, Non-profit, philanthropic & civil society
Categories
Environmental sustainability Humanities Education Social sciences
Skills
teamwork education communication problem-solving research
Learner goals and capabilities

Addressing Climate Change Through Innovative Thinking is an interdisciplinary course conducted in the context of authentic and real-world challenges. Students will engage in conversations centered on the many variables that impact our ability to take action on climate change including public perception and communication challenges, economics, impacts of the media, politics, ethics and environmental equity concerns, and education. Throughout the semester, students will identify pressing challenges and employ innovative thinking and a solutions-focused approach to taking action on issues related to climate change and sustainability.

A critical part of this class experience is to connect students with organizations working in this space. Because this is an interdisciplinary course situated in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, the students represent a diverse range of interests and perspectives. As such, they bring a wide range of skills and talents to our partner organizations.

Learners
Undergraduate
Any level
24 learners
Project
20 hours per learner
Learners self-assign
Teams of 4
Expected outcomes and deliverables

From the course perspective, deliverables are negotiable between the course coordinator, students, and the providing company. Students usually complete 20 hours of work practice for the course so that any deliverables would form part of this engagement. In the past, students have completed action projects in their communities, developed new events to promote sustainability, designed educational pamphlets, conducted surveys, developed social media content, spearheaded petitions, wrote advocacy letters, and made presentations, etc.

This course promotes the development of the following environmental and sustainability competencies:

  • critical thinking
  • problem-solving
  • written and oral communication
  • teamwork
  • project management
  • applied research
  • innovation
  • sustainability advocacy
Project timeline
  • February 7, 2022
    Experience start
  • October 13, 2020
    Project Scope Meeting
  • October 27, 2020
    Student mid-project update with company and instructor
  • April 9, 2022
    Experience end
Project Examples

In this course, students can work on a substantial climate-change-related issue that is important to your organization.

  1. Research and compile contextual background to inform learning and facilitate understanding of a complex range of variables that influence global climate change and our response to it
  2. Examine global climate change through new lenses and use creativity and innovation to become part of solutions that address pressing challenges with climate change.

Companies can propose topics that students can work on. Some examples include:

  • Environmental education
  • Community engagement
  • Marketing sustainability products
  • Public policy advocacy
  • Environmental assessment and governance
  • Environmental planning
  • Waste management and auditing
  • Broad socio-environmental and sustainability issues

Some typical environmental work practice roles that students might undertake include:

  • Sustainability education work for government or non-government sector, utilizing research, report writing and communications skills
  • Advocacy and communications work to develop or advance sustainability campaigns, in government or NGOs
  • Sustainability and climate change projects involving existing program implementation, communications and consultation work with community and industry
  • Waste management and auditing work for industry/government, affecting all phases of waste management policy and program implementation

Below are suggested ways that students can help your organization:

  • Develop and distribute educational materials promoting sustainability products and services
  • Propose innovative sustainability ideas/solutions for the company
  • Plan communication campaigns for specific audiences
  • Develop social media content for educational purposes
  • Plan community activities related to promoting sustainability and taking action on climate change
  • Plan and host virtual educational workshops
  • Design online campaigns and get petitions signed
Companies must answer the following questions to submit a match request to this experience:

Be available for a meeting with the instructor to initiate your relationship and confirm your scope is an appropriate fit for the course, and sign the appropriate University paperwork confirming the relationship

Provide a dedicated contact who is available to answer periodic emails or phone calls over the duration of the project to address students' questions.

Complete a short report assessing the student/s participation in the project

Attend Zoom presentation by the student