Environmental Leadership Program: Youth Climate Science/Climate Justice Education and Discovery

(In-Person) Oral Panel—Learning from the Environment

Immersed among ancient trees deep in the Cascades lay the teachings of climate science and justice. The Climate Team in the Environmental Leadership Program introduced environmental education to middle school students by facilitating hands-on outdoor experiences in H.J Andrews, a world-renowned experimental old-growth forest. We discussed and showcased climate change evidence via four lessons: Phenology, Forest Plots, Microclimates, and Climate Justice. Through these lessons, students developed an understanding of the intersectional ways in which they can study climate change, and participate in solutions. As the seventh graders gained knowledge on plant identification, data collection/analysis, environmental inequity, and impacts on microclimates, we acquired experience in teaching, lesson planning, communication, and teamwork. By conducting hands-on research in the Forest, the middle schoolers gained applied science skills and basic climate change literacy, all while working as a team to analyze scientific data, graph, and draw conclusions about climate change’s impact on the forest and the world around them. By empowering young students with these skills and knowledge, the Climate Team paved the way for future environmental stewardship, taking action against climate change one student at a time as they grow to become tomorrow’s leaders.