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Climate Leader Resources
Welcome to the Climate Leader support webpage! This is your landing page for all course material, additional resources, & links for logging your volunteer hours.
- Volunteer Opportunities
- Volunteer Reporting
- Continuing Education
- Additional Resources
- Course Materials
After graduating, we ask that you complete 30 hours of climate-oriented volunteerism, advocacy, and/or outreach within a year of completing the program. Volunteer opportunities will be posted here as they become available, but feel free to take action on your own!
Volunteer hours can include:
- Designing and implementing a climate action plan
- Hanging door knockers or hand-delivering flyers to promote climate-related events
- Leading a community conversation on climate action
- Plan a climate action, education, or awareness event
- Presenting at a climate action, education, or awareness event
- Tabling at a climate action, education, or awareness event
- Write a blog or editorial about climate-related issues
Help us show the impact of your incredible work by reporting your services hours via the form on the 'Volunteer Reporting' tab above.
Upcoming City Volunteer Opportunities
Fix-It Clinic Energy Efficiency Tabling
- Date: January 11th, 2020
- Time: 11 am to 1 pm
- Location:
Joe C Montoya Community and Senior Center
245 N Thorpe Road
Flagstaff, AZ 86001 - Come talk about energy efficiency! This is a tabling event for which you will be given supplies and talking points. It is similar to a mini-Home Energy Efficiency (HEE 101) Workshop-you'll hand out LED bulbs, shower timers, and other energy saving items, and share with folks simple energy and money-saving actions they can take in their homes or apartments.
We want to support you in taking climate action by offering continuing education classes. These 1 to 3 hour events are opportunities to meet with each other, Sustainability Program staff, and experts to practice conversations, plan climate actions, and gain additional knowledge and skills. Information on upcoming events and registration information (when applicable) can be found below.
Upcoming Events & Classes
Climate Leader/Master Recycler Merger Meeting
- Date: January 23rd, 2020
- Time: 5:30 to 7:30 pm
- Location:
Firecreek Coffee
22 W Historic Rte 66
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
Come learn more about what the merger means for you as Climate Leaders and all the new resources you'll have access to! Please fill out this RSVP form to let us know you'll be there.
Mountain Line Travel Trainer Workshop
Date: January 30th, 2020
- Time: 9 am to noon
- Location:
Mountain Line office
3773 N Kaspar Drive
Flagstaff, AZ 86004
Mountain Line is hosting a free workshop to train people how to use the Mountain Line system so they can empower others through transportation education. This workshop is intended for staff from human service organizations, non-profits, schools, or other businesses that interact with people who could benefit from using transit, help answer questions about transit, or want more information about our system.
Participants with gain the necessary skills of trip planning, boarding and exiting the bus, traveling the system, rider rules, and safety. Once the training is complete, participants will receive training materials including a trainer pass and trainee passes so they can conduct their own travel trainings. Please RSVP via email to Estella Hollander, Mountain Line's Mobility Planner, by January 22nd or call at 928-679-8998. Space is limited.
Climate Science
- NASA - Climate Change: How Do We Know?
- With a multitude of visuals, and using language that you don't need to be a rocket scientist to understand, NASA dissects the evidence, causes and effects of climate change. You might want to bookmark the FAQ page.
- Skeptical Science website
- Today I Learned: Climate(podcast recording)
- These nine bite-size podcasts from the Massachusetts Institution of Technology interview professors on topics like clouds, carbon pricing and geoengineering.
- The climate crisis is an oceans crisis(podcast recording)
- On a recent episode of his podcast, Ezra Klein, a co-founder of Vox, had a smart discussion with Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, a marine biologist, about the water that covers more than 70% of the planet and the hundreds of millions of people who depend directly upon it.
Climate Conversations & Communication
- Community Talking Points for Engaging with the Community (PDF)
- This document outlines general climate change talking points; talking points about the Flagstaff Climate Action and Adaptation Plan; and common climate change myths, arguments, and facts.
- Climate Reality Project - The 12 Questions Every Climate Activist Hears and What to Say (PDF)
- This PDF will arm you with evidence-based answers to the "most common arguments against man-made climate change."
- Animation video - The Secret to Talking about Climate Change (4 minutes)
- Katherine Hayhoe (TED Talk video) - The most important thing you can do to fight climate change: Talk about it(17 minutes)
- Jes Thompson (TED Talk video) - Let's change the way we talk about climate change (13 minutes)
- The Origin of Climate Denial(podcast recording)
- This engaging episode of WNYC's "The United States of Anxiety" explores how we went from broad climate consensus to having a persistent denial movement.
- Yale Program on Climate Change Communication - Global Warming's Six Americas
- Yale Program on Climate Change Communication - Climate Change in the American Mind 2019 report
- Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light Alliance framework - Climate Conversation Facilitator Manual
- Center for Climate Change Communication, George Mason University - Communicating with Global Warming's Six America (PDF)
- Yale Program on Climate Change Communication - articles pertaining to audience
Climate Change & Emotion
- Dan Sherrell (TED Talk) - Why grief can be strength in a warming world (13 minutes)
- Popula.com article - The Case for Climate Rage
- Grist.org article - A talking cure for climate-based depression? It worked for Renee Lertzman
- Grist.org article - If you're suffering from climate grief, you're not alone
- New York Times article - Time to Panic
- The Guardian article - Don't despair: The climate fight is only over if you think it is
Individual Vs. Collective Action
- Resilience.org article - Individual vs. Collective: Are you responsible for solving climate change?
- Truthout.org article - Mitigating climate disaster will require both systematic and lifestyle changes
Short Books
- The Madhouse Effect - In just 208 pages, the climatologist Michael E Mann and the cartoonist Tom Toles dismantle climate change denial with the help of witty writing and cartoons.
- What Is Climate Change? - This 112-pager from Gail Herman, which made Yale Climate Connections' list of recommended books for children, will allow you to learn the science of climate change alongside your kids.
Overall Course Information
- Syllabus (PDF)
- Overview ppt (PPTX)
- Group Notes: The following are links to Google Docs that you can edit so please add to them throughout the course! We ask that you please do not share the links with anyone outside the Climate Leader course. Thank you!
Session 1: Introduction to Climate Change & Climate Action
- Agenda (PDF)
- Session ppt (PPTX)
- Speaker presentation: Dr. Erik Nielsen, Understanding the Climate Crisis (PDF)
- At-Home Reflection- Choose a climate solution mentioned tonight (Session 1), or one of your own, and answer the following questions:
- Why does this solution stick out to you?
- What action can you take to achieve it?
- Who needs to be involved to make this solution a reality?
Session 2: Climate Change in Flagstaff | What Flagstaff is Doing
- Agenda (PDF)
- Session ppt (including Lee and Jenny presentation) (PPTX)
- At Home-Reflection - Select and view two to three short videosand answer the following questions:
- Why did you chose the specific videos you viewed?
- How did they made you feel?
- What Flagstaff climate issue(s) would you feature in a short video and why?
Session 3: Public Health, Safety, & Emergency Services | Water Resources
- Agenda (PDF) (updated 8/16)
- Session ppt (PPTX)
- Speaker presentation (PDF): Erin Young, Water Resource Management and Planning for Climate Change
- Speaker presentation: Matt Maurer, Public Health and Climate Change - coming soon
- At-Home Reflection- Find a good news story about climate change (e.g, a town has met its renewable energy goal, a species is bouncing back after being close to extinction, etc.)
- Be prepared to share a short summary of the story and why it made you feel hopeful
Session 4: Climate Change & Equity | Natural Environment
- Agenda (PDF) (updated 8/30)
- Session ppt (updated 8/30)
- Speaker presentation (PDF): Mayor Coral Evans, Equity and Climate Action
- Speaker presentation: Dr. Bruce Hungate, Natural Environment and Climate Change - coming soon
- Speaker presentation (PDF): Dr. Amy Waltz and Dr. Wasserman, Forest Management and Climate Change
- At-Home Reflection - Read the article 'How to Have a Useful Conversation about Climate Change in 11 Steps' and reflect on the following questions:
- How did this article make you feel?
- Which steps, if any, surprised you? Why?
- Which step do you struggle with the most?
- Which step do you think is the most important?
Session 5: Transportation & Land Use | Basics of Climate Communication
- Agenda (PDF) (updated 8/30)
- Session ppt (PPTX)
- Speaker presentation (PDF): Kate Morley, Transportation and Land Use
- On the Media podcast episode: Whose Streets? (55 minutes)
- Speaker presentation (PDF): Jenny, Liz, and Jillian, Climate Communication and Conversations
- Animation - The Secret to Talking about Climate Change (4 minutes)
- Katherine Hayhoe (TED Talk) - The most important thing you can do to fight climate change: Talk about it (17 minutes)
- Jes Thompson (TED Talk) - Let's change the way we talk about climate change (13 minutes)
- Katharine Hayhoe's website
- Yale Program on Climate Change Communication - Global Warming's Six Americas
- Yale Program on Climate Change Communication - Climate Change in the American Mind 2019 report
- Skeptical Science website
- Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light Alliance framework - Climate Conversation Facilitator Manual
- At-Home Reflection - Take this fun quiz about climate solutions! We'll share what we learned and what surprised us.
- Watching this Project Drawdown TED talk will provide additional information and help you take the quiz.
Session 6: Energy | Climate Conversations continued
- Agenda (PDF)
- Session ppt (PPTX)
- Speaker presentation: Eli Chamberlain
- Climate Conversations continued
- Center for Climate Change Communication, George Mason University - Communicating with Global Warming's Six Americas
- Yale Program on Climate Change Communication - articles pertaining to audience
- Climate Change and Emotion
- Dan Sherrell (TED Talk) - Why grief can be strength in a warming world (13 minutes)
- Popula.com article - The Case for Climate Rage
- Grist.org article - A talking cure for climate-based depression? It worked for Renee Lertzman
- Grist.org article - If you're suffering from climate grief, you're not alone
- New York Times article - Time to Panic
- The Guardian article - Don't despair: The climate fight is only over if you think it is
- Individual vs. Collective Action
- Resilience.org article - Individual vs. Collective: Are you responsible for solving climate change?
- Truthout.org article - Mitigating climate disaster will require both systematic and lifestyle changes
- At-Home Reflection - Read the article 'Reducing your carbon footprint still matters' and reflect on the following questions:
- How did this article make you feel?
- Do you agree that individual actions can spur changes in social norms? Why or why not?
- What individual actions can you take (that fit in your lifestyle) to inspire larger systemic change?
- What additional thoughts or ideas did this article inspire in you?
Session 7: Waste & Consumption | Becoming a Local Climate Action Leader
- Agenda (PDF)
- Session ppt (PPTX)
- Speaker presentation (PDF): Dylan Lenzen, Materials Management in Flagstaff
- NPR show Throughline - "The Litter Myth" (podcast episode Sam talking about during the session). The episode draws pretty heavily on Gone Tomorrow: The Hidden Life of Garbage, by Heather Rogers.
- Panelist presentation (PDF): Andy Bessler
- At-Home Reflection- Create a list of climate actions you would like to take. They can be individual or community oriented.
- You will each select one action (or two) from your list during Session 8 and draft a climate action plan to help make your action a reality, and get you on your way to becoming an effective agent of local climate action.
Session 8: Economic Prosperity | Catalyzing Local Climate Action | Graduation
- Agenda (PDF) (updated 9/25)
- Session ppt (PPTX)